Hon. Ben Rolland Igbakpa, immediate past Commissioner for Transport in Delta State, Celebrated his 50 years Birthday on Sunday September 25, 2016, attracting cream of the Society. In this interview with our TEJIRI EBIKEME/ FRANCIS SADHERE, recently he spoke on varied issues.
Please can we meet you?
My name is Hon. Ben Igbakpa. I was a member of the Delta state House of Assembly, a Commissioner for Transport and presently like we say in our local language, we dey the street.
Briefly tell us a little bit about your biography?
I am from an average family of two boys two girls from a polygamous home. My dad had three wives and ten children. I grew up in the village and I attended my primary in Ovade in Ethiope East local government area of Delta State. I gained admission into Ogeni Grammar School in 1979 where I got my O level. I then went ahead and got my Diploma in Computer Science certificate from a London Business School. After that I had to work for some time. From the time I finished my secondary school to the time I had my Bachelors degree was 20 years -1984-2004. I was working for some time and I was making a lot of money as a young man. I even bought a small car then but when I lost that job I realized that I could not get any job commemorate with the job I was doing and that was when it dawn on my that education was the biggest foundation that you could get for yourself. So I went back to school, Delta State University, Abraka where I studied Business Administration and I graduated in 2004. I got my masters in Public administration in 2008. But in between I worked in a pharmaceutical industry in Lagos and I came back home and worked with an oil servicing company where I was the Assistant Safety Officer. From there I worked in government House in the department of Special Project Unit. From there I resigned and contested for the State House of Assembly which I won. I served as Deputy Chief Whip and later the Deputy Majority Leader up till 2011 when that Assembly came to an end. So it has been quite eventful. His Excellency, the immediate past Governor of Delta state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan considered me worthy and appointed me Commissioner for transport, which I did for four years. In May 29, 2015 the tenure for that administration ended and the new administration took over.
Tell us about your growing up.
Like I told you before, I grew up in the village and you know what growing up in the village is like. I only knew about hunger when I was in primary three. That was when I also knew that I was in primary school. How I got to primary three, I can’t tell. At a young age I was what some people say, spoiled. There were certain things my Dad will not allow me to do because I was the first son of the family. You cannot tell me to go and wash plate or do any house chores meant for women. My dad used to tell me that I was a man. Those things started to grow in me and at a point when my Mum say some things that I do not like I will tell her that I will not eat her food. I do this because this was what my dad used to do to my mum. Any time he is angry he will tell her that he will not eat her food and my mum will come crawling on her knees begging. So I thought I could do that and get away freely. One-day when I was going to school in the morning, I told her that I will not eat her food. Unlike her that day, she did not say anything that day because I was expecting her to pet me. So I went to school with an empty stomach and after some time I was very weak. During break time I felt very weak and sick and I told my teacher that I was very sick and that I wanted to go home. When I came back home from school, I told my mother that I was not sick she just looked at me and laughed and told me to go and eat my food. Usually when you are sick the drugs they usually give you was “APC”.
So any time you want to eat rice you feign sickness and they will give you rice and kodin tablet or APC tablet. I told my mum that I want to eat rice but she told me to eat my food first before talking about rice. Probably she knew what was wrong with me. So after I finished eating my food, I started regaining my strength back and she came and asked me if I was still sick. I told her I was no longer sick. She told me that the reason why I was feeling that way was because I was hungry. So that was when I knew what was called hunger because as a child growing up in the village we did not lack food. There was food everywhere. In my secondary school days, I was more knowledgeable and I was respecting my parent. I used to ride my bicycle from Oghara to Ovade which usually takes one hour. In those days when you come from school there was no food waiting for you at home. You have to go to the farm if you want food. If you did not go to the farm, God help you when you mum comes back home and she is not in a good mood. In those days I used to enjoy the harvest season because at that time there is a lot of yams to eat.
You see families living together enjoying with each other. You can go to the next family and eat roasted yams there without any problem. I used to enjoy those period, especially during yam harvest season. I also used to follow one of my uncles to go and tap rubber and at a point I told myself that I can do it myself. So I started tapping rubber myself and I started making money for myself. At that age whatever money you make you give to your parents. But we used to keep some money for ourselves that we used to buy sardine with it and hide it in my garden. In those day we used to have small gardens at our backyards where we have plantain, mango, cassava and other fruits and vegetable. Because of their closeness to each other they do not really grow very well but we were happy that we had such gardens. I will encourage Nigerians to have such gardens in their compounds because if we do we will not need to buy some of the things we used to buy in the market. So I will buy my sardine and bread and go and hide in the garden and eat it. After eating you have to wash your hand properly so that you do not get into trouble.
My father is not educated but he is a disciplinarian and he likes education a lot. There was this particular incident that happened when wanted to go to school. I wrote three common entrance exams but the interview for Ogeni Grammar School came first. I passed the written interview because I scored 98%. But when I went for the oral interview I was told that I was too small. When my father saw what was happening he came out and challenged them and asked them why I should not be admitted. The principal of the school came out and asked what the problem was and I was told that I was too small. He looked at my scores and said if I can score such high marks there is no reason why I should not be admitted. So he personally signed my admission letter there and then. That was how I started my secondary school. A day before I was supposed to resume school, I slept at about 4pm and I woke up at about 6pm. When I woke up I was very upset with my mum because I was thinking it was dawn and asked her why she did not wake me early enough so that I can go to school. She was just looking at me and laughing at me and it got me infuriated and I rushed to the bathroom and took my bath and it was when I wanted to wear my clothes that she told me that it was the next day that I was supposed to go to school and that it was just evening. So I grew up in a very wonderful family and I love my dad and mum. My dad was a strict disciplinarian and he used to tell me that never forget that you are a man and one day you are to take charge of this family
Did your parents told you about any particular thing you were doing when you were young?
They did not tell me much except that I was born somewhere in Ondo State and that I was very stubborn as a child. There is nothing special about my childhood.
Did civilization get to your village very early?
Civilization came to my village, Ovade Eko, very early because of the presence of oil companies like Pan Ocean. So we had electricity and pipe borne water earlier than other villages surrounding us. But today Ovade is not where it ought to be because of the failure of the oil companies there. The only day I could remember still makes the village boom is the harvest celebration that is celebrated by Baptist Church. Whether you go to church or not, that day you have to take your bath, get dressed eat rice and go to church.
You told us that the day before you went to school slept and you woke up thinking it was the day you wanted to go to school. Tell us what your first day in school was like?
That day I was dreaming about school because I have always wanted to go to a secondary school. My first day in school was not too pleasant because of these so called seniors. Anytime you did not do something right, they always flog you. Initially my plan was to stay in the hostel but when I got to school I came across children from the city who were very brilliant and I did not fit in at all. I was that shy type of person. Then if they told us we were going to Sapele after exams, it was a big deal. At the school, there were rich children from rich parents and I could not fit in. It was a mixed feeling because I was happy and at the same time I was not happy because I could no longer see friends. You know as a village boy we used to speak Urhobo language but in the school we were not allowed to speak any other language apart from English. At first it was very difficult but at the end of the day I had to fit in and I came second in my first exams. Then when you write your exams, you go and they send your result to your parents through post office box. I was down very well until class four where I started taking sixth position which my dad was not happy about. I remember that when I wanted to write my WAEC there was a problem where we were told that the principal did not pay our WAEC fees. We were very angry and we went to his house and threw everything out. I had to pay for that action seven years after. They released four of my results and four was withheld and when I went to Lagos and came back seven years after I saw to that my name was in the black book and I was made to pay seven naira before I could collect my result.
Why are addressed as honourable?
I am so addressed honourable because I contested for the State House of Assembly election and I was elected. So many people are addressed as honourable even though they are not elected and this is not supposed to be so. In civilized countries you dare not do that. However, to me I do not see anything special in that title. We as members of the house of assembly try to correct that anomaly. Even council chairmen now address themselves as honourable. They are executive chairmen and there is no provision in the law that allowed people to address them as honourable. The proliferation of the name honourable is not a good one.
What motivated you into politics?
I am a multi-career person but I ventured into politics when I was working in the Special Project Unit. Alot of people come into government office and get contract jobs. Unlike now that there is no cash, once your project is approved it is as good as getting the cash. I really sympathize with those in government right not. What some of my people from my area do is that they get the jobs and sell them to outsiders and at the end of the day they do not make any money for the job. You get a job of 20 million and you sell it for ten percent while the person you sold it to will be making millions. I told them that that was unacceptable to me. So what I used to do then I used to give them money to execute the jobs so that they can make money for themselves and they can give little percentage from what they made. I now discovered that what I was doing for them was making them happy. So thought again that if I can do so much for my people while I am not in position of power, it only means that I can do much more for them if I am in position of power. It is not easy as an individual to do it alone. Take road construction for example. A 100 meter road at this current rate would cost you about 17 million naira, this is why you see that there are so many rich men whose roads leading to their houses are very bad.
They cannot do it alone. It is very expensive to construct roads. So a councillor can even influence a kilometer of road to his area because I discovered that the instrument of government power in your hands is a very viable tools in the development of your people. So towards the end of Chief James Ibori administration I was thinking of what I can do to develop my area. The elections into the state House of Assembly for Ethiope West was around the corner. So I said let me give it a try and I gave it a try and God on my side I won the election. I did my best when I was in the house. So I went into politics because I believe that with that power I can help my people.
As a village boy who turned a lawmaker and commissioner, how do you feel right now at 50?
I celebrated my 50th birthday for the first time in my life because as a village boy I did not know what birthday was all about. What we used to celebrate is harvest were we eat rice once in a year. Sometimes it was only when my wife call me to wish me happy birthday that I know that it is my birthday. So, sometime ago I promised myself that I was going to celebrate my first birthday when I am 50. At 50 I am very happy at what God has used me to do for people. I never knew that I will be where I am today and that is why I am a very contented person. Sometimes people used to call me and tell me that now that I am out of government what next. I always told them that I am not out of government because once you are in government you are always in government because now I am better schooled and trained to know what the present government is passing through right now. We are like ambassadors right now because people will believe what we say about government. So I am very fulfilled right now.
What are your greatest challenges in life?
One of my greatest challenges in life is discovering who I was. My father and mother loved me so much but there was no clear cut direction of who I wanted to become in life because there was no mentorship. At a point in my life I wanted to be a musician. I did some demos and I was popular for my dance steps. I can leave my house for weeks but when I finish dancing, at night I used to read my books and still go to school the next morning. Nobody was paying me then because it was a passion.
Another challenge I had in my life was growing up without any family background. I had nobody I could rely on. It was like starting a fire when you in the swamp. I actually grew up from nowhere. I am a nobody and this is why I usually tell people that I am a nobody. It was just the grace of God that made me who I am today and I am eternally grateful for what God has done in my life. And for those people who made me who I am today I am also grateful to them because the hand of the king is in the palms of God. The heart of man is very wicked and it is only God that tells man to help another man. God used people like Ibori, Uduaghan and even the present governor, to put me where I am today.
What are your plans for 2019?
Right now we are in the streets and we are giving all the necessary support to people in government and we are more committed to that. If you look at the present economic state, nobody is thinking about going into politics. There are people who were voted for because of their good name, but because of the present economic situation in the country, that good name is about to be tainted. The best to do now is to seek God’s face and pray about the stability of the economy. The situation is biting all of us, especially Delta State. The people in position are holding those positions in trust for all of us and we have to support them at this trying time. As for 2019, we all aspire but it does not mean that we want to contest any election. My present aspiration right now is to see the present government come back into power to complete his second tenure and continue what he is doing. Another aspiration is for me to see how PDP can win the next general election. When 2019 draws near we are going to take a cursory look at things and we will tell people our positions.
You were a member of the house but opted out the second time, what happened?
In my local government there is one thing you call zoning formula where you do a tenure in office. When you leave there you become a commissioner. That is the seamless position that we are. Though we support it because it allows for more participation but it does not build that political heavy weight that is expected because this means that if we continue in that manner, we will never be speaker or deputy speaker in the house of assembly because for somebody to be speaker or deputy speaker in house you must have done a tenure. So far in the legislative arm as far as Ethiope West is concerned I am the highest political office holder because I have served as a deputy majority leader of the house. That was when Hon. Sunny Emeyese left to contest for the house of representatives and I have to lead the house for a year. So far that is the highest for my local government.
What do you think budget padding is all about as a former lawmaker?
As far as I am concerned I do not think there is anything like budget padding in the house because the constitution provides for members of the house to work on the budget. And while they are working on the budget it cannot be said to be padded. They are responsible for allocation of funds to projects and if doing their constitutional duty is regarded as padding, then it looks strange to me. To me there is nothing wrong with it.
People say it is not fair when a certain constituency got more project than the other constituency. Is this world fair?
That is the beauty of the job. You have to lobby to get projects for your people and if you succeed in getting more projects for your people, I do not see that as padding because you outwitted all your other colleagues who could not lobby enough projects to their constituencies. So I do not see that as padding. Padding would have been involved if for example, you are buying a phone for one hundred million and you took it to the house and it is bought for one hundred million. Budget like I know is a statement of intention and once it leaves the legislature it goes to the executive. It is the executive that works on the budget because they have the engineers who can come up and say no, this phone is not worth a hundred million naira. it does not mean that if you do a budget of one million that one million will be paid. You must do your bill of quantity, bill of engineering and measurement estimation. These are some of the things you do to know the cost and worth of the project. So I do not see anything wrong with it because it is a proposal. When it leaves the house it goes to the executive for implementation. The job of the legislature is to look at projects and say oh this money is not enough or enough so let us add more or remove from it. That is their constitutional responsibility and nobody can take it from them as far as democracy is still in place. So as far as I am concerned there is nothing wrong with it. The legislatures are doing their work and the executive should also go and do their work in terms of implementation. They are not giving the money to anyone because the money is just on paper. So until there is a bill of quantity, a letter of approval before you can come and say that something is wrong. Then it is no longer the work of the legislatures. So I disagree with the issue of budget padding.
What is your message to the members of the house?
To my colleagues, I will say they are doing well. They should continue to work with the executive because it takes two to tangle. Whatever comes is for the development of Delta State, so they should put Delta first. We have a Pan Delta governor who is ready to work for all Deltans. So Delta State should come first before individual interest.
As a married man and a politician, how have you been able to combine these two works?
I have been married for twelve years now and my wife is an easy going person who understands what I do and the passion I have for what I do, she has been a very understanding person. From 2003 till now that I have been very constant in Asaba, she is one person that does not say that I must go and live with my husband in Asaba. She believes I have work to do there and at the same time, I had time for the house. So far, her understanding is the bedrock of the house. She sees a lot of people come to the house to see me and she understands and she receives them as her people. We have not been having any problem because we are combining both well.
How did you meet your wife?
I met my wife in Sapele when I had nothing and I was driving a friend’s car. I used to admire her from far, a very beautiful girl. I tried to get to her through a friend for about three months. When I could not get to see her, one day I took my friend’s car and went to meet her. When she saw the car, she asked me who’s the owner of the car, and I could not lie to her at that particular time, because I was thinking that she knows that I am not the owner of the car. So I told her the truth and we got talking. After some time one day I told her, I could marry you. She replied that is what I tell every lady I see on the road. So one thing led to the other and somehow here we are today.
What is your philosophy of life?
In life I do not believer in not falling. People can fall but each time you fall you have to rise stronger so that you can run and not fall again.
What has thrilled you the most in life?
That I was able to bury my parents was one of the most thrilling things in my life because one died six months after the other died. One died June 29th and other died December 29th and then I was a nobody. But God stood by me and I was able to bury both of them successfully. So instead of breaking down I took off from there and here I am today.
Any regrets so far?
I do not have any regrets apart from the fact that I deed not get my degree in time. But God has been very good to me so far
What are your future expectations?
My future expectation is to continue to live my life and be humble and believe that God has a purpose for everything.
What are your plans for your immediate society?
The plan I have for my immediate surrounding is service and continued service.
What would you have done different if you are giving the opportunity to be a commissioner of transport again?
I do not think there is anything I would do differently. I will continue with my crusade that I have started. There were so many programmes lined up and we could not conclude some. But thank God the present Government has done one which I have interest in, and that is the Delta State Traffic Management Authority. I did not leave anything and if I have to go back I have to do the same thing over and over again.
But many are not happy with you on the Warri BRT that you left uncompleted?
Yes, the BRT project was supposed to last for 8 months. I remember I was at the World Transport Committee meeting in Geneva when Warri BRT was unveiled. It was supposed to be for ten months but because of paucity of funds. But midway into the project people were complaining about the width of the road so we have to stop the contractor and told him we want to increase the scope of the work. That resulted in the increase from six billion to 10 billion because we were thinking of having six lanes on both sides of the road. But again there was no funds to complete the project. For me as a person I regretted not completing that project and it was painful. It is not that we did not want to complete it, its just that we did not have the funds to complete it. That project would have been one of my flagship projects and a legacy project that I would have been talking about today. For the inconveniences it has caused before this present administration decided to revoke it and turn it into something else, it is highly regretted because it was not intentional. I want to reiterate that nobody siphoned any funds through the Warri BRT project. The records are there because it is a project that had all the bill of quantity well done. It could have been the third in Africa after Lagos and Johannesbhoug.
Thank you sir.
