E.K.Clark’s Time Has Gone –Dokpesi
High Chief Raymond Dokpesi has become a household name for his pioneering efforts in private broadcasting in Nigeria. In this interview he sheds light on his relationship Chief E. K. Clark: Excerpts
Before the appointment of the new chief of staff to the President, your name was prominent among those touted for the post. Did you lobby to be appointed?
It was news to me because I never lobbied, I never applied to be Chief of Staff. I never asked anybody under the sun, including the President. I never requested to be made Chief of Staff, never. I was not in the country anyway. I was outside the country when all that controversy arose but I was very conscious of the fact that Chief E. K. Clark made some unacceptable remarks about me which I said should be replied to, accordingly.
What is the origin of the problem between the two of you?
We belong to different generations and we have different understanding and perspectives about the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the people of Nigeria. I believe that I am a bridge builder. I believe that he belongs to a generation whose time has come and gone. I think that somebody aptly said that he (Clark) had spent his own time, he has spent the time of his children, he has spent the time of his own generation. He is spending the time of his grand children and he still wants to be relevant. We want to do away with his parochial and divisive concept about Nigeria. We want to build a new and united Nigeria. I don’t care where any Nigerian comes from as long as he is a Nigerian. If I am in Britain, I don’t ever ask a Briton ‘are you from Southampton or are you from Glasgow?’ It is the quality of what a Nigerian contributes that makes me respect him. It is not because he is a northerner or he is a westerner or an easterner or a southerner. I am an unrepentant believer in Nigeria, he is not.
Are you a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party?
I have never denied the fact that I am a card-carrying member of the party. I registered in my ward in Agenebode as a card-carrying member of the PDP. I have always been a member of the PDP since inception.
Source: Legit.ng
