FOUNDER of Fight Against Desert Encroachment, FADE, Chief Newton Jibunoh, is one of the respected leaders of Delta State. He hails from Delta North senatorial district, whose people (Anioma) want to produce the next governor of the state, but the Delta Central senatorial district (Urhobo) through the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, stated, last week, that it would not happen. Chief Jibunoh in this interview he knew about the fears of the Urhobo people and suggested a way out. Excerpts:
Are you worried by the number of aspirants from Delta North in the governorship race?
When I saw the number of Anioma aspirants, 15 or more or them, I was a bit disturbed, but on second thought, I think it is good because we have potential governors, who believe in themselves, which goes to show that we have been politically emancipated.
I do not think that a lot of people can boast of that number from one senatorial district. The number does not bother me anymore.
The Urhobo Progres Union, which is the apex socio-cultural group of the Urhobo people, has categorically expressed its opposition to a Delta North candidate in the PDP. Are you not bothered?
Newton Jibunoh
The obvious thing is that we in Delta North have to work a little harder to remove the fear that they may be having about a governor from the North senatorial district.
If we (North) accepted governors, over the years, from the Central and South district, there is no reason why they should refuse a governor from the North, which means we have to reach out.
I did it when I was working with Chief Edwin Clark towards uniting the people of the state.
I did it, we did it, we went round the entire South and Central and I made friends, I mobilized them to support the candidate of the North. After the North, it will also go back to another senatorial district, which is the best way to have some kind of peace and stability in a place.
If you say the Urhobo made such a statement, I can only say it is a bit unfortunate, but that means we have to work harder now because there is no way we can be alone.
There is no other way, we have to reach out, I did it, but unfortunately, age is not on my side because when I did it, I was travelling a lot and I was visiting both the politicians and traditional rulers and I made friends with them.
And the impression I got was that they were ready to support a candidate from the North district. So if they have changed now, that means that we have not worked more in reaching out, in assuring them, in developing what I referred to earlier on, as an article of faith that will bring them to support us.
My findings
It is the fear of the unknown that is making Delta Central react that way, which is why we should reach out and develop an article of faith that will give them some comfort. You can look at their fears from another angle, which was something I encountered when I was trying to bring the entire state together to support a Delta North candidate.
Their fears are that we have the capital of the state and that if we take the capital like we have done and then take the power, they may suffer from some kind of marginalization. That is their basic fear and we did a lot to defuse it and that is why I am pleading with the candidates, all the candidates to understand the need of reaching out to our brothers because you cannot remove fear from people.
Whether you are from Ika, Ndokwa, Oshimili, Aniocha, we have to find a way of settling with them, I use the word, article of faith because we cannot run the state without the South and Central.
And we cannot run the state without UPU because it is a powerful voice. Unfortunately, we do not have a very strong voice as theirs. Such a body is the one that should have gone to negotiate with them.
Because if you go through the political development of countries that practice similar political process as we do, you will find out that the whole thing is about compromise, negotiating article of faith, it is about what I can give before you can help me.
These are the things that we need to work on and during my encounter with some of these aspirants; I made the point very clear to them. And that is that they have to reach out and even with the present stand of UPU, you can never tell, maybe they are calling for negotiation.
It could be they are simply saying that if you (Anioma) want to be governor, please come and let us talk.
So what assurance is Delta North giving Delta Central on this vexed matter of marginalization?
What I am saying and I stand by it is that Delta North is not going to marginalize the Central Senatorial district or any other senatorial district if one of its own emerges as governor.
As elders, we will also ensure that there will be no marginalization if a Delta Northerner emerges as governor. I will personally, despite my age, personally go round to ensure that. I went round in the past to rally people for the course and I will do it again.
Assessment of Uduaghan
He (Uduaghan) made a statement not too long ago that if he finished all the things that need be done in Delta, what will the next governor do, they are many things that he started that are not finished , but there are also some few things that he had done properly that I will score him high on.
Like the health policy of the state, I think it is turning out to be one of the best in the country, if you look at the educational structures that are being put in place, it is splendid.
At times, we tend to underestimate what education and health can do for the growth of the state. So on that, he is pulling strong.
On infrastructure, some areas of the state are lacking in infrastructural development, but I know that with time, am not saying that they will all be done in his tenure, but if he is able to complete some of the ones he has started, maybe the next governor will continue from where he stops. So overall, I think I will give him a pass mark.
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