Those calling for bandits’ amnesty are foolish and wicked —Bishop Okah

Bishop Simeon Okah is the founder and Senior Pastor, Flock of Christ Mission and immediate past vice-president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN),  South-South and current member, National Advisory Council, PFN. The cleric spoke to newsmen in Warri, Delta State, on insecurity and other current issues plaguing the nation. EBENEZER ADUROKIYA brings excerpts:

President Muhammadu Buhari just returned from the United Kingdom (UK) after a medical leave. What’s your take on this?

When the president was around and when he was away, a lot of things happened. No nation does well without security. Many things are happening – children are being kidnapped; these are the young ones who are in school to learn. For any nation that will do well, education is the key, particularly in the North. Attention should be drawn to this. Our president should give this the required and urgent attention. Even governors of the states insecurity is prevalent should remove politics from issues of life; especially anything that concerns the youths and the nation.

When the police are being intimidated to an extent that these people do whatever they want and get away freely, it is something that really breaks my heart. I also notice that the police are not well equipped. You cannot use screwdriver to fight somebody coming to you with sophisticated guns. Once they succeed in intimidating the police, then the whole country is in trouble.

Nigeria has become a place where you cannot sleep with both eyes closed. To travel on the highways now, you either have to hire policemen or law enforcement officers to travel with you. Even with them, you sometimes are not still safe. No nation can do well without security and peace. Nobody wants to put his money where there is kidnapping every single day. Policemen and even the military are being killed as if they are cows or goats; this is unacceptable. So, our dear president should, please, sit up. In other countries, when things like these happen, the president will go to the place where such occured. I don’t know why President Buhari’s case is different from presidents of other nations. You just came back from the UK and you saw happenings in the UK. If the place is not safe, you won’t go there. You went there because the place is safe. I hope that he will realise the fact that he is the political father to this nation.  He does not talk. We have a president who never addresses issues or gives people hope. I don’t know the kind of human beings around the president. What pains me the most is that some of them are well educated, but may be because of the love for money, they cannot tell the president the truth. For the fact that he stays in the Aso Rock, he does not know real things that are happening in different parts of the country. If these things are not resolved, I may back up those people calling for his resignation. I may back them up that if he cannot rule, then, he should resign and let us look for another person who can rule this country with a sincere heart, a sincere mind and a purposeful idea.

What will be your advice to those advocating amnesty for repentant bandits?

To me, that should not be done at all.

A good number of those being called Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram or whatsoever are not even Nigerians. Anybody who suggests that a criminal should be given amnesty, who suggests that our taxes should be used to train criminals must be very foolish and wicked. I pray that they themselves should become victims. Let them feel what it is to be kidnapped. What pains me most is that these persons are well educated. Criminals should be arrested and taken to court so that justice can be served.  The youths of this country are gradually becoming hopeless. Some of them cannot travel out of the country because they don’t have money.

Every school in the North should have security personnel who are well armed and trained. Sometimes, our security men are not well. They bear no arm. Every top politician in this country has gone abroad. When you see policemen abroad, all their waists are loaded with gadgets, but it is not so in this country; ours carry guns that don’t respond when fired.

It should be included in our education curriculum that every student should be trained to fight. That is what makes Israel one of the greatest nations in the world when it comes to security. Whether they are women, boys or girls, they must be trained. So, to me, that should be introduced in the curriculum of the school system if our leaders would not mind.

My piece of advice to politicians is that they should know that it is people they will rule over. They should have the heart of leadership.

As a leader, which of the regions will you say should produce the next president come 2023?

To me, a leader who does not have integrity, love for this country and youths at heart, should resign. A leader should be one who lives an exemplary life.

I am not from the East, but if you ask me, I will tell you let us get somebody from the eastern part of this country. Let the Igbos know that they are not conquered, but that they have contributed to the good of this country. As a matter of fact, those who have done more for this country are the people from the East. You find these people in all the parts of the country because of the grace upon them in the area of trade. So, let someone who has displayed leadership qualities in one way or the other become the next president in 2023.

What’s your advice to South-South governors as regards the current insecurity bedeviling the nation?

In the area of insecurity, I want the South-South governors to come together as a group and let them see how best they can organise security personnel in equipping and training them. They should also set up insurance for their families in case anyone dies.

What is your advice on the boundary dispute rocking Isokoland?

Before I say anything about that, I want to appeal to all Nigerians not to fight themselves because of lack of boundaries? This is also where the government should come in. As a sincere government, you have to set boundaries. Things like this do not happen in America, because the government there is sincere. Isoko are not many, so let’s learn from the Yoruba and Itsekiri; they may have disagreement, but when it comes to politics, they come together.

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