The South-South Unity Forum (SSUF) has debunked the impression that all South-Southerners are behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s interest in the 2011 predidential election. Its spokesman, Chief Ray Morphy, said rather, the group supports the retention of zoning that favours the North. He spoke to Daily Sun. Excerpts:
Principles behind SSUF.
The forum is composed of multi-partisan political leaders of different forces and social groups, who are concerned not only about the core interest of the South-South zone, but also about the unity and continued stability of Nigeria. We are motivated and united by the fundamental concerns and challenges which confront the South-South zone on honest platform. We are discussing and interfacing with other zones in the country. The forum recognizes that Nigeria’s stability depends on peace.
Zoning
The forum unequivocally subscribes to zoning and rotation in view of the plurality of our country. We hereby stand by and uphold the principle of zoning on behalf of the people of the South-South. We accept that Nigerians not just PDP alone subscribe to zoning and rotation. It is on the basis of zoning that the current government is structured. Olusegun Obasanjo was President for eight years and all attempts to pull him down were resisted because they believe that for the unity of this country, the Yoruba should serve out their terms.
Even some of the current presidential aspirants from the North had to intervene to stop the Ghali Na’Abba-led House of Representatives from impeaching him. In the 2007 presidential primaries, people like Dr. Peter Odili, who could have done a better job at the primaries were prevented from contesting because of zoning. There was this well publicized expanded caucus meeting in which these principal characters attended and subscribed to zoning as a principle. A principle is that which overrides individual interest at all times. We don’t want people to believe that the South- South is a zone of opportunists going by the stand of these people, who are now saying that there is no zoning just because they found themselves in the corridors of power.
Nations are constructed on the principles that allow them to live in peace. We believe and accept that there is zoning which gives Northern Nigeria the Presidency from 2007 to 2015. We also subsequently expect that 2015 will be our turn to produce the president. Nobody is running for the Presidency from the South-West and South-East because they know that zoning exists. If there is anybody at all running for the Presidency from these areas they are not people of note. They are pretenders. Why are we distorting and denying what we know is true? Christianity teaches us that we should do unto others what we want them to do to us. Christianity also teaches us that our neighbours are critical to our success.
The reason why Sweden, Norway and Switzerland are leaders of the world today in terms of the happiness index is because they believe in the need to give all the opportunities to succeed and belong. In other societies where they believe that might is right, they find themselves in crisis. We in the SSUF don’t subscribe to the notion that might is right as those of them who have power now seem to be behaving. We are expressing the true feelings of the people of the Niger Delta. It is our people that agitated for zoning and rotation in all the constitutional conferences to make for equitable participation.
Do the majority of the people in the South-South share in your optimism? The contrary seems to be the case, considering what is happening now.
Absolutely. South-South is a multi-ethnic region made of Ijaw, Ishekeri, Ibibio, Efik Anang, Ogoja, Delta Ibo, Ikwere, Edo, Urogbo and many other ethnic groups. The South-South extends from the creeks to the savannah land. I come from the savannah land. I come from Ogoja. A lot of people come from Edo and others from thick forested areas like Boki, the largest forest reserve in West Africa. Our people are farmers and fishermen.
We are diverse people.
Majority of our people do not have access to the media to air their views. Most of the people who are in power can be heard. Our people recognize that peace is a foundation of society. This idea that the bowler hat is the tradition of the South-South is not true. That is the tradition of less than 10 per cent of the population of the South-South. Where I come from we wear red caps. Do you hear these people? No. They are in their towns and villages doing their businesses. Never mistake the voice of the few as the voice of the majority.
But it appears that when the Ijaw sneeze, the entire South-South catches cold.
That is the misrepresentation of the fact. That cannot be so. We are honourable people. We know for a fact that Bayelsa was created by the late General Sani Abacha. We also know that Bayelsa State is the only state with eight local governments. The state would have gotten more local governments if there were people or land to create additional local governments from. Bayelsa is the headquarters of Ijawland. AkwaIbom State today enjoys the largest royalties because it has several oil wells. What is happening is that the Nigerian state is rewarding those who make trouble. And that does not reflect the true nature of the South-South. Where I come from we are traditional warriors but that does not mean that we terrorize other people. We live in peace with our neighbours.
Can you point at any Ijaw man today that is anti-Jonathan?
I am not here to speak either for or against Jonathan. But I’m telling you that majority of the people of the South-South recognize that there is zoning. Let’s talk politics here if you really think that everybody supports Jonathan. What is the crisis in Jonathan’s home state of Bayelsa all about? Is it not because the governor is perceived as not in support of the President? Did you not see advertorials from some people from the Ijaw nation that this is not what they bargained for? I don’t have anything against the Ijaw. All I am saying is that the Ijaw have their space and we have ours.
In democracy, there is pluralism. We at the SSUF are saying no to this politics of opportunism. If we abandon zoning, how will someone like me a minority become President? Former Senator Joseph Wayas became Senate President in 1979 because of zoning.
How would that have been possible knowing fully well that he comes from an ethnic group whose population is not more than 15,000 people?
We the notable leaders in the SSUF cannot be said not be speaking for our people. Chief Tom Ikimi who was a signatory to our advertorial is well known. Dr. Ambrose Akpanika is also a well known medical practitioner. Socrates said society is made of two categories of people- lovers of gain and lovers of honour. We chose to be lovers of honour.
The voices that are dominant now are voices of disunity and we say we are for a united Nigeria. The interest of one man cannot be greater than the interest of the country. It as if they are saying let’s have this one chance and we are done. We say no.
What about the interest of those yet unborn?
How will you respond to those who might say that your group is a sellout?
One of the sad ironies in this country is that people who are telling lies are most times taken as those speaking the truth. If not, how do you accuse the person speaking the truth of sell-out while those telling lies are seen as honourable? If we who are speaking the truth about zoning are sell-out, it also means that those telling lies have been bought over by those who want to be president by force.
Can you explain the issue of the Niger-Delta raised by your group?
We are saying that under this present dispensation, the interest of the Niger-Delta has not been served. The Calabar- Ogoja Road can be traversed in less than three hours but that same road now can be done in 10 hours. The bridge has collapsed and our entire economy depends on that. Do we say simply because our man is there, we will keep quite? One of our demands is that the Niger-Delta Ministry should be relocated to Port-Harcourt where it will be close to the people and reduce a lot of logistics and administrative cost. You can’t have an agency that is supposed to develop the South-South sitting in Abuja, several kilometers away from its intended beneficiaries. You can imagine the cost of flying people from Abuja to the Niger-Delta. It is a colossal amount.
What if the poor people in our communities want to complain to the ministry?
Will they travel to Abuja to do that?
The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) is meant to develop Abuja and it is there. Port-Harcourt has been agreed as the capital of the Niger-Delta. Relocate the ministry there to save cost and achieve maximum result.
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