Princewill: Riverine should produce next Rivers governor

Prince Tonye Princewill is a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and former governorship candidate. In this interview with reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, he speaks on Rivers politics, particularly the domination of power by politicians from the upland area and agitation for zoning. MIKE ODIEGWU reports

The APC in Rivers appears divided, with many of its chieftains working at cross purposes. What is your relationship with the Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi?

I am with Amaechi. There is a message that we preached in 2015 and it continued in 2019 in Rivers, which is change. If we are driven by ambition we will end up in the same position we are or we were, a divided party without candidates.  What we need to do now is to develop the party. The APC has been badly damaged by in-fighting. I don’t want to say the PDP is in a much better position. Let us focus on ourselves. The APC a few months ago lacked the capacity to push for any election. So, why will anyone say he is running for governorship on the platform of the APC? I don’t know and I don’t understand. Until the recent Supreme Court judgment, I could not see any ray of light.

Now with this Supreme Court judgement, the APC is in a better position but we still have a lot of work to do. That is why the revalidation process is very important. The revalidation is not just for old members but an avenue for non-politicians who are ready to play a different type of politics to come into the party. I will like to encourage as many people as possible to re-validate and get involved. This idea that we cannot change politics is not true. Governorship ambition is secondary; the most important thing is that we have a viable party that means well. The only way you can mean well is if you have the members of the party involved.

Now when that happens, there is no way I will not be involved. I have had a lot of calls by people asking me to participate in the governorship election. For me, my participation is not a problem; the question is, is the support there? Every politician feels he is popular. They believe they can win elections. But, it is only at the poll that you will realise that your popularity cannot win an election. But, when one’s popularity is strong and the people are truly behind one, then one will be convinced to indicate interest and contest once again.

How will you rate the performance of Governor Nyesom Wike?

In a few weeks, he will be hitting the two years mark, so you expect to see my criticism. We have seen some good things the governor has done, but there are some things that he needs to do differently. You cannot be a governor and be completely bad. I will make my contributions. I will like to be known as one who made contributions, not a critic.

You once said you were leaving politics. What is fueling your return?

Leaving politics is not an option. What I was talking about was actively vying for a political office and I said that for a reason. There is something I have always said: Politics should not be left in the hands of only politicians. Non-politicians should come in to add their voice. I have never felt the need to leave politics. Instead, I have encouraged people to join politics. It is not about a sudden urge to come back into politics. I have been doing my business and philanthropy.  Next year will make it 20 years since I started managing my philanthropy. The idea of actively seeking a political office is what I put on hold since 2019 and it is still on hold. As I said, we have to have a viable political party to contest. I don’t want to contest just for the sake of contesting. I have lost twice before and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I don’t have the intention of wasting money again. I know how much I raised for the 2019 elections. While I am spending my own money, other politicians are collecting money from the government or people. I know that if the support is there, money is not an issue. I have no intention of wasting my time.

What is your stand on the feud between Amaechi and Abe?

We have had upland governors from 1999 to date. I am happy to see many of my upland brothers, even on the other political divide, agreeing to what Amaechi has said. Every one seems to agree that it is not fair that we have had governors for 24 years from the upland area and that a candidate from the riverine area should be given an opportunity on merit, not just anyone.  It is fair to say that there are people from the riverine area that can do the job and such people should be given the opportunity. It is not going to be by threat, violence, intimidation or dictatorial tendencies. You have to consult and carry all the people in the state along, including non-indigenes, so that they will know that the governor has their interest at heart. If you don’t do that, you will not win the election as governor.

Unemployment is on the increase. What can be done to cushion its effects?

Job creation has been an issue for years. It is not just in Rivers State alone; it is a challenge of almost all the Southsouth states. The ones that receive more allocations are the worst in the area of unemployment. When I was campaigning in 2015, I had a one-point agenda, which was job creation. To me, job creation is one of the most important things. Government should be investing in infrastructure and, by that, I don’t mean flyovers. For instance, the Mohammadu Buhari administration is investing in infrastructure. Why? This is because that is the only way you can build the economy. The way you create jobs is for you to understand that it does not come from the public sector. It comes from the private sector. The largest employer of labour is the small to medium scale enterprises. If these enterprises are not thriving you cannot create jobs. If you ask yourself what do small to medium scale enterprises need; they need security. The biggest problem these enterprises have is multiple taxations. Part of it is even image; what is the image of the state? If the government is able to look into these issues it will help. Unemployment is a major issue; except you can attract investors to come in and invest, you cannot arrest it.

What is your take on the recent development in the entertainment industry?

I believe very much in the entertainment industry. People see entertainment as a joke. After a hard day’s job you just want to relax; you use entertainers to relax. They don’t understand that entertainment is a big business. It is massive. I am not into entertainment for just youth empowerment. But, if I am to empower the next set I have to make money. To shoot a music video cost about N1.5million. So, most artists will sing good songs, but cannot shoot a video. There is no reason the state government cannot do grants and entertainment loans. You will blame the entertainer also because they will quickly go and sing for one politician or attend the event of people who are not doing anything for them. I hope they will become aware. With what they did with Burna Boy, I was happy. Most people say why? To me, even if they have done wrong before this one is good. I am glad they had the courage to call him and say take. I heard they gave him land. The bottom line is long term; a well-structured plan that involves investment.