2020: Buhari will take Nigeria to the next level of prosperity — Tonye Princewill
Posted by News Express | 1 January 2020 | 1,904 times
•APC chieftain Tonye Princewill
In this interview, All Progressives Congress
(APC) chieftain, Prince Tonye Princewill, speaks on a wide range of relevant
issues, including his recent health scare, the state of the nation, the
travails of APC in his home state, Rivers, and what the new year portends under
the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari. Excerpts
Question: We
recently heard you survived five mini-heart attacks before you were properly
diagnosed in a London hospital. What really happened?
Prince
Tonye Princewill: Six in total if you count the one that happened in the hospital
between when I did my ECG and while I was waiting for my chest X-ray results.
The truth is I had been having many episodes of chest tightening and I could
not explain it. First in Dubai, then in Nigeria. After one very bad experience,
I went to a hospital in Abuja and was given medication for indigestion which
surprisingly made me feel better. It was not until I got to London that it
reoccurred and my wife insisted I should be taken to the hospital, that we
found out what it was. Just the ECG and blood tests revealed there was a
problem and so without delay I was rushed into the theater and operated on. If
I had not come in, the damage would have spelt the end for me. A few quick
lessons to be learned. 1. Listen to your wife. 2. Doctors without equipment is
trial and error and 3. Many people die for lack of treatment. The whole
experience was free. Not one Naira was spent. Because two days later was my
wedding anniversary, they let me home the following day to go and enjoy my
second lease on life.
The final lesson is
between your symptoms and an equipped doctor, there are things you can do. Mine
was breathing exercises. A simple google search will reveal the different
types. I used them to save my life. Now I’m up and about and feeling even
better than the weeks leading up to when I went in. It’s God.
With all the stress of politics and your
passion for progress, are you not tempted to slow down and take life easy?
I’m glad you used the
word passion. That means you know it’s not a thing you turn on and off as you
see fit. I have seen the world, I have seen Nigerian politics, I know what is
needed and I know who can get it done. Why then would I look the other way and
mind my business? Because I’m looking for food? No. Food will find me. I’m not
that hungry. With this heart attack sef,
I need less of it.
I strongly believe in
the potential of Nigeria and I truly believe in the genuineness of men like
Buhari, Amaechi, El Rufai and others. I’ve seen the sincerity of some men in
the legislature, the business community, the arts and at the grassroots level
in Nigeria. We have enough men and women to build a better Nigeria for all of
our children. I choose to help them. Especially when they make mistakes. Nobody
is perfect.
Rivers State is in the news again for all the
wrong reasons. Be it internal APC issues or statements from your Governor. Any
comments?
We have a history of
being very outspoken, especially on social media. Even secondary school
children are posting political opinions on Facebook. During (the Gov Peter)
Odili (administration) it was not like that. But they were one family then. Now
the family has broken up and they all think that they are equals. Besides there
is a benefit for being an equal or a close ally of an equal and that benefit is
what politicians from 1999 have lived on. Stopping it now is not easy. That’s
one reason.
The second reason is
outside influences. Rivers state is the donation capital of Nigeria. It’s
influential just by virtue of its place in Nigeria. They don’t call it the
Treasure base for nothing. Even if Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom like they
should take more allocation, Rivers is still Number 1 in the eyes of everyone.
So being a friend of our Governor is a career path for many citizens both
inside and outside the APC. I said it once and I’ll repeat it again. People in
APC in Abuja conspired with Wike to prevent Amaechi’s candidate from becoming
Governor in Rivers state. Why? Because if Amaechi has a Governor in Rivers
state, he will be too influential in the Abuja equation for 2023.
So unless Amaechi
makes peace with his colleagues in Abuja, we cannot have peace in Rivers. In
the meantime he is doing his work as Minister of Transport oblivious to them. I
admire his focus, but I will be constantly preaching peace. Like I said in response
to the Governor’s unfortunate comments, we don’t need to wash our dirty linen
in public. While we spend huge cash on media, lawyers and frivolous costs, our
people are looking for school fees, food to eat or money to invest in business.
Who loses? I thank my father for giving me the wisdom to not respond.
Are you interested in contesting for Governor
come 2023? Word from the grapevine says you are gearing up for it. Can you be
open and tell us what you are planning?
I’m not going to be
making the same mistake my brother and former Senator friend made by pushing
for hundred before I even reach for one. The state of the party in the state is
not conducive for any kind of electoral victory, talk less of a Governor. A
total root and branch overhaul is needed to address the fresh management that
we need. Unless you want to change parties as a protest. Not me. I have done
that before. Doesn’t work. Becoming Governor in Rivers State is not a one-man
show. It requires a team effort and if you are talking APC Rivers State,
Amaechi is the undisputed leader of that team. The grassroots believe in him
and so without his support, you can’t win. 2023 is miles away, if we take care
of the little things, other things will take care of themselves. I have shown
that I’m not desperate to be the one on the chair. All I want is for Rivers State
to move forward. It must not be me. But move forward it must. Amaechi is the
leader in the state. If you don’t want his leadership, it’s not a cult, you can
operate outside him. But let us avoid bringing each other down publicly for the
sake of our party faithful, for the sake of our state and for the sake of our
region. It’s not worth it. We can agree to disagree agreeably. Weakening APC
strengthens PDP. I cannot support that.
What are your thoughts about the statement by
Senate President that anything Buhari wants, he will get from the assembly?
In politics there are
two types of people: The ones who care about the optics of how things look and
those who just get on with it. I am increasingly leaning towards the latter.
It’s important we put his comments into context. The Senate President is
succeeding a predecessor who was a stumbling block to the executive at every
turn. Without the benefit of his personal thoughts I think this Senate President
is distinguishing himself and the Senate he leads from that toga. Call him a
rubber stamp or an extension of the executive if you like but he will not stand
in the way of the much needed progress Mr. President wants to bring to this
country. Thankfully he has given us a key deliverable already: A budget, in
December 2019. That is what my thoughts are processing.
Can a party with this level of crisis and
amidst renewed calls for the National Chairman to resign make progress and move
the country forward?
Of course. It’s
possible to chew gum and walk at the same time. Friction is a function of
interaction. What is taking place is normal when you are viable. People fight
over you. But our party is not running the government, the President is. Let’s
leave internal party affairs to the party. They will resolve them, without the
glare of you in the media.
The recent victory of APC in Bayelsa State
fueled allegations of anti-party activities against former President Jonathan.
Do you wish to comment?
Not really, except to
say that the former President gave us Wike. I understand why. The enemy of your
enemy is your friend. There is very little difference between the parties in
Bayelsa. It’s not like they have a peculiar ideology.
When a Christian moves
from one denomination to another, he or she still serves God, yet a politician
can’t work in another party and still serve his or her people? I used to think
our problem was leadership. Now I’m not so sure. What goes around will come
around.
There are allegations of mismanagement within
the NDDC. Are you happy about the probe and what would you like to see going
forward?
Oh yes, I am. For two
reasons: The first is I know many heads will roll. Secondly, heads rolling
signifies consequences. That is the singular most significant reason why we are
where we are today. There are no consequences for our actions. Change that and
you change everything. Why be good when being bad has no consequence?
You were into movie production. Why did you
stop?
God forbid!! Me stop? Not
possible! I am already working on my next project. My scriptwriter and I are
having lunch in London tomorrow just to review our progress. So the
entertainment industry is not a passing phase for me. It’s what I hold dear.
Two of my kids are coming for that lunch meeting. One is in Princeton and he
wants to become a Producer. My daughter is already making waves in the UK film
industry on major HBO productions and wants to be a writer/director. Her CV is
intimidating. She just graduated with a first class. So film production is in
the family. It’s just that I believe in taking my time. It shows in the
productions.
Finally, give us your assessment of 2019 with
regards to the Buhari administration and tell us what your predictions for 2020
will be.
Well, he won the
election, so the 2019 story itself was that positive assessment. Looking at
2020, I think he wants to leave a legacy. That is good and bad news. The good
news is he will take Nigeria to the next level of prosperity. I expect more
jobs, increased investment, improved infrastructure, greater transparency and
better fiscal management. The bad news is he will take no prisoners along the
way and he will take some very tough short-term decisions that have a longer
term positive impact. He isn’t contesting for an election and he has the future
of the masses in his mind. My only advice will be for him to pay attention to
healing the nation. Politicians play on our divisions to get power. Now that
they have lost it, patriots should play on our unity to keep Nigeria strong.
APC NWC has set up a national reconciliation
committee but some are already kicking against the composition. Will there be
genuine reconciliation because there are certain people who believe nothing
good can come out of Oshiomhole?
I don’t share that
view. Anyone who wants to make progress should have no problem embracing peace.
I’m an optimist with an umbrella – like I said before. Let’s give peace a fair
chance. The taste of the pudding is in the eating. Let them start work.
Let’s talk of the emergence of Ovie Omo-Agege
as leader of the party in South-South. Some people boycotted the meeting that
produced him: Godswill Akpabio, Rotimi Amaechi, Godwin Obaseki. Can we say
their absence showed a crack within?
You can say it but it
won’t be true. I believe the Deputy Senate President (DSP) is now the highest
political officer from the South-South, so he is not really contesting
political leadership with anybody. The media often like to read meaning into
innocent issues, maybe because controversy sells. Amaechi, Akpabio, Sylva and
even Oshiomole have large profiles and could easily provide leadership for the
region, but the respect for the office of the DSP and their preference to focus
on their jobs means this isn’t a matter for debate.
Buhari has said he won’t contest in 2023. So
many aspirants are plotting for the ticket. Which of these will pick the ticket
and do you foresee the cabal producing a candidate by proxy, despite Buhari
warning that no one should drop his name?
I won’t be tempted to speculate. If, as has been established, a week is a long time in politics, how much more time is three years? There are too many actions the President can take that will affect the outcome. The worst mistake anyone should make is to underestimate the role of the President. Even his silence will speak volumes.
Source: News Express
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