Did your faction of OPC also bid for the N2bn NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) pipeline protection contract allegedly awarded to Dr Frederick Fasehun?
We got the information from the internet too. It was not only Dr Fasehun that bade for the contract, we did too. You know, our organisation has a security antecedent, and the existence of the group has security advantage, so, we thought it was necessary to be involved in securing pipelines against vandalism. If you know the number of lives that have been lost to pipeline vandalism, especially in Lagos and Ogun states, you will realise the seriousness of what we are talking about. For example, about six years ago at Abule Egba, about 2,000 people died in the process of pipeline vandalism. At Imore, nearly 1,000 people died with the corpses floating on water. The same thing happened in Ijedodo and most recently at Arepo. Part of the duties of OPC is to secure life and property. We believe that for an organisation like NNPC not to constitute a security threat to the society, there is the need for its pipelines to be secured.
There is a reference on ground for the Niger Delta. Most of the stakes were given to some of the self-determination groups in the region to secure their pipelines, as well as the surveillance of oil wells. So, if something like that could happen in the Niger Delta, there is nothing stopping the government from doing same with OPC.
The only thing is that I don’t like blowing my own trumpet. When you want to get a job like that, you must realise that too much publicity would cause problems. You will find some people who will envy your progress and they might believe that if such is done for your group, it will be highly empowered. I had the opportunity of telling the president and relevant agencies that I am interested and I have submitted my proposal. But I also know that Dr Fasehun has submitted his own proposal.
Despite the fact that he has not got the job from the government, he has started going from one media house to another. In such a situation, what do you expect to happen? Most of the contracts being awarded in the Federal Executive Council are awarded without any noise or fuss. But in this case, it is too much noise making that caused all these problems we are experiencing. Assume he (Dr Fasehun) had talked to the relevant agencies and they had refused to give him the contract at the end of the day, it is then he should have gone to the media to demand to know the reason the people of Niger Delta would enjoy such a contract and we the Yoruba would not. But the relevant agencies and the government have not said that they would not approve it. So, why make noise in the first place? Is it to draw people to your side? So, that was what caused the problem that we have on ground. But I can assure you that all hands are on deck on this. Even for OPC to secure the pipelines, it is assisting the government. The president himself confirmed that the country is losing up to $7 billion to oil theft. So, if this money running into over N1 trillion is protected by the government through the use of just N6 billion, which would reduce destruction of life and property, it is not too much.
So, you are saying the contract is not wrong or illegitimate?
Yes. It is a legitimate contract. It is not as if you are getting a job from the government that will not be done. It is project that will empower between 40,000 and 50,000 people in Yorubaland. It is not only the youth that will benefit from the project, the elderly too will, so also will technocrats. So, it is an opportunity to empower our people and there is nothing wrong in that. If there is information that the contract is being inflated, then, you could be reading corruption to it. But there is nothing like that. Nobody knows the exact figure. People are just insinuating that something else is behind the whole contract issue. Dr Fasehun is also not helping matters. You have not got a job yet and you are asking your members to start paying a certain amount of money for forms so as to participate in the project. It was some of those who had obtained such forms that gave out the information that the contract had been approved and awarded. So, that was what caused the whole problem.
However, in the light of recent developments about the contract issue, it is really sad to hear a respected statesman like Lai Mohammed make unpleasant comments about OPC’s plan to bid for the NNPC pipeline protection contract. Even before the contract issue came up, OPC had been guarding pipelines. But with the contract, there will be room for more people to be employed to do the job. There will be better co-ordination, organisation and management of those that will be employed to guard the pipelines. Since 1994, OPC had never collected anything from the government and despite our sufferings, we still protect government facilities. So, why is it that now that we are bidding for a legitimate contract, Lai Mohammed is now saying that if OPC is awarded the contract, we will use it to truncate elections? This is not fair. I don’t want to join issues with him, but I totally disagree with him. Therefore, I urge the leadership of ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) to caution Mohammed about Yoruba issues.
Is it true that your faction of OPC is sympathetic to the cause of the ACN?
There is no truth about that. My opinion and voice have always been in favour of non-partisan politics. I have friends in the ACN, PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and other political parties in the country. I am defending the cause of the entire Yoruba people, not the cause of any political organisation. So, I don’t have sympathy for any political party. We have people of like minds in ACN, PDP and other political parties. I was very close to the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who was the leader of NCP (National Conscience Party); Bola Tinubu, who is an arrowhead of ACN, is also a friend. The likes of Gbenga Daniel, Adebayo Alao-Akala; the current governor of Osun State and many others are my friends. Even I enjoy a level of relationship with the president. But those who really know me would testify that I don’t praise people in government. I always stay neutral and I don’t get myself involved in partisan politics. I don’t need it for now.
Where do you and your faction of OPC stand on the planned resuscitation of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) by Dr Fasehun?
My faction of OPC is not involved in the resuscitation of UPN. In the executive council of OPC, we have reached a decision that the time is not yet right for us to be involved in partisan politics. We have many things that are not yet settled and we have a lot of programmes for the Yoruba people that are yet to be done, so, why get involved in politics now? We have been at the forefront of the call for reformation in all spheres of our national life. We have been calling for national conference, which will serve as an avenue to deliberate on salient national issues like political reformation. Why should we leave all these important issues and venture into partisan politics. We will not join any political group or people; we will stay true to our calling, which is ensuring that Yoruba people, home and in the Diaspora, are not victimised or marginalised in any way.
But there is nothing wrong for anyone to want to resuscitate UPN which, by the way, was a good party founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. But for this to be successfully done, it involves basically the kind of people involved in the whole resuscitation exercise.
Do you think Boko Haram insurgents deserve amnesty or state pardon that some people, especially northern leaders, are calling for, given the fact that OPC had enjoyed something similar in the past?
We have never done anything to warrant pardon. OPC members were never insurgents neither did they carry arms against the government. So, why would we need anybody’s pardon? However, as the leader of OPC, I, as well as Dr Fasehun, was detained for several months during the regime of (Chief Olusegun) Obasanjo in connection with crises that erupted at Iyana Ipaja at a time. We were taken to court, but they did not even know how to start because nothing incriminating was found against us. So, after spending 14 months in detention, I was discharged and acquitted. It was not pardon neither was it an amnesty. Therefore, it is wrong for anyone to say OPC too was given a presidential pardon.
Our struggle is different from that of the people of the Niger Delta or the North. We got our freedom from the court of law, not from the pronouncement of any president. Posterity will attest to the fact that OPC was never guilty of any cause to be pardoned. We in OPC don’t need amnesty because we have not affected anyone negatively with our duties. In fact, the structure of my own faction of OPC is that members must work for their money. Why should we stay somewhere and the government would be giving us N60,000 every month? Does the government even have the resources to sustain this? We are talking about an OPC with millions of members worldwide; where would the government get the money to be paying them as amnesty package? Such money should rather be spent on developmental projects across the country.
However, talking about the pardon for Boko Haram, I would say anything that will make us enjoy peace must be encouraged, even if it is granting amnesty to this group. We need to call for peace, especially considering our population, creed and diverse languages. No neighbouring nation will be able to accept and accommodate us as refugees should there be a war, therefore, it is reasonable for anyone to suggest a peaceful way of having peace in this nation. This is the reason we have been calling on the government to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram people. If the people of Niger Delta could enjoy amnesty, then, Boko Haram is also entitled to it if it is the only way we can have peace.
But the government has waved the olive branch to members of Boko Haram which has been turned down. Do you still call for amnesty for such people?
Let us not forget that Boko Haram has splintered into various factions; about four parallel groups have emerged, each with diverse ideologies. That is why when it seems that peace is about to reign, another faction would do things to scuttle it. This is what is happening in the case of amnesty refusal. OPC supports calls for amnesty for Boko Haram not because of fear, but because Nigeria is losing. People are dying and scores of other citizens are fleeing the north. But in the face of all these, nothing is happening to Northerners here in the west. This is because the Yoruba are known to be very hospitable and accommodating.
But sadly, things are really looking bleak because we don’t know what the Boko Haram people want. If they are calling for Nigeria to become a Muslim nation, then, this can never work. All people – Christians, Muslims, traditionalists – are entitled to their beliefs. Interestingly, the entire North is not made up of Muslims. In fact, based on the statistics we collated, Christians in the North are about 30 per cent of the population. This figure is significant, therefore, why would anyone want to force them to have a different belief? A state like Plateau is predominantly made up of Christians, while the likes of Nasarawa and Kogi states also have a good Christian representation. Over 90 per cent of the people in South-East and South-South are Christians, while Christians are like 60 per cent in the South-West, so, why would anyone want to paint a picture that the entire North is all Muslims. If care is not taken, this might even jeopardise the prospect of a northern Muslim emerging as the nation’s president in 2015 because the Christians might not want to vote for such a person. The activities of Boko Haram have harmed the prospect of a northern Muslim emerging as the president in 2015.
But MEND has also joined the fray with its recent threat to attack mosques and certain Islamic clerics...
We don’t have issues with any organisation in the Niger Delta. If anything, we have always been sympathetic towards their plights. This explains why between 2007 and 2008, when their leader, Henry Okah, was detained, I was one of the people who canvassed for his release. Soon after his release, he came to my office to thank me. That was the first time I saw him. I would not say that the group should not agitate for the release of their leader, but based on the latest threats by MEND, I would say no to the bombing of mosques and killing of Muslims. Let it be known that 70 per cent of Muslims in the Niger Delta are Yoruba, and since MEND’s threats cannot be underestimated, OPC has made its mind known in a statement in this regard. This is because if MEND makes good its threats, many of the Muslims that will be killed will be Yoruba, and if the corpses of our people are brought home from the Niger Delta, how do you think we will take it? If we are not safe in the North, should we again be slaughtered in the Niger Delta? The position of MEND this time is not the right way and we condemn it totally. I can assure you, Northerners are less than 15 per cent in the Niger Delta.
Do you have intelligence reports about Boko Haram’s infiltration of the South-West?
Yes, we know that they have infiltrated the South-West, especially Lagos and Ibadan. But sadly, our security operatives here are not working in tandem. The latest case of the discovery of explosives in a suburb of Lagos was as a result of the diligence of members of the community. Could you imagine the Lagos government involving security operatives under various names in the provision of security and neglecting the place of OPC? The government seems to have neglected the fact that police alone cannot provide security; it needs members of the community and this is where OPC comes into the picture. But the Lagos State government has not taken cognisance of this fact and we are watching. Nevertheless, this does not mean we are praying for evil to happen. When Bola Tinubu was in government, if anything of such happened, he would call me and Dr Fasehun. I am not saying this because I want money from the government. This is not about money, it is about telling the present government not to be nonchalant to issues of security. If not for OPC, I can assure you, Boko Haram infiltrators would have struck South-West a long time ago.
Does that mean you are in support of the creation of state police?
State police is one of the ingredients of true governance. The job of securing lives cannot be handled by the federal police alone. With the availability of federal, state and local government police, there will be increase in competitiveness among all of them, because each will always strive to be the best. It will lead to a healthy competition, not the kind between the Nigerian Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Perhaps this explains why the recent sad incident where some NSCDC officers were shot dead by policemen.
Although we claim to be practising a federal system of government, as practiced in the United States, we are way behind, because the United States has an efficient police system, not just at the federal level, but also in each state, community and county. The same thing applies to the United Kingdom, which has the Metropolitan Police, neighbourhood police, Scotland Yard Police, among others. South Africa, on its own part, has a national police structure which has been divided into several provinces. They all work with the sole purpose of securing life and property in those countries. Though there are fears in certain quarters that if state police is allowed, some governors might start using it for selfish purposes, this is not an issue we should border ourselves with is because with the current federal police system, is the Federal Government not using them to intimidate people? With the spate of insecurity in the north, if state police is allowed in Kano, for instance, the level of bombings would reduce.
It is believed that OPC members are often used by politicians for evil purposes after they must have been given some money, especially during elections. Has such ever happened among members of your own faction of OPC?
In Gani Adam’s OPC, nothing of such happens because hooliganism and thuggery are forbidden. Anyone with vilent antecedents is always asked to leave the group. When politicians need thugs, they know where to go. But I must commend the Professor (Attahiru) Jega-led INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), especially in the last election, for putting measures in place that discouraged thuggery. One of such measures was ensuring that people waited behind to monitor events, including counting of ballots. This greatly reduced the activities of political thugs although I must berate the commission for choosing to de-register some parties for non-performance. By so doing, the commission seems to be discouraging grassroots people to participate in politics. I totally disagree and condemn that move by INEC. How can you use the performance of five to six years to determine which party was due for de-registration? He should have allowed the parties concerned to have continued to carry out their activities and with time, they would start recording results.
Comparing OBJ and Jonathan’s administrations, would you say the Yoruba are being marginalised in this present administration?
Definitely, the Yoruba are being marginalised. I complained about this to the president the last time I had the opportunity of meeting him and he promised to make corrections. But strangely, I couldn’t even interact with Obasanjo when he was the president. It is sad to note that in Jonathan’s one to 10 in hierarchy, no Yoruba person is included. Also, the conspiracy to deny Mrs Mulikat Akande-Adeola in the House of Representatives the opportunity to become Speaker attests to the fact the Yoruba are marginalised. But we don’t deserve this because in recent history, the Yoruba played a major role in the agitation that President Jonathan was made a substantive president of the country after the death of President Umaru Yar’dua. Also, in the past general elections, the Yoruba voted en masse for Jonathan based on the principle of equity and justice. Therefore, it is only fair if he can reciprocate our gesture by ensuring that his administration ceases to marginalise the Yoruba because we worked for his success story.
However, it is sad to say that we Yoruba are also playing a role in this and as such, we are hurting ourselves. The Yoruba may not know how to build themselves, but they sure know how to destroy. It is only among the Yoruba that someone would stand up against his kinsman and deny him his rights and privileges. This has been so for ages and we are the ones who lose at the end of the day. For instance, Chief (Obafemi) Awolowo notably did not win the presidential election because the Yoruba were used against him.
It is only among the Yoruba that a man would truncate the efforts of another man. I remember vividly how, in 1979 during the election that ushered in President Shehu Shagari, the then Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, said that the best candidate might not win the election - he was referring to Chief Awolowo.
Any hope of the two OPC factional groups coming together again?
I would not go into what brought about the separation in the first place, but the two groups are not going the same way. They are two parallel lines. One has taken the path of partisan politics, while the other has not. Of course, we have certain issues we may agree on from time to time, but now, based on certain principles, there is nothing like coming together. There are many instances to show that nothing of such is in the offing. Despite the fact that Dr Fasehun and I had met at various forums and events, he did not attempt to inform me of his plans to resuscitate UPN neither did he inform me about his plans to bid for the NNPC pipeline contract. The two factions have different ideologies, so they cannot come together.
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