Not everyone is happy(about Muslim Muslim ticket) but APC will win nevertheless. The emotions are not any better for the APC. It will only work against APC in the event that both APC and PDP are rejected by the electorate
Admin l Thursday, August 11, 2022
ABUJA, Nigeria – Distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, a legal pundit and astute politician of high repute, was the representative of Cross River Central Senatorial District in the Senate between 2003 and 2015.
He was at different times the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Deputy Senate Majority Leader and Senate Majority Leader.
Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978 and elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2004, the one-time Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Calabar Branch, and President of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce, Ndoma-Egba was Honourable Commissioner for Works & Transport in the old Cross River State (now Cross River and Akwa-Ibom States).
A former Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Senior Partner in the Law Firm of Ndoma-Egba, Ebri & Co, is well known for his philanthropic endeavours, service to humanity and contribution to the work of charity in the Church. The Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) was among the eminent personalities that were recently conferred with the Papal Order of Knighthood at the Catholic Diocese of Ogoja in Cross River State.
The Papal Orders of knighthood essentially refers to the five equestrian orders of the Holy See bestowed directly by the Pontiff as the Supreme Head of the Catholic Church, on deserving men and women of integrity and unblemished character who are actively involved in the promotion of the interest of society and have contributed greatly to the mission of the Church. The Papal Orders include: Supreme Order of Christ, Order of the Golden Spur, Order of Pius IX, Order of Saint Gregory the Great and Order of Saint Sylvester.
In this interview, the erstwhile lawmaker whose desire as a child was to become a Catholic Priest, dwells on the pontifical order of Knighthood awarded to him by the Pope and other matters in the political arena.
Excerpts:
How do you feel about your recent investiture as a papal knight of Saint Sylvester in the Catholic Church? What is the papal knighthood all about? What is its significance?
I am indeed humbled by the honour. For someone with a failed aspiration for the Catholic priesthood, this is as far as you can get. The Papal Knighthood of St. Sylvester is one of the knighthoods bestowed directly by His Holiness, the Pope. It is a title of nobility conferred by the Pope in His capacity as a temporal sovereign.
What role is expected of you as a papal knight in the church?
It is awarded, among others, to lay members who are outstanding in their defense of the faith and the church. You become a role model and continue with the defense of the church and the faith when you are bestowed with the honour.
In 2018, you built a 1000 capacity Church for the Catholic community in your home town Akparabong in Cross River State. In 2020, you bankrolled the erection of an adoration chapel in the church in memory of your late wife. You have positively affected the lives of many underprivileged Nigerians in the course of your career as a legal practitioner and politician through your acts of charity.
What has been the motivating force behind your philanthropic spirit that has seen you doing so much for the church and humanity?
We are not blessed by God to keep the blessings to ourselves, blessings are only blessings when shared with others. God has been most kind to me in every ramification, not because I deserved it, but simply out of His grace.
Would you say that the Nigerian leaders and politicians have run the affairs of this country with the fear of God?
I do not know. They all profess one religion or the other, Christianity, Islam, traditional religion or whatever. I am not aware of any that professes atheism. So it will be between them and the God they serve.
Do you think God will be happy with our leaders for failing to judiciously utilize the abundant resources that He generously gave Nigeria for the benefit of the populace?
I cannot speak for God. Each and everyone of us will face Him at some point to give an account of everything including the opportunities He gave us.
Are you worried that Nigerians are going through serious pain and hardship amidst abundance of human and natural resources?
Of course, I am worried.
What would you say has made it so difficult for this current administration to effectively tackle the menace of insecurity in the country such that we have continued to witness deadly attacks by terrorists and bandits almost every day without any end in sight?
I am not in Government so I am not privy to the details and perspective available to Government. There certainly must have been a lot of effort to tackle the insecurity.
I however would not know what the problems are but the problems that we have now have been long in coming. Industries left Nigeria due to inclement, economic climate, education collapsed, unemployment soared.
Infrastructures collapsed meanwhile population exploded and corruption became endemic. There certainly will be no quick fix to our current problems which require deep thought and comprehensive strong-willed approach. People are questioning government’s will to address the problem.
After the presidential primaries of the APC in June, former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged the presidential candidate of the party. Do you see Tinubu as having the capacity to offer the kind of leadership Nigeria needs at this point in time to take the country out of the doldrums?
He certainly does given his pedigree and record.
Has the APC governed well in the last over seven years to deserve retaining the presidency in 2023?
There have been challenges and failed promises and expectations. Things may have been worse though just as they could have been better.
What is your view on the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by Tinubu/APC with the choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as the party’s vice presidential candidate?
It is a very emotive issue. I wish the APC had options open to it. As it is now the Christian community should present its charter of demand to the party.
With the way it has been widely condemned by most Nigerians, is it not likely to work against the party in the presidential election especially as some APC members have resigned their membership due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket which they found repugnant and insensitive?
Not everyone is happy but APC will win nevertheless. The emotions are not any better for the APC. It will only work against APC in the event that both APC and PDP are rejected by the electorate.
How would you describe Senator Bassey Otu, the APC gubernatorial candidate in your state, Cross River? Does he have what it takes to govern the state?
He is the best we can put forward now. Our geopolitics is in his favour, he has grassroot appeal and is rooted in the politics of the state. He is knowledgeable especially in economic matters and exposed.
With the belief that PDP is well rooted in Cross River, do you think that even though the governor is in APC now, your party would be able to win the guber poll in the state come 2023?
The notion that Cross River State is a PDP State will come under its very first severe test in 2023. From 1999 the Government in the State has been PDP. For once it is not and the PDP in the State is not used to being out of power. It will be a fish out of water.
How do you see the last Osun governorship election where an incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of APC was roundly defeated by an opposition candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke of PDP?
It is not the first time it is happening. It is nothing unusual.
What is your view on the amended Electoral Act 2022? Are you confident that it would guarantee a free, fair, transparent and credible election in 2023?
We can never have a perfect electoral legal infrastructure. It can only get incrementally better. The 2022 Electoral Act is part of the incremental improvement.
