Prince Tonye Princewill was Rivers State governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress in 2007. He was equally the Labour Party standard bearer in 2015.
The businessman, film producer and philanthropist was a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress. He resigned his membership on the eve of the 2023 general elections in protest over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling party. In this interview, he expresses concern over the nerve-racking crisis in his home state of Rivers and the perceived involvement of the presidency in the matter among other national issues. TAIWO AMODU brings excerpts:
How will you appraise the Tinubu administration in the last one year?
First of all, one year is too soon. But through no deliberate fault of their own, I didn’t expect much from this administration. Before you say I’m being negative, let me give you two key reasons. One reason is, Nigeria’s problems are bigger than who is the President. That’s why we seem destined to keep on complaining. It stems also from who is governor, who is in the National Assembly and who is in the Judiciary. I agree that the president can and should drive the effort, but where we are at, only ‘people power’ can overcome the obstacles I listed. If we had credible polls you will see that the people are not with the President, even moreso now that the economy is the way it is and hardship is wearing agbada. My people say “dog no dey chop dog” and so no President can convince the public that he or she has their backs, unless they do not see them as part of the system. This president and the system are seen as 5 and 6. He’s not doing enough to change that.
The second reason is the system I just mentioned. The system that President Tinubu inherited. Yes it was not great, but it has never been great or designed to work with you and me in mind. From the government to the economy, to our constitution itself, all the way down to the orientation of we the people; none of the elements that make up our core system can take us where we need to go. At best who is President might only assist with the management of the chaos or the circular motion, like a dog chasing its tail, but as for making any positive or impactful movement, I’m afraid that will continue to remain elusive.
We need to make some fundamental changes and I don’t see him making them. Having said that, the Tinubu I knew is a very smart politician. He is very adept at adapting. The biggest weapon he has is time. I advise you not to judge him in 2024. Judge him in 2026. You may see a different set of variables before you by then, that is if he wants to run again.
Nigerians are increasingly getting despondent about our democratic journey; that it is not bringing food to the table. Is it valid to say democracy doesn’t really translate to economic growth and development for the people?
Let’s not turn ourselves into the workman who blamed his tools. Democracy can work, we’ve seen it at work all over the world. In principle and at its core is the philosophy of a government of the people that is run by the people and for the people. On the surface, this ideal is noble. The question that you have to ask is whether your government of the people is really by the people and for the people? The strong sentiment out there on the streets is that it is not. From the conduct of elections that have produced our political leaders to the policies of government; people feel alienated and so democracy will no doubt take a knock, but it should not. The problem is in the execution. Every society must do what is suited to them. Nigeria is a work in progress. One day, we will get it right. That day is coming. We can’t continue like this.
Will you say subsidy removal and Naira devaluation are working?
I’m not an economist, but I don’t think that one needs to be one to answer a question like that. The short answer is No. And oh by the way, has subsidy been removed? The CBN Governor seems to have his heart in the right place, but he is dealing with several principalities and powers and he is doing it with limited leverage. Hands tied behind his back, on the back of an economy that is on its knees, with a boss who is seen as part of the same system. It’s an unenviable situation. Devaluing the Naira on the back of an import dependent economy equals hardship. Until we deal with the fundamentals, any tinkering around the edges will be tantamount to kicking the can down the road.
If you were to meet Tinubu, what would you enumerate as the urgent priorities of his government to turn around the fortunes of Nigerians?
Tinubu was one of my mentors. He and Atiku took me under their wing when I first entered politics. As a novice back then, he blessed my union with Rotimi Amaechi to recover Rivers state and without him, my progress in politics would have been far more limited. But I didn’t support his presidential bid, primarily on account of his Muslim Muslim ticket, neither did I support Atiku nor Peter Obi, for a variety of reasons. The best thing that happened to Tinubu was the emergence of Peter Obi.
All three of them as individuals are capable of transforming Nigeria, they have a track record of transformation on their CVs. What burdens them all are three things; the same system I talked about, their inability to confront it and their individual teams. Wasn’t convinced by none of them. So I remained an observer. My advice to him (Tinubu) is the same advice I will give to any President. Get the people on your side first and then confront the system. Not the other way round. This is not the medium for details. To achieve results will require very deft communication, mixed with the kind of tactics and strategy that Mr. President already has expertise on. I like the job Ngelale is doing, he has some Ministers doing well too, like Aviation, Interior, Health. But he needs PR, key policy tweaks and a completely new strategic direction to win over the people. Unless, like I said before, he doesn’t want to run again. We would be wise to factor that in as a distinct possibility.
What’s your reaction on the ethnicisation of the face off between Governor Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike?
My dear Rivers state. We’ve gone past that. The support in either camp is across all ethnic lines. Wike enjoyed cross cultural support when he was Governor and now Governor Sim is enjoying even greater support across all lines, now that he’s on the seat. I’ve not been around and I have not spoken to you the media for almost two years, so I must have missed a lot, but we have made it very clear. Leave our son to work, just like we left other ones before him. Rivers state is the Treasure base of the nation. Do not play with the goose that lays the golden egg. If he has erred, it is a different thing. If he has broken the law, there are ways and means to deal with that. If you don’t want him in the future, allow him finish his term. Because the silence we hear is the silence of the graveyard. Let sleeping dogs lie. We have witnessed many crisis in Rivers state and we have now become experts at it.
Do you think political leaders and elders in Rivers State have done enough to wade into the crisis?
As I mentioned, I have not been around, so I’m not sure about the details of all the efforts made and so I can’t speak about what I am not sure of. But I know our elders are very proactive, so I’m very sure they would have waded in without hesitation. Some of their direct interventions, I personally witnessed. But how much is enough and how many politicians listen to their elders? You can take the horse to the stream, but you can’t force it to drink. In the end, it’s a family quarrel. It’s just that it’s affecting our state.
As a political leader, can you suggest possible ways out of the unending crisis in your state?
Number one factor that has plagued our state is presidential ambition. All of our Rivers Governors wanted to be president, but none of them made it. They control too much money, are surrounded by too much sycophancy and consequently they perceive themselves as having too much influence. They can make or break a President. Ask Obasanjo, Goodluck, Buhari or Tinubu. No fourth Republic president can write their story and leave out the role of the Rivers state Governor at the time they were president. We are big but all we are good for is use and dump but we will never learn. When Rivers state sneezes, the whole country catches a cold. So there is a lot of interest in who becomes governor here. Not always for positive reasons. This governor (Sim) doesn’t look like he will be interested in being president. This might be the difference that will allow us to focus within.
Why do you think the president’s initial intervention in the dispute failed?
Simple. Because it was not constitutional, was too one sided and it did not have popular support. If he had consulted beforehand, he would have realized it. I believe he wanted to help and assumed all stakeholders present justified the action. In Rivers state, the people’s voice matters. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t feel a strong desire to speak all the time. I had to lay my father to rest, yes. So in his honour I stayed away from Rivers politics. But if I felt something needed to be said, I would have said it. Here people are not afraid to speak truth to power. It’s not hard to feel the pulse of our people.
Don’t you think this crisis will affect the economic development of Rivers and what is your take on the narrative that development in Rivers is an orchestrated plot to instigate declaration of a State of Emergency?
I’m not going to waste time talking about a state of emergency. It’s a call that innocently or deliberately leads to removing the Governor which is what his opponents want. So let’s park that topic. We’re not anywhere near there yet. And if Sim is wise, we won’t be.
The first point that you raised is more dear to me. Investment and development in Rivers state are suffering because everything we see about Rivers state is crisis. I know many opportunities that are coming. When I see us on air arguing for one side or the other, I cringe at the impact on our image. Some of our people should not be given the mic to speak. It doesn’t tell well of us. When we wash all of our dirty linen in public, we diminish ourselves and we diminish our state.
Will you be involved in 2027 politics and at what level?
Certainly, I will be involved. What I don’t know is in what capacity. The politics I see is no longer interesting. But we will continue our work and hope enough people join us to ask for things to improve. Just as in 2007, I helped Amaechi to continue because he was doing what needed to be done, my prayer is in 2027, I will help Sim continue because he is doing what needs to be done too.