Politicians using religious antics to divide Nigerians —Obisakin, ex-ambassador to Benin Republic

Ambassador Lawrence Olufemi Obisakin, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Benin Republic, in this interview with TAOFEEK LAWAL, speaks on the state of the nation, Nigeria foreign relations, the crisis in Niger Republic, his tenure in the francophone country, among other issues.

 

What will your comments be on the state of the nation?

Nigeria is a blessed nation. We are already 63 years old as a country. In 1963 we got our republic and that is 60 years ago which is significant in the life of a nation. Six is the figure of man according to the Bible. Nigeria has passed through many experiences and destiny has made us to become active by virtue of our location according to geography. In my other profession, we say that your location determines your allocation. We are located at a strategic point in Africa. We are born at a strategic time 1960 when most countries from the 1945 war which exposed the Europeans as not powerful as invincible as we thought they were. Nigeria has declared its stand in the international community through the statement made in October 1960 by our first and maybe the last Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa that Nigeria would remain non-aligned and we remained so until the collapse by the polar world in 1989/1990. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now in charge and we have our elected representatives across board. What is uppermost in the mind of everyone as far as the state of the nation is concerned is survival.

The nation is in survival mood mainly because of the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy. To fuel and fill your car now you have to spend four times what it used to be just some days ago. It is a sad situation we have found ourselves and that is the truth. We pray for President Tinubu to find a lasting solution. He is not the one that caused this but he inherited a very bad economic situation. Here is a country that in the 70s General Yakubu Gowon was telling us our problem is not money but how to spend it. I remember in 1981 when I joined the civil service when people from Spain and Portugal because I speak Portuguese and was translating were writing to our senators that they would like to be housemaids, barbers, hairdressers in your Lagos Eldorado of the world to work. At a time, the Europeans were in the same class with us right here in Nigeria. We, however, pray that divine breakthrough will be given to President Tinubu in this situation. Everyone agrees that the removal of the subsidy is okay because Nigeria could hardly move forward with payment of the subsidy. But, I think it would have been diplomatic in the way it was declared and preparations could have been made earlier.

We pray that the president will find a way in putting money into the hands of Nigerians without skyrocketing inflation with the money or fiscal policy they may want to adopt. Also, I will like to stress that Nigeria is at a turning point with life. What will happen to us will depend on how well we get out of this difficult fuel subsidy removal situation. God can help us if the President successfully navigates this turbulence then our breakthrough has come because I see Nigeria breaking through and at the end of this. Let the Almighty God help us and if in the other way we don’t, it may be to your tent O Israel.

 

With Nigeria’s foreign policy centres on Africa, how do we relate to countries in the continent and globally?

There is a realist school of thought which says states must arm themselves to protect themselves because who will you run to when you encounter problems because the stronger you are, the better. Very few people will dare to attack the United States of America because they are a force to reckon with in the western world. Nigeria should be strong and you can only be strong if your social economy is strong. We were reaching that in the 80s but now our industries are silent. It is the roar of your industries that the world hears and gives you allocation which will give you recognition.  But when you don’t have the Arewa Textiles, Ikeja Textiles and others again, what do you think will happen? But the soft power is growing I mean the youths are growing. But there must be the hard part of it too.

For you to have hard currency, your economy must be producing hard things. We must be able to produce and put a stop to sending raw materials to those who will use it. The time has come for us to be truly independent and make use of our products to develop ourselves in the international community. I will advise Mr President to do everything to make sure that our industry works. It is the value of your industry and your productivity that strengthens your money. If your currency is strong people will recognise it. The world is ruled by money and guns and when you don’t have money you can’t get guns. That is the realist school of thought which I sanction. To improve our relations with other nations entail hard and soft parts. The soft part is that you must be courteous and diplomatic which is the act of using agents to represent you to improve your relations with the world and that is how we were trained during our time. Education is the fastest way to social mobility. You must have good diplomats to represent your interest abroad. But it is, however, sad that Nigeria does not take care of its own ambassadors.

Of all the four group of people that are screened by the Senate, the ambassadors are the worst off. The first is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, followed by the Head of the Civil Service, then ministers and the ambassadors. All of them except the ambassadors retire and get good monetary package and allowances. We don’t earn $250 per month whereas the aforementioned people are on $2,000. It is the most disservice that has ever been done to us. The authority should hear this. President Tinubu should hear. They are discouraging patriotism by not paying the ambassadors well. Our children did not want to toe our path. I came in with four languages and came out having learnt 11 more. I think something urgent need to be done to bail us out. The ambassadors are not well treated. It is good to let them know that what they are sowing is time bomb for the future of the civil service. For those who don’t embezzle and rely on what they are given and who did not leave when other were leaving, we are worst off today. We got irresistible offers which we declined because of the love for Nigeria. Should we know be blaming ourselves for rejecting the offers?  What they are doing to ambassadors is very bad and horrible.

 

What are your experiences as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic?

It was a wonderful experience I must say. It was the best of my postings. You know Benin Republic is the closest country to Nigeria. I saw the closeness of our people with the Benin Republic people because we are related in so many ways. Do not forget that there are Yorubas there. I discovered that the colonialists did a great havoc to us by separating us.  You could be in Nigeria 10 metres and the next five metres you are in Benin. In 2012 when I got to the country, there were only three factories operating but as at the time of leaving in 2016, they were 32. These are Nigeria-Benin Bilateral Trade operating companies. They are a very thorough people and are very hard working. We are neighbours.

There is a saying that you can change your trading partners but you cannot change your neighbours. If the civil war did not last as we had in Nigeria, it is because the neighbours did not support Biafra because if they had supported Biafra we may probably be at war today.

Seven states in Nigeria Lagos, Oyo Ogun, Kwara, Niger and Kebbi share borders with Benin Republic which is about 778 kilometres. Nigerians were suffering when I got there. I was able to bring the people closer. They were being taxed unnecessarily and were seizing their cars. My interaction with President Boni Yayi worked for us because I told him Nigeria supposed to be their biggest business partner. He summoned who is who in the country and told them that their survival as a country is tied to Nigeria as their greatest trading partner. He said whatever honour they are giving to America should be given to Nigeria. I was able to develop the trade and the relationship became deepened. It was so easy because I speak French so fluently and I don’t need any interpreter to do that for me.

 

How has being a polyglot shaped or helped your career?

Being a polyglot has worked for me and it really helped me and Nigeria during my sojourn in Benin Republic. I speak Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German and others. Language is very important. We must be proud of our language as a country. Most of the countries we look up to, as I have mentioned, don’t joke with their language; they are proud of it, we must be proud of ours too. As an ambassador, one must be verse in language, treaties/law and history. Diplomacy is modern history.

 

Instead of uniting us, religion rather divides us. As a clergyman, how do we use religion to promote unity and peaceful co-existence in the country?

I have twin uncles, one is a Muslim and the other, a Christian. One is Kasali and the other is Gabriel and there is no problem. Anybody of my age who has passed 60 would remember there was nothing like religious problem when we were growing up. As Christians, we followed our Muslim friends and relations to the Eid ground and even to Islamiyyah (Quranic School) and there was never any problem. The Muslims did same during Christmas and Easter celebrations. They followed us to church and there was no problem whatsoever. The Hausas, Ibos, Yorubas and Igbiras were all one. We danced and celebrated together.  The religious problem we are experiencing today is from bad politicians who are using religion to divide us.

Religion has never been a problem in the South-West.

No Yoruba man will kill another because the fellow is not practicing his religion. We are interwoven. Our problem was a national thing that came from Nigeria but certainly not from the South West. It is something that came from national politics where you reject someone because he is not a Christian or a Muslim. We never chose our religion, we were born into it. If my father were to be a Muslim, I will be a very strong Muslim today. Why must somebody kill me because I inherited my parents’ religion? Home training is the foundation whatever the religion you profess. The religion crises we have witnessed in Nigeria is politically motivated. It is all about politics to achieve what they want.

 

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