Kenneth Gbagi Reveals Plan of Development, Empowerment, Security if he Emerge as Delta State Governor in 2023
“A very big thank you for your first question. Capacity, as you would’ve known as a scholar, is something that comes in two forms either inborn or acquired along the line. But in my particular case, you will say mine is inborn. Because I remember when I was a child, the kind of servant duties I performed towards my father unsolicited. Which was the reason he nicknamed me ‘Sir K’. It’s not that my name is Sir K, but as a result of exposure, and because of the way I served and look after my father, he had no choice but to make me a happy person, especially each time I do these services to him. And one of the ways he tried to make me happy was to nickname.
“It is very simple. Do not forget that at various times that I had left, I was Chairman of the legal aid council of Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa with legal issues in the world. So, as the Chairman, it was very challenging, extremely so very challenging but undauntedly, I performed these duties and my business empire did not collapse. I then left to be a Minister. Hmm, I will confess to you that when I left to become a Minister, my business empire shaked a little bit because it was strictly no private business at that time. You can’t participate in your private business while in the public. You are supposed to be completely out of your private business. And for those of us who are very law-abiding, that was what we did.
“The same thing will happen in 2023 by the Grace of God as I take over, my businesses have settled well and are quite on the ground. As you can see now, I don’t participate for six, seven, eight months at any of my business locations. I do not have any office contrary to what one man would have had. I have never had an office in my business locations. Rather, I build my houses and build my offices within my houses, and I leave from my houses to my offices without traveling or driving to anywhere. So, it is all put together. And I can tell you, you just had to have the abilities because if I don’t have the abilities that God has endowed me with now, I would not have been able to do all am doing right now.
So, with regards to my business empires, they have all been handed over with engaged professionals, and they are all doing their jobs very well, and I am watching them. A good time to take a peep as to what they will look like eight years in government house, without doing anything, but believe me, I believe we are good to go, we are ready and the empire will not suffer.
Between 1999 to date, Delta State has been governed by mainly Politicians, which means if your dream/aspiration of becoming Delta State governor in 2023 comes true, you will be the first businessman to attain that height in Delta State Government. How would you use your business prowess and skills to impact Delta State?
“Between 1999 till date, Delta state has been governed by politicians, Yea! in the true sense of the world, to be very honest and candid to ourselves, I am not a true-blooded politician, the way politicians have come to represent in themselves. I am an honest, acidly honest, detribalized, straightforward Nigerian with principles, and people often complain about the fact that I am too principled.
“Yes! I am principled. But I wasn’t sleeping when I moved loads of my businesses to Delta State for instance. I have the biggest two privately-owned malls in the state today that give food and hope to hundreds and thousands of people. So, I mean, it is not because I am a politician when I built those first malls thirty (30) years ago. There was no politics then, it was just a duty of service. We have brought a number of stuffs; we own the biggest hotel today in the state, we also own today the biggest beverage factory in the country, and we are still bringing things and bringing stuff to the state because we have no other state except this one.
“There are certainly going to be a very brilliant sharp difference. And I must confess, the Governor in the office today has made issues very direct and straight. He has set parameters on a number of issues that have agitated my mind since 1999. He has delved into them, dealt into them and the state today is a state that you can say the system has been put in place. And don’t forget, it is not easy at all for a government to be on its feet if you compare Lagos. Whether Governor goes or comes, the system is running. It is not torn apart because this particular Delta State Governor is there or not. Rather, there are certain things that cannot just happen. And I want to say each time I make this public statement, people call me to ask questions.
“Governance itself is a very serious issue. So, I believe with all that one has acquired in life, irrespective of the discipline that one has been brought up with by Pastor Gbagi as it were, or Evangelist Gbagi as it were, it is not easy. But let me give you one simple analysis; within one year of my being a Minister, I brought my business power, my business acumen to governance. And if you are transparently honest, it is difficult for people to deny you the speed you want to achieve, irrespective of the government, within one year.
“Like never before, I have created thirteen (13) Universities in Nigeria, and today, all those universities, when I created them, I gave them N2 billion each. I pushed my way to achieve this. And I challenge anybody, either the Vice-chancellor or the students, or Minister of Education, anybody for that matter; not a bottle of coca-cola did I want then and with my own money instead I bought for them. I did not benefit from a bottle of coca-cola from the government because the intention was not to benefit anything. I created eight secondary schools for the girl child, just like all the Kings College schools, and I released funds for all of them to be built. Apart from the fact that one went to my community, I did not benefit from a kobo, and I challenge anybody, make it public.
“You don’t go into governance for what you will benefit or get; that is Kenneth, I made the scene to be like that, and people think that is not true. Look, we cannot drive two cars at the same time, or sit on the car seat of the owner twice, replicating ourselves. We cannot be at the two venues at the same time, death is inevitable, it will come, and we cannot have anything to do with that when we die, they will not bury us with this money except what we have done today.
“Take, for instance, I was in a meeting three days ago with Papa E.K. Clark, a great Nigerian, my former Permanent Secretary who is now in the committee of the President to look into schools, and he said: “Look Chief Gbagi, am in the committee of the President to look into schools, particularly the thirteen new schools that have been created by you, and you need to see the report. All the Vice-Chancellors, everybody was talking about you, of how you created the schools without participating in the construction project, gave them N2billion each. Today, those schools have taken at least 20 million Nigerians off the streets. It is just there, if only they had taken my advice, then. When I spoke to Jonathan as President, and the former Minister of Petroleum, I propertied a theory on all the issues, agitations, cries, and what have you in the Niger Delta, as regards the wealth of the nation and oil would’ve been a thing of the past. We must learn to be our brothers’ keepers.
“What I have come to see is that people think about self, how much can you and your children, grandchildren eat. You don’t need all of that. It is just a situation where we must have a sense of doing things, just like people do all over the world, and you come there and enjoy it as Nigerians, So, I just believe, and know that as a businessman, I know what it takes. I know what to do and if I can do it in a more roughed situation, as in federal government then; going to Delta State as a Governor will be a tsunami. I don’t sleep day and night, am putting my plans together, putting my papers together and making contacts, bringing people to the country to look at what I want to do, getting them to work, and putting pen and paper together for me. And I know by the grace of God, it will be a win-win situation for everybody.
“This whole dichotomy of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko, Urhobo, Delta Igbo, name it; forget it. It will never be a thing in my government because we are all one people.
“One of my closest fathers and Leaders in this world is an Ijaw man, Papa E.K. Clark. Another close pal, though late, was Gen. Aziza. Look at Vice Admiral Preston.E. Omatsola, former Chief of Naval Staff, look at General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd). I cut across all, also look at the father of the Governor, and the Governor himself, I cut across, I am detribalized. There is no way in the Three Senatorial Districts today, I will tell you even though people are not just speaking yet, that I do have such a mileage; mileage of honesty, performance, knowledge of what to do.
“I met someone today, for instance, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin back then, he is from Delta North. I did not know him then, but he came to my office when I was a Minister. His case was a very bad case before me, but as soon as he came, I looked into his case before me, and I just called him and said to him to go back to his job. I didn’t care if he was an Ijaw, or an Urhobo man, or Esan man. No! We should look at Delta State as a country. We should look at it from this perspective, and run it respectively, without all of these decry.
In one of your public statements online, you are reported to have said you will continue/build on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s legacy. How are you going to make this possible within your first term in office?
On the issue of building, some people are irresponsible, they have to say that Okowa did not initiate new projects, he was building another person’s projects. In fact, that makes me further respect the man. Whatever money has been sunk into any project for that matter, does not belong to any Governor, present or past, it is people’s money. It therefore will be irresponsible of one to jettison the projects on the ground. That, oh, it is Mr. A who was the Governor that initiated the project, not you, it should not matter. I am going to come in on my assumption to the office to do a number of days, running through the entire local governments to come up with a policy of twenty (20) years plan, which will be difficult for anybody to change.
And the fact remains that as a State, we must do what we need to do for the benefit, good, and progress of the State, for our youths, including children yet unborn. We must have a plan. The plan I have is as good as what Governor Okowa has started structuring. I am undergoing tutelage as to what Okowa is doing. I am looking at it, I am re-amending my thinking; plus, or minus, the man has done very well, he has brought peace to Delta State.
“First and foremost, you said development. Even if I want to build all the factories in all the local government areas, you will need to move all your goods and services from one point A to point B, and to Point C and to Point D because, unless you are able to move your goods and businesses, it is as good as doing nothing. So, if this man has done the roads as nobody has ever done then, he has taken the industry to a level where we must all appreciate him and take it up from there.
Delta State, in terms of infrastructural development, is not where it should be. What plans do you have between these major cities of Warri/Effurun, Ughelli, Orerokpe, Oghara, Bomadi, Burutu, Patani, Oleh, Ozoro {in Delta South/Delta Central}, and Agbor, Asaba, Ogwachi-Ukwu, Issele-Uku, Obiaruku {in Delta North}, in terms of infrastructural development to transform these cities and the entire State?
“Delta infrastructural development is not where it is supposed to be. Yes! You can say with the whole enormity of what comes to the state. Delta state in general has no capital injections from private businesses. People are not manufacturing or doing businesses compared to the number they ought to do, compared to the pre-creation of the state. We even have more business then than we have today, all because of the threat of insecurity. And not being able to put things together, nor reach where we need to reach. The governor has opened up all those channels, he has tried, he has opened up all those gateways, and as a businessman, I will take it to a different level.
“Infrastructurally, we will see such a huge difference now. It makes no difference why Nigeria holds together, the corporate country worried about Biafra going away, Yoruba going away? It just makes no sense for any man to think that you want to rule Delta State today. You are an Urhobo man, and you want to do Urhobo things. As an Ijaw man; you want to do an Ijaw deal, you want to come and develop Ijaw and rule Ijaw. As an Ibo, you say no! you need an entire scope of the state, and where possible, even take more for developmental purposes. You should know what to do. And I believe very strongly that the entire local government must see a massive transformation. In such a way that we should develop all our local government areas with such speed and competition, that the state will become better than Lagos.
“For those of us who stayed all our lives in Lagos, we participated because I was close to Awolowo, I saw what was going on in western Nigeria, and between you and me, today what is the issue; lack of infrastructural development. I want to make sure that all the Senatorial districts can generate massive and sufficient electrical power. Once we get to that level, I can tell you without actually saying so much because I mean, I and my elder brother today in Delta State government, I have my plans, he has his plans. No two people have the same plans. But I can tell you that he has set the stage in such a way that it is now enviable for us to do, such a great job to make Deltans and the youths, get them out of the street, which of course is my first call of business.
From available reports, you have quite a lot of business assets in Delta State that have created wealth for the people, especially those doing private businesses. Yet, you seem to be the most castigated by your people in Delta State. Why is that so if we may ask?
“We are talking about things we have done. If you go to PTI today for instance, on a daily basis, there are about 4,000 people who get their daily source of income from just that mall. I created that, so as not to go to the other mall in Deco Road, Warri. When I was building that mall, some people came to me saying, oh! You will be surprised by the kind of man that came to tell me that, (I don’t want to mention names): that the place I am building such a big mall is not Urhobo area, but Itsekiri area, and you are an Urhobo man. But I told the man off, I don’t want to hear such a thing. The entire state is my territory, so it’s just like when I was a Minister, I created first, the University of Petroleum in Delta State, which was the first time I took the memo to the council, and I went ahead to create hitherto. What Jonathan did was to give us money through Senator Bruce then, and establish a culling.
That was why it was easy for Rilwanu Lukman to say he will also go and merge it with the one in Kaduna. 23 days after I became a Minister, I first took the memo and cleared the university, and I took the balance of thirteen (13), among which only three (3) were coming to the Southern part of Nigeria. The Ekiti benefitted one (1), Ebonyi one (1), and Otueke in Bayelsa one (1). All the others went to the North, but what I saw, they did not see.
“If you ask the President today, he will tell that was the most torn apart council we ever had. But am happy all these Universities have my name engraved in the systems, as the man who did it. What else do you derive in life? If God has given you such an opportunity, why can’t you do it well? It is sufficient reason that I know, that I have the capacity, and I know what I know; that I will turn the fortunes of Delta state positively, and blamelessly too, just as I did at the Federal level. I will do even much more in Delta state. So that question is a no-go area, Delta State will be surprised at what they can get, I will build on what the Governor has done.
Delta State, as we know it, is surrounded by rivers and waters, often referred to as riverine areas. What plans do you have to transform these areas in other to attract tourism, just like we see in other developed climes with similar geographical areas like the ones in Delta State, so that these places will no longer be called riverine areas but tourist centers?
“That is the greatest blessing God gave to us, knowing where we are, and almost seen as the minority tribes. If you can see, God actually created the wealth around the minority areas of the country. The riverine areas, we are again wanting to hit up the polity, I will tell you, it is the greatest blessing that forms over 18% of my plan, which is to revert back to the riverine areas.
If where we are, if you take Sapele, if you take Koko, take Warri, all of those neighboring areas in the riverine areas where you have big ships like Stephen Dory, Alexden star that I use to know, Nigeria National line, heavy ships coming to discharge goods. In 1976, when Obasanjo was the President, I used to know one Ayos Nicholas, the massive ship that came to deliver all the goods for the construction of the Augrithm plant and all of that will be restored, without further delay.
“There are plans the Federal government signed, which of course was not implemented, and all of that will add massively to our revenue generation.
All of that will be put in place for our rivers and riverine areas. I have no worries at all, the rivers you find in Delta are blessings, rather than a curse, and I know without wasting time it is going to be a win-win situation.
From all indications, it seems some top officials of Delta state who have served in one public office or another have this fear of you probing their activities, what is your take?
“I will categorically do nothing at all. So, speaking of what’s my business, they have themselves written in gold or otherwise. You cannot be a judge in your own court. So, I will have nothing to do with what has happened with my predecessors in office. God willing, I take over, what I will do is to do mine, leave my name for posterity to judge, everyone according to their contribution to the development of the state.
“Today, a lot of people still talk about Ogbemudia, that is because of his contribution. So, I have my plans, and if I am able to bring my private businesses to Delta state the way I am, it can only be best imagined what I will do when I take over the authority and running of governance. The question is that those talking about the probe, I have seen one Archbishop who has come to me saying I should promise him, mentioning one or two names, that everyone knows me when I say yes or no, I keep to it, and that I should promise him that I will not probe anybody because he knows once I say yes or no, I will keep to it as a man of truth. And I told the Bishop, I will have no business, as such that I will have nothing to do with any record that is not starting with May 2023. And I have no business with that at all. Rather, what they are doing, let them do their business, and what am doing, let me do my business. Let them judge me based on myself, my capacity on what I do or don’t do. And the Archbishop did not stop there. But took me where I addressed the CAN of Delta state after I addressed them for 2hours 15 minutes for the first time. The entire CAN, unanimously endorsed me saying, “we don’t know any other person that can govern this state better, with the kind of ideas you have other than you Gbagi.”
“Yes! Talking about this issue, it’s been recurring nowhere in the history of the world. look at the effort of America trying to probe what Trump did, or did not do, and one year has passed, which has not yielded any dividend and the question is please, those who have ears let them hear. Just like Uduaghan called upon me one time, we had a meeting saying: “look, I want you to do something for somebody,” and I said who is the person, and what do you want me to do? And he said: “am not going to tell you unless you promise to do it.” Then I said: “Sorry if you are not gonna tell me then am not gonna do whatever you are asking me to do.” And he continued: “everybody said when you say yes or no you will do as you promised, I will not tell you to do what is not good for you, it’s what you can do for your son.” So, I said in that case, what do you want me to do for you? And he said: “I want you to make someone get to the Delta State House of Assembly.” And I did it for him. But that is one of my greatest undoing in life today because that fellow has turned to be the greatest problem, through tongue and teeth, quarrel and fight every day, but I have to let go.
“People have done all manners of things against me. Some say that I have a lion in my house, I strip people naked, I don’t pay salaries, I am this and that, but believe you me, all of those are figments of imaginations, and stories that have no foundation.
“In fact, not just in my case, you have heard that Buhari is not a Nigerian. But a Sudanese. Anything happens. People say all sort of things just to have their way you know. Even when they said TB Joshua of the blessed memory, is the one that said I have a lion in my house, and TB Joshua came out to publicly clear the air against the lies they put on his head. But I want to remove the fear of some people, that I am not the person that is being painted out there. Instead, if you go to Deco Road, you can ask the manager there who has committed a lot of atrocities. Yet, I asked him to continue his work but he had to pledge not to go back to his evil ways. And for 2 to 3 years now, I haven’t visited there.
Also, the one at PTI has even committed much more atrocities, yet I still tolerate him and reform them because as a criminologist, I am trained to tolerate and reform people for the better. So, it’s my duty to reform people and make the State better, taking it to the next higher level where it belongs because we are bigger, better and stronger in all capacities in the world than Lagos, which the leaders and followers came together to build.
“I am going to do all, “inclusive governance” – this love I have with all local government areas, all Senatorial districts, I will carry it to them later. We need to make it what it costs, and with all of these things in place, it is going to be a win-win situation, peace as we go, less or no crime, zero tolerance. Our youths will be employed, they wi have what to do, what to look up to, and have what to put on their table, which is critical for you to have the peace for governance. I want to thank my friends and brothers the Governor that has laid such a foundation that makes the matter to be very easy, as we proceed in life, that is going to be a win-win situation.
“I also thank you very much for this interview made in this sense. But where there are lacunas, I am willing to provide more information, and I appreciate your questions.
“If you put it this way, and ask the people who said they want to govern and govern the state, they have no business, have nothing in the state. So, it’s easy for them to destroy and run away from the state to somewhere else, where they kept their money or wealth.
“The question is that I cannot be seen to be destroying what I have put together, then If I have all these wealth and businesses put together, then I cannot be expected to destroy. I look into people that have the capacity to build like that and develop the place because it is for the same reason that I came there to develop and put my business there and I want the place to be great. So, my target is to turn the entire Delta state to a business hub, and that hub will be manifested and seen by everybody with time.”
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