By Daniel Kanu
Fiery environmentalist and human rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, is a strong voice on issues concerning the Niger Delta region.
She is also the spokesperson of the Ijaw Republican Assembly.
Briggs who is also a member of the advocacy committee on Constitution, The Patriots, in this encounter with Sunday Sun, speaks on the need for a new Constitution, oil theft, subsidy, which she said is a scam, as well as her verdict on assessment of the Tinubu presidency, among other national issues. Excerpt:
Don’t you think that Nigeria’s problem is not the Constitution, but the operators of the Constitution, the leadership?
I think we have addressed that issue. The truth is that we need a new Constitution if we must move out from the present mess. The problem of Nigeria is the 1999 Constitution. It was handed down to us by the military and was never a people’s Constitution. I mean, a Constitution agreed by the people themselves after thorough deliberations. First, we in The Patriots believe that even if the wisest and best leaders on earth were sent to govern this country with its present constitution, they would not be able to tackle effectively all the serious challenges facing the country,. We all know that our country is currently under-performing in most aspects of its existence. Look at the very serious insecurity of life and property that we are witnessing, fuelled by the activities of kidnappers, bandits and the so-called unknown gunmen. The economy is in the doldrums resulting in unprecedented mass poverty and hunger. The quality of education and health facilities has badly declined. Above all, there is a growing culture of divisiveness and hate, which undermine the sense of national unity. There is no gainsaying the fact that a democratic people’s constitution will more assuredly facilitate the country’s pursuit for unity and of a more productive economy which will be more beneficial to the citizens. I think it’s very important for President Tinubu to work on calls for new constitution. It is a necessity that can no longer be ignored. What we have now is not working.
A truly federal constitution negotiated and agreed by Nigeria’s founding fathers served the country relatively well in the early years of its independence before the intervention of the military in governance which brought with it a constitutional practice that is in accordance with the command structure of the military. What we have today as Constitution is a mere command structure from the centre. This is not how a true federalism should function, and we cannot continue this way, walking in circles, with so much injustice projected in the system. The 1960/63 Constitution gave the country more viable federating units (regions) that mostly took care of their internal security and economic development that focused on productivity. Without increase in productivity the national economy can never improve. The 1960/63 Constitution enabled each federating region to give appreciable focus on education, provision of health facilities, infrastructural development, and healthy competition in socio-economic development, which encouraged the growth of a sense of national unity. Nigerians need to meet to discuss how they can live in unity. Kano State has 44 local government areas and Bayelsa has eight, but you will use the oil and gas money from the region to finance development in Kano State, but the solid minerals from the North is for them and not for Nigeria. But our own oil and gas is for the entire country. There should be justice, fairness and equity. These are some of the issues a new Constitution will address. The present constitution we operate, no doubt, impedes the country’s deserved pace of development and facilitates corruption and degradation of our societal values. I think that a truly federal constitution is, therefore, a must if we are to effectively deal with the challenges currently confronting our Nigeria. The problem with Nigeria is the reason The Patriots is initiating steps towards giving the country a new democratic people’s constitution.
What is your expectation of President Tinubu in the ongoing war against oil theft in the oil producing zones, the Niger Delta?
I have said it at different fora that I am surprised that Nigeria wants a world that is run by technology and a world that will soon be governed by artificial intelligence, and in this age and time, with all the sophisticated technology that abound, Nigeria is saying that its oil is being stolen without the leadership knowing what to do to stop the oil theft. In over two decades now or more, we have had a joint task force physically present, occupying every inch in the creeks of our Niger Delta. I am from the creeks of the Niger Delta and there is hardly a place you pass in the Niger Delta with boat which is our main means of transportation that you won’t be told to raise your hands up. The JTF is there to stop oil theft. The JTF is there to stop sea piracy and violence within these places they claim they are protecting the property of the Federal Government and international oil companies. Despite all the intimidating presence of all the security operatives in the region, Nigeria is still talking about oil theft. Which other country in the world that is lifting oil is complaining about oil theft? I have always said that oil theft is so embedded in Nigeria so much that if you remove oil theft, you remove corruption. Corruption is in political system and governance system all over the world. But the level of corruption in Nigeria is encouraged by the fact that Nigeria having taken possession of ownership of crude oil and gas that are in the land of some ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region, does not know how the most important resources are being managed.
Without crude oil and gas sales, Nigeria will go down, yes the country will collapse, but leadership has refused to be accountable to truthfully disclose how much it is losing and how much is being stolen. You put JTF in the creeks for over 20 years to stop crude oil theft, yet the theft is still going on, who do you blame? So, why is JTF still in the creeks and in the communities of the Niger Delta region? The irony is that despite the presence of the Navy, Air Force, Civil Defense, even the Customs, the amount of oil that is being stolen now is even far more than the amount of oil that were stolen 20 years ago when they were sent there. The military should answer the question why oil is still being stolen from the Niger Delta despite their presence.
What do you make of the oil subsidy removal policy, because listening to your previous interviews, it seems you do not believe there is subsidy in the first place?
I have critically looked at this subsidy contentious issue and I do not think there is any subsidy. For me, it’s a fraud, scam. It’s just feeding a cartel. But can such thing be happening without the government knowing? Coming from the Niger Delta and identifying myself as the owner of crude oil and gas that Nigeria is recklessly spending, not even in the interest of the people or the poor masses that they are deceiving, how on earth are we to believe that there has been subsidy? How many Nigerians are using petrol on a daily basis? How is it that you claim to be subsidising and you cannot prove that you are subsidising? Convince us that you are subsidising. What exactly is that you are subsidising? If you say you are subsidising, who are you paying the subsidy to? Let Nigerians know those receiving the subsidy payment You are subsidising businessmen to do business. Why?
President Tinubu and his predecessor, President Buhari were in the forefront to oppose the removal of the subsidy. They subsequently threatened to bring down Jonathan’s government. And they did. That was how Occupy Nigeria came about. Every day, food and water were served to protesters at Peace Park in Lagos. It was a planned protest against the removal of subsidy.
Then the cost of fuel immediately went up to about N87 per liter and the effigies of President Jonathan were burnt. They were using the poor people to fight the government so that they can continue to lie that there is subsidy. There is evidence now that people were bringing in empty ships and claiming that there was fuel in it. People were being paid millions of dollars for doing nothing, but lies and for cheating ordinary Nigerians with the claim that they were subsidising fuel.
What do you make of the Tinubu Presidency, going by the severe hardship in the land…?
(Cuts in) What explanation does anybody need again for the hardship in the land? We are all feeling the pain together, even those that rigged for them, I ask them, how far? How market? I am not a politician, I am just a grandmother, who also goes to the market to buy things for the family. I feel the pain too. What we are witnessing today is a sad commentary. The Tinubunomics is not working. The reforms are inflicting more pains on Nigerians. They need to go back to the drawing board and tell the people the truth. We need to talk about Nigeria and work out the way forward. We are even de-developing. Gold and other mineral resources are not brought to the table to be shared like oil and gas that come from my area. Even the oil we are selling today, the money has already been collected in advance. It’s shocking that the future of our children, the future of Nigeria, is being mortgaged. The Chinese are in the northern part of Nigeria mining for all kinds of solid minerals. The reason anybody will find it necessary as a president to become minister of petroleum is simply because that is the major source of income for the country. Nigeria is at the edge, Nigeria is not working and we must tell ourselves the truth. Look at the East-West road? It is still there uncompleted and they are starting the one they call Coastal roads which we will not see the end because I can tell you for free that it will be abandoned like others. There is so much injustice in the system and we need to address all this. Delaying it is sitting on a time bomb. Not restructuring Nigeria, will mean sitting on a time bomb.
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