Omasan Agbajoh, the
Democratic People’s Party candidate for the Warri Federal Constituency
in the House of Representatives, is a Lagos-based lawyer with 25 years’
experience at the bar. She was born in Warri and had her primary and
secondary education there, before attending the University of Benin,
graduating in 1985. She says she is now back in Warri because she wants
to represent her people.
Why are you going to the Federal House of Representatives?
I feel that
somehow, my people have not been well represented in the Federal House
of Representatives. This constituency, the Warri Federal Constituency,
we do not have people representing us. I believe when people are being
represented, you hear their voice. But for the past three years now we
have not heard that voice. We need to hear people from this
constituency being represented properly because my constituency is one
of the constituencies producing the bulk of the wealth of the nation. I
feel that if you bring somebody to the National Assembly who can better
represent us and who can make policies for this area, to make laws for
this constituency and to bring development to this constituency — I do
not believe that, that has been properly done.
What are you going to offer your people if elected?
If I am elected I
want to build a very good relationship between the three ethnic
nationalities that make up this constituency; that is the Urhobos,
Itsekiris, and the Ijaws. My programme is how to make all of them come
together as one. After that we can begin to talk about issues bothering
our constituency; instead of having a divided house, we can unite the
whole people because I believe that we can unite the people in this
constituency, so that we can better harness the policies and resources
that are coming to the constituency. I do not believe that it is
impossible. When I get to the National Assembly, I will make alliances
with other minorities so that some of our policies can be changed.
There are so many policies that are against the minorities, and even if
they cannot do something about it, at least they should cry out about
the injustice that is being meted out to them. Take for instance, for
the fact that Chevron moved to Lekki (Lagos), it has opened up the
place and there is no single oil in Lekki. So I believe that if someone
like me gets there I would not allow such things to remain in the
National Assembly because each company has its policies to be changed.
The bulk of the country’s resources come from this region and I believe
they will listen to us when we cry out. Even though I will be a lone
voice, but I will cry out and people will hear my voice.
But your critics are saying that you are inexperienced and not on ground. What do you have to say to this?
I do not believe
that I am not on ground because I grew up in this town and I always
come around about four times in a year to visit my people. I come here
regularly when our people are having social activities. I am the
assistant national secretary of Eregwa Youth Association. So I interact
with my people very well and so I do not believe anybody that is saying
I am not on ground. You are not going to send somebody who says he is
on ground, he knows the community, he knows the creeks and then he goes
to Abuja and cannot make a difference because he cannot speak with the
people; he cannot negotiate with the people and the other
representatives in the other part of the country, then you do not have
a representative. But I believe that if I get there, I see the kind of
person I am, my personality, being a lawyer for 25 years, I believe
that it will be very easy for me to command respect from the other
representatives so that they will listen to us. My people also believe
that I can better represent them and that is why they called upon me to
represent them.
How do we get the federal government to properly develop your area?
When I get there,
my people who have been behind me, I will come together with them and
hear their aspirations and what they want for the constituency, and I
will take them to the National Assembly. One of the ways that the
people can be very happy is association. You find out that even at the
Niger Delta Ministry, communities were not given a big slot and I
believe that as a representative, these are some of the things you
should, first of all, know — what the people want and if it is the
right department or ministry then you will have to cue in to say that
this is what my people want so that those things could be budgeted for.
So if you are not working at that speed that the budget comes and you
are not even there when the budget is being passed, your people will
now see it in the pages of the newspapers that this budget has come out
and people should come for expression of interest and that is when the
people will begin to shout that there is nothing for us, they did not
give us any project. Where were you when these projects were being
budgeted for? Where were you when the budget was being passed? So I
believe that if I get there, that will be one of my primary
assignments, to make sure that things that my constituency wants are
put in the budget.
What are your chances of winning the elections?
I believe that my
candidature cuts across party lines because my family is quite well
known in this Warri Federal constituency. Like I said earlier, we are
from a very politically aware family and my sister, Barrister Olivia
Agbajoh, ran for this very same seat in 1983, but unfortunately was
there for only three months. I believe that at the end of the day, my
people — the Urhobos, Itsekiris, and the Ijaws — will all come together
and see that they have a very good candidate and they will all stand by
me. I cannot disappoint them here nor will I disappoint them in Abuja.
They can rest assured that they will have a very good representative. I
am here to redefine the concept of law-making. I will not be a weak
representative that will not be there when important laws are being
made.
How do you feel about the state of your people?
I feel for them. I
feel the pain of what is happening to us in this constituency because
it need not be like that. One of my aspirations that may be one of my
constituency projects when I get to the House of Representatives is for
me to build a modern primary school in each of the local governments —
Warri North, South and South West. The way it is supposed to be, a
perfect school where students can go and learn. I look at the schools,
they have not changed. Igbudu Primary School has not changed since when
I was there in the ‘70s. I am sorry to say, every day you hear state
government saying they are renovating schools but what is on ground is
different. That is going to one of my first constituency projects.
How are you going to attract these projects to your constituency?
In the area of the
National Assembly, we are given oversight functions over different
ministries and oil companies. While I am there, I will like to be among
the committee that concerns the resources in my area. I believe that
one of the things I will like to do is to get the federal government to
partner with oil companies, Chevron, Shell, the ministry of Niger
Delta, to set aside special funds for these communities to develop them
directly. I believe that way I can attract federal government to these
communities.
