As Nigeria and Nigerians continue to feel the painful impact of the killings across the country, Reverend Olusola Idowu of Ajayi Dahunsi Baptist Church, Ilashamaja, Lagos, speaks with SEYI JOHN SALAU on the need for the Federal Government to adopt a holistic approach to resolving the challenges. Excerpts:
If we look at the recent revelation from the Niger State governor and FG’s position on defeating Boko Haram; how do you relate with both positions?
I don’t know whether it will be right to say that the Federal Government as constituted today lacks capacity to confront Boko Haram or maybe, the government itself and not just one person – Senator Ali Ndume alleged some years ago and other people have also alleged, and recently the minister of communication and digital economy was also alleged to be a sponsor of terrorism. It’s either the government of the day as currently constituted lacks capacity to confront terrorism or those who are terrorising this nation are part of the government. And so, this issue of defeating Boko Haram and all the rest when less than 10 days as we speak a part of Yobe State was taken over by Boko Haram; a part of Niger State and others that we don’t know; it’s just the ones that are reported that we know, and lot of people are displaced almost on daily basis. Northerners are coming down to the south. One just need to look around Lagos; we see them everywhere in Lagos and the way they look you know that – I don’t think an average of them is happy living the way they are living in Lagos, no place to lay their head; always under the bridge or in front of houses and you see the way they live, it means they prefer to be alive than be in their houses in the north and die in the hands of Boko Haram. So, it’s either of the two: its either the government lacks capacity or those who are terrorising this nation are also part of the government, or even both. So, I don’t think the government is defeating any Boko Haram anywhere as we see today.
Just last week about 239 Nigerians were killed; 44 kidnapped in separate incidents; yet we are not at war?
I think it will be an understatement to say Nigeria is not at war. To a very large extent we are at war; maybe, the nation is yet to determine the enemy that the nation is fighting or is at war with. But to a very large extent it’s so obvious that some people will do anything in their powers to pull this nation in confusion. Let no one think that this is just a case of Boko Haram that is limited to North East. We see that this has gradually moved not only to North West but to North Central because as at Monday, April 26, the governor of Niger State claimed that Boko Haram had hoisted their flag in Niger State and according to him, they are just 100 kilometers away from the seat of power. This is like a war and it shows that the people that are at war with this nation are so callous; so wicked when one considers those five undergraduate students of Greenfield University – how callous they have been, killing five of them. Whether it is a deliberate murder or it happened because these children could not withstand the condition they subjected them to. And yet they are still demanding for N800 million ransom. Clearly, we are at war. Two things I will say- the government of the day has no clue as to identify these enemies and to also confront these enemies. But, let no one miss this- the happenings in South East is so clear and now it has moved to South-South because Rivers State was affected on Monday, April 26. This is a war and let no one be at ease across the nation because there is a war against this nation.
Three of the kidnapped Greenfield University students were killed within 72 hours, yet the Kaduna State governor is still grandstanding on non-negotiating with criminal elements. Do you think this is morally right and justified?
I don’t think so, looking at the current situation because we are talking about lives now and he will not feel it because these children are not his own children. It may be easier for him to say he will not negotiate because these children are not his own biological children and I don’t know whether they are in anyway related to him. I think even if he wanted to do that – for me, to a large extent, his stand is a good one so as not to condone criminality; so as not to allow these people to continue to have their way. But even if you are going to do that, at least, you should keep it to yourself as a strategy you do not bring to the public because you know as a state you cannot even handle the situation. The Federal Government lacks capacity as at today to handle the situation. You as a state governor, you are not even in charge of the police in your state not to talk of the military; and you are saying you will not negotiate; we are going to bring them down – you don’t even have all it takes to bring terrorists down and you are saying you will bring them down.
So, to a large extent as good as what he is saying may sound, this is not the right time for any political office holder to be saying that. It is the time that they need to put their heads together and see how we can get out of this terrible situation we have found ourselves as a nation. Because if nothing is done in the next few days the situation is degenerating into something so terrible. Some of us are just praying that this nation does not degenerate into a nation like Somalia and the likes.
Looking at the Pantami Gate; he refused to resign from government which speaks to the value we hold as a people in this part of the world; what do you think?
Of course, that is what has played out and that is what is playing out and again how would he resign? Because for some of us we have seen every day that the government of the day is partial in whatever the government does. You can look back and see when there was just an allegation that was yet to be investigated or proven, we remember that the former minister for finance, Kemi Adeosun was actually pushed to resign and she did. And up till today the lady is yet to be convicted of any crime but she was made to resign. But, now the Federal Government came out to defend Pantami in a case you refused to look into. And one will also not forget how this government handles the case of Babasir Lawal and how this government handles the case of Daura the former DG of the DSS. So, when you look at these things, there are some sacred cows in this government and no matter the investigation anybody brings up – as long as it has to do with the sacred cows you can be sure that this government constituted and led by President Muhammadu Buhari will not look into some cases that are related to these people. But those that they can usually use as sacrificial lamb, they know how to get them out of the way. I bet you, if Pantami was another person he would have actually been made to resign. So, I don’t see him resigning because even before he made any attempt to say the allegations are not true, the Federal Government is supporting him – so, why will he resign? He has no reason to resign and unfortunately, that is where we are today as a nation.
Many of the church leaders have been accused of not speaking truth to power, especially since this administration came onboard; do you think so?
That is very true and we should not deceive ourselves. To a large extent we should give it to the CAN president, he does his best but, he has become like a lone voice in the wilderness. So, for all the big guns, if I could use that phrase; in fact, what you see them doing mostly is dilly-dally. So, most of the time it’s the CAN president speaking and as a result of that he is becoming unpopular everyday and even very unpopular with the Federal Government and those that are highly respected Christian leaders (I don’t want to mention any names); you see them hobnobbing not truly speaking to situation, instead they will go visiting and telling them they need not worry; they are doing things and things they are doing wrongly they do not tell them and confronting them that they need to brace up. So, that is the situation we have found ourselves and unfortunately, the church is also paying dearly for that and not just the church, the nation because the religious leaders are not just there for the church but they are also there for the nation because they are to put the political leaders on track, and when they fail to do that the political leaders will continue doing what they are doing and at the end of the day the masses suffer for it.
How do we correct/change the general apathy to governance in Nigeria, considering the myriad of problems bedeviling the country at the moment?
I think what we need to do is to – being a religious leader, I will say the first thing is to pray and seek the face of God that the Lord will deliver us from this very situation we have found ourselves in this nation. The second is to galvanise and mobilise people to let them know that even though they think that there will be rigging of elections; they think that they will be disenfranchise – but let us make attempt whenever the electoral body (INEC) will make it open for people to register to vote. I think the people should be mobilised to vote so that we will have the power to vote come 2023 and our choices will be the choice that will emerge as a people so that we will not continue like this. The way this nation is going, the masses need to brace up and we need to be responsible – people need to be told that part of our responsibility is to vote, and so people should not stay back. We know those who are ready to win at all cost will be ready and willing to do anything but what the youth did during the #EndSARS is a pointer to the power of the youth. While am not in any way supporting violence because we also know it was not the youth that protested that actually carried out the crisis or violence, it was those thugs that did that. But, I like to remind the youth that what they did during the #EndSARS to speak and let the government know that they are there – they should be ready to do in 2023 at the polling unit not at the Lekki toll gate this time around, but at various polling units across the nation.
