Senator Roland Owie was a former Chief Whip of the Senate in the Fourth Republic. He spoke to ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU in Benin City.

What is your reaction to the current clamour for return to regional government, because many of the states now are not viable?

It is not the size, either of region, state or local council that is the problem. In fact, during the military, when councils were properly independent, and their allocation were getting to them, there was massive development. You get to the council, and you see development, because resources that were coming from the Federal Government went straight to the councils. The problems we have today is that governors have hijacked council resources, and so, the trouble of development you are seeing is, because that tier of government that ought to touch the lives of the people at the lowest level, no longer do so. The money comes, and it is taken at the state level, because these councils are not financially independent. Then, the State Electoral Commissions, who conduct their elections, are instruments in the hands of the governors. 
  In 2002, as a senator, I moved the first bill to give financial autonomy to the councils; the Senate and the House of Representatives passed it. It was now agreed that it should be part of the major amendment to the 1999 Constitution, and at the end of the day, these ‘palace jester houses of assemblies’ blocked the amendment to give councils independence. Even their own independence. The independence that we tried to give to them in the First Senate and the fifth Senate, Edo was one of the state assemblies that voted against it.

So, the problem is first, it is not really regionalism or states structure, it is the action of some of the governors. Some of them are busy going about in private jets, yet can’t pay salaries, some appointing 118 special advisers, is that not madness? So, the truth really is, as it is today in Nigeria, these 36 states, if well managed by their governors, and their resources from the Federal Government is allowed to get to them, they will do what they are supposed to do.

Going back to regionalism is going to be very difficult, it is like a maid or servant, who has been freed and now independent to return to his or her master. For instance, when the Midwest Region was created, my late father, a member of the National Council of Nigeria Citizens (NCNC) was among those that fought for it, because they felt they were being oppressed by the Yorubas in then Western Region. So, are we now going to say that Midwest should go back to the Western Region? It would be suicidal. People will fight against it. So, my own idea is that let the states remain, let there be responsible governance and immunity removed.

State Assemblies should stop behaving like a widow marrying the driver of her former husband. How can a house be so ineffective, inept and inferior to a governor that they don’t have their own rights, they refused to have independence? I believe the state assemblies should approach the current National Assembly to include, financial independence for state assemblies in the next amendment so that they will be able to perform.

But the governors are asking for a review of the revenue allocation formula to have them get more money?

On that, I agree that there is need to modify the revenue allocation, because it is a lot at the centre, but let us revert to the councils, and it should be done in such a way that councils get their true share, states get their true share and then derivation gets its appropriate allocation, so that the oil producing areas can be benefit. What is, however, important is that before this revenue allocation is amended, the local councils should be independent financially. If that is not done, the National Assembly should not in any way give one naira to the states. It must be a bargain; give financial autonomy to the councils, then increase the states revenue, increase the councils’ revenue from the Federation account.

There were so many laudable decisions at the 2014 confab and this government doesn’t seem to be thinking in that direction. What do you think?

Nigerians should now rise up and know who their friends are, because the 2014 National Conference was fantastic, all Nigerians took part. We are not saying that government should implement all, first and foremost, let there be true Federalism so that the current state structure, as it is, whatever you produce, pay tax to the Federal Government, that is another way out of talking about real revenue allocation. There are very many good areas in the Confab that need to be adopted, and President Muhammadu Buhari if he doesn’t go ahead to do it, Nigerians should vote his party out in 2019, there is no pretense about it.

What will you say about the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta?

It is very unfortunate. The late Yar’Adua came, though he was a northerner, introduced the amnesty and calmed the nerves of the area. For our brothers in the Northern Elders Forum to make provocative statements, is unfortunate. They alleged that 75 per cent of recurrent expenditure of the Federal Government is spent on civil servants from the three geo-political zones in the south. Then they went ahead to say that the capital project is tilted in favour of the south. We have analysed the budget, it is about 12-and-a-half percent to the south, we were in Asaba few days ago, we have looked at it. We have the full details and very soon, the headquarters of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly will tell Nigerians more details.

How will they make such statements? These young men you see in the creeks are educated people, Internet is in the riverine, they are hearing what is happening in the country, provocative statements being made against their fathers and you want them to be happy?

Yar’Adua set up amnesty and they hear that Buhari will soon end it, how will you do a thing like that? Jesus Christ said to whom much is given, much is expected. A number of them who are undergoing training abroad are not getting their allowances again and herdsmen are killing people everywhere. He kept quiet for a long time only to now say the killers are not Nigerians, which means you are not in charge of this nation. You paid deaf ears to herdsmen and then you are now issuing threats to militants, it shows double standards. It does not show fatherhood. He is being seen now as pro-north, not even pro-APC, but we have appealed to our children in the Niger Delta that two wrongs cannot make a right.