Exclusive: Opposition party candidate extols Buhari, proffers solution to economic woes

Naij.com correspondent, Vincent Ehiabhi, conducted an exclusive interview with the MD/CEO of Roseview Court (hotel and catering services), Mr Bemigho Eyeoyibo. The Delta state born politician and a businessman during the session aired his candid opinion on pressing national issues.

Good afternoon sir, can we please know you?

My names are Bemigho Eyeoyibo, I am a politician, a hospitality management consultant and a business man. I am a graduate of sociology from the Bendel State University (Ambrose Ali University) Ekpoma in Edo State. I am an Itsekiri man from Delta State, and I am married with children.

I will concentrate more on your political career, what has been your experience so far and how long have you been in politics?

Mr Bemigho Eyeoyibo condemned renewed militancy and described the perpetrators as over overzealous

Well I have always been in politics from my school days, when I was in the University, in fact from secondary school with our little level of politicking then. When I came out of school, I got actively involved in politics when I contested in the last Delta state House of Assembly election from the Warri North local government area under Labour Party (LP), and of course we all know how election goes in Nigeria, especially when you are in an opposition. But in all ramifications, it was a good experience and despite the ups and down and the expensive nature of doing politics in Nigeria, it was a wonderful experience, and come 2019, I will still contest because am not just into politics for making personal gains or self-aggrandizement. If you go through my profile, I am into hospitality, I want to serve people, I always want to bring out myself to serve people, so to serve my people is the main reason why am into politics.

You said being in the opposition could be a bit tedious, do you have any intention of defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress before 2019 general elections?

I represent a people, and I cannot act without consultation with my people and my principals who we are in the entire political sphere together, so for now defection “no” but if my people and I seat on a round table and say; look, we are not confortable where we are, then we need to reach to the people to sell them in a conscientious way, like Machiavelli says; “the end justifies the means,” so if defecting will make us achieve that goal, why not? But for now, it is not in my agenda.

When you are running again in 2019, do you still intend to run for the same position you vied for in the last election?

When we get to that hurdle, we will cross it definitely, but for now, I am not sure of what my plans will be like, but that I will run; “yes” I will run because I want to serve my people.

In your introduction you said you are an Itsekiri man, what is your reaction to the renewed bombings of oil/gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region?

I just think that those perpetrators are actually being overzealous, because at this point in time, the present government, the Buhari government inherited a lot of mismanaged economy, mismanage society, mismanaged educational system. In fact, the entire facet of our wellbeing as a nation was badly mutilated, and I believe in the Buhari change, I believe against all odd that this man is genuine. I call on all my brothers and sisters in the Niger Delta not support such ills and evil, it is evil against us as Nigerians.

What is your take on the electoral process during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and presently were most of the elections are inconclusive, what do you think are the challenges of the present government?

Mr Bemigho Eyeoyibo said he believes and supports President Muhammadu Buhari’s change mantra.

As regards the electoral process right now, we all know that government is continual, and it is the same people, it is only the INEC chairman that his tenure expired, so I think they are still acting on the same template. I don’t think they are doing anything new, they are still on the same template, I think we should still give them some time because If I look at the Jonathan electioneering in total, to a large extent, the ideas, the motives, the intentions were right, but along the line, the Nigerian factor came into place when sabotage came in by way of thuggery, hacking into card readers, creating mayhem, ballot stealing and all that, but in all, the template is right, but I just think that we just need some time to get it right without sabotage and all the evil deeds that come with electioneering processes, else it will not work.

How have you been able to manage politics with business, you are into hospitality, how have you been able to merge these two separate sectors together?

Like I said, I was born into being hospitable, I was born into service, and you know hospitality and politics, I mean genuine politics goes together, hospitality is being hospitable, serving people even if is for economic gains, but I do my hospitality business as a passion not just because I want to make money. In the same vein, politics is about service to your people, and it is like am on the same page when am doing my business as an hospitality management consultant, vise-a-vise my being a politician and wanting to serve my people, so it is not a difficult thing for me at all because am doing what I ordinarily have the passion to do.

Roseview Court hotel and catering services will be celebrating its five years anniversary in partnership with Naij.com media, what should your customers expect?

It will be massive; a child of five years is not a little kid anymore, and Roseview Court hotel has gone through the stage of being fed to crawling; to the stage where it is right now. If it must interest you, Roseview Court within this period gave birth to 3sixty° liquid lounge, which is an affiliate of Roseview Court (hotel and kitchen services). Within this period, we also opened our outdoor catering services where we handle big time events. We must firstly thank God for these five years that has been very eventful. We have a lot of top flight elite musicians coming to play, which includes Oritse Femi, Olalakeside, 2T Boiz, Kuality, Small Doctor and a host of other upcoming artistes. We also have comedians like; Shaggy, MOG, the Lecturer, they are all coming to perform, to entertain people. Also we have a buffet, a first class buffet for couples, families alongside karaoke, soft music, in fact we have a whole bumper package, and also we have a lot of freebies, because we have gifts to give out, we have souvenirs to give out, and of course we are partnering with one of the biggest online media in Nigeria, Naij.com media Ltd. I think it will be massive and I expect that a lot of people will come out to grace the occasion.

Naij.com correspondent, Vincent Ehiabhi during the session with Mr Bemigho Eyeoyibo.

As someone who is very much inclined in business, looking at the downfall of crude oil price in the international market and how it is having its effect on the country, what sector would you advise the Federal Government to investment in as part of effort to successfully diversify the economy?

Well I have been a proponent of the diversification of our economy, and if you ask me, without bias or with bias, if this country looks into hospitality, you know; let us not always look at the regulars, manufacturing, farming, those are the regulars that everybody want to go into, but am telling you that, if we pick up hospitality and tourism alongside the usuals like; agriculture, manufacturing and all that, it will be a turnaround in our economy. Look at Kenya, look at Zimbabwe, look at a whole lot of third world countries; they make a whole lot of money from tourism and hospitality, so I think if we should inject a whole lot into tourism and hospitality by way of diversifying our economy. It will go a long way of turning things around. Firstly, unemployment will be tackled, people’s economy will improve, the entrepreneurs will improve, but haven’t said all these; government also has to create the enabling environment for these things to work. It is not just about diversifying, enabling environment to make the agriculture work, the manufacturing work, to make the hospitality and tourism work, so I will settle for hospitality and tourism.

What do you think about the MASSOB and IPOB agitation in the Eastern part of the country?

Well! I am a true Nigerian, I think the approach of the MASSOB and IPOB are defective, I don’t support the secessionist move, but I think if they are deprived, government should pay attention to what their cries are. That is why I said their approach of trying or making attempts to want to secede is wrong, is defective. In the same vein, these people are saying they are being marginalised, I think government should look into that, identify their problems and try to solve them.

So you think dialogue would be better instead of agitation for secession?

Yes! I think they should have dialogued although the MASSOB and IPOB group are also taking the issue the wrong way by threatening to secede.

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