From assessment of the states to ravages of Boko Haram to the government Ebonyi State deserves and the forthcoming elections, the Bishop of Afikpo Diocese, Anglican Communion, the Right Rev. Paul Udeogu, holds nothing back in this interview with OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE. Excerpts:
We sincerely congratulate our beloved brother, Chief Willie Obiano and his Deputy Dr. Nkem Okeke on their election. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our sight. We are happy that he has started very well. His first100 days in office were remarkable. He was able to do what “Napoleon could not do’. His resilience in the war against crime and insecurity, doggedness to see Anambra State join the league of oil producing states by the ongoing construction of roads from Aguleri to Orient petroleum drilling site Aguleri Otu, the new face he is giving Awka, the State capital, his bumper investment in agriculture, his selfless and determined infrastructural development of the state have within his few months in office won the confidence and admiration of Ndi Anambra. The peaceful and crime free atmosphere he created has attracted over $800m investment to the state. We pray Almighty God to give him the grace, wisdom, courage and strength to take Anambra State to the next level.
On the Centenary
We praise and glorify the Almighty God who has sustained our nation for the past 100 years. The journey of Nigeria has been a challenging one as we have experienced civil war, political, economic and religious crises. However, we can say, like the Biblical preacher, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
On the National
Conference
The National Conference over, what is crucial now is the implementation of the recommendations made. Having followed the pre-conference discussions from different parts of our country, the discussion proper at the national conference and the recommendations of the conference, we can say without mincing words that if at least 50% of the recommendations of the conference is implemented, Nigeria would be a better country. We are aware that the majority of the recommendations of the previous National Conferences were swept under the carpet. We hope that such should not be the same with the 2014 National Conference. We call upon the President, the National Assembly, and the Council of State to ensure that the recommendations of the Conference are passed into law.
On Boko Haram
Our newspapers are dominated by the moral evil, inhumanity and wickedness and terror perpetrated by the Islamist terrorist group known as Boko Haram. The abduction of Chibok girls, the massacre of innocent people in Kano, Maiduguri, Damaturu, Taraba and Adamawa, the declaration of caliphates at Gwoza and Mubi area, the Islamisation and killing of Christians in the North by the Boko Haram are all devilish acts which we condemn completely.
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and they now live in refugee camps. This alone has its own social implication as children who are supposed to be in school are out of school. The capture and renaming of Gwoza in Borno State and Mubi in Adamawa State, particularly the capture of the hometown of the Chief of Defense staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh is a bad omen for our country.
A critical assessment of the security challenges in our country reveals that Boko haram still holds sway due to infiltration of our security operations by the sect, sabotage, religious and Northern bias, political bias and lack of willpower on the side of the government to deal decisively with these terrorists.
Moreover, defenders of Boko Haram before now told the world that the insurgency was fuelled by poverty and bad governance and not Islamic extremism, but events have proved them to be liars. What has poverty to do with the killing of innocent school children? It cannot explain the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of some 200 girls in Chibok, the declaration of caliphate at Mubi and Gwoza. It is high time that the international community saw Boko Haram as examples of Islamic extremism.
We believe that trouncing Boko Haram can’t be achieved overnight. It calls for patience, prayers and cooperation of every Nigerian. Boko Haram is a criminal enterprise which must be ruthlessly crushed at the earliest opportunity.
We appeal to Nigerians of goodwill and conscience irrespective of their tribe and religious affiliation to rise to these challenges and cooperate with the government to win the battle against terrorism. We call upon our President Jonathan Goodluck to invoke his powers as the President of this country on this matter. The activities of Boko haram are now a very big embarrassment to our county. The integrity of Nigeria is at stake. The sovereignty of Nigeria is being challenged by the declaration of a caliphate at Mubi. Boko Hararn must be stopped now.
On the elections
It is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our love for our country by electing credible leaders for the country. As things unfold daily, one is worried because the country is being heated up. The political rascality with impunity, political maneuvering, selfishness, greed and wickedness being exhibited by our politicians are issues of great concern. Politicians should be reminded again that power belongs to God. It is the right of the electorate to elect their leaders. We advise our politicians to be humble, sincere and play the game according to the rule. Let things be done decently and in order.
We encourage our people to vote for credible and trusted candidates and not voting necessarily on party basis. We must remember these scriptures “righteousness exalt a nation but sin is a reproach” (Prov. 14:34). “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice but when the wicked man rules, the people groan” (Prov. 29:2)
We call upon the Church of God in Nigeria to pray God to give us leaders after His heart. However, the role of the church should not be limited to prayers; Christians should also be involved in the process. The church should engage in enlightenment campaigns, providing information through the mass media, social media to educate our people, on why we must vote, the kinds of people to be voted and how to defend our votes.
We call on INEC to be firm and sincere in their conduct and judgment and appeal to the police and other security agencies to double their efforts to see that the nation does not witness any violence before, during and after the election.
On Ebonyi
We commend Ebonyi State Governor Chief Martin Elechi, his wife, Mrs Josephine Elechi for their efforts on the ongoing Ochudo City, Oferekpe Water Project, the international market and the unity bridges across the state but we are yet to see the Ebonyi State of our founding fathers’ dream. Poverty is on the increase, majority of our roads are bad.
On the governor
the state needs
We must state categorically that the governor we need must be a God-fearing man, a dynamic and visionary man with great foresight of what is needed to be done, man with a burden and great concern on the state of affairs in the state, a well-informed and experienced man who has excelled with good testimonies in his career or civil service, a servant-leader, a man with onus to provoke the economic viability of the state, through profitable investment, youth empowerment and creation of enabling environment for business, a prudent manager, a listening governor, an unprejudiced leader that will involve all the interest groups and sections in the state, a focused man, a man with a well articulated, road map to the greatness of Ebonyi State, a man with a stable family record, a selfless and contented person, a man of his word and not a stooge.
