What I will do for Kogi East within next two months in Senate – Senator Alfa

Senator Isaac Alfa, a retired Air Marshal and former Chief of Air Staff has his mandate as elected Senator representing Kogi East senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) set aside after a few months in the Red Chamber while another person, Attai Aidoko of the same party held sway.

But fortune smiled on him recently as his mandate was regained through legal process and he was sworn-in for a second time a fortnight ago by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Senator Alfa recently addressed the Senate Press Corps and he spoke on issues bothering of his justification, the bills he would love to sponsor within the remaining two months to the expiration of the 8th Senate and the performance of the APC led Federal Government. TUNDE OPALANA who was there reports.

How will you describe your second swearing in as a Senator in the same 8th Senate?

The other day, someone asked me why I wasn’t sworn-in much earlier despite my numerous Court judgments.

And I answered him that even if Senator Saraki had wanted to swear me in before now, he couldn’t have done it because God hadn’t given him the go-ahead. I believe in pre-determination.

There is a record here. I am told that in the history of the National Assembly, I am the first person to be sworn in twice and that I would go into the record.

If that is true, I thank the Almighty God and I will ask the Senate president to give me a price.

Sometimes, you, as a leader, take decision based on the information you have. The information you have sometimes depend on what you are fed by whomever.

I bear no grudge; I am grateful to God for vindicating me and I thank and give credit to the Senate leadership for upholding justice at last. It has never been about what I can benefit personally from the Senate.

By the special grace of Almighty God, I rose to become the Chief of Air Staff, the largest in Africa, and one of the most operationally powerful today.

I was a member of the PRC which collectively was then number three after the Head of State and Chief of General Staff. So, Senate was a service to my people, bringing this large tribe to where it ought to stay.

Yes, the battle to retain my mandate wasn’t easy especially when I had to fund the litigation from my pocket with absolutely no help from anywhere.

Every politician knows that political litigation is not cheap. But I was determined so that my people’s decision must count whenever they decide to field their choice; that nobody should come from outside by any other name to impose their decision on us.

Now, my people feel liberated and are encouraged to insist on their choice, as I have shown that with God on your side, the judiciary will give you justice.

What can you achieve just two months to the expiration of the 8th Senate?

I am happy to be back. I don’t know if I can achieve anything for my people in two months, even though I had bills and motions in the pipeline before I left.

But even if I can’t push in anything again, I would like to draw the plight of Kogi East to the attention of the Federal Government. Kogi East is home to the Igalas and the Bassa.

The Igalas are the 9th largest tribe in the country, if not the 8th by now. But this zone has not witnessed any federal presence as far as I know for the past 20 years.

In what Specific areas would you want to bring federal Government’s attention to Kogi East?

The first is in the area of oil exploration. When I was here, myself from Kogi State, Senator Utazi from Enugu State, and Senator Princess Stella Odua from Anambra State were going to co-sponsor a bill to make these 3 states declared Oil Producing Areas.

It was sad that this wasn’t followed up after I left. With the result that Kogi (Ibaji) where most oil is being tapped from by Oriental Petroleum was not recognised as Oil Producing Area whereas Anambra has since been.

This issue has resulted in unnecessary loss of lives and properties between the two communities.

Recognising one and ignoring the legitimate right of the other is a recipe for further clashes.

I will seek the understanding of the Senate President for my motion on this to be listed and debated within the two months that I have left here.

There is so much for the Federal Government to benefit from. I am baffled that extraction of oil had not commenced in Odolu axis of Kogi East when the capped oil wells there is even greater than Anambra and Ibaji put together.

The other sore point is the delay in the completion of the Green Refinery at Itobe which was inaugurated at the same time with that of Lagos.

Lagos has stated operating am told but that of Itobe is not progressing. Hopefully, I will get the Senate President’s cooperation to bring this up.

The second is in the area of roads and bridges. Being a security person, one motion I was going to push in was multiple bridges for connection between the North and the South.

We all know in time of crisis, enemies will list destruction of bridges as principal targets to severe our linkages between North and South. There is, therefore, the need to increase our number of linkages.

Presently, the major bridges linking the North and the South are: Onitsha Bridge over River Niger, Jebba Bridge over River Niger, Ajaokuta Bridge over River Niger, Kogi Bridge over River Niger, Makurdi Bridge over River Benue. These are too few.

In 1985, President Buhari, as Head of State was to build a bridge over River Benue at Bagana in Kogi East, a project that would reduce the journey from the South East and South-South to Abuja by four to six hours.

This work has remained abandoned and wasting. Maybe, in his second coming, the Senate can bring this to his attention.

In addition, the following new’ bridges deserve attention urgently by the Senate and the Government: Idah-Agenebode: Idah in Kogi State and Agenebode in Edo State are directly opposite each other across River Niger.

It will shorten the journey from that part of Nigeria to Kogi, Benue and North East if the two cities are linked by a bridge.

Another is Lokoja-Shintaku: These two cities are opposite each other across the River Niger.

This will shorten the journey from South-South and South-West to the North East.

My argument is that if River Thames has 200 bridges over it with at least 8 major crossings in London alone, there is nothing wrong with the whole country having 20 bridges over Rivers Benue and Niger. The more we have, the better, safer.

I am not asking Government to fund these bridge projects. Let us use PPP developers and concession like recently done for construction of roads.

The third concern is that of the Maritime University in Lokoja. This was actually pushed in but I had no opportunity to get the Senate President’s approval to list it before I stepped aside.

There is need to site a Maritime University in Lokoja to serve the interest of the North Central, North East and North West.

I don’t know what is holding up dredging of River Niger to Lokoja, but the two are complementary. I will seek the Senate Presidents’ cooperation on all these because they are extremely important.

What in your view should be done to make Nigeria better?

These four years have been a learning curve for the government, the National Assembly and the polity.

Government will need to apply surgical operations in several areas if Nigeria is to achieve economic growth exponentially.

Its anti-corruption fight must focus on severe re-organisation of the Police Force.

The Police as constituted presently is not only undisciplined right down the line, inadequately trained.

The Police Service Commission as presently constituted is absolutely powerless.

If the Police is up and doing, we won’t need the SSS to go after the judges, we won’t need the military to secure elections, Lawyers won’t charge hundreds of millions or billions to compromise the judges who are representatives of Almighty God on earth.

My case went through 34 judges and I won 10 out of eleven judgments; with the only one won by my opponent reversed by the same Appeal Court. I never gave a kobo to any judge in my three and half years ordeal.

I know that no system is perfect but there are some Nigerian judges today that are absolutely incorruptible. God passed my case through many of them and may God bless them.

Quote

Being a security person, one motion I was going to push in was multiple bridges for connection between the North and the South. We all know in time of crisis, enemies will list destruction of bridges as principal targets to severe our linkages between North and South. There is, therefore, the need to increase our number of linkages. Presently, the major bridges linking the North and the South are: Onitsha Bridge over River Niger, Jebba Bridge over River Niger, Ajaokuta Bridge over River Niger, Kogi Bridge over River Niger, Makurdi Bridge over River Benue. These are too few.