Etanabene Proffers Suggestions To Demands Of Protesters To Avert Further Crisis

PRESS BRIEFING FROM HON BENEDICT ETANABENE
(MEMBER, FEDERAL HOUSE OF REPS.)

Now that the protest has commence in the last 24 hours, I cannot stay quiet not to make my views, with the intention to finding a solution, both immediate and long term solutions. I cannot claim to have all the solution, it’s just my views. I have no intention to play politics. (Partywise). I’m a Nigerian first before I became a party man. This is not about Labour party, PDP, APC etc. We will remain Nigerians permanently, but all these parties will fade away or transmute to oblivion or we will still have present members crisscrossing amongst the parties in any given opportunity.
It’s important, I also state, that my views are NOT because I’m a present member of the National Assembly. These is no big deal becoming a member. Any FOOL can become a member. But not any fool can become a lawyer, doctor, engineer, teacher, architect, accountant, welder, diver, traders, business men/women etc. The latter, are the Honourables , they are the Distinguished. They are the Excellencies. Anybody, any fool can find “funning funds” and contest election and win. Apologies to the bad electoral process. So, I’m not writing as a member, but as Ben Etanabene. Nothing has changed in my life. I’m not taller than I was. I’m not richer than I was. It’s all of us that is calling me Honourable, give me seat, even when I come late to a function. You put me in front of the church for recognition. You vacate your seats for me, because of Honourable etc etc. No!No!!! Too wrong. We create people as if they are from another planet. A Honourable person is that who do honourable things. Certainly I don’t qualify. Distinguished are those who do Distinguished things. Excellency are those who do excellent things. I don’t think the people we call such today deserves that nomenclature.
Again, I don’t want to leave this world now. But I fear not to leave. I was born in urban area in sapele, in the days when boys where men. I leave in the middle of Ekpan, in uvwie. These are tough places to live. That’s my background. I cannot fear violence not to say what I believe in.

ON the PROTEST in the last 24 hours. My take is both that of good and bad. It was peaceful in accordance with the provisions of the constitution in some places. But in some other places, expecially the North, it’s not what the constitution envisaged. There was violence. My heart goes to those who suffered death and injuries. I had also believe that if this protest goes haywire, then I will blame government for not managing the situation wisely and professionally. The responsibilities of management, is not only when there’s peace, but also when at war and in crises. That’s the true text of management. Ask the successful business men, they will tell you how they have battled difficult moments. That’s what is expected of good managers.
In 24 hours, I have seen the trend to know what should be done immediately. I say immediately, if not, if this protest continues in this form, the music will change in a down turn. God forbids we go through that. I was not surprised it went south in the Northern part of Nigeria. I bet anybody, that’s where the real crises will originate from. Lets avoid CRISES now.
My first piece dealt with ways to manage the protest. This second piece will deal with how we can manage the situation now! Now!! and Now!!!!.

1. Slash allowances by half of all National Assembly members, Ministers, Director Generals, Presidency Officials, including Mr President and Vice. All Governors should scrap security allowances etc. Ditto for State Assembly members and Local Government chairmen. INFACT, all political appointees.
2. All the SUVs bought for the political class, including National Assembly members, Ministers, Director Generals, etc should be returned immediately and sold to raise funds. (As against the lies of 160m suv for members. It’s 80m for truth. If anybody wants to keep his own, then evaluate less one year of usage and return the present value) I salute the courage of the Deputy speaker and Speaker when they advocated for half of the salaries of members. Same should be done by the President and his staff and all ministers of DGs. Time for sacrifice from everybody now. Let’s tell Nigerians the truth. Including that I receive less than 1m for yearly rent, yet I can’t find a modest house in abuja not above 10 million a year. Lets look boldly to the eyes of our constituents, as first child to all families, when demands comes, do what you can, but be bold to reject what you cannot or have funds to do. I cannot be going in debts because of politics. When next election comes, we have the choice to vote for thieves.
3. Compress all humanitarian ministries and departments into one ministry. Scrap all irrelevant ministries and departments into few. Reduce the retinue of special advisers. Convoys of presidents, vice president, senate president, speaker, Governors, ministers to just 4 vehicles. 1 for the officer, 2 for security men and the 4th one for medical and press people.
4. Mr president should relinquish the petroleum minister portfolio and direct all refineries to produce petrol in one month or sack all workers there. No need for salary, allowances etc, yet no production. (But I know the workers can produce, it’s the government policy that’s the problem)
5. Move for one legislative house. Senate or House of Representatives. If, for the two, then it should be on part time. The more the sittings, the more they have allowance for sitting. Those who don’t want to show up, should not be paid. It will motivate participation.
6. Scrap constituency projects for members. The wahala is too much. BUT, the yearly budget must have the input of the 360 and 109 Representatives members and senators, bringing from their constituencies what is required. ( record will show that during members and senators retreat before inaugurations at the ICC , when the DG of budget planning came to deliver his paper. During comment sections. Yours truely servant Ben Etanabene spoke on this) my conviction then is still valid today. The 3 major tribes in Nigeria are the ones making budget. There’s NO URHOBO , ditto Minority tribes, that you can find on the table during budget planning. They are not Permanent Secretaries, Directors or top Government functionaries. They’re not in the Presidency. It is unfair. Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING can be pointed out as federal presence in my Urhobo land, not to talk of Delta State. I have MOVED motion on the floor of the house on the Amukpe/Eku/Agbor/uromi Road. Ditto Benin/warri Road. These are federal Roads, yet nothing has happened. These roads are completely Bad and not Passable. I have move motion on the floor on the opening of SAPALE/WARRI/KOKO/BURUTU PORTS, why has government not done anything about it. MUST ONLY LAGOS PORT WORK?. NO! NO!! We cannot run Nigeria like “Area Representatives ” in power. For those who want to hear, please listen and don’t abuse me like many of you do concerning constituencies project. Mr falana was not saying the truth when he talked yesterday of 500 million constituency project. That’s not correct. What I’m allocated in projects to be suggested as constituency projects is 313m. The projects are domiciled in government ministries abd departments. The projects are in the 2024 budget. They are not to be executed by me. I don’t have means to advertise for them personnally and award and pay the contractors. No No. Thats not how it works. Till today, NO one kobo has been released to any contractor to execute any project. No government ministry, parastatal, or agency has received any one kobo. I challenge any one to prove me wrong. This is my personal knowledge. You may recall, one Senator said. “ALL animals are equal, but some are more equal than others ” maybe he’s correct. The whole idea of constituency projects was to give a cosmetic semblance that small meaningful federal presence is seen. At least for those who will execute them. People should stop harassing me of humongous allowance. My yearly house allowance is less than 1m, yet I cannot find a moderate house to stay in abuja unless I have 10m to pay yearly. My best bet is to relocate to gwagwalada. Perhaps I will get 3m yearly. Still more than my yearly allowance as a member.
7. Mr president should suspend coastal road and use the 15 trillion to buy military hardwares, hitech military surveillance equipment, recruitment of non employed Nysc able bodied guys in the last 5 years who are interested into the army on contract basis. ( even at almost 60years, I volunteer also). We must take this fight to the terrorist, bandits who are preventing people from farming, thereby causing this hunger. We must attack on all front simultaneously.
   The president must acquire and Nigerallize all minerals sites in Northern Nigeria as was the case of oil in the Niger Delta. Mr president MUST stop oil BUNKERING. No unauthorised vessel must be allowed into our waters. The Nigerian Navy must do the needful. No sacred cow.
8. Nigeria needs “State Police ” now, more than ever. We in the Delta MUST flush all herdsmen from bushes and forest in and around the state. State/community Police will put security in the hands of the locals who know the various bushes and terrain around their communities.
   By Fiat, Mr president can forward same to the National Assembly. Just as we were summoned from vacation recently, we can also be summoned to do the needful urgently.
9. Mr President should pronounce ammendments in the electoral process in the country to give confidence to Nigerian. That 2027 will not be business as usual. ALL RESULTS MUST BE TRANSMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. NO MANUAL RELEASE OF RESULTS. Why is there no crises in South Africa. The process was transparent, and not only so, but was seen by the citizens to be so transparent.
10. Quickly invite Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Alhaji kwankwanso to a crucial meeting on the way forward. There must be a Nigeria first, before who will be president. We all must tune down our criticism of Nigeria in the eyes of foreign countries. We cannot be processing ideas personally ourselves, consultations with opposite views is necessary now.
11. I salute the courage of many police men in this protest. They should continue to maintain the peace.
12. Order ferma to immediately commence repairs on a wide scale on Nigerian road. With the necessary funds avaliable.
13. Request for immediate and large scale implementation of policies channelled to promote small scale industries.
14. Target the real vulnerable for cash transfer in the immediate.

Finally Mr President should address the protesters personally. He should appeal to them. I trust President Bola.Tinubu, it’s not as we see him from the outside. He’s one of the best orator I have ever seen. Recall his speech when he summoned all elected legislators on the appeal for the house leadership. Powerful!!!! I was sitted close at the 2023 NBA opening ceremony. You can’t take away the power of communication from Mr President. He’s superb. He has a good heart for Nigeria. Inspite of his age, he keeps going and going for Nigeria. Where it not for his personal intervention, labour would not have backed down on the minimum wage issue. Now we need the charisma of Mr President to reenact those great speaches loaded with his usual humour. I think it will work.
Mr president, don’t listen to the advice of those who want you to show “power” in this moment. The strongest of two quarrelling persons is one with restraint to attack, not the one who is quick to slaps first. The situation is getting bad, but there is still window to curb it, even if we started late
Lastly, and finally, LET ME APPEAL FOR CALM FROM THE PROTESTERS. YOUR DEMAND FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE HAS BEEN HEARD BY GOVERNMENT. NOW IS THE TIME TO GO HOME AND WAIT WHAT GOVERNMENT RESPONSES WILL BE. CONTINUALLY ON THE STREETS WILL NOT ADD ANYTHING FURTHER TO THE MESSAGE. IT HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED LOAD AND CLEAR. PLEASE! PLEASE!!!! PLEASE!!!!!. TIME TO GO HOME AND WAIT FOR THE DIVIDENDS OF THE PROTEST.
My suggestions are not perfect, I don’t pretend they are. We all must talk in this problem or else it consumes us.
There must be Nigeria for us to be president, Honourable members etc first. If no Nigeria, or a chaotic Nigeria, then to your tent oooooooo isreal!!!
Once again, I’m available to criticism and insult from other tribes, party members, other religious groups etc. Even from my colleagues in the National Assembly. No wahala, I will not be shorter than the 6.3ft I am presently. Thank you all for the patience you took to read this so long a letter by Hon Ben Etanabene, Member representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency, House Of Representives of the National Assembly.