Chief Michael Obasohon is the president of the South South citizens resident in Oyo State. In this interview with EMMANUEL ADENIYI, the Edo-State born businessman bares his mind on the worrying level of insecurity in the country and other sundry issues. Excerpts:
SINCE when have you been in Oyo State?
I came to Oyo State, Ibadan specifically, long time ago. I came to Ibadan in 1971, and this is my 41st year in the town. Ibadan people, and by extension the people of the state, are very hospitable and peaceful. All my children were born here and they are doing fine too.
How would you describe the South South presidency vis-a-vis the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan since his assumption of office?
I am not a politician, but I will say that the South South region deserves to produce a president for this nation. You will recall that since independence, this is the first time a citizen of the region will be governing Nigeria. He has performed well, at least at keeping the nation together. We have been through turbulent happenings in the recent time, but his positive leadership has helped to put a lot of things under control. So far, President Jonathan has not failed the region and the entire nation.
I will not subscribe to what some people are saying about him; he is trying his best to transform the country and reposition it. Be that as it may, President Jonathan is not a military man, he should not be expected to rule with a regimented mentality and his approach to issues should be expected to be different.
As an elder statesman, how do you think Nigeria can overcome its current security challenge?
There is no doubt that the prevalent security challenge in every part of the country needs urgent attention. The Boko Haram menace in the North and widespread kidnapping as well as armed robbery attack in the southern part of Nigeria have all sent wrong signals about the country to the outside world. It gives the impression that Nigeria is not secured. However, we need to identify the causes of these problems. The major cause of this problem is simply unemployment. It is also the cause of youth restiveness in the South South. When youths don’t have jobs to do and they keep roaming the street, knowing full well that there is wealth in the nation, they will respond by taking to crimes. It is suicidal for any nation that has able-bodied men and women who are ready to work, but have no jobs, just because the society fails to make provision for them. The solution is in the creation of jobs. Government should devise a means that will lead to massive job creations, until we do that Nigeria will continue to sit on a keg of gunpowder.
Settler-indigene rivalry is a thorny issue in Nigeria as settlers in some parts of the country always claim to be denied certain rights, what would say has been your experience?
I think it is a constitutional crisis. For instance, I have been in Oyo State for a long time, all my children were born here. What the constitution stipulates is that having spent 10 years in a place, you can claim that place. Virtually in every part of Nigeria, this constitutional provision is never observed. Students who are not indigenes of a state, for example, pay higher school fees than indigenes. Settlers are denied certain rights. I think this should be addressed, in such a way that an Ibadan man can settle down in Benin and see the town as his home. I must say things are a little bit different in Oyo State, the government is trying, but they can still do more by ensuring that all the ethnic nationalities represented in the state are given due sense of belonging.
What do you have to say about the planned deregulation of the downstream oil sector and the proposed removal of oil subsidy by the Federal Government?
Government has no business in managing the sector, in the first instance. It is not only the sector that needs to be privatised, electricity generation and other sectors need to be thrown open for private participation. The fact of the matter is that government cannot run these sectors effectively. If oil sector is deregulated, more private individuals will show interest and this will definitely lead to job creations. Should it be done, we are likely to experience what we currently have in telecommunication sector. Same goes for the removal of oil subsidy. There is a lot of rot in the sector, because the subsidy is currently being enjoyed by certain individuals in the sector and not by the Nigerian masses.
SINCE when have you been in Oyo State?
I came to Oyo State, Ibadan specifically, long time ago. I came to Ibadan in 1971, and this is my 41st year in the town. Ibadan people, and by extension the people of the state, are very hospitable and peaceful. All my children were born here and they are doing fine too.
How would you describe the South South presidency vis-a-vis the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan since his assumption of office?
I am not a politician, but I will say that the South South region deserves to produce a president for this nation. You will recall that since independence, this is the first time a citizen of the region will be governing Nigeria. He has performed well, at least at keeping the nation together. We have been through turbulent happenings in the recent time, but his positive leadership has helped to put a lot of things under control. So far, President Jonathan has not failed the region and the entire nation.
I will not subscribe to what some people are saying about him; he is trying his best to transform the country and reposition it. Be that as it may, President Jonathan is not a military man, he should not be expected to rule with a regimented mentality and his approach to issues should be expected to be different.
As an elder statesman, how do you think Nigeria can overcome its current security challenge?
There is no doubt that the prevalent security challenge in every part of the country needs urgent attention. The Boko Haram menace in the North and widespread kidnapping as well as armed robbery attack in the southern part of Nigeria have all sent wrong signals about the country to the outside world. It gives the impression that Nigeria is not secured. However, we need to identify the causes of these problems. The major cause of this problem is simply unemployment. It is also the cause of youth restiveness in the South South. When youths don’t have jobs to do and they keep roaming the street, knowing full well that there is wealth in the nation, they will respond by taking to crimes. It is suicidal for any nation that has able-bodied men and women who are ready to work, but have no jobs, just because the society fails to make provision for them. The solution is in the creation of jobs. Government should devise a means that will lead to massive job creations, until we do that Nigeria will continue to sit on a keg of gunpowder.
Settler-indigene rivalry is a thorny issue in Nigeria as settlers in some parts of the country always claim to be denied certain rights, what would say has been your experience?
I think it is a constitutional crisis. For instance, I have been in Oyo State for a long time, all my children were born here. What the constitution stipulates is that having spent 10 years in a place, you can claim that place. Virtually in every part of Nigeria, this constitutional provision is never observed. Students who are not indigenes of a state, for example, pay higher school fees than indigenes. Settlers are denied certain rights. I think this should be addressed, in such a way that an Ibadan man can settle down in Benin and see the town as his home. I must say things are a little bit different in Oyo State, the government is trying, but they can still do more by ensuring that all the ethnic nationalities represented in the state are given due sense of belonging.
What do you have to say about the planned deregulation of the downstream oil sector and the proposed removal of oil subsidy by the Federal Government?
Government has no business in managing the sector, in the first instance. It is not only the sector that needs to be privatised, electricity generation and other sectors need to be thrown open for private participation. The fact of the matter is that government cannot run these sectors effectively. If oil sector is deregulated, more private individuals will show interest and this will definitely lead to job creations. Should it be done, we are likely to experience what we currently have in telecommunication sector. Same goes for the removal of oil subsidy. There is a lot of rot in the sector, because the subsidy is currently being enjoyed by certain individuals in the sector and not by the Nigerian masses.
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