Jonathan Presidency: Yoruba marginalisation not real – Okupe

Stories from Stella Ezigbo, Abuja

Concerned elders from South-west zone recently had audience with President Goodluck Jonathan where they spoke against what they viewed as the marginalisation of the zone under the present administration.
But in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Adviser on Public Communication to President Goodluck Jonathan, submitted that the claim of marginalisation of the zone was not real. He also spoke on the agitation for the removal of Chairman, Pension Task Team, Alhaji Rasheed Maina.
Excerpts:

The Senate has declared that the Chairman, Pension Task Team, Alhaji Rasheed Maina, be removed from office, for what it perceived as his disdain for the Red Chamber. They also alleged that the Presidency has been shielding him. What is the Federal Government’s position on this?
Let me say categorically clear that President Goodluck Jonathan will not condone any act of insubordination or lawlessness or any act that tends to undermine the Senate and indeed the national assembly.
Under section 88 and 89 of the Nigerian Constitution, the National Assembly has the power to summon any officer of state for questioning or investigation, whatsoever. That’s why ministers and heads of their ministries and parastatals have always obeyed such summons.

In the case of Maina, the repeated invitations, which he flouted led Mr. President to instruct the Inspector General of Police to declare him wanted.

The relationship with the leadership of the Senate and the President of the Senate, Dr. David Mark, is such that that cannot be tampered with on the altar of favouritism to anybody. The president and Presidency hold the leadership of the Senate and Senate itself in highest esteem and will not do anything to spoil that relationship.
The issue of Maina have been referred to the Head of Service. Maina is a civil servant and I believe that the matter will be thoroughly investigated and disciplinary action will be effected, in following due process.

Will it be right to say, Maina is on his own now?
It isn’t a question of Maina is on his own. The fact is that there are constitutional provisions which the President swore an oath to defend, section 88 and 89 empowers the national assembly and if the President swore to defend the constitution anybody that goes against that Constitution, the President cannot be seen to be shielding him, contrary to what is being speculated in certain quarters—- the president isn’t and hasn’t been behind the act of subverting the Constitution, or insubordination to the national assembly and especially the Senate.
Any disrespect to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, or the body of the Senate will not be condoned by the President .

You have said the President actually instructed the Inspector General of Police to declare Maina wanted; but senators have said they have been seeing the man around the President and the Presidency?
Look, the Senate made an official complaint to the President. The president cannot intervene in matters of national assembly with any individual or any person, because due process must be obeyed.

The President was informed officially by the Senate and when he received that information he instructed appropriately the IGP to issue that declaration to declare Maina wanted, and I think that’s an act that is commendable and it shows that the President isn’t backing anybody, and that this President wouldn’t subvert the constitution that he has sworn to defend and that this President, the relationship between the Presidency and the Senate is so deep and so congenial that it isn’t possible to sacrifice it. What is going on is very painful to the Presidency.

But now that the Senate has given an ultimatum that Maina be sacked; will the president, ultimately do what the Senate has demanded from him?
Maina is a civil servant and there are rules and regulations that guide the dismissal or discipline of civil servant and I have just told you that the matter has been referred to the Head of Service, who is actually is in charge of all matters concerning civil servant, in fact including disciplinary actions and I am sure the Head of Service will take appropriate action.

The Yoruba leaders recently raised the issue of marginalization by President Goodluck Jonathan and they are saying out of twelve positions in government, nobody from the sought west is occupying any of this. What is your reaction to this?
I have heard various leaders and eminent people from the south-west complain on marginalization. The issue of marginalization of the south-west was a political misadventure and a political accident, brought about by the Yoruba themselves.

If you will recollect, the Yoruba was supposed to produce the Speaker of House of Representatives, which is the number four position, but due to the political mishandling of the leadership of the Yoruba and also the sabotage of Yoruba people by the Yoruba leaders, elsewhere, I am talking about the ACN now. The Yoruba leadership of ACN ,conspired against the Yoruba people and allowed that position to be taken away.

That was the beginning of the marginalization. Things that aren’t enough, when people sit down to share and they sit down to take decisions, if there is nobody to speak for you there is a problem.

So, it isn’t President Jonathan problem, of course, he is sympathetic towards the Yoruba people, it isn’t true that he hates Yoruba people, that’s not correct even before I got this appointment. I know that this President is a listening president, he is going to do something about it. I want you to know that it was our own making.
In the first instance, the election into the House of Representatives was badly handled by the leadership of the Yoruba in the PDP and also the conspiracy of the Yoruba in the ACN, who abandoned the interest of their kinsmen for personal interest, wickedness and evil. That was the beginning of our problem.

What you are saying in effect is that they are architect of their misfortune?
We are part and parcel of what has befallen us. It isn’t just in the PDP, I have just told you that the ACN played an active role in ensuring that a Yoruba leader doesn’t emerge in the House of Representatives and I stand to be corrected.

What assurance do you have for the people that this will surely be redressed?
I can give you one hundred percent assurance and I know what I am talking about and I know from where I am coming, that this issue is receiving proper and adequate attention by Mr. President. It isn’t in his interest and it isn’t his desire either to marginalize, not only Yoruba people, any group in the nation. This is perhaps the most fair minded President that Nigeria has ever had.