‘When I think of 2023, I fear in terms of the security in our country’ – Efiok Cobham

Immediate past Deputy Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency Mr. Efiok Cobham recently spoke with Oracle Today’s ANIEKAN ANIEKAN on his gubernatorial ambition, his dreams for Cross River State, party politics and some national issues. Excerpts:

There are rumours around town that you have joined the gubernatorial race in Cross River State, how true is this?

Yes, I’m running for the governor of Cross River State under my party the Peoples Democratic Party.

How confident are you going into the race considering your challengers from the National Assembly?

Why should I be afraid of national assembly members. Just  2019 I anchored a campaign that delivered all of them. They are all my friends.  Okay compare their pedigree with mine we are talking about party politics here and not national assembly politics. I have been the state secretary of the party in 2003 I was the secretary of the campaign organization by virtue of my office as the state  secretary  in 2006/2007.  I was running as the deputy governorship candidate the same thing in 2011 as an incumbent deputy governor in 2014/2015. I was the deputy chairman of the campaign council 2017/2019.  I was the DG of the PDP campaign so what are you talking about here; do they make such money in the national assembly.  I don’t know it’s not all about money look the character of the individual, the integrity what you are bringing to the table will all be the determining factor.  People are not as gullible as they used to be, they are asking pertinent questions, asking questions they never used to ask.  So people are beginning to look at the larger picture.  When you say, will they give it to you or will the national assembly members give it to me or will the party give it to me the mistake most people still make is that we are no longer the party in power but the opposition. When you are in opposition you must look for a candidate that commands the respect and followership of the people.  It is not the richest man that wins election money is a factor but not the overall factor.

What are you bringing to the table considering the state of Cross River today?

I am bringing to the table, first my level of experience and my knowledge of Cross River and I believe I am endowed with the capacity to get things done better than they are today. I am bringing to the table innovation in governance that will make Cross River State be what it used to be rather than what it is today. I will unfold my manifesto and in details you will see what the innovations are all about. We are going to bring reforms into the civil service, reforms into our value system which is very critical, educational system, health and of course governance because looking at the way Cross River State is being governed today is a far cry from how government should be operated.  Government should be for the people and not just for a select few. One of the levels of success of any government is the level of  social inclusiveness so I am bringing to the table a desire to remove the deficit of confidence that exists today between the governor and the populace. I am coming with a desire to stabilize our body polity and ensure growth and development of our state.

Zoning is a major issue in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in the state, does your party’s constitution recognise zoning and what’s your take on it?

The PDP constitution recognises zoning even up to the national level. I like zoning but I am not running basically because of zoning. I am not against zoning. I use to ask my colleagues in the south what if the party remains mute about zoning, is our region not capable to produce  somebody to make the position of governor. There are more than enough materials in any region to run for the position of governor of the state may be because of our peculiar circumstances in our country not just our  state alone we have come to  bring in zoning  but definitely it should  not be the main thing. I am not running because of zoning but I stand firmly that zoning is right I am a Cross Riverian first.

The non Efik speaking part of the southern part of the state say it’s their turn to produce the governor and not the Efik speaking part, what’s your take on this?

Who are the non Efik speaking part? Biase, Akamkpa?  There are Efik settlements in those local governments. Biase local government alone can have up to 40% Efik settlements so definitely that issue should not  even arise.  The protagonists of zoning are talking about zoning to the south maybe when we get to the river we will know how to cross it but for now I think that is a bit of a speculation, it’s speculative.

Assuming but not admitting that the party ticket goes to another aspirant will you still be in the PDP considering the frequency with which defections occur these days?

I am a party man and in every contest there is bound to be a winner and a loser. It’s not  only bad and irritating when you are unjustly denied of the opportunity like now. We are now in the football era (AFCON) two teams will always play as the players enter the pitch within them they know they might win this match but at the end of the day the result comes you  take it. All what we say and to ensure there is peace is fair play . If by the end of the day I win, I will also call my colleagues because that’s the will of the people.

If at the end of the day the baton passes from me and I know my best was not good enough if you loose,  loose gallantly and show sportsmanship. By the end of the day it’s our party and it’s not just your aspiration. Now everybody is talking about governorship aspiration but I tell you in 2023 there are  about 40 aspirations.  I have been the secretary of the party, I had to be drafted to take care of the party when the governor left and it was like the party was going down but because of my wealth of experience in the management of the party and the question you have asked I have presided over several meetings like that where some candidates who have lost out, they express their anger and then we have to bring everybody together. It all depends on how we, the leadership of the party, can manage it otherwise no one’s aspiration is bigger than the party. Our popular slogan has always been that the party is supreme it should not be because the house cannot accommodate you,  you burn the roof no.  If it can’t accommodate you it can accommodate others when you burn the roof everybody stands outside so definitely for me the PDP is my party I am a foundation member, where will I go to.  Like my friend Wike will say, why should I leave malaria to go and get cancer when I know malaria is curable.

Your Excellency, one of the biggest challenges the next governor will face is the issue of debts and so how will you manage it and so as to also deliver on your programmes?

The debts are there, the point is, is it because there is debt and you will not run government.  You must find a way out of the debts and one way is to renegotiate so we will renegotiate the debts.  The state is a living entity and individuals come and go, I don’t even think we have gotten to our borrowing limit otherwise they will not be giving them further money.  There will still be a window and it’s for us to evolve a robust plan of debt renegotiation and whatever money we have we channel them into sectors that will generate funds for us to run the government and also meet the terms of the loan that’s it.  America is one of the world’s leading debtor nations but they will still give them money because they have a program of repayment. Even these banks they encourage you to take their money because it is those interest they use to do what they want and if they keep money in the bank and nobody takes them, then they are out of business. 

So I am not afraid of debts especially the debts that have been incurred. There is nothing you can do about it that is why when I hear people say I came and met an empty treasury you knew from the beginning that the Treasury was empty. That is why the people voted you so that you can convert that empty treasury into something positive.  I am very conscious of the debt portfolio of the state and am equally aware of the potential of the state that with a proper team you can restructure those debts and have a breather, run the government, pay the debts and if need be get further money to run your state provided that the money you get is being put into things that will be beneficial to the people. 

It’s just that in our country too our banking system is terrible. Those state loans you shouldn’t charge the normal commercial bank rates. I was in the US for a while and one of my friends wanted a mortgage and they gave him 2.5 percent. He is a Nigerian accountant and he said no way can he pay 2.5 percent.  I told him I got a mortgage in Nigeria at 19.2 percent and he screamed when he finally got the mortgage he said they reviewed it to one and a half percent for 25 years so that is it.  I was looking for money from my bank to do a farm and they were willing to give me from this central bank intervention and they said the loan is for five years and I said how can I get money to do oil palm and in five years I start repayment.  That is why we are where we are,  facilities for agriculture mortgage the minimum tenor should be ten to fifteen years and the interest rate should not be more than five percent otherwise you can’t break even. When the state government loans money maybe N10 billion already one percent of N10 billion runs into heavy millions and then you will give state government N10 billion and charge 15% interest that’s why when you look at the pages of our newspaper it’s only banks that are declaring profits and the profits run into billions after tax. This is because we have a system that does not encourage growth may be as we grow in our lives we will come to terms with some of these basic realities that we are the reasons for our underdevelopment.

Cross River State allegedly has over 30 industries, however finding show that none of them is making money for the state. How do you intend to build on that because government is a continuum?

Those industries were built with public funds and it is our money.  It will be most irresponsible of any administration to allow them rot away. However, I am also a believer in the fact that government has no business doing business.  For me if elected, my focus will be to create an enabling environment whereby private sector can do their businesses,  put proper infrastructure in the place make sure it is secured for businesses. I will also look at the level of taxation and other things that encourages ease of doing business and put them in place. We have a geographic information service here, If you want to get a land and have all the requirements you should be able to get a C of O within 48 hours because it is all automated. So all those industries of course we have to get all of them working but they should be privately managed and transparently to bring confidence in the system.  Once you build an industry, we have seen it even playing out in governance  where hands that are not competent are put in places where they should not be. What we call Cross Lines today used to be SETCON, Wayas was the then commissioner for Transport under Late Brigadier UJ Esuene,  he incorporated it. It used to be south east transport company or so when the state was created the assets of SETCON were shared we now had Cross Lines.  When the state was changed from South  Eastern State to Cross River State but how has it fared today I don’t think Cross lines even if it is a government company has any bus of its own. If a country like America should offload American airlines British airways that is still flying the British government is subsidizing it heavily. I don’t mind government being in transportation because in that case you are not treating it as business but as social welfare project but if it is the normal manufacturing we will look at it finish it up,  have a proper evaluation of it get it to the private sector at a price that is at consonance with its status let them run it.  Maybe as government  you protect yourself too by having some form of equity so that the interest of Cross Riverians too can be protected but outside that,  government has no business running business because government itself is big business you can have representatives but let the majority shareholders come from the private sector. They will always find a way to look for their money and run the business and they will run it efficiently that is my own take. I am not against it but we don’t even have the capacity to manage it. Public officer managing public funds is on trust. It is a sacred responsibility. I can be reckless with my personal funds but public funds you should be able to account for it.  So for the 30 industries if they are moribund we know they can’t but for others we’ll get the private sector in there and again that is if the ownership structure is really Cross Riverian because I have not taken a good look at them.  I don’t know the shareholding because in all government companies the ministry of finance incorporated should be the shareholder.  I don’t know what shares ministry of finance incorporated have there.  I have not looked at it basically because of my believe that government should not run enterprises that could be done more efficiently by the private sector.

Following Governor Ayade’s defection to the APC, your party Secretariat along Murtala Muhammed Highway was taken over by the defecting members of your party. Has the PDP given up on plans to recover its property?

That tells you the character of the people that are in the administration.  That tells you the irresponsibility of the leadership of that party.  We live in an era where the culture of impunity has permeated the society.  My last child was doing her IT she could not come out of the bank one day because a serving commissioner had carried a dumb stand and put by the gates of the bank. He had the temerity and could even show the foolishness of standing before the press and admitting that he could do that. Is Cross River State government the only customer in that  bank that they have refused to give them their money?  The matter is still in court and was even called up last week.  That tells you the character of those people who want to lead us.

The national assembly introduced consensus option as a means of electing candidates by political parties in the ongoing  electoral amendment. Do you subscribe to this?

I’ve not read the electoral act and all these issues came up with what they amended yesterday.  I’ve not had time to look at them but I believe the word consensus is quite relative.  These are provisions of the law I don’t know what the principal theme says there.  First of all the law provides a general provision and then the sub sections so you cannot read the subsections you must read it in conjunction with the main portions of the law.  I have not read it so I will be very careful in answering it because the easiest way for you to show foolishness is to start talking about things you don’t understand. I have heard the issues of that consensus and then who will be the people to sit and determine that consensus, all those things are issues that I have to sit down and look and the law and then explain, could it be elected officials or members of the house of assembly, house of representatives and the rest that’s why I say relative because it’s a bit confusing.  For now maybe our law makers have looked at it and they have found sense in what they are doing.  Until I read that I will not be able to give you an exact answer.  If not properly managed it could lead to further confusion and problems within the party not just our party alone because the electoral act governs all the parties.  I don’t know the consensus issue but it’s worrisome because I am a strong believer in universal suffrage. A while ago,  I spoke on the issues of direct primaries and I said though it is desirable but the circumstances in the country today does not accommodate it.  Our security architecture say for Cross River State, can it accommodate it. We have 196 wards so you have 196 flashpoints within one day, our security personnel can they manage it, what is the level of manpower that we have in terms of security.  Are you going to bring the army out which is going to be worse because we are talking about democracy and you are bringing the army to come and conduct democracy? So to that  extent I said one of the few issues I agreed with the current president. And then, we all live together and you have seen the level of arms proliferation, weapons proliferation, machetes and all those things and these are things that could be used freely.  There is hunger, poverty and these are things that limit the patience of an individual it does not take long to snap and a hungry man does not take long to get angry; he is already angry because he is hungry.

Then you now perpetuate circumstances that will further trigger it; then the gun powder will explode.  So we must manage it.  In fact speaking to you when I think of 2023 I fear in terms of the security in our country. I never thought that armed civilians could take over a police station but now armed thugs enter a police station break into the armory and take arms away who would have thought that they will kidnap a police commissioner and they pay ransom.

My father was a police man and growing up I used to think that there are some things that cannot happen but they are happening before us so definitely we must try to manage it given our own peculiar circumstances.