PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013
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North-East, poorest, most marginalized region-Rep Gebi INTERVIEW Hon Alyu Ibrahim Gebi, a member Representing Bauchi federal constituency in this interview with Umar Muhammad Puma, says the North-East region of the country is the most marginalized region in the country in terms of federal infrastructures even as he advocates a generational shift in the governance of the country.
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s the chairman, House committee on internal security, why do you think the challenges of insecurity are yet to be surmounted? To be sincere with you, the government lacks the political will to solve this problem; that is my personal opinion. It is as if when some people or certain part of the country feels that they are insulated from these problems, it can continue for God knows when. The issues of security are very integral, what happens in Kano today, the spontaneous effect would be felt in Bayelsa, what happens in Abakaliki the reflex effect would be felt in Sokoto, we are one indivisible nation. The leadership lacks the political will to solve these problems. There is no problem that is unsolvable as long as there is sincerity of purpose, but we do not have that. We can keep changing who is at the helms of affairs till kingdom come if we don’t attack the root cause of these issues, which is social injustice and it cued in distribution in terms of infrastructural development and so on and so forth. Recently, the National Assembly passed the 2013 budget despite the alleged non implementation of the one for 2012. What assurance do you have that the 2013 budget will not go the way of 2012? I understand the trepidation that the people might have; because it’s worrisome when you have a budget that is totally mismanaged by the executive arm of government; it is not only mismanaged, but not implemented as at when due, so it is rather worrying. There was a remarkable progress that we have made. If you recall, before we went on one of our recesses, where we charged the executive to deliver certain milestone in terms of performance of the budget; that has never been done in the history of our nation. When we came back, we went for a two weeks working recess to make sure that the implementation are going on according to plan, as you are aware, we were able to make an improvement in terms of
revenue releases. Having said that, the two must be separated, just because the 2012 budget have not been implemented does not mean that we should hold the nation hostage, The business of governance must continue which is why, as part of our legislative agenda when the speaker unveiled it, we said that the budgetary process would be concluded and submitted three months before the end of the year so that we can make our inputs. We on our own part have fulfilled our obligation, it is now up to the executive to also their own part of obligation, whether they do that or not, it remains to be seen. I assure you when we came back, it is going to be business unusual not as usual, we would shout when we need to shout and we would scream when we need to scream, as far as the budget is concerned, it must be done the right way. When the House undertakes the oversight assessment, you promise within a month you would make finding known, and now is over two month now we have not had any revelations emanating from the reports, what is happening? No the reports were presented at the committee level, for example one of the committee upstream which I’m a member, we did compile and discuss our report and pass it on, I’m sure may be it is the compilation process that slows the issue down, if you recall we have everything back to back, we have the constitution review processes, the amendment, so Nigerians should be patient, there
Hon Alyu Ibrahim Gebi is no any report that is going to be sweep under the carpet under the current leadership of the House of Representatives. Including the subsidy report… On the subsidy report, we did what we are supposed to do, we presented it, nobody thought we are going to sit on that day and we sat; nobody felt that the committee would be constituted, it was constituted; nobody thought the report would come out, and it did come out. So we have fulfilled our own obligation and we passed it to the executive. No matter what any of our members has done, we as representatives of the people can only investigate and come out with recommendations; it is now left for the executive to take it from there. What do you think Nigerians should do in this regard? The same way Nigerians took to the street to protest the removal of fuel subsidy, if it means that they take to the streets to protest in order to make sure that the reports are implemented, they should do so; it
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It has never been more blatant as it is now; we either work together to achieve a common goal, or we work together individually and lose again and hold our heads again. I think we have all learnt our lessons; it is in the best interest of everybody and the nation as a whole to allow the merger or alliance to work
is their right. Like the issue of Faruk Lawan, you can’t say you are holding the taker responsible, what about the giver, why is it that you the pressmen are not focusing on the giver? Is it only the allegation level against my colleagues that you are interested in? If the report has not come out, or these companies have not been indicted, then you have every right to say this and that. You were said to have appointed Abbas Faggo, the facebook writer who accuses Bauchi state governor of spending public funds on his son’s wedding, don’t you think this would amont to open confrontation with Gov. Yuguda? I’m not in confrontation with anybody. I was elected by the good people of Bauchi federal constituency in order to protect their interests and to be their voice as far as the national polity is concerned; this I would continue to do. Mallam Isa Yuguda is my governor and the chief security officer of my state, I respect him a lot; that is where it ends. He is PDP and I belong to the CPC that is a clear demarcation. As far as Faggo is concerned, this is somebody that is trying to do the right thing. It is time we start to celebrate whistle blowers in this country; if you see something wrong, say it no matter what the consequences. We as the youths of this country must do the right thing and we must learn to reward honesty, character and integrity, and we must denounce injustice no matter what size or form it may take. This is one of the beauties of democracy, where people are allowed to express their feelings on
how they are being governed. The Freedom of Information Act has provided for that; but you will be held accountable for it. I think the matter is still in court, so let him prove that in the court of law that yes this is exactly what transpired. Opposition political parties are to strategizing to form a new party ahead of 2015 election, already the ACN and ANPP have constituted committees in that regard, what is your party the CPC doing? The CPC is doing exact what it should to be doing. We are looking at it critically, objectively with the same mindset that the other political parties are looking at it. There are absolutely no questions on the importance of merger and alliance. Technically we want what is best for the nation. PDP has failed and has continued to fail, and this is thirteen to fourteen years of PDP, nothing changes. There must be an alternative and the only way we can be a credible alternative is when all the opposition work together and by the grace of God it would happen. The history of merger or alliance in the country has never been successful, what assurance do we have that this time around you would get it right? It has never been more blatant as it is now; we either work together to achieve a common goal, or we work together individually and lose again and hold our heads again. I think we have all learnt our lessons; it is in the best interest of everybody and the nation as a whole to allow the merger or alliance to work. There was an agitation by certain group that power must come back to the north, come 2015, what is a take on that? It is not an agitation; it is nonnegotiable that power must come back to the north in 2015. As representatives of my people, this is what we stand for. Whatever I do I dedicate my entire body and soul into it; if didn’t believe in the process, I would never be part of it, I believe in the emancipation of my people that I represent; I believe that the all children of the poor must have the same choices as the children of the so call elite; there must be equity and justice in this country; there should be no room for social injustice. The NJorth-eastern region, where I came from, is the poorest of the entire regions. We are the most marginalized in the whole country in terms of federal infrastructures. Why is it so? Are we not part of Nigeria? Don’t forget we produced the likes of Tafawa Balewa, Sa’adu Zungur, Atiku Abubakar, to name a few. I’m tired of seing my people bein reduced to mere beggars not by choice, but by design.