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| Prince Frank Ukonga -new chairman of edo SDMP and the certificate of return |
The ITV Interview of Prince Frank Ukonga- Chairman SDMP Edo state on
the 22ed of February 2013 @ the ITV Village, Benin City…
Preambles: On the 8th of February 2013 Prince Frank Ukonga
was elected the new Chairman of SDMP and was invited to an interview by ITV on
the 22ed February for a fantastic no hold barred interview of the leading
television station in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa. Moderated by the, Ace
Presenter, and Director Sunny Duke Okosun.
Presenter and moderator Duke Okosun: Your Excellency: Congratulations
as you have been elected the chairman of SDMP in Edo State of Nigeria and
Welcome to the program.
Prince Frank Ukonga: Thank you. I am highly elated to be part of
your dexterity in contributing to the development of Edo state of Nigeria through
pro active functional journalism.
Duke Okosun: Your Excellency:
2015 general election is still far away about 2 years plus but then the
politicians have abandoned the primary prerogatives of service delivery of
dividends of democracy to the peoples of Nigeria and are busy actively into
partisan politicking for the general polls , Is this not diversionary to the primacy of job creation,
economic and industrial development, electricity generation, providing quality
education, portable water and what have you.. How do you react to this?
Prince Frank Ukonga; Our views at
SDMP which is subscribed to by the majority of stakeholders in the Nigerian
Project is that Nigeria and in general Sub Saharan Africa has weak institutions
which is consequential of our dialectical and historical milieu of slavery,
colonization and imperialism whence we believe that all departments of society
needs urgent development including political and politicking in the polity.
Consequently we see the politicking towards 2015 general polls not diversionary
but as part of the whole that also needs development and maturation as our
problems in this segment of the world is largely political. Nevertheless we
agree with you that other areas of job creation, industrial and agricultural development,
education, youth and women development needs urgent attentions…
Duke Okosun: The observations that the masses has been alienated from
the political leadership of the polity is becoming a factor of concern, as it
appears that the elite class have hijacked the realms of leadership and the
benefits therein.. Is this a healthy development?
Prince Frank Ukonga: This is not
a healthy development but then it is important to appreciate the fact that the
elite class invest their time and money in developing the frail political
institutions existing in the polity as stakeholders.. the majority of the
masses are contended in playing the role of riding on the safe lane, while some
are lukewarm, resigned, lazy and impervious to the politics of their
environment and it is a popular Marxist maxim that in general the masses do not
have the where wither to rule and govern themselves even after the success of a
successful masses revolution but that they still need the elite whom in the
context of revolutions will transform his ways and join the masses to lead
them. Whence, the masses on a universal basis are always walking to the
gallery, by their attitudes of ineptness, indiscretions, and passivity to the
issues of leadership, so they are to be blamed.
Duke Okosun: Your Excellency, how can a member of the masses begin to
lead when he is not given the opportunity to do so?
Prince Frank Ukonga: Leadership
is not given to people in strict political dispensations but the will of
leadership is mustered, worked for assiduously and taken up by he who is
destined to lead. It does not manifest on a plate of gold a la carte, it is
something that you work for, plan for and with time acquire. Note worthy in the
aspects of political philosophy is the fact that the masses are their own worst
enemy; as in what is popularly described as the crab phenomenon- the masses out
there always try to pull down a member of their class who want to lead them, out
of jealousy , peer rivalry, cynicism and lack of trust for members of their
class but immediately rally round the elite who they feel is superior and have
something to gain in the context of gratifications and other benefits from the
elite..They look down on their own class and anybody from their class who want
to lead them..This is universal, historical and perhaps dialectical but it is unnatural
as these were traditions of men that became part of the universal culture of
the global village…
Duke Okosun: Your Excellency: A number of people feel that the
politicians need spiritual cleansing to be more committed to service delivery
to the populace, do you see religion playing an important role in the affairs
of politics and governance of the polity
Prince Frank Ukonga: It is the
church and religious outfits on a global basis that needs spiritual cleansing
and not the politicians. It is the failure of the church in molding the world
in the path of rectitude and upright meta ethical resolves that begin to rear
its features in the political arena as it is believe in esoteric philosophy
that a people begets the leadership they get, which is the harvest of their
volitions in thoughts, words and actions that is sown by the people and they
reap it bountifully as well. Whence if a society is corrupt and backwards it is
the result of what the predecessors invested that is harvested in the future,
similarly when a society is progressive and prosperous it is not accidental.
Duke Okosun: Your Excellency:What should the people of Edo state expect
from your leadership of SDMP as its new chairman?
Prince Frank Ukonga: My
prerogatives as the new Chairman and leader of SDMP in Edo State is primarily
to rejig the party with the new Edo State EXCO of SDMP addressed to create a formidable
political party that will make a difference in the political and social
economic wellbeing of the peoples of Edo state in particular and to the
Nigerian federations as well as sub Saharan Africa in maximum interpretations
.This will translate to either working with the Comrade Governor Adams
Oshiomhole in a Unity Government or perhaps
forming a shadow government to contributing our quota. Secondly we are committed
to expanding the membership strength of the party as well as establishing
offices and formidable presence in all the 18 local government Areas of the
state. We may participate in the forth coming local government polls in the
state if the obnoxious requirements of mandatory deposits of 100 thousand naira
from candidates and the prohibitive cost of tax clearances for candidates are
waved by the Edsiec- Edo state Electoral commission, nevertheless our major
priority is to prepare in advance for the 2015 general elections as well as the
2016 gubernatorial polls.
Duke Okosun : Your Excellency, Is SDMP part of the new political merger
of APC-All Nigerian Peoples Congress being proposed by the ACN
,CPC,ANPP and co
Prince Frank Ukonga: SDMP is not
part of the political merger of ACN,CPC, ANPP and Co. SDMP was the first Mega
party of mergers of 25 political parties in Nigeria and Africa to be
consummated and registered by INEC and we are still open to other political
parties that are interested in merging into us. Our merger according to the
Late Chief Enahoro who stated the our merger party is to create formidable
opposition political party in Nigeria as a great alternative committed to
service delivery to the teaming population of Nigerians and it was not a
consequence of reactionary philosophy as in the case of APC Merger. APC perhaps is a merger of political parties with
different political ideologies and orientations like a merger of peoples of
strange bed follows which is reactionary as its reason de entre is focused to
wrestle power from the ruling PDP alone as major selfish reason of coming to
being… that is why the INEC is reluctant to register the merger as a new
political party as such reactionary backlash potent grave danger to the polity
which was similar to the dangers of what the Action Group went through when
Chief Akintola who was more of a
conservative joined forces with Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was a progressive to
win the polls in western region and no sooner that Chief Akintola became the
Premier he tried assiduously to weed out of the party Chief Awolowo’s men in
the general election of Western Region which resulted in the general war and
uprising in Western Region which was used as an excuse by the military to take
over governance in Nigeria… and as history repeats itself such scenario could
manifest again when the power tussle begins in the new APC Merger…
Duke Okosun: Your Excellency: So what is your view about developing the
weak political institutions in the country if mergers and acquisitions of
political parties are suspects of possibly fermenting more trouble in future
and not overly advisable by your analysis?
Prince Frank Ukonga: Nigeria and
Nigerians is not a victim of time. This contemporary nescient political
dispensation is young and vibrant and less than 14 years old..we should not be
in a hurry to take win the elections at the centre but rather we should be
committed to developing the political institutions that has presence already
and expanding them as variants and
options to service our multi ethnic and multi nationalism of more than
250 tribes..if we arrived at having 25 banks to service our large population in
the Banking consolidation exercise there is nothing wrong in consolidating the
political institutions with similar strategy of 25 political parties to be
committed the to leadership and service delivery to our great Nation.
Duke Okusun : Will this lead to fusing Nigeria into one strong
formidable Nation of one nation , one destiny
Prince Frank Ukonga: The aspect
of fusing to one Nation with one destiny of a multi ethnic setting like ours
cannot be forcefully induced as Nigeria is a Nation of more than 250 tribes
amalgamated 100 years ago by His Excellency Lord Lugard the British governor
General, Prior to this each part of the country and some of the tribes had
great Nations and governments independent of each other.. like the Yoruba
Empire, the Kanem Bornu Empire, the Zauzau Empire, the Hausa Fulani Empire, the
Jukun Empire, the Nupe Empire, Benin Empire and more… these were great Nations
and they exist till today being headed by traditional rulers who still kept
tenaciously to the tenets of their own traditional sovereignty, mutual suspicions
and détente of being dominated and marginalized in the schemes of things. To
solve this the federal government came up with the federal character in
allotting appointments, funds and investments on state/ regional basis.. this
have worked for a while…and this is expected to collapse with time into the new
height of a true nationhood, were it doesn’t matter where you come from you can
aspire and lead any part of the country… this will take time but can be achieved… it
can be aided by adequate legislations as in what the Senate are proposing to
replace in the constitutional amendment the issue of State/ place of Origin
with that of new requirement of state or place of residence…if this new
constitutional amendment goes through then you can contest election in any part
of the country irrespective of your tribe.. so it is possible with this new
amendment for a Hausa Man resident in Lagos to become the Governor of Lagos State,
a predominately Yoruba speaking peoples, and it will be possible for an Edo man
to become the governor of Kano state or an Ibo man becoming the governor of
Adamawa state or a Fulani from Sokoto becoming the governor of Anambra or Abia
state who are predominately Ibo speaking peoples.. That will also take time but
can be achieved…Just like the united States President Obama is an indigene of
Alaska but resident in Chicago in the state of Illinois and he contested the
Senate in Illinois state and won. And contested the presidency from Illinois
state and won.. We can achieve such nationhood in Nigeria but it will take
time.
Duke Okosun : Your Excellency ,
thank you for sparing time out of you busy schedule to coming to our studio at
ITV the best television station in Nigeria. We wish God to grant you wisdom to
be able to lead your great party in Edo state and Nigeria to making a
difference in service delivery to the masses of Nigeria and Africa in
generality…
Prince Frank Ukonga: We are most grateful
at SDMP to be part of your great success of satellite compliant policy trust of
news gathering , processing and dissemination to reaching the entire nook and
cranny of human civilization and we shall continue to support your great
efforts in providing quality interviews and events for you to showcase to the
world and on a secondary basis we promise to support your expansion on a global
scale through funding and logistics when we come to power in Edo state and in
Nigeria. Keep the flag flying…
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