February 06, (THEWILL) – The 24th President of the National Association of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Chief Emmanuel Wike, calls for more opportunity for professionals in governance, in this interview with UDEME UTIP. Excerpts:
We know you are on an official assignment to Akwa Ibom State. What has been your impression of the state?
I can say that Akwa Ibom is a nice place and the people are hospitable. I have also found out that the governor, Udom Emmanuel, is doing well in terms of development and the citizens are very accommodating. I’m really happy that we are here.
One of your members, Mr James Iniama, is aspiring to govern Akwa Ibom State in 2023. What does that mean to you?
First of all, I want to encourage him because right now in Nigeria what we need is people who have an idea of governance and people who have the heart and ability to lead other people, as well as people who have the vision, charisma and idea of what to do. That can only come from a professional.
We need professionals who will go into politics to bring their wealth of experience and competency to play. So for an estate surveyor to even nurse the intention of contesting for that position in Akwa Ibom State, it is a blessing to the state. I think the people should support him.
With his experience in the private sector and competence, I’m sure he is going to lead Akwa Ibom people very well and I encourage his aspiration. Although the Nigerian Association of Estate Surveyors and Valuers is apolitical, we encourage people to go into politics because that is where important decisions are taken. You cannot be called a professional and people who are not competent dictate to you how to do your job. It is time for professionals to participate in decision making. If you are not contesting in an election, you should be in a position where you can give advice, where you can participate either partially or fully in the administration of your local government area, the state and the country at large. It is a good thing. We want to encourage James Iniama to go in and we pray the people of Akwa Ibom State give him the opportunity to lead and be a blessing to the state.
Why do you want to support him?
As an estate surveyor and valuer, only that sentiment would make me vote for him. Also I will support him because of his competence, zeal and tenacity when it comes to Akwa Ibom affairs. I think he contested before against Chief Godswill Akpabio. The fact that he is contesting again means he has something to offer Akwa Ibom State.
Your brother, Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State is one of those aspiring to become president of Nigeria come 2023. What is your take on this?
He is a Nigerian. He has the right to contest any election in the country.
Do you think he will make a good president?
Very well. He has done well in Rivers State. He started when he was the chairman of a local government area. He built the secretariat of that local government area, which was the best in Nigeria as at that time. I don’t know of any other local government area in the country that had that kind of secretariat when he was chairman between 1999 and July 2007. When he finished, he became the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor. People know what he did in that office. After that, he was appointed minister. He brought a lot of development to Rivers State. Now that he is governor, if you go to Rivers State, you will know that he has changed the face of the state, especially the capital city Port Harcourt, with infrastructural development, education and health.
I think he has done well and with experience, he is eminently qualified to be Nigeria’s president. You know Rivers State is a mini Nigeria in a sense that we have so many other nationalities that make up Rivers State, unlike other states where you have just one or two. What I think he should do is to improve on his achievements at the state and national levels.
Another politician from the state and current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is also eyeing the same office. How do you reconcile that?
They are from two different political parties, Amaechi is in the All Progressives Congress and Nyesom is in the Peoples Democratic Party. They all have the right. Assuming they were in the same political party, there would have been a problem. If the APC feels that Amaechi is qualified to contest, it will give him the ticket. If the PDP chooses Nyesom as its presidential candidate, why won’t he grab the opportunity? It will be left for Nigerians to decide between both of them who should govern the country. I can tell you that when we place those two men in Rivers State, Amaechi was governor and Nyesom was his chief of staff. In 2017 Amaechi was in the PDP and he got elected as governor. In the next election, Amaechi was also there and Rivers State people felt that Nyesome Wike did well and they voted him for a second term. It is just a matter of being in the right vehicle to get to that position. Nyesom is in PDP and Amaechi is in APC. APC is the governing party at the federal level. Definitely, the party will attempt to do one or two things, but there are states where it cannot try such a thing. The party has tried it in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, but it didn’t work. I think that it should allow Nigerians to elect who they want. Both Amaechi and Nyesom have the right to contest for any position in the country as long as they don’t have criminal records.
