Why I Left AC in 2010 -an Interview with Princewill

Prince Tonye Princewill the crown Prince of the renowned Amachree
dynasty in the Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State of Nigeria and the
scion of His Majesty King Prof T.J.T. Princewill, CFR, the Amayanabo
of Kalabari Kingdom, a scholar, an aristocrat par excellence, endowed
with remarkable wisdom comparable only to King Solomon of the Bible, A
Petroleum Engineer and a consummate business magnate with diverse
interest in Oil and Gas, Hospitality, Haulage, IT etc. A Gubernatorial
candidate under Action Congress in the 2007 elections in Rivers State,
a strategic thinker, a philanthropist and an outstanding senior
technical project manager.

A distinguished and selfless politician whose hope and vision for
Nigeria and Rivers State his home State is uncommon and unparallel. As
a strategic thinker, he knew continuing with the challenge of the
results 2007 Governorship elections in Rivers state at the tribunal
would ultimately scuttle the newly installed government of Rotimi
Amaechi courtesy of Supreme Court ruling, Tonye Princewill
unconditionally withdrew his case at the tribunal to the consternation
of many of supporters and even his political party then, the Action
Congress.

At the National level, he has proved himself as a beacon of hope for
our region and indeed the country when as a member of the Presidential
Committee on Niger Delta; Federal Government Vision 2020 Committee, as
the Chairman of the Subcommittee On the Niger Delta, he resigned his
membership of the committee on 19th May, 2009 in protest of the
bombardment by the JTF of Gbaramatu Kingdom because he feels that his
people were about been annihilated from earth. This singular act of
the Prince set the stage to the eventual declaration of amnesty by the
Federal Government thus bringing the much needed peace to Niger Delta
region. A sustained economic growth of the country through increased
oil export has been recorded since then. Sacrificing personal and
monetary gains for the advancement of the people’s cause is one of the
hallmarks of a good leader; Tonye Princewill has clearly demonstrated
this rare trait leadership.  Princewill whose recent philanthropic
activities at alleviating poverty through micro financing of rural
women commerce in Rivers State, Scholarship to indigent students in
Rivers State, talent hunts among the youths, hope to the orphans and
the less privilege in Nigeria have been described in some quarters as
the road map to a greater and better Rivers State. This great son of
Nigeria took time to address various national issues and Rivers State
politics. He spoke to Chief Eze C. Eze, his Media Consultant on his
way out of the country to Europe on investment and business trip.

Excerpts:

You have recently continued to state that both your party PDP and
other political parties in Nigeria does not have ideology, are you not
lacking in principle by jumping from PDP to AC and back to PDP?
Oh yes, I maintained that both my party PDP and other political
parties in the country lacks ideology if one is to consider what are
obtainable in advanced economies. In Britain for instance the
principal political parties are noted for one ideology or the other.
Conservative and Unionist Party are centrist to right-wing and
traditionally centre-right and pragmatic while Labour Party on the
other are  centrist to Left-wing and traditionally socialist; and
Liberal Democrats, radical-centrist heavily influenced by social
liberalism. In America the two major political parties are Republican
Party and Democratic Party. Republican party is conservative usually
backs limited government and an unrestrained global free market while
the Democratic party  tends to favour greater government intervention
in the economy and to oppose government intervention in the private,
noneconomic affairs of citizens.
In Nigeria, let me ask, what does PDP or ACN, APGA or any of the other
political parties stands on Education, Security, Heath,
Transportation, democracy are? Nothing so definite, to me the
political parties in Nigeria are like Manchester FC in London or
Chelsea or Liverpool all based in Britain where players changes club
in order to achieve victory and not that any of the club stands for
any ideology apart from achieving victory at end of any football
season. The only scenario I can attest about lack of ideology in our
parties are the regimes of our late President, Yar’Adua and our
incumbent President, Dr Goodluck though from the same platform.
Critically observe the approaches of these two leaders and you will
see the different and remarkable differences and total lack of any
common ideology or approach to governance by the two regimes though on
the same platform.
Take the administrations of Sir Peter Odili and Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Amaechi from the same PDP but different approaches to governance. Is
the ideology of PDP in CRS the same with the PDP in Akwa Ibom? Are the
administrations of ACN in Edo and Lagos the same? Of course the answer
is capital NO these administrations are all driven by the thinking and
drive of those at the helm of affairs in these states and not
necessarily because of their different political parties. I have
pleaded with the leadership of my party under the able leadership of
Alh. Bamanga Tukur to ensure that the party is ideologically driven
and I have offered myself to assist in this regard if my services are
required accordingly.
I was in a plane the other day with Ibru and I asked him, ‘is this the
Nigeria that you wanted?’ Recently, a new political movement has
started to resurface, the Peoples’ Democratic Movement, the foundation
structure of the PDP. Now, if the PDM will ultimately meet to think on
how to address the question: PDM, the foundation structure of PDP,
what ideology did they promote?
I remember in the days of NRC and SDP in the aborted third republic,
there was an ideology; the ideology was this party represented this
set of ideology, this other party represented this set of ideology;
which one did you want to belong to? So, in the choice of political
party, we had a message, we had an idea, what do they want? Is it free
education? If it is free education, what exactly does it mean? Is it
free education as per tuition, or free education, as per free uniform,
free sandals as what are doing in Rivers State? Is it free education
at primary level, secondary level or university level? What does it
mean?
So, political parties would need to identify an ideology. Now, what am
I saying? I am saying is that we have to ask ourselves in the country,
where are we going and start to define what our ideals are for us to
adopt.
If you remember Martin Luther dream speech, he was talking about
dreams of their founding father in America. If you look at our pledge,
“the labour of our heroes past” you then ask: What were these people
labouring for? What were the dreams of our founding fathers? I am
afraid that the generation coming behind me, who would recite the
pledge and sing the national anthem sometimes wonder, what they are
talking about.
So asking me if I am principled or rather I lack principles in moving
out from AC to PDP is not a fair question but with what all that I
have stated above both ACN, PDP etc are all the same in implementation
of policies. I moved out from ACN back to PDP because I wanted a
platform that is more nationalistic in outlook than a regional
political party which ACN is at the moment coupled with other factors.

Sir, in that case what are the other factors that caused you to leave
ACN that was capable of making you the Governor of Rivers State?
I have much respect for the leadership of ACN at the national level
but when I was left alone to sustain and sponsor the activities of the
party in the State and the region at large it becomes a load, I could
not continue to carry besides when it becomes the acts of most of my
followers then to capitalise on my relationship with Gov Chibuike
Amaechi to demand that I must ask Amaechi to empty the Rivers State
treasury for them, I could not hesitate to leave such a crop of people
back to PDP.

Most importantly, I was being threatened and harassed left and right
that if I fail to ask Amaechi to release much money to them they will
turn over the party to Dr Abiye Sekibo and Sir Celestine Omehia to use
the platform to fight Amaechi and I have no interest or intention of
contesting the 2011 general elections to fight against Amaechi seeing
that he needed the second term to consolidate on the good jobs he is
doing in the State so I have to leave the party as I cannot continue
to hold on a party that I have no use of using to contest any
election.

You are involved with a lot of Philanthropic activities recently, are
all these geared towards contesting the 2015 general election?

It is sad that my involvement recently to assist the orphans through
Melody Shelters by organising the first TV Reality Show for orphanages
in Nigeria which Godswill Orphanage in Kogi State came top and carted
away the sum N10M with the runners up and the third placed Homes
carting home N5M and N3M respectively, releasing funds to
Micro-Finance Agency to intervene in emancipating our rural women,
offer scholarships to our indigent students in Higher Institutions
from Rivers State, talents Hunts and creating and offering jobs to
some of youths in dare need of jobs and other interventions that I
have put on to assist the less privileged are being interpreted that I
want to contest the guber election of 2015!

Those saying all these forgot the role God played in the elections of
Ada George, Peter Odili and Chibuike Amaechi in Rivers State. Those
manipulating and strategising for the 2015 elections which is about
three years ago should please go ahead but why should I be embarking
on projects that are geared at 2015 in 2012? Why don’t I have to wait
till 2014 in order to use all these funds if I have actually wanted to
invest them because of 2015 elections? In one of my billboards in Port
Harcourt, I stated that “If you are blessed, try and bless others” so
what stops me from practising what I am preaching seeing that God has
blessed me by affecting the lives of the less privileged. I am only
interested in what is happening in 2012 while if God gives me life
till 2015 and if the people of Rivers State want to me to play any
role in the 2015 elections, I will make myself available but now,
people should leave me alone to assist our people in their desire for
a purposeful leadership and assistance.

Your Politics is woven around Atiku, Amaechi, Alaibe Asiawaju, what do
you find in these great men that fascinates or rather influences your
style of politics?
I cannot deny the fact the roles these great men played in shaping my
politics. Atiku stood by me when the entire AC Leadership by 2008
wanted me disgraced because I resolved to withdraw my gubernatorial
case against Gov. Amaechi, and from this misunderstood leader, I have
learnt much on how politics should be played and practised and
learning from such a political institution is an honour only lucky
ones like me are entitled to.
To many people Amaechi is not only a friend but a true brother that no
matter what ever maybe our differences this great political wizard and
strategist has taught me a lot of political lessons that have sharpen
and prepared me for greater task ahead of me. For Asiawju Bola Tinubu,
many people do not know my relationship with this great man. Apart
from Atiku, Asiwaju was the next person I contacted when I decided to
remove my gubernatorial case from the court to support Amaechi
government seeing that he was the one that solely sponsored all the
SANs that handled my gubernatorial case. This great politician and
fearless mobiliser and strategist of the highest repute is one of my
political mentors that I will continue to admire and respect. For my
own brother Alaibe, many people do not know that if not this man there
would not have being Prince Tonye Princewill the business man. It was
this man who decided to influence me to come back to Nigeria after he
visited my home in 2001 and literally moved me to Nigeria and that is
how I started the journey that have taking me this far. Ironically,
all these great men names starts with A and truly they are the ‘As’ in
the politics of Nigeria and I am happy to be their disciple.

You are the crown Prince of Kalabari Kingdom, we do wonder at times
what have you actually contributed towards the development and
emancipation of this area that have suffered untold hardship in
present and previous administrations of Rivers State?

I am happy about this question as many people have asked me the same.
It may interest you to note that that it was the Buguma crisis of 2003
that turned the Buguma town into a war zone amongst the militant
groups pervading in my area at that time that actually brought me into
politics. After I did the much I could do to bring sanity and peace to
my people I started to ask what actually the essence of governance is
all about while my people are been encouraged to slaughter themselves.
My first achievement to my people was restoring peace to them by 2003.
Apart from offering job opportunity to them, I initiated a scholarship
scheme that I started in the Kalabari Kingdom which has now being
extended to all the other Local Government Areas in Rivers State. I am
only an individual and can only do the much that I am doing.

In this regard, can you kindly educate us accept being a close
associate of Gov Amaechi what your relationship with him has brought
to the Kalabari Kingdom seeing that most of the key projects are not
attended to?

To Governor Amaechi, I am a riverine politician because of the way I
have continued to plead with him to assist in fulfilling most of his
promises to our people in the riverine areas. I have said earlier, Gov
Amaechi is a friend and brother but there is a limit of what I can do
or influence him about but I am mostly saddened that most of the keep
projects like the Trans-Kalabari Road that would have assisted in
linking the Local Governments in the kingdom is not implemented. It is
only unfortunate that my relationship with the Governor have not
resulted to much development to my area but we should exercise
patience and pray that God will touch him to ensure that this
particular road is attended to and other development brought to bear
in the entire riverine area as obtainable in other areas of the State.
To drive home the plight of my people, let us imagine an area like
Onlega that is the highest oil producing area in the country without
any visible development to show for what all the resources being
exploited from this area that shows you how the towns in the riverine
areas where I came from are treated.

You are the Consultant to the Government of Rivers State on PPP and a
member of the Rivers State Advisory Economic Committee, sir, why are
the PPP programs not working in Rivers State and were you adequately
consulted in implementing the Monorail and other such unprofitable
projects in the State?

Yes, I am a Consultant to the Rivers State Government on Public
Private Partnership (PPP) and I have in that capacity attracted over
N50B investments to the State and was a member of the Advisory
Economic Team but have stopped attending most of their meetings
recently as the idea behind setting up such a Committee are no longer
attainable as those surrounding the Governor have usurped most of our
activities and they would not have being any need attending a meeting
just to answer present while most of the recommendations are not
implemented.

My stand on the Monorail no matter the challenges and criticisms is
that the project was well conceived as it was to be a PPP driven
project initiated by a onetime Governor of the State but along the
line after the Government has invested a lot of money in it and sadly
the private partners could not meet up with their own side of the
bargaining and in order not to lose out totally the government
resolved to go it alone. Instead of passing judgement now let us wait
until the Governor leaves office before we can pass any judgement on
this crucial project but to describe it as unprofitable is not a fair
assessment as it will be a legacy that Amaechi will for long be
remembered with.
Other PPP driven projects working in the State include the Silver Bird
Cinema and the Call Centre etc.

Sir, would you have done some of these PPP projects a bit different
from what the present administration are doing if you were elected the
Governor in 2007?

Of course yes, there are certain areas I would have adopted a
different approach but as Sir Celestine Omehia once told me when we
met some time ago, “TP, bear in mind that if this administration
succeeds it will rub on you and if it fails, you should be ready to
bear your cross because you cannot exonerate yourself from most of the
ills or otherwise of the administration” and I agree totally with Sir
Omehia and that is why I am doing my best to guide and assist the
Governor to succeed if those around him will permit it.

Is the Rivers State Government doing enough to create employment
among our uncountable graduates roaming the streets jobless?

The problem of governance both in Rivers State and the country at
large is the inability of the various governments in the country to
understand the language of business until that is done; the ability of
government to create jobs for our teeming youths will be sceptical and
slim. I don’t believe and support the stand that government should be
disturbing itself to employ people, to me the government should create
the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive to create
jobs for our people, the government should thereafter ensure that
these private driven initiatives employ our people instead of engaging
others from outside the country. I learnt that the government is about
employing over ten thousand Teachers to teach in most of our schools,
this is commendable but the fact remains that we need to do more to
save our your youths from falling into criminalities.

Recently the residents of Abonemna wharf were sacked and their houses
demolished, is this right if we are actually praticising democracy of
government by the people and for the people?
I don’t support people to be treated as if they are not sons and
daughters of the State. The essence of governance is the people so any
policy and project of the government that does not know bring
happiness and joy to the governed cannot be said to be people driven.
Though I have being outside the State for some time and I have not
been properly briefed on what actually transpired to warrant the
demolition of the Abonemna wharf that housed the down trodden and less
privileged ones. But if the little I heard that instead of the
commercial rate under which Njamanze wharf was demolished a devalued
rate was used in the case of Abonmna wharf then it is sad and
unfortunate. I wish to counsel that next time the government should
handle such an issue with human face but consult extensively to carry
the people along.
On the other hand, the government may have good intentions to arrest
insecurity in the area but we cannot because of the acts of few
miscreants punish the majority from the area in the manner the
community was sacked without much consultation.

Sir, the new National Security Adviser, Dasuki recently told
Nigerians that he has the gsm numbers of the leaders of Boko Haram and
will soon engage them in discussion to find a way of this imbroglio of
insecurity in the country. What is your take on this?
Many approaches have been adopted to arrest this perennial insecurity
challenge which is threatening to disintegrate this country, so
whatever the new NSA may decide to use to arrest the menace of the
Boko Haram is acceptable to me, though telling us on the pages of
newspaper of whatever strategy they are adopting does not make any
meaning to us, what matters is result and action even as I wish him
the best of luck.

Some people have advanced the logic that the scary security situation
in the country was as a result of loss of power by a certain zone;
they are also of the opinion that if power returns to that section of
the country, we are likely to witness a reduction, or total stoppage
in the spate of bombings. What’s your take on this?
I have to be honest with you, there is merit in these statements you
have made, but I will like us to dig a little deeper. Why do I say
that? It is human nature to want to simplify, but I want us to desist
from taking that path. I want us to look at the problems and be a
little bit more detailed.
I think the issue of bombings and so on seem to be multi-faceted, I
believe that there is political element to it; I believe there is a
religious element to it. I also believe that there is ethnic element
to it, but I don’t want to rule out the fact that there is a global
element to it.
Now, if I look at each of these elements, independently, and exclude
the others, I simplify it. In fact, just put it down to politics, just
put it down to religion, just put it down to people having a grouse
based on ethnic divide, I forget that there are other issues
associated with it.
I will give you a typical example. In the United Kingdom, we had
bombings under the banner or guise of Irish Republican Army. It had a
political dimension; what people saw as the political wing of the IRA,
Sinn Fein, was denied what you can call political right. Was that the
cause of the bombings? May be, but again, you simplify it.
There was a religious component to it as well, the Catholic versus the
Protestants. But is that the cause of the bombings? Again, you
simplify it. There was an ethnic problem of the Irish versus the
English. Is that the cause of the problem? Again, yes, but you
simplify it. So, we must refrain from the temptation to box our
problem. It is human nature. Oh, he is doing it, because he is an Ibo
man; oh, he is like this, because he is a Yoruba man, or people from
Niger Delta, they are all militants.
We always, by human nature, simplify and I want us to avoid that. The
reason I want us to avoid that is, because the leadership has such
problem and, if you are saddled with the responsibility of solving a
problem, it is important that you understand the problem. It is only
when you truly understand the problem that you can resolve it and
that’s why I said that the solution to Boko Haram isn’t bravado, it is
intelligence.
You need to gather intelligence; it isn’t ‘we are going to crush’. I
remember somebody, somewhere, issued a statement that Boko Haram will
be crushed by June. It isn’t about crushing Boko Haram; as much as a
menace as they are, it isn’t about crushing Boko Haram, just as it
wasn’t about crushing the IRA. There are ways and means and I believe,
strongly that these ways and these means need to be looked into.

So what needs to be done?
I believe there is a holistic problem that our security agencies, our
government and our leaders need to begin to address.
Now, you asked a second question: is it not likely, therefore, that if
Jonathan doesn’t acquire the office of the presidency in 2015 and the
North, for instance, does, that isn’t there a likelihood that we would
see the return to normalcy? Well, I cannot predict, but I do know
that, if we want to avoid it, we can.
There is a common phrase that, if you want to keep getting what you
are getting, keep doing what you are doing. And so, if we want to keep
getting this tit—for-tat ethno-religious violence, then we should
recognize that where we have come from has produced the current
circumstance.

Why must you continue advocating for National Conference?
We need to sit down and ask ourselves, some basic fundamental
questions, some core truths. I believe that this sovereign national
conference discussion is one that we need to have. I don’t know if the
word, sovereign, applies, because I don’t expect anybody to give up
its sovereignty, but there is a need for a national discourse, where
we can sit down and talk about our ideals: where are we going? What do
we want to achieve as a country? Where do we stand on the issue of
zoning or no zoning?
Aren’t we advanced enough to start to worry about what somebody’s
merits are, as opposed to where the person comes from?
Where does the person want to take off? I think that what we should
do, but to cut the long story short, your question about what would
happen, in a couple of years if power rotates, is a question that many
people are asking. I think that the only answer to that question will
come from the leaders sitting round the table and having a discussion.
If that doesn’t happen, I am afraid that we will continue to rely on
trial and errors, reluctant presidents, people who didn’t want to lead
but are being forced to lead, for whatever reason or the other.
We wouldn’t have a proactive, well thought out Nigeria, but instead we
will have a reactive Nigeria that reacts to circumstances and give
reactions like we saw in Kaduna, spontaneously and negatively.

You are in support of sovereign national conference; should there be
no-go areas?
No, I am not saying there should be no-go areas, but, unfortunately,
in the past three months, I have been hearing my northern brothers
say, if we should separate, let us separate. I have heard a lot of my
northern brothers echo that sentiment and I believe strongly that
unless we can provide all these sentiments good reason to do
otherwise, this sentiment will continue and maybe even strengthened. I
believe, with my experience, that people who are next door to you
aren’t necessarily people who love you. So, if you have disagreement
with people who live across, that doesn’t mean that we should
separate.
I believe that the country as Nigeria can work, but I believe that
people need to sit around the table and have a discussion. So, if you
have a referendum in Nigeria, I believe that the majority will opt for
one Nigeria that is based on equity, fairness and justice; one Nigeria
where the leadership is transparent and accountable. If we can provide
that kind of a Nigeria, then we will stay as Nigerians and continue to
thrive as Nigerians. So, I don’t think there should be no-go areas; I
believe what we should be discussing is how we come together and how
to move forward as a nation. Our generation cannot promote that
discussion, the people who have put us in this mess need to get us out
of it and I think it is their responsibility.

Category: Viewpoint

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Category: Viewpoint