Posted by By FEMI FOLARANMI, Yenagoa on
Former Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Ebitimi Baigo, says he was highly disappointed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who many had thought would sanitize Nigeria, eventually turned out a terrible dictator who left Nigerians groping in the dark after eight fruitless years.
Former Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Ebitimi Baigo, says he was highly disappointed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who many had thought would sanitize Nigeria, eventually turned out a terrible dictator who left Nigerians groping in the dark after eight fruitless years.
Banigo joined Obasanjo's government in 1999, but suddenly resigned. He told Daily Sun in Yenagoa tha he had no regrets quiting that administration when he did, insisting that Obasanjo lacked a clear vision for taking Nigeria out of the woods.
According to the businessman, he had been vindicated by the revelations of the many probe panels that have investigated the past administration
His words: 'I have no regrets leaving as a minister. Like all human beings, you might wonder whether you took the right step, but subsequent events have demonstrated that the issues that gave rise to my resignation were valid. Most people in the circumstance would have resigned expect for the Nigerian factor. The then president Olusegun Obasanjo did not have the proper vision to get the country out of its problems. And we all, due to the years of military dictatorship, followed him to see if we could build a nation, and he became a worst dictator. And it was very easy to see in a matter of one year as we were not able to achieve much.
'It is painful. Maybe if one had been more proactive to bring to light these difficulties, perhaps, he would have changed. Because we wasted eight years, the nation is almost in darkness following his rule. There is no improvement in education, health care, road transport, energy. What has come out from different probes is so disgraceful.'
Reliving his experience under the Obasanjo government with the harassment and siege on his business by the Nuhu Ribadu-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Banigo explained that Nigerians must get more involved in governance to prevent any president amassing so much power to destroy people.
While insisting that he does not condone corruption, Banigo said anybody found contravening the law of the land should be prosecuted in accordance with the rule of law rather than be hounded into jail.
Hear him: 'We must work hard so that what happened to me is never repeated. And how do I do that? I do that by getting more involved and finding the truth. I dare not retreat because if I retreat my children might face the same issue.
We all have to work hard that what happened to me does not repeat itself. We have to make sure that no individual, be it president, does not have the right to do what he did and the nation would also sit by and allow him to destroy so many people. I am not the only person that went through that process. We must ensure that there is rule of law and that every citizen must be allowed to enjoy his constitutional right and protection under the law.
I was detained without being charged for four months and two days which is a clear illegality. We should try to make sure that does not happen to any other Nigerian citizen. Anybody caught contravening the laws should be arrested and prosecuted and not just thrown into detention or you, confiscate his business just because you do not like the person. Due process has to be followed. That experience told me that we have a lot of work to do to see that future Nigerians are protected from such treatment.'
On the crisis of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta, Banigo identified ineptitude on the part of successive administrations as the main factor that has retarded the growth of the region.
According to him, past governments had good intentions but ignored the fundamental human rights of people of the region, adding that for the problem to be resolved, the Niger Delta people should be treated with dignity in accordance with the rights of people who own the land.
Said he: 'I would ascribe deceptive methods to efforts of previous administrations to tackle the problem of the Niger Delta. I think the whole problem is what I would call ineptitude.
'That is not truly following a pattern path to resolve the issue. The Niger Delta problem is a global issue. The first ground to develop the Niger Delta given the years of neglect and deprivation is far beyond what government can provide. Other countries have benefitted greatly from the oil production in Nigeria. I do not want to say they have exploited our naivety or inefficiency. But I belong to the private sector. I have worked globally and business takes advantage of any situation. It is only of recent that companies are asked to do soul searching to see that they are responsible citizens wherever they operate. Before, it was just take whatever you want and go.
'The critical issues are that of fundamental human rights. That is the people of the Niger Delta own the land. Whatever way government wants to look at it, they can confiscate it but in natural law, the Niger Delta people own the land. So what is the deal for them? They should be treated like anywhere else in the world. In the United States if they find oil in your area, its your own and you would be paying royalties and taxes to government.
That is the universally accepted position in terms of property and ownership. During the 1978/1979 government of Obasanjo, he promulgated the Land Use Act and he came back again as president in a civilian government to more or less nail the coffin which has made the problem difficult to resolve.'