APC Governorship Aspirant, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi Interview.

Engr Chris Ogiemwonyi

Exclusive interview with Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, ex-minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is now an aspirant for the Edo Governorship Race 2016. The Ex-minister said, “My Glorious Stewardship As Federal Minister Gives Me A Head Start To Govern Edo State”

Below is detail of the interview:

Q: People have being asking questions that you want to be Governor of Edo State and little was known about your stewardship as the minister of state for works and that has been a big issue right now in town. Because of you have distinguished yourself in your earlier career people want to know what actually was your contribution to your home state and Nigeria as federal minister?

A: Thank you. My one year stay as federal minister was very eventful. I spent most of my time on the roads, the 36 States of Nigeria. It’s on records that I toured 34 of the 36 States and during that one year period in office, we had a total budget of N400b and by the time we left, federal government only released the cash backed of N100b only. In other words, we spent N100b on the Nigerian roads in the one year we were in office. Now if you divide N100b by 36 States what gets to every states is on the average of about N2 point something less than N3million per state so that people must get the full story. Now coming home what did i achieved for Edo State; I promise the leadership of Edo State that I will ensure a complete reconstruction of the Benin-Ofosu highway. We spent a total of about N9billion during that one year to the contractor, RCC and you would remember that period that i ensure we engage three different guards, three different teams working one from the Dawnson Junction beginning, one at Iguobazuwa, one working from Ofosu. Today people forget easily on the sweet drive they have today was as a result of my effort during that one year in office. I remember I promise that I will do some palliative jobs between Ofosu and Ore. I think my successor that came after my government Mike Onolemhemhe commerce a good work and he did from Ofosu to Ore, so the records are there. Equally that one year we equally did the re-asphalting of the Auchi-Igara road which we gave to again a local contractor Ceasar Engineering and I supported the award of contract of the Benin-Abraka road. I work for the Ministry of Niger Delta in terms of getting approval at the Federal Executive Council, FEC and ensuring there was enough budget for the first one year that is exactly what RCC did on the Benin-Abraka road. So people tend to judge by what you did in your state but don’t forget as a federal minister my constituency was the whole of Nigeria.

Q: Well, that is fair enough but what specifically was your job as a minister apart from having to inspect roads constructions across the federation?

A: When they have two ministers, the minister of state is not given a straight job description, you become a complementary minister and I recalled when we were leaving by May 2011, I had audience with Mr. President and I told him that he should think toward creating job description for every minister. I think after my tenure that is what they are doing but I found the role of a minister of state like a deputy governor; you know like anything deputy in Nigeria it is like a spare tyre, most times the full minister is in full control and you then have one as  baby the other domineering; God forbid, he might just be jobless.

Q: Were you sacked as a minister or you resigned or the desolation of the Exco at the beginning of another?

A: I wasn’t sacked. It’s on record that I was one of the best engineers and from were I am coming from in NNPC am still rated as one of the best engineers in this country. I was never sacked our tenure ended with the tenure of that government so council was just out and Mr. President uses his prerogative to pick new fresh ministers after that January election.

Q: What is your agenda for the state, how do you plan to replicate all your achievements in Edo State as governor?

A: The issues on the front burner in the state is a little different from the south were I work for 34 years. I must commend the outgoing governor Adams Oshiomhole for having done well in terms of infrastructure, the guy has tried but the problem confronting the State I see frontally is the issue of unemployment and this is where i want to concentrate in terms of industrialising the State, in terms of providing jobs. Now where would these jobs be coming from, they would be available as a result of the feasibility studies I have carried out in terms of the natural resources of the State. Edo North is blessed with so many, Edo Central is blessed and Edo South has the green zone agriculture. So my major task for the first one year in office is to get our unemployed boys and girls busy because they would have been engaged. I want to replicate another Okpella Cement factory; that is something we must replicate, and Mr. Governor has done well rebranding Okpella Cement factory, so I want to see more of gigantic industries, car assembly and if I can bring nice car assembly plant, there would be other smaller industries, tile manufacturing, beath manufacturing, wind shape manufacturing, you will see Edo State will be so busy at the end of my first four years in office.

Q: There is this adage that “a nation cannot be greater than its own teacher”, which means education is the key driver of any development. What are you programmes for education?

A: Today governor has done well on the red roof but one area I equally want to look into is the curriculum today. I see the curriculum is still geared towards the white-collar-jobs, the middle skill is not been addressed. In my younger days when we were growing up we use to have something like makolomi college at Sapele, Benin Technical Schools, I see that is missing and I would like us to re-introduce skill acquisition were our younger folks can create employment by themselves and I equally want to take this to the tertiary institutions even to the universities. Today you see a mechanical engineer graduating, he cannot fix anything in a car, he cannot do even servicing and we want to address their syllabus were students who are graduating from engineering should be able to do the entrepreneurship programme were they can be on their own with the State supporting them in terms of funding, giving them financial support. If you have been to the UK you will see a man in a van he writes on his vehicle with his phone number services is rendered in terms of Air conditioning, Plumbing; you just call this man and he comes to your house, you engage him for few hours you hear that an hour is about £150, if he spent 4 hours that is about £600. So, I want to create a situation where our boys and girls will have skills and I tell you one thing for example all these our tiling today they bring them from Ghana, Benin. These are jobs when we put good minimum wage people will be more creative and we get our boys from the street working.

Q: In terms of health care what do you have there because you have talked about job creation and others.

A: These are key sectors. We have talked about infrastructure, education, job creation and the past. For people to work, to go to schools, they must have a good health institutions, I see a situation where from the very beginning we must agree to fund every local government to have a standard acting general hospital first one year in office, we must. The 18 LG must have standard hospital and then from there we will extend it to the various wards and start thinking of health cottage hospitals and I think one thing we must do, is to attract health personnels to these places. We must be addressing this issue of urban-rural migration, we must get the nurses to go back to work in this various health institutions and I equally promise we must equally support them in terms of provision of amenities in the rural areas. Light is very key, which I have shared with you about rural electrification so once we are able to have light in the village, you see people going to stay in their local hospitals and assuming for example there is no light, they can’t do operation. You see, we will make the rural setting quite conducive for people to enjoy good health facilities; these are already key areas we are addressing this morning in terms of what will be our policy in terms of job creation, industrialization, education, the health sector etc. One area we must put alot of attention is the budget. We have identify the crises in the health sector, there must be a good percentage of our budget dedicated to the development of that sector. This will be applicable to all sides because people just have to be working or going to school in good health.