The Primate/Head of Anglican Church in Nigeria,
The Most Revd Nicholas Okoh, in this interview with GODDY OFULUE, warns that
the rich in Nigeria will be targets of attack in a revolution if quick
preventive steps are not taken
As a soldier, you fought during the civil
war on the side of the Nigerian Army, with the war slogan, ‘To keep Nigeria one
is a task that must be done.’ Do you still believe in that slogan, especially
now that some Nigerians have advanced reasons why the country should split into
independent states?
Yes, I still strongly believe in that slogan, I
believe that Nigeria should remain one country. There are a lot of gains
that come with diversity.
But those calling for a split argue that
it’s been woes all the way.
What is happening now is that the diversity is
being mismanaged; diversity is being misconstrued to mean that you don’t have
to work but you can eat, especially as there is only one source of income. So,
you don’t have to do anything as long as every month, people gather at the
centre to share money.
But my belief is that even if we remain one and
we continue this process of sharing money, we cannot be a great country; we
need to go beyond that and work. Every segment of the country must be doing
something and contributing to the economy.
It is because of this sharing-money mentality
that people are asking for so many states. If states have to depend on what
they gather, you will see that there will be less demand for the creation of
states.
Would you then agree with those who blame
the elite squarely for Nigeria’s woes?
I think all of us are to be blamed. The elite
have not led well; the poor man also has practised wickedness. The four
students who were burnt alive, that was not done by the elite. The killing of
students in Mubi was the handiwork of poor people who have surrendered
themselves to be manipulated by the elite. That they surrendered themselves to
be manipulated is another evil. The railings on the bridges have been
dismantled and yet these things were put there for public benefit. So, it is
not just the elite. If you go to the market, you see how they have manipulated
measures, all to maximise profit. So, it is both the elite and the so-called
poor in our society. As far as all of us are concerned, there is a moral
failure and our values have vanished.
What solutions would you proffer?
The solution to Nigeria’s problem is that,
firstly, we should all appreciate the fact that if we continue to tear Nigeria
the way we are tearing it, it will collapse; and when it collapses, all of us
will suffer for it. The West African sub-region cannot contain us; we will all
become refugees in our own places. You can’t go to Ghana, you can’t go to
Benin, you can’t go to Cote d’voire, these places can’t contain us. So, it is
in our common interest to sink our differences and behave ourselves.
The people who think they can force Nigeria to
become an Islamic state should realise that it is an unattainable goal because
people cannot just sit down and allow themselves to be turned into what other
people desire.
Some Nigerians believe the convocation of
a sovereign national conference will provide the solutions. Do you subscribe to
this?
I don’t know what name it may be called, but a
discussion forum is necessary.
Some say one of the solutions lie in the
creation of state police…
Some say it (state police) is not due; but I
believe that if checks and balances are put in place and we pursue it with open
mind, it is practicable. They should have an unbiased mind; that is what I mean
by an open mind. They should work out the operational mode; the relationship
between the state police and the federal police; the roles of governors should
be defined and state police commissions should be established to give operational
guidelines and to ensure that the guidelines are followed. We will benefit more
from the state police than we are benefitting from the federal structure.
When you have state police, the criminals
will not have hiding places again because those who are going to be recruited
already know the terrain. The national police commission will give state police
what to do and what not to do.
There is nothing as permanent as change but in
Nigeria, we are afraid of change. Why should we be afraid of change? Let’s
practise it first and fine-tune the rough edges as we go on.
Look at what the vigilance group in Osun State
accomplished by rescuing the wife of the Speaker of the state House of
Assembly, who was abducted. I’m telling you the police would not have rescued
that woman, but the vigilance group did because they are already familiar with
the terrain.
Again, I believe that with state police, the
accidental discharges by unknown police will no longer be there. If you shoot
anybody, they will trace you to your family house. And this fact will prevent
police officers from messing up.
What do you think is the major cause of
the rising wave of violent crimes in the country?
One is lack of the fear of God. There is no
meaningful teaching of religious knowledge in our schools again. Government
should make the teaching of religious knowledge compulsory to restore the fear
of God in the land. There is no sanctity of life again.
The second one is unemployment. Let there be
employment. The devil uses idle hands. Most of the crimes in our land are
committed by our graduates, highly educated graduates. Some of the okada
riders are graduates.
I’m afraid of bloody revolution in the
land. We’re sitting on a keg of gun powder, if they don’t take care of
unemployment. Look at the sophisticated weapons being used by Boko Haram. Where
are they getting them from? Look at the bombs they are using, even locally-made
bombs. If there is revolution in the land, the rich will be the first target.
So, we should take care of unemployment.
On the Boko Haram attacks, what is the
church leadership doing to protect Christians?
Well, our charge is that Christians should defend
themselves. The first law of nature is self-defence and self-preservation. They
should not get involved in reprisal because the Bible says ‘thou shall not
kill.’ But they should protect themselves from attacks, killing and maiming.
They should protect themselves. God does not oppose self-protection.
The Punch
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