‘I don’t need permission to go to any university’

Prof Julius Ihonvbere, former Special Adviser on Policy and Project Monitoring to former President Olusegun Obasanjo

— Prof Julius Ihonvbere, former Special Adviser on Policy and Project Monitoring to former President Olusegun Obasanjo
By Walid Ogunseri, Benin City
Recently, the manage ment of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma accused you of encouraging students to revolt against the state government. What is the situation on ground?
I think it is very sad. I am pained by it and I feel very sorry for those who are perpetrating the rumour. What I am happy about, however, is that the good people of Edo State did not believe them. They know I am a man of peace. I am a man of dignity and credibility. I don’t precipitate crisis because I want to destroy lives and property. I am an educated man and a full Professor of Political Science. I am a Traditional Prime Minister in my clan, I am an Ambassador of Peace, I hold the National honour of Order of the Officer of the Niger (OON); I hold traditional titles, even in Esanland. I have supported Ambrose Alli University more than anybody in the Edo State Government as an individual using private resources. I helped them to establish the Institute of Governance and Development with a grant of $300,000 when I was Programme Officer in New York . Even when I returned to Nigeria and I was working for President Obasanjo, I still helped to raise $170,000. I have supported and contributed to support over 60 students by paying their fees on the Ihonvbere Foundation Scholarship in that place. I helped with OSAWA to bring V-SAT to the AAU via the UNDP, I established the Julius Ihonvbere Computer Centre in the Faculty of Engineering, equipping it with computers and printers. It is still there. All the books I have written, I donated to Ambrose Alli University . There are more. Could I at my age, qualification, experience and standing in the society, somebody who has Class A security clearance to the President of Nigeria, go and address part-time students to go and demonstrate? I condemned the fees increase; I will condemn it anyday. It is unreasonable, it is irrational, it is premature. If you are going to increase school fees, there are many things you should do: dialogue with the students and reach an understanding, dialogue with the university administration and reach an understanding, establish shock absorbers, loans, scholarships and bursary, and in that way, the impact would not be heavy. We cannot do everything at the same time. You cannot increase school fees in order to increase IGR , demolish storey building and corner shops and at the same time increase school fees and expect people not to react. The students don’t need me to incite them. I don’t need to do that. I was in Irrua on my own political mission and I was told students were shot. They are my constituency. As I talk to you I am a life member of the University of Ife, Students Union . I have been involved in students union activities for a very long time. And I went there. I know Oshiomhole would have done the same if he were not governor, to sympathise with these students, and I offered to pay their medical bills. It is not a crime; I don’t need anybody’s permission to go to any university to associate with anybody. It is my money I am using to pay the medical bills and I have absolutely no apology for doing that.
As for the AAU, if they have failed in their mission to responsibly guide the students, not to have issued a circular in fee increase before they reached an understanding with government – as the government is now saying that they did not approve the circular – then they should have themselves to blame, not looking for somebody to blame for their errors and the thing to do is to take the part of honour and resign. That was what Obasanjo said should be done when you know you have made a mistake. For me, I don’t feel sad about it. They have only exposed their own ignorance, their own incapability. The people of Edo State know very well that Professor Julius Ihonvbere, OON, Officer of the Order of Great Ife (OGI), Iyase of Iuleha and Ambassador of Peace cannot do that kind of thing.
There is this call for you to run the governorship of Edo State , what is the position now?
As you know, I ran for governor before, and for one reason or the other in the PDP, I did not get it, but I have my structure. I have my ideas, I have my network and I have my own vision for Edo State.
Are you not worried about the massive decampment of PDP members into the AC?
Not up to one per cent of PDP members have decamped. Some of them who decamped were not carrying any significant following, but decampment is not new in any political system. People are also decamping from AC to Labour or even to PDP, so it is not new. There is nothing to it even though the current government is spending so much energy, so much lies, making a lot of noise because one or  two councillors have defected. No, it does not bother me at all. I can assure you that if I get the ticket in PDP, with visions, with my programmes and with my quality, many members who have decamped will come back, and some of the original members of AC will come back because they want to rally around somebody who can give qualitative and genuine leadership. There is no problem with decamping.
Given the massive road construction under Governor Oshiomhole, do you think that you stand much chance?       
Well, road construction is good, the government under Oshiomhole is not using its personal money, he is using our money and he is expected to do roads, so we don’t want to thank him for that. That is what he is supposed to do and any person who does not do it should be condemned. But those who will use these roads have to be fed, those who will do this road have to be healthy.  Those who will do this road have to be educated, those who will do this road have to be employed through commerce, trade, industry, manufacturing. So road construction is one thing, but we are taking of holistic and sustainable development. You cannot do this unless you can attract resources internationally, and if he is putting himself in a thing he cannot finish, we are not going to listen to "I have started, give me a second term to finish them." We know that is a political trick. It is an old trick people have used before. If you are a true leader, you know your resources, you now your capabilities, you will have priorities and you will have an integrated programming of the time of action, and you know what is deliverable and you will do those so that the people can see them at any particular time. So I am not bothered at all. He is expected to do them, let him finish them. We will thank him for doing them. But what I am saying is that, at anytime and day, I can do better.