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Nigeria @ 60: No parent’ll celebrate a 60-yearold who refuses to mature –Bishop Ighele

Holy Spirit Mission, Bishop Charles Ighele, insists that Nigeria’s 60th Independent Anniversary is not worth celebrating. He says that no parent will celebrate a 60-year-old who refuses to behave maturely, in this interview with TAI ANYANWU

 

How would describe the state of the nation 60 years after independent, considering the dreams and aspirations of its founding fathers?

The dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of Nigeria are far from being met. Though many of the founding fathers did not provide a united and disciplined leadership for the Nigeria that was handed over to them by the British colonial rulers, the Nigeria we live in now is officially listed as among the worst countries to live in on planet earth. That was why despite their old age, some of them such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Malam Aminu Kano entered the political arena in 1978 to contest the 1979 general elections. The state of the nation is worse in terms of security, cost of living, value for human life, soundness of the economy, quality of education, quality of the labour force including the teachers, quality of integrity and the quality of the human beings that constituted the political class etc. Yes, there are more public schools and hospitals but you cannot compare their quality with what we have now. For example, why should my quality of spoken and written English be better than those of younger generations? This shows a decline, not progress.

 

 In view of all the woes and the slow pace of development that has trailed Nigeria’s national growth, would you say that the 60th anniversary is worth celebrating and why?

 

There is nothing worth celebrating. How can you celebrate a 60-year-old who has refused to mature and behaves like a six year old? No parent will celebrate such a child. A cure is what such a child needs and that is what the parents should be looking for. What is there to celebrate in a 60-year-old whose educational progress has stagnated in primary school when almost all in their age bracket are university professors, captains of industry, and agents of civilisation? Such a child needs the best of medical attention, not celebration.

 

Many are quick to blame the military’s incursion to power as the point where we missed it as a nation. What is your take on this?

 

We missed it as a nation when ethnic rivalries did not make the founding fathers learn and navigate the path of nation building. They could therefore not “build a nation where no man is oppressed “. The military missed it because the different military regimes could not come up with the concept of what is known as national interest as J.J. Rawlings did in Ghana. Instead, many of the military rulers at almost all levels of governance used the nation to pursue personal financial interests, religious interests, ethnic interests and the propagation of primordial structures and interests that are unknown ingredients in the march    of nations that are looking for real progress.

 

 

The military also missed it because it generally gave birth to a powerful political that has become worse in displaying uncivilized behaviour than those that gave birth to it. A majority of the present political class has missed it because it is very very busy spreading an evil and poisonous political and culture to all nooks and corners of Nigeria to the extent that this nation is on a backward race towards the proverbial Hobessian “state of nature ” where anything goes.

 

In your opinion, is Nigeria sliding into gradual disintegration considering the agitations for independent states of Biafra, Oduduwa nation, creation of North Central Regions out of Arewa Consultative Forum, and agitation by the Yoruba speaking people of Kwara and Kogi States to join their kits and kins in the South West?

 

Yes, Nigeria is sliding towards rapid disintegration. It is as if the petrol of ethnic and religious distrust has been from south to northern Nigeria, from east to western Nigeria. That is why any little strike of a match stick causes or has the potential to cause ethnic or religious or a combination of ethnic and religious conflagration.

 

But what annoys me is that governance is going on. I believe that we should sit, think and talk about how we can lay foundation stones and blocks of nation building and good government. If the foundation of a building is not properly put in place, it is not a matter of “will the building collapse?” Instead, it is a matter of “when will it collapse?” Personally, l do not want this building known as Nigeria to collapse because it has a huge potential to provide Africa and people of African descent all over the world with civilisation, leadership and honour.

 

In what way has religious contributed negatively or positively to the Nigeria of today?

 

Religion has had both a positive impact and very negative to the Nigeria of today. Positive impact on the grounds that the Christian and Islamic groups set up a lot of educational and health facilities including universities thereby bringing about educational progress. On the other hand, it is as if some Christians and Muslims have smoked religious marijuana (Indian hemp) to the extent they do things or say things only from a religious angle and not that of nation building. As at now, religious impatience and hatred has become a major player among the problems plaguing Nigeria.

 

What is your take on the recently amended CAMA law, the Executive Bill seeking to give control of the nation’s water resources (otherwise called Water Bill) to the Federal Government?

 

The CAMA law as it affects some religious groups and the Non Governmental Organisations is an anti democratic law that must not be allowed to be implemented by those the law is aimed at. Whenever a people hate a law, such a law never takes off but if at all a government is stubborn enough to force it to take off, that law will surely have an expiry date. Check history.

 

How has the near five months lockdown on public worship affected church attendance?

 

From what I can see generally, the about five months lockdown of churches is having an effect on present day attendance. This because the fear of coronavirus was so much that some families and people are still afraid to come to church. But attendance is picking up and will soon peak based on what l saw towards the end of September.

 

How do you feel about the state of insecurity in the nation under President Muhammadu Buhari?

 

We have never had it so bad in terms of security nationally. There is insecurity in all corners of the nation like never before. During the civil war, the insecurity affected mostly the eastern part of Nigeria but today, no one is able to protect police men and soldiers and other security forces. Many of these trained men are being slaughtered by untrained robbers, kidnappers, ritualists, bandits, religious extremists, cultists, and individuals who take the law into their hands and commit crimes and kill just because they are angry. There is no rule of law and therefore no fear of the law. I will like to make it clear that the present government did not give birth to the present state of insecurity. It has been brewing over the years. But the point still remains that since this government made security a major campaign issue, it has to look for ways to make the citizens of this country feel safe. Just as it is the number one duty of a parent to make the family feel safe, that is how the number one duty of any government is to make the citizens feel safe.

 

What is your advise regarding the quest for Igbo Presidency come 2023? I

 

am not an Igbo but I strongly believe that for all sections of the country to have a sense of belonging, the office of the president of the federation should be made to rotate from one geopolitical zone in the south to a geopolitical zone in the north and on and on. I will be very very happy if an Igbo person can be the next president or guaranteed to occupy the office after whosoever will become the next president would have constitutionally completed his or her term.

 

Nigeria has been described as a nation more divided than ever. What is the way forward for the nation?

 

The way forward is the coming together of a group of people who love Nigeria. These people should perspire to acquire political power through the establishment of a political movement, a well financed political machine with the capacity to embark on national urban and rural grassroots political education, political mobilization and political socialization which will eventually result in a mass political movement that will unleash a political wind that will blow away all politically ripe but rotten mangoes.

 

On coming to power, they will then decide on national values, the correct ingredients for nation building, and the definition what is true development. As far as I know, the quality of the human being should be the centre development and not just the construction of one or two major roads.

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