Killer herdsmen: Government shouldn’t play politics with people’s lives —Prophet Omoyele

General Overseer of Christ Love Family Ministry (CLOFAM), Apata, Ibadan, Prophet Victor Omoyele shares with OLAIDE SOKOYA his thoughts on insecurity in the country, and the way forward.

How should the Federal Government tackle the problem of insecurity?

The first problem is that President Muhammadu Buhari is not being sincere with himself. He should come out plainly to address this problem. He has all that it takes to tackle insecurity, but he is not using his power to solve the problem. He has what it takes to ensure that the crisis is resolved, but he doesn’t seem to be doing much to handle this issue. You cannot expect the country that has security challenges to move forward. I wonder why the president is yet to make an official visit to Benue State since herdsmen killed about 100 people in just one day.

It is saddening that the government that promised to protect the people during pre-election campaigns, has changed its promises. I want the president to show more seriousness and commitment to the issue of security. He knows the root of this matter, so he should take the right and appropriate step before it is too late. It is very embarrassing that the so-called herdsmen are holding the nation to ransom.

Mr President, as the father of the nation, should handle this case with seriousness, because this issue of herdsmen is getting out of hand. We are appealing that he should, as a matter of urgency, take appropriate steps to stop all the killings. The herdsmen issue is political and spiritual. Let me tell you, those sponsoring these people are in government. So, the government should not tell us that they are powerless.

The president has disappointed Nigerians on the issue of security. The problem we have now is internal and what this means is that if external problem should come, it will consume the whole country. We no longer have territorial integrity at all. Proverbs 25:28 states that “a person without the ability to discipline himself is like a nation without a fence.” Nigeria is a nation without a fence. We lack the institutional power to tackle insecurity.

On the issue of corruption, the government has done a lot, but we still need security in Nigeria. It will be very difficult for foreign investors to come to Nigeria because of the security situation. The government should not play politics with the lives of Nigerians. The president should give a firm order to all security agencies that any herdsman caught with illegal arms should be arrested and taken to the court of law. This issue of insecurity is giving Nigeria a bad image.

Also, experts should be consulted on ways to make the economy viable, because the current state of things is not encouraging, especially for the common man. We are praying for the president to succeed in administering the country, because he has good intentions. However, the ‘cabal’ in the system is not allowing his good works to show. We are praying for him and all his executive members that God should use them to transform Nigeria for the better.

We have politicians who claimed to be religious, yet the basic tenets of their faiths are not evident in their actions. Do you subscribe to the school of thought that Nigeria politicians should be sworn in through traditional belief system?

Once people go into politics in Nigeria, they tend to forget about Christianity or Islam. We should not deceive ourselves; many politicians are diabolic, so swearing them in using traditional beliefs might not mean anything to them. They just use religion to deceive us.

With the high rate of unemployment in the country, what is your advice for the youth?

My advice is that they should be productive and work hard. They should not depend on the government for employment. Not everyone will have the benefit of getting white collar jobs, so they should engage themselves productively. They should be prayerful and have faith in God.

What is your message to the country as the 2019 elections approach?

My message is that Nigerians should continue to pray for the present administration. They should cooperate with the government. Also, our leaders should know that the expectations of Nigerians are high. They should work hard to solve the problems that affect Nigerians. The development of this nation should be paramount to them. They should know that they will give account of their stewardship to God. They should not forget the good people that gave them their mandate.