Recently, a prayer meeting was organised by religious and traditional rulers in Anambra State for peace to reign in the Southeast. Joseph Nweke, the Parish Priest of Emmanuel Anglican Church Onitsha, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Anambra State and Chairman of the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), South East Zone spoke on what informed the prayer meeting. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU:
Recently, a prayer meeting was held by religious and traditional rulers, could you shed more light on this?
The new Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo indicated interest among the stakeholders that we need to stabilise the state as a peaceful state. He assured us, he was talking with the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) so that certain things would be done, especially prayers in order for peace and harmony to return to Anambra State. He promised us that they are working hard for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. On that note, CAN bought into the project of stabilising the state and at the summit which was well attended, we made our own contribution towards its success.
How has it been with the sit-at-home order in the state?
There are two things in this saga; one is that the agitators have a grievance that the political class are not listening to them towards the release of their leader, that is; Nnamdi Kanu. So, anything you are doing towards abolishing sit-at-home order irritates them. I think the government should go to the drawing table to convince these people that they are serious with the efforts to release Nnamdi Kanu.
There is nothing you do or say without Kanu’s release agenda to convince these people. They are so much committed to this project and the agitation has taken a lot of time. So, it will take a long time to dismantle it. What they are saying is that they need equity, fairness and justice. If these are put on the table nobody will agitate. The political class is not addressing it and the premise upon which we are in to stabilising peace is one; that Nnamdi Kanu should be released. Two; that the Nigeria system will be made to work under equity, fairness and justice. Without these, anything you are doing will collapse.
Do you agree with those saying the South East is marginalised?
I do not only agree, I have experienced it. I am ‘doubling’ agreeing with them. They are right because the Igbos are grossly marginalised in everything. Look, I am in this country and I have been a priest for the past 34 to 35 years. I have done church for the past 40 years. I began this work as a church worker in 1982 and this 2022 makes it 40 years. I have seen many things in this country. I have seen government upon government and what they did. The truth is Igbos are overwhelmingly marginalised.
What is your take on zoning and do you see an Igbo man becoming Nigeria’s next president?
Whenever it comes to an Igbo man’s tenure, laws will come out to abolish the system and the field of play is reconstructed. I know that Igbos are ready to take up leadership but my mind tells me that the northerners are plotting hard to make sure that Igbos do not clinch the presidency. I have seen many South Westerns say that they need Igbo president. But with the cabers here and there especially under this present government, I do not see anything that will favour the Igbos; I do not foresee that. They are making every law that Igbos are perpetually marginalised. But it is to their own peril because Igbos are blessed with wisdom; they are hardworking and have social life. Igbos are geniuses in so many fields, if you do not want them you keep on destroying your economy. Today our naira is falling because somebody who does not know anything about the economy is at the helm of affairs. Gas is sold at N700 per litre, the first time in the history of Nigeria because the minister of petroleum is the president of Nigeria. From the day he assumed office as petroleum minister everything started worsening by the day and the Hausas cannot see anything bad about it. Let’s keep on going but trying to sweep Igbos aside is destroying Nigeria.
How have the pockets of attacks in Anambra and the sit-at-home order affected worship?
Actually, these things have dimensions. The insecurity in Anambra State is creeping in from Imo State. The areas affected here are only six local government areas including Ihiala, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Aguata, Orumba North and South. These are boundary towns with Imo state where insecurity is happening most. We live in Onitsha and here there has not been any incident of insecurity or banditry attack.
Here we go to our worship centres, it was one Monday that some boys went to a church and harassed the priest for holding a service despite the sit-at-home order and the priest told them ‘we are praying for the release of Nnamdi Kanu’ and the boys joined the prayer. This happened in Awada and it was not funny because the boys initially mistook the prayer gathering as a violation of their order. Churches are still worshipping in their worship places, though they warned us that if we do not take this release of Kanu seriously they will see the church as an enemy. So, the church is trying to make sure they do not fall victim to being their enemy.
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Do you agree with the planned amnesty for militants in the state?
Amnesty to who? Every Igbo man is a Biafra in case you do not know and every Biafra man whether you are denying it or not is a member of IPOB. Let us stop deceiving ourselves. If after the 1967 to 1970 war where nobody defeated the Biafrans as ‘no victor no vanquish’ was declared and today you are asking Biafrans to come for amnesty, amnesty for what? Amnesty for agitating to be free? I do not believe in amnesty to anybody because all of us Biafrans feel cheated in the Nigerian system.
Unless Nigeria is properly restructured to give voice to people in their domains, I do not understand the amnesty the governor is talking about anyway. I do not know the criteria. Are you going to give the market people who are forced to lock up their shops amnesty because they are also involved in this agitation and are not happy with the way things are going?
There are no militants in Igbo land, we have only Eastern Security Network (ESN), they are not rogues, they have prospects; you can see them and talk to them. It is unlike what happened in the South-South when militants were bombing oil wells and agitating for their economic value. It is different from what is happening in the North East where the Boko Haram people are demanding for their own caliphate.
Do you see hope for Nigeria in 2023 considering the economic hardship, insecurity and other challenges?
The way President Buhari is going I am afraid. As I am talking to you Nigeria is indebted to huge billions of naira. It is better they sell Nigeria than the borrowing they are engaging in. You will not see the effect of the borrowing on ground and this is a way of mortgaging the people to the Fulanis. They get and keep these monies overseas so that whoever becomes the next president will suffer. In fact Nigeria is in trouble, I do not know what to say about 2023 because it is very gloomy.
The church has been under criticism recently by those who have alleged that couples in troubled marriages are discouraged to divorce, as some at the end become victims of death. What is your reaction?
Divorce is not the answer. Separation no, dialogue yes. It is true that some may adopt the Old Testament so that they can go and get married. No marriage is perfect; like in Igbo land we have mechanisms to resolve marital challenges. If it is to the extreme the church has a system of handling it. In Anglican for example, we have the parish council that can handle family affairs. If it goes out of hand the vicar will lodge the complaint at the Bishops’ court, where the marriage will be examined to know whether it is redeemable or not. The Bishops’ court has power to give dispensation under this condition. Our problem is that we don’t take the system seriously, you don’t annul marriages. It is only one person, which is the Bishop that is allowed to say a marriage is no longer healthy. Whatever he says is final. Here he gives a certificate of divorce, but you have to go through the system.
As a preacher, what is your view on domestic violence?
Domestic violence is not alien to our society, it has been there since. Marriage has no definition because the marriage you see in A is different from B. No two homes are the same. The unfortunate incident of Osinachi’s death is a pathetic one. It is against civility and religious norms to settle misunderstanding with punches. Love covers a multitude of sin, the love in you will cover offences which is what is lacking. It is unfortunate and the church is against domestic violence in any form; it is a bad thing. In Nigeria no system is stable; I would have loved the law to take its course.
