HRH Anabs Sara Igbe makes case for 2023 Presidency, ‘doffs hat’ for Gov Wike (Video)

An exclusive interview with His Royal Highness Anabs Sara Igbe on the South South Presidency, demand for restructuring made by South South Governors and recent clamour by States to control Value Added Tax, VAT, generated internally. Excerpts of the interview conducted at the Port Harcourt office of His Royal Highness:

Question: For the benefit of those who don’t know you, may we have the privilege to have an introduction.

His Highness: My names are His Highness, Anabs Sara Igbe. I’m a Niger Delta activist, an Elder Statesman, the media Spokesman/Publicity Secretary of the PANDEF (Pan Niger Delta Forum) and also the National Coordinator of the South-South Elders Forum.

Question: You have been at the forefront of the emancipation of the Niger Delta Region by way of demanding for effective and efficient allocation of resources. Please tell us what your position is on the recent demands made by the South-South Governors.

His Highness: Interesting! The struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta started a long time ago, we came and met it. And when the Gowon administration came, they scrapped the derivation process. So we supported our leaders, our forefathers to insist that derivation must be given to us because of the hazards of oil production in the Niger Delta.

Based on that, 1.5% was given and a Commission was setup (1.5 Commission). Thereafter, 3% was given and OMPADEC was setup. Then from legislation, I remember that in 1999/2000 Obasanjo was almost assaulted by sort of bereaved militants and others who also insisted that they should implement the 13%. 13% was approved in the Constitution but was not implemented.

So, in 1999, in Port Harcourt at the Government House here, Obasanjo was almost assaulted to implement the 13%. And the OMPADEC was what we changed to NDDC with the 3% coming from the oil companies as statutory allocation as percentage from the Federal Government. All these were done to elevate the plight/suffering of the oil bearing communities. Because when you say derivation, derivation means where the oil is coming from.

Otherwise, beyond Nigeria, when you say Nigeria is oil producing, it does not mean every part of Nigeria produces oil and when you talk of derivation, it does not mean every part of the state in Niger Delta produces oil. So, we are talking about the oil bearing and impacted communities. So, NDDC was setup to address them and 13% was also setup to address the plight of these hazards.

But unfortunately, over time, the Governors have not used the 13% to address the development of the oil & gas bearing communities or the impacted communities neither are they giving them appointments or creating employment because the oil activities have destroyed the cultural occupation of fishing and farming and so it is assumed that the 13% would be palliative to those things that have been destroyed but that has not been done.

We have been advocating and insisting, the Governors are using the 13% the way they want to, without addressing the issue of the oil bearing communities. The oil bearing communities are still living in their squalor, without schools, without medical facilities, without health centers, without reclamation, without water to drink, without employment, without appointment and so many other things, no empowerment, the people are still living in their squalor.

And therefore, one wonders when the same Governors are asking for 50%, 50% to do what? We want to know what have you done with 13% on the oil bearing communities. Is it 50% for you to collect on behalf of the oil bearing communities and manage them the way you like? Or are you going to be accountable? This is democracy, it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people and the people you’re governing don’t even know what you do with the resources you are collecting on their behalf.

So the oil bearing communities would never; we are not against increment of derivation principle but we’re saying before we talk of increment, we want to know what you are going to do with the increment. We have not seen what you have done with the 13% neither have we seen what the NDDC has done in the oil bearing communities. Until these things happen, don’t take money, don’t ask for anything on our behalf. And again, I want to use this opportunity to say that the Governors are insisting that they want to be part of the PIA, the oil bearing communities are saying because of the way they managed the 13% and how they abandoned the oil bearing communities, we don’t want them to be part of the PIA. If they involve themselves in the PIA, then they are asking for problems in the Niger Delta, it means Niger Delta will still be restive and that is not what we want. We want development, we want something that would cushion the effect of the oil production in our area, that is what we’re saying.

Question: So, do you think the return of power to the South will solve the peculiar problem of the South-South?

His Highness: Well, from experience, the President coming from your place is not a guarantee that it will favor you but one thing is certain and obvious, there was an agreement that power must rotate between North and South and if the northerners have served eight years, it is very obvious that power should come back to the South and if it is coming back to the South, we are insisting that they should allow us to complete our second tenure before it goes to the South-East.

The South-West is not supposed to even be part of it because they have completed their 8 years tenure because I remember when we were talking about zoning, some of us at the meeting insisted that it must rotate between the zones but they said no; when it comes to the north or south, you can zone it at that level. So, if it is coming to the South, then the South should be able to zone it to those who have not gotten it. But for us in South-South, it took us over 50 years to get to that position of presidency and we are supposed to at least serve 8 years and we only served 4 years. So we’re saying they should allow us to serve our tenure completely.

Question: So, do you have any last words of advise because as an Elder Statesman, you’ve been at the political scene, you’ve been at the economic scene, you’ve been everywhere…

His Highness: Well, my last advise is the present government should focus on the economy because the economy of this country today as it is, is in disarray and security. These are the two basic things we need them to address. The insecurity is affecting the economy. It makes foreign investors not to come in because of insecurity. So we will appeal to them to address the security and the economy because Nigeria should move from the money economy to the diverse economy.

And that is why some of us are worried with the PIA when they said 30% should be set aside for the frontiers. We would have expected that 30% should be for industrial development, that is the only way we can be able to move this country forward and move this region forward. We need industrial evolution, we need the manufacturing to come back, we need to produce things for ourselves so that we would not be importing even the toothpick.

By so doing, we would have foreign reserve and our foreign reserve would be kept instead of always using our foreign reserve to buy things outside, we should be selling and build up our foreign reserve. If we look at our counterparts, those who started with us in the 60s, they have gone far ahead of us, their economy is far better and we are very backward. I don’t know why they say our economy is good. We have potentials in Africa, the African market is huge, if we are producing for the African market alone, it would go a long way to develop Nigeria and Africa.

So we would appeal to government to address the issue of insecurity and economy.
Lastly, on the issue of VAT, I strongly support the state government clamoring for VAT. We are talking about physical federalism and the Nigerian Constitution is very clear and they did not say that VAT should be collected by the Federal Government. And since the High Court has ruled, although we are going to appeal, let the State Government take VAT. I support that and I doff my hat for Governor Wike for that fact.

Thank you so much Your Highness for being a guest on the platform and our viewers, I guess you all had a swell time. It was very explosive and educative. So we look forward to having you next time on the platform. Thank you.

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