FG policy on closure of land borders is good but… —Dada

Reverend Musa Tsado Dada is the immediate past Vice Chairman, 19 Northern states and Abuja chapter of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and former Chairman, Niger State’s chapter of CAN. In this interview with Adelowo Oladipo, he speaks on border closure by the Federal Government, among other issues.

What is your view on the closure of the borders by the Federal Government?

I think the government has its reasons for doing so and for those who are complaining, sometimes we may not know why the government is taking some decisions in an attempt to protect both the country and the people. I think the Federal Government ought to have explained in details reasons for taking such actions. There is the need to inform the people about their plans so that they will not be caught unawares. I think there must be a good side and bad side to such policy. It is a welcome development as the closure will also stop attacks from terrorists and if the closures of the land borders is the way to checkmate these people, then I would say it is a good idea. But on the other hand, the question we should have asked the Federal Government or ourselves as Nigerians is that do we have enough to take care of ourselves?

Are you also satisfied with the seeming silence of Christians in the state and the country in general about the happenings in the country?

We need leaders that are bold and that will speak in the in the interest of the people. They should also be ready to say the truth and caution Christians that are not doing the right thing.

During your tenure as the chairman, CAN Niger State chapter, you raised concern over non-employment of teachers to teach Christian Religious Studies in public primary and secondary schools. Is the situation still the same?

As far as I know, it is still the same. I have even informed the current governor about it. So, we are still expecting him to fulfill his promise on that. The situation is bad to the extent that whenever Muslim students were being taught Islamic Religious Knowledge in the class, the Christian student were always seen playing around the schools premises. There is no one to teach them and I don’t know what the state government is doing about the situation. In fact, I want to appeal to those who are in authority that they should look into that problem and solve it.

With your experience as one of the leaders of CAN, what is the relationship between the regional body and the national leadership of the association?

To the best of my knowledge, the relationship between the two bodies is very cordial, even across all other regions and the Christian bodies across the country. As far as I know, we have not had any problem, except for some groups who have put themselves in certain positions and we did not belong to such group. Any group existing or coming should be under that umbrella and that is what we know.

What is your assessment of the recent elections at the Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory of CAN?

I will describe it as peaceful and successful. In fact, I would have wished that the federal and state governments learn from the conduct and outcome of the elections and operations of CAN. The elections in the national body of the association and that of the 19 northern states and Abuja were done peacefully simultaneously. Those who won were elected on merit, while those who lost accepted defeats in good faith and expressed readiness on how to move the association forward.

What is your dream for this country?

My dream is that one day it would be better for all, because even the United States of America and the United Kingdom that we are talking about their developments started from somewhere. They also encountered all what we are going through now and were determined to have a new experience of governance that will better the lives of all and sundry. I want to tell Nigerians to also follow suit. I am confident that Nigeria will be a better place because we cannot remain like this. I am now a consultant because I am ex-this, ex-that, and people come to me for advice.

Do you believe Christians in Nigeria are united and capable of fighting a common cause?

Yes. I believe that we are united and we can fight a common cause in the country. For instance, you may have some misunderstandings with either your children or your wife probably as a result of having different opinions, but that does not mean that  you are not together. If you have certain unresolved issues, you will have to come together to resolve them and that is what we Christians are doing. If we have an issue to be resolved, we would come together to resolve it. But we need to be more united and I think that will help us. We should also learn how to forgive one another. One thing I want to remind all political, traditional or religious leaders is that they are all in their positions through the grace of God and He has a reason for putting them there. They have to lead people aright.