It is five months to another round of elections in the country. What will be your advice to eligible Christians?
I have always advocated prayers. The bible says watch and pray, but prayers alone cannot vote for you; rather, it is your franchise, I mean the Permanent Voter Card. We have to educate our people to obtain their PVCs and I have also obtained mine. If you preach to your congregation and ask them to get their PVCs and you don’t have one, then you have done nothing. But if you do what you preach, then others will follow suit. But if you don’t have your PVCs, then don’t complain about bad governance.
You should be concerned about the seeming tensed political atmosphere in the country. Where do you think the situation could lead us if not checked now?
The bible says all things work for good for those who fear and love God. In my own candid opinion, when you say one thing and do something else, where there is no justice and fairness, that is what you get. We must always ensure equity; all of us should have the opportunity of becoming what we want to become. But by saying one thing and doing the opposite, you will be creating distrust, and where there is distrust, you can’t have proper followership. Also, the killings of innocent farmers, children and women by suspected herdsmen in Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa, Kogi , Nassarawa and Zamfara states as well as the cold blooded murder of pastors and reverend fathers in Kaduna, Abuja and in Benue states is an unacceptable phenomenon. One person killed in cold blood is much of a loss. When you now go to sacred places killing reverend fathers and pastors, it is a terrible thing. What the perpetrators of such heinous crimes are inviting is anarchy. If Christians should react the same way, I think there will be no peace in the country.
However, not all Muslims are bad; neither are all Christians good. So, we must imbibe the spirit of tolerance and love one another. Like the Good Samaritan, we must be our brother’s keeper. I was in Jamaica in 1994 and the first thing I saw outside the airport was “We are not just in Jamaica, but we are for Jamaica.” Until we realise that Nigeria is the only country that belongs to us, those behind the killings and massacres will continue with their dastardly act. The killings are not only condemnable, but they also make life difficult for those who are not supposed to be painted black. So, those killing others must desist because nobody has the monopoly of violence. When these things happen, you often hear people blaming their leaders and asking them to call the killers to order. That is to tell you that what we preach and do must align, I must not be saying this and be doing other things. So, the killings are not acceptable and must desist in the overall interest of the country.
Some Nigerians claim the government has fallen short of meeting the yearnings of the majority of the citizens, or do you think President Muhammadu Buhari and his team of politicians have fulfilled their pre-election promises?
The most disgusting thing is that the ruling All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had to power on the promise to guarantee the security of lives and property of Nigerians; fight corruption as well as strengthen our economy. The way to know if the economy is buoyant is how it positively imparts the common man. But the common man is still struggling, despite the fact that the government has spent about three and half years in office, and our commonwealth remains in the hands of just a very few people. The fight against corruption ought to be seen as working for the wellbeing of the generality of the citizens. So, the economy can only be stronger when the people are able to put bread on their table. The economy is strong when the common man can send his children to school. The economy is strong when you have money in your pocket. Nigerian leaders must sit up. All the levels of government is for God and God wants government to affect the common goods of their subjects. But if all you do is that somebody needs food and the places where food are being grown are being attacked so you don’t need a prophet or anybody to tell you how the coming year would be. In fact, places like Benue Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Zamfara and even Kogi states regarded as the food basket of the country are being attacked and farmers can no longer go to farms, we should not expect any manna from heaven. If they can’t access their farm, people should be ready to suffer. As a government, you are required to solve problems; so that posterity can judge well. So, there is hunger in the land.
Some religious leaders have been accused of being indifference to the plight of their followers, and establishing extravagant universities that charge exorbitant fees. How would you reconcile this?
Well, even in the time of Jesus Christ, there were poor people too because the poor are always with you. But if you get closer to these eminent citizens, who are big-time religious leaders, you would know how many people are beneficiaries of their scholarship schemes and humanitarian efforts. In Living Faith, I am aware a lot of people that Bishop David Oyedepo sponsors free of charge. So, some people don’t orchestrate their contributions to charity; they don’t give attention to the media like I do, but they have done so much charity works and once you are a public figure, people have the right to say whatever they want to say. But, the truth is that people like Bishop Oyedepo have done a lot of things to affect their societies positively. I have helped you to mention the bishop’s name because I know them. The charity work they do is massive but then people must talk because talk is cheap. And that he owns a private Jet, some people did not acquire their private jets through tithe and offerings; they also do businesses and those are the things bringing in money for them. Besides, there are activities that demand from them to own private jets and sometimes, time is the essence so that they can go to two or three places within hours. So, there is nothing wrong for a religious leader owning a private jet. If an ordinary businessmen can own jets, why can’t a man of God. Those who are doing businesses can have the light or the grace of God working for them outside the church circles and God has blessed them.
and then