In this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU, Bishop Charles Ighele, the General Superintendent, Holy Spirit Mission (aka Happy Family Centre), who is also the president, marriage and family institute, speaks on the increasing death among Nigerian elite among other issues. Excerpts:
The PTF on COVID-19 recently extended the curfew for another four weeks; is this the right thing to do?
The government is trying to see what they can do to solve a problem that has not happen before and at a time like this there is really no one way of solving this kind of problem. People like us; from the beginning have been of the view that we should have an home grown solution because I have always felt that there is no way the number of death in Nigeria is going to be equal to the number in US or the UK. From the first two weeks when this thing came to Nigeria, then UK and the US; and when I saw the rate of death in those nations not equal to what is in Nigeria; I said, Ok it seems there should be something in the Nigerian that makes many of us to have a form of immunity against it.
That is why I have always said from the very beginning that we should use a home grown solution; we should not copy the system being adopted by the outside world. And then, two weeks ago, Professor Tomori Alonge who is the deputy head of the COVID-19 team in Oyo State and an expert in that area – said that some of the victims they looked at in Oyo State already have the anti-body (immunity) in form of vitamin-D which was gotten from the Sun – so, he suggested that we should keep exposing ourselves to the Sun and the elderly should take vitamin-D supplements. So, when I add that to what the vice-chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta who is also an expert in that field also said – my own submission is that, leadership is leadership, which is why I have been suggesting from the beginning that let us look at the Nigerian situation and how we can stop this problem. If we look at it that way, then the complete lockdown may not be the solution; even those nations that did complete lockdown are opening up right now. Now, we have a team that distribute food to the needy every two weeks, and when i say poor; I mean compound where we have about 20/30 families living together, that is, we are talking about 100 to 200 people in a compound using two/three toilets, yet there have been no case of death here in Alimosho, which is one of the area that is densely populated and also among the areas with high rate of the COVID-19. And, there have been no case of death here or there, but we have seen that there is high rate of death among the elites; so my case is that if this virus is not really killing the masses, then when you lock them down, they are not happen and then say its ‘big-man’ disease. So, I think government should look at other means of stopping the spread of this virus: people like us are ready to suggest.
What other option would you suggest to the government?
My suggestion is that of massive campaign through public address system; not radio, not TV; how many of them have light? I am talking about public address system, that is, the town criers method; letting people know about the existence of this particular disease and the things they need to do to boost their immunity. Like take lemon, take this, stay under the Sun; as much as possible, do this because they are not doing social distancing in those places. As much as possible see that you wash your hand; so, it is that campaign because most of the people at the grassroots are not aware of what is happening especially the report by the NCDC and the Presidential Task Force. So, there is a need to mobilise the state ministry of information across the country on a city-wide campaign just like when politicians want to campaign for election – they take it to the grassroots, so this should also go deeper than that. Tell them all they need to do and that this thing is real; but can be avoided – not to spread fear.
What is your view on the death rate so far in Nigeria?
Sometimes last year, before COVID-19 came, there have been lots of deaths in Nigeria. Last year, before COVID-19 a lot of strange deaths happened in Nigeria and people dying are among the elite. So, I have looked at countries like Ghana and other countries, these deaths have not been like that and the death are COVID-19 unrelated because it started in the last eight months of 2019. The death are taking place anyhow and I have seen that these deaths are not happening among the down-trodden but among the elite, from business to politics; and they are on the increase. Now, look at it – the other day, the President, Customary Court of Appeal, Kogi State died, then the Chief Judge died and then the governor said it is not COVID-19-related and personally I know of many of them who have died and they are not COVID-19 related, and it started before now. So, as a man of God I am raising an alarm that there is something wrong with Nigeria spiritually outside COVID-19. Death has been going on and if something is not done spiritually about it; more will take place. As a man of God I can’t see things like this going on and not speak because I know that when things happen in those days whether believers in God or not; many of them will be affected because they fail to personally cry out or take action against it.
Human beings by nature want to do what they see those in leadership do; looking at the political class; do you think they have been responsible enough to curtail this virus?
Personally, I do not like to give leadership role only to the political class; that is my kind of person. Personally, I like to take responsibility and as a preacher I take responsibility for people that are hungry. As a preacher, every year between two to four thousand people are cared for medically; as a preacher, those I could give accommodation; and as a preacher I do not think I should give politicians leadership role alone, instead we all should work as partners in progress and we should all try to see how Lagos get better – that is one of my goals. So, it is not all about the spiritual leadership and people that know us; traditional rulers where we are know that we have been playing our roles over the years to make sure that Lagos is a better place, and I can tell that God has use our ministry to save thousands of lives. So, I prefer to suggest to the political class but unfortunately, they see us (the church) as a people they can do anyhow, but I don’t see them that way – so, they should see the church as partners in progress. If the church is mobilised, the pandemic will spread less.
