- APC should be given a chance to govern Delta State for a change
- I welcome Erhiatake Ibori Suenu’s defection to APC
- Federal, State governments require to invest heavily in agriculture
Aghwarianovwe Ikie, a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria called to Bar in October 1987. He has been a Solicitor of England and Wales since March 1998. A chieftain of All Progressives Congress APC in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State. He is happily married and has two children. In this interview with THEPALACE Newspaper, he spoke on why he left Peoples Democratic Party, the crisis in Delta State APC and President Tinubu Ahmed Tinubu’ s performance.
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What made you leave the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to All Progressives Congress APC?
I am a founding member of the PDP. I left the PDP primarily because the Party has failed the people of Delta State woefully. I am a progressive and I believe APC should be given a chance to govern Delta State for a change.
What is your take on the defection of Rt Hon. Erhiatake Ibori Suenu from the PDP to APC?
Rt. Hon. Erhiatake Ibori Suenu had no choice other than to decamp. PDP was emasculating her political life blood. She would have withered and died off politically had she remained in PDP. I welcome her defecting to the APC and I endorse her decision. There is crisis at PDP nationally. So, the defection wouldn’t affect the safety of her seat.
What do you think can be done to resolve the crisis in Delta State APC?
The crisis within APC Delta is normal as there is no one dominant politician in Delta State. The crisis would have been marginal had the APC had a sitting Governor. Right now, each leader is struggling to have control of the State’s political structure. The rancour will simmer down significantly after the Congresses and certainly after a Gubernatorial candidate emerges. Until then, nothing will work. The crisis has an expiry date and it will expire naturally
Lets take you to the National, do you think President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing well, and do you see his reforms making expected impacts on Nigerians and the country?
Without an iota of doubt in my mind, President Bola Tinubu is doing a great job under very difficult circumstances. No sane person borrows money to be expended solely on consumables. The President is putting Nigeria in sound economic footing. The green shoots of economic stability are already manifesting.
The NNPCL has announced that PH and Warri Refineries have started working and producing refined products, but the refined products are not coming out from the Refineries as the price of fuel still remain high?
Competition is good for the consumers. What we should worry about is monopoly of any form. It is good that both the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries have started producing. Prices will start dropping after both hit full capacity. The country needs to be able to supply their crude oil requirements for the prices to drop appreciably. There will be no meaningful drop in the price of the finished products if we source for a significant part of the raw material from abroad.
The inflation in Nigeria is increasing and it’s making life more unbearable or difficult for majority of poor Nigerians. How would you suggest or advise the FG and President Tinubu on what can be done to tackle the inflation.
The Federal and State governments require to invest heavily in agriculture. They should provide soft loans to farmers and encourage mechanised farming. The government also needs to combat insecurity to a standstill. Without security the farmers production capacity will be greatly compromised. Local production of goods should be encouraged and we should start consuming only what we produce.
Lastly, the rate of insecurity in parts of the country is alarming, claiming lives, citizens being abducted and communities burnt down daily by bandits. What do you think will be the solution to the menace?
No nation can develop in an atmosphere of insecurity. The FG should declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country. Decentralising the Nigeria Police Force will also help in this regard.
