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| Miri |
Plateau Gube race 2019: Both Lalong and
Useni are failures as none of them has ever created wealth. But I have what it
takes to move Plateau forward- Godfrey Miri.
Godfrey Miri is a retired Public Servant
and a politician. He is the Plateau state gubernatorial candidate of the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2019 general elections. Recently, he told
African Drum that Gov. Lalong and Sen Useni, (the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP)
candidate for the election are failures and their money cannot deliver them
either as the electorates are wiser now. Please, enjoy the excerpts.
Sir, we understand you are contesting
for Plateau state Governorship position under the platform of the SDP, what
really prompted you to contesting for the exalted office?
I
had no intention what so ever to contest any election. A group comprising of
both Christian and Muslim youths came and met me and said to me; sir, we have
been listening to you on our radio stations in the last three and half years.
We see you as an honest man who is not afraid to say his mind and you have
challenged us to be the architect of our destinies. We have listened to you.
But we want you to lead us for the next four years so that we can be under
somebody who we can trust so that the next generation would be able to take off
thereafter. I told them I don’t have money because politics on the Plateau is
about money. They asked me; do you have faith? I said yes, I have faith. They
told me if I have faith that is all. They asked me again, how much did Dariye,
Jang and Lalong have when they contested the governorship? Sir, come out, we
believe God Almighty will listen to us and some where some how, we would
prosecute this election. So, I said fine, if you are talking of faith and that
you the youth are committed to take your destines into your hand, then for
God’s sake I am ready to lead you in the next four years otherwise, I am happy
in my retirement. This is how I was dragged into this. Again, they told me that
theirs is not just politics but a movement for total change on the Plateau. The
youth also said they wanted a different party other than the APC and the PDP as
a platform to contest the election to effect the desired change. So I asked of
the party and they said SDP. They also advised that I should go and see Jerry
Gana. To my biggest surprise, when I went to Jerry Gana, do you know what he
told me? He said they wanted to suppress SDP on the Plateau. And I asked him
why? He said because their friend, Jerry
Useni was going to be the governorship candidate of the PDP. That is six months
before the party primaries; they had already taken that decision. So, I asked
him who and who on the Plateau? He said to me, professor Lombin, Danjuma Maina
and Bulus Dareng. That they were the ones they handed SDP to on the Plateau so
they can suppress it to allow PDP Jerry Useni wins the governorship of Plateau.
Professor Jerry Gana told me this. I was not alone; I was with three other
people. And I said to him, you must be dreaming Prof. for any one of you to think General Useni
would win governorship of Plateau, because the youth of Plateau would say no to
it. He said well, he would allow us go into the race but he would not come to
Plateau because he wouldn’t want to be seen as destroying the ambition of his
friend. So, I said to him, we don’t need you on the Plateau because it’s a
settle issue that the youths are prepared to fight for their destinies. That is
how I got myself into the current situation. And I am not afraid because for
the first time, I am going to challenge the people of Plateau. We have all
along been saying we are Christians. We pray more than any other state in the
country. And I have always told people, why is it that God has not listened to
us with all the prayers going on? It’s because the prayers never based in truth
but on lies. We know what our problems are. I believe looking for governorship
is like going for an interview. You go with your CV, your experience; what you
have done in life as a person.
So, do you think you have what it takes
to challenge General Useni?
If
it is in terms of my contribution to Plateau state, Jerry Useni doesn’t come
near me. Let’s all bring out what we have contributed towards the growth of
Plateau and let the people judge. What has Jerry Useni ever created or done?. I
worked under him when I was the MD of Abuja investment Company. He gave me only
one hundred and fifty million naira to start the company. With that one hundred
million naira, I turned the Abuja investment and today, it is a multi-billion
naira business. He can’t deny it. Aso savings and loan which is quoted on the
stock exchange; I started it in 1995 with only twenty-five million
naira. Today, it employs hundreds of people and its involvement in the mortgage
industry in the country is also well known. Literally, every civil servant in
Abuja who got a loan to buy a house, Aso savings and loan gave them. I created
that company. The Garki Model Market you see is my hand work. I created the
company that built Garki Model Market. So, I have been tested. As a manager, I
know how to create wealth. Creation of wealth gives employment. Let Jerry
tells me where he has created wealth for employment. Let Lalong tell me what he
has also done in that direction. When it comes to economics, none of them
understands how the economy of the state is and how to grow it. None of them
knows how to come out with policies that would touch the lives of every
individual living on the Plateau so that tribe and religion become secondary
issue, because both religion and tribe doesn’t contribute to how you live your
life. So, why are we bringing issues that have no thing to do with how we live
our lives? Let’s talk economy. How do we grow the economy of Plateau so that
the poor man in the village would be able to meet his basic need of at least
two meals a day; carter for his children’s needs just like it was before. My
father was a carpenter but he was able to carter for us. Today, my elder
brother is a medical doctor. My twin brother is a medical doctor; my younger
sister is a professor, I am an accountant, all children of a carpenter. It all
happened because back in those days, the system was working and government
created the enabling environment and gave people the opportunity to develop
themselves so as to achieve their ambitions. Today, that’s not what our kids
are having. I went to secondary school where I was given pocket money. When I
am returning home, I am given transport fare. Today, the children of the poor
in the university are given five thousand naira only as scholarship. Is that
right? Meanwhile, Senator Useni collects twenty-five million every month. Out
of this amount, how much does he gives to the poor? Does he even need that
twenty-five million naira with all the positions he has held in life? His
children are all grown up. What does he needs that money for? I respect Useni
as an elder statesman that is all. His time has passed. This is 21st
century and you don’t expect an 80 year old man to lead you in 21st
century.
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The issue of money is key as far as
politics is concern. How do you intend to overcome that factor taking into
account that you are contesting against the incumbent; that is Gov. Lalong and
Senator Useni which you too just confirmed that he has so much money?
The
issue or many factor has already be taken care of in 2015 selections that
brought Lalong on board. Jang spent over 7 billion naira to install the late GNS.
Did he succeed? Did he win? How much did Lalong have? Did he win? Yes. That is
to tell you that people are beginning to say no to money politics. Ask
yourself, whether you are a Christian or Muslim, why would a politician give
you money to vote for him. Why would he give you money? If a politician actually knows your pains and
what your problems are and also claims
to have the solutions to your problems and the ability to change your life
style, why then is he give you money to help you? If you are truly in politics to
serve, then you have no business given people money. You actually need money in
politics; for rallies, transportation and for entertainment. That’s what you
need money for. Kennedy once said, in politics, you need money, money, money
money, money but the money is not for individuals. The money is to mobilize
people, for rallies and souvenir, transportation and for entertainment that’s
all you need money for as far as politics is concerned. If you ever give
somebody money to vote you, that is bribery and bribery is corruption. And once
you get yourself in corruption, it goes on because it’s a circle. I believe
well meaning people of Plateau State would help us. We don’t need their money
but souvenir, vehicles for transportation and other material that’s all we
need. But we would not give anybody money because, we are not corrupt. Ours is
a movement.
Sir, it’s on record that those that
contested elections in the 60s, 70s and in the 80s, hadn’t money but whatever
they spent in the execution of their elections by those who believed that they
can deliver and they actually delivered what happened thereafter that money
suddenly became a factor that a contestant has to have so much money before he
or she can get the votes of the electorates?
I
don’t believe that. We in Plateau state have proved to the world that money
meant nothing to the electorates. It happened in 2015 and even before then. I
was the campaign chairman of Bagudu Hirse campaign organization of the defunct
NRC. I tell you from the primaries to the main election, we contributed money
to run that election. Tapgun was from the civil service contesting under SDP
and the civil servants rigged that election for Tapgun because then, the
electoral umpire used civil servants to manned elections and if the civil
servants are with you, then you are sure of winning the election.
However,
this time around, I believe the people have suffered and learnt their lessons
the hard way, because Lalong has missed it. The people of Plateau State came
together to elect him but he has not carried the people along. He should have
governed the people as a team. We all know that ordinarily, APC as a party
couldn’t have gone anywhere but because we rebelled. We told Jang that you can’t
impose your will on the people of Plateau and Lalong won the election.
Consequently, we are also going to prove this time around that money cannot buy the eletorates during the next election but what you know; what your past has been
and what your history has been would definitely determine who wins the next
election.
The
concluding part of this interview comes tomorrow. Watch out.
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