Former Minister of petroleum, Professor Tam David-West, has advised President Umaru Yar�Adua to sever whatever umblical cord he may share with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, if his administration is to succeed.
David-West said the president must make a clean break from the connection he has with Obasanjo if he hopes to be accepted, popular and solve the legitimacy problem hanging on his neck.
According to the former minister, besides the burden of his relationship with his predecessor, Obasanjo does not mean well for his successor, judging by some last-minute actions he took in the twighlight of his government, such as the hike in prices of petroleum products, signing of 41 oil contracts and sale of the Egbin power station and Kaduna refinery, among others.
“All these are mischievous landmines planted for Yar�Adua to fail,” the don said, describing the so-called Obasanjo legacies inherited by the president as �poisoned legacies.�
He counseled Yar�Adua to assert himself by reverting fuel price to N50 per litre, without which, he said, he would lose the support of Nigerians, even from his home base in the North.
Professor David-West also condemned the thank-you-visit on Chief Obasanjo in Ota by the Yar�Adua clan, led by the president�s mother, over his ascension, saying: “Whoever advised him (Yar�Adua) to do that does not wish him well. What he is saying by that is that it was Obasanjo who made him president.
Why can�t the family thank Nigerians for making him?”
In this interview, the ex-minister also spoke on the forthcoming Niger Delta summit called by the president and the United States� reported plan to set up an African Command Centre and its implication on peace in the restive region, among other issues.
What�s your view on the forthcoming Niger Delta summit?
For the fact that he convened a meeting, I will, on the surface, say Yar�Adua should be commended for making it a priority. But he blew the chance of commendation because he called off the meeting, which shows that it is not of priority to him. I�ve said several times and in a lecture in Lagos in 1987 that unless Nigeria addresses the Niger Delta problem, it will be one of the greatest headaches for the country in the 21st century and beyond.
In spite of the credibility problem, one area that Yar�Adua can make an impact in is by re-writing the rule. If he makes a break-through in the Niger Delta or shows more seriousness than Obasanjo, his credentials would be improved.
It is not a question of inviting so-called Niger Delta leaders and putting them in five-star hotels in Abuja. No. The militants will not come out, but they have respect for certain people, credible people. He can engage these people and set out a programme. And the programme is simple � address the deprivation of the area, pure and simple.
He should address it or else, it will be like a festering sore and it will continue for a long, long time. It is notorious and mundane � no light, no road, no water, it�s all known. They know it now, and unless these social injustice are addressed, Nigeria will have no peace, because you cannot have peace without justice, it�s not possible. He should go beyond Obasanjo�s cosmetic approach. And it can be solved. We Ijaws are not blood thirsty people. The Ijaws are easy to get along with.
What will you advise the militants, on their approach to solving the issue, now that there�s a new government?
The new government has a fractured credibility. I know the psyche of these boys and men. They are not people you can carry away with cosmetic announcement. They know the roof is faulty and that it could soon fall away. One of the problems this government faces is lack of national and international legitimacy.
There are other problems. The major one is that Jonathan is not loved by the militants.
They don�t respect him, that is the truth and that is a fundamental problem for him. Without prejudice to what Alamieyeseigha did wrong, he commands their respect. Jonathan cannot form a bridge. He can only form a propaganda bridge. Look at what they did to him earlier. Any Ijaw that is not a bastard will know that Obasanjo cannot pick Ijaw representative into government.
He cannot stay in Aso Rock, pick Yar�Adua from Katsina and say, Nigerians this is your president, then he comes to Ijaw and do same. Look, the Yar�Adua/Jonathan ticket has a fundamental flaw. They (militants) have always seen him as a stooge and black leg. So, they are not likely to see him as a representative of the Ijaw cause in Abuja.
What is your comment on the reported plan by the US to have an African Command Centre, which may see America moving its forces into the restive Niger Delta region to assist government counter militant problems?
I laugh, I laugh. US is a super power, you understand me. But US should remember what happened to it in Vietnam, where a Third World country chased them out and gave them bloody nose. The point I am making is, you don�t fight people fighting a moral war, with machine guns and tanks. The Ijaws are fighting a moral war and you cannot defeat them with all the machine guns and arsenals in their armoury. I have a feeling it�s just shakara. If they want an African command, they should go to Dafur. They should never dare it in Nigeria because they�ll be defeated, like in Vietnam. It will even be worse. They cannot turn Nigeria into another Iraq. Nigeria�s oil is not for political thing.
Do you see President Yar�Adua breaking from former President Obasanjo?
If Yar�Adua wants people to forgive him and solve the legitimacy problem, the umbilical cord with Obasanjo will have to be severed. The legacies handed over to him by Obasanjo are all poisoned legacies � why did Obasanjo increase fuel pump price before he left? It is a design to make Yar�Adua�s government fail. Why did Obasanjo signed 41 oil contracts before he left? Why did Obasanjo sell Egbin Power station, Kaduna refinery and petrochemicals before he left? All these are mischievous landmines and trap planted for Yar�Adua to fail. So, he�ll have to sever the umbilical cord with Obasanjo. He must make oil price drop to N65 per litre, even below N65. If I were Yar�Adua, I�ll revert it to N50 per litre. If he fails to do it, even the North will revolt against him. He will have no home base. And it was an unwise thing that Yar�Adua sent his mother and the entire Yar�Adua family to thank Obasanjo in Ota.
Whoever advised him to do that does not wish him well. What he is saying is that it was Obasanjo who made him president. Why can�t the family thank Nigerians for making him president? It is a signal that he�s tied to Obasanjo�s apron string. If the apron string stays, that means there�ll be a link between Ota and Aso Rock and he would not last.