Buhari’s false prophets don’t address issues raised
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
“Nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17 NKJV).
Muhammadu Buhari’s false prophets are yet to take up the gauntlet thrown down by Matthew Kukah for a public debate on government policies a week after he swooped on their lies, their distortions, and distractions and gave a robust defence of his position.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese on 19 April gave the challenge to the President’s spokespersons, Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu, and Lai Mohammed, when he chastised them on ARISE TV for deploying distractions instead of addressing issues raised.
“They [should] choose the venue and choose the time and just let me know. I will like to sit down with the three of them, beginning with their honourable Minister [Lai Mohammed] and both of them; let us sit down and talk about Nigeria,” Kukah said.
“These are the only spokesmen that have spent a lot of time buying photocopy papers and simply typing away texts. They have been involved in all kinds of writing of the poorest quality; [they] never talk about the issues.
“The first thing is to show you their inefficiency, because they are used to writing statements as opposed to talking to Nigerians about policy. And all that this tells you is that 99.9 per cent of the things they write are simply second-guessing what’s in the President’s mind.
“They have no contact with the President, they have no contact with government policy and all they are doing is writing on behalf of the President. There is nowhere in the world where the job of this nature is being done [like this] and has been done so poorly.”
Kukah stood his ground that Shehu, being a Muslim, is not equipped to teach him what Easter message to preach to the Church on 17 April, an incompetence he stressed shows by Shehu quoting Bible passages out of context in reply to the sermon.
But Kukah was more scathing in his criticism of Adesina, saying being a Christian, he should have used his influence positively by correctly educating Shehu on The Bible.
Taking on Buhari on his corruption
Part of Kukah’s criticism of Buhari, which he repeated in his Easter sermon on 17 April, is that Buhari has expanded and legitimised corruption and destroyed every fabric of life in Nigeria.
Three days earlier, Buhari had on 14 April amplified his status as an enabler of corruption when he released from prison former Governors Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba), both of whom were convicted in 2018 for stealing.
Dariye and Nyame were convicted by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
Dariye, who governed Plateau from 1999 to 2007, was found guilty of laundering N1.12 billion public funds and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
His prison term was reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja but his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Nyame governed Taraba from 1999 to 2007. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing N1.64 billion from the treasury, a judgment also upheld by the Supreme Court.
Buhari’s pardon came as a shock to many, including officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), who said it has dampened their morale.
“We used to say our problem in our work against corruption is the judiciary but we see a lack of political will by the President,” said one EFCC official who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation.
“Staff are angrier because the two former Governors were tried for over a decade and got convicted. They are saying that the corrupt public servants even made appeals but their conviction was affirmed by Nigeria’s apex court.”
The Bible says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3 NKJV).
Two people cannot walk together unless they agree. Buhari cannot tolerate corruption and encourage and facilitate corrupt people to continue in their ways unless he himself is corrupt.
In his heart, therefore, Buhari is an epitome of corruption despite his posture of self-righteousness. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).
The core of a man is what he thinks in his heart.
The way a man reasons determines and propels his actions.
Kukah doing his job as a man of God
The Biblical truth is that Kukah is doing his job effectively as a man of God by warning Buhari and his cohorts to stop their unrighteous rule, which is a sin that will lead them to hell unless they repent. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 KJV).
Genuine believers in Jesus Christ are to pray “for all men, for kings and all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV) and to “honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17 NKJV).
Genuine believers are also to alert rulers to their wrongdoing. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2 KJV).
Biblical examples of criticising leaders who do wrong
All the prophets of God in the Old Testament, from Samuel (1 Samuel 15:1-23) to Malachi (Malachi 3:8-9), were inspired by God to criticise kings for their idolatry and misrule, and to warn them and other citizens against sin so they would not go to hell.
- Nathan went up to David and reproved him over his adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 12:1-15).
- Elijah (1 Kings 17:1) criticised Ahab to his face for forsaking “the commandments of the LORD” and for degenerating into idolatry (1 Kings 18:17-18).
- In the New Testament, John the Baptist told Herod that it was not lawful for him to marry his brother Philip’s wife (Mark 6:17-18; Luke 3:19-20).
- Those Jesus Christ publicly chastised the most in His earthly ministry were the scribes and the Pharisees, leaders of the Jews; for their insincerity, for misleading the people, and for putting yokes on them (Matthew 23:13-33; Luke 11:39-44).
- Jesus Christ ate with Pharisees (Luke 14:1-35; 15:1-32) and ate with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:27-32). But it was not to encourage them in disobedience and sin.
- He used the opportunity to point out the error and the sin in their lives, so as to cause them to repent, get born again, and make Heaven.
- Jesus Christ explained at one of such feasts that “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32 KJV).
Even in dealing with a fellow Christian, Paul publicly chided Peter for his hypocrisy in relating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-14).
Biblical purpose of criticism
The Biblical purpose of criticising any wrongdoer, including bad rulers, is to make them see the error of their ways and repent.
Admonishing the ruler when he does wrong is both to save him from going to hell and to make him relent from unrighteous policies which keep the people in physical and spiritual bondage.
When God sent Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh of their impending doom because of their sins, both the king and the people repented.
“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 1:1-2; 3:3-6, 10 NKJV).
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Related articles:
Buhari as mini antiChrist wasting Nigeria
Buhari’s pardon dampens morale of EFCC, ICPC officials
Kukah says Nigerians are suffocating under Buhari
Buhari slipping Northern Nigeria into ‘Arewanistan’, says Kukah
Under Buhari, even lawmakers are stealing billions, says ICPC
Buhari ignores yearly $4b oil theft, insists on taking loans
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Adesina, Shehu soiling their own names
Kukah rightly pointed out on television on 19 April that both Adesina and Shehu fail in their duties to explain government policies and both avoid question and answer sessions with journalists to hide their incompetence.
One of the good examples he cited is in the United States where President Joe Biden’s Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, holds daily press conferences with journalists along with question and answer segments, broadcast live around the world.
The PUNCH had called out both Adesina and Shehu in an editorial on 10 March, exposing them as hiding behind issuing “ineffectual statements” to try justify the serial failings of Buhari.
The media and the public now expect them and Mohammed – if they are up to the real job of spokesmen, instead of being mercenaries – to face Kukah in a public debate on government policies on ARISE TV, the platform on which Kukah bared his mind.
One of the moderators of the debate should be Reuben Abati who was on the panel that interviewed Kukah on 19 April when he threw the challenge to the Buhari henchmen.
Abati has experience of presidential spokesmanship, having played the role for former President Goodluck Jonathan for four years, from 2011 to 2015.
The public expects the debate to be broadcast live across the world on ARISE TV, picked up on social media, and published by other media outlets, both print and online.
Public demand for the debate is echoed by veteran journalist Sonala Olumhense in his article titled, “Bishop Kukah’s challenge”, published in The PUNCH and in a letter to the editor written by Kene Obiezu, titled “Kukah’s bait”, published in The Nation.
To put pressure on Adesina, Shehu, and Mohammed – the liars brazenly and shamelessly lying for Buhari – PREMIUM TIMES published at the weekend an extended transcript of the interview ARISE TV did with Kukah.
The publication is reproduced below.
Subtitles are added for easy reading and comprehension.
Easter metaphor
Kukah has responded to a taunt by the Presidency that he should join partisan politics.
The Presidency had spoken in reaction to Kukah’s Easter message, titled “To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor”, in which he said Buhari’s administration has enthroned corruption and destroyed every aspect of life in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Adesina, the Presidency accused Kukah of hatred of Buhari and of playing politics in the most un-Christian way while millions of Christians commemorated Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
But in an interview with ARISE News on 19 April, which was monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, Kukah doubled down on his criticism, stressing the dangers of nepotism and accusing the administration of inability to handle diversity.
He also challenged Buhari’s spokespersons to a debate on the situation of Nigeria.
Below are excerpts from the interview.
ARISE News: Well, Bishop Kukah, I am looking at ThisDay newspaper, Page 5 story. It says, quoting The Bible, Presidency tells Kukah to avoid foolish controversy, dissensions.
And somewhere down the line, you were referred, by Garba Shehu in this instance, to James 1 verse 27, that what you should be doing; you should be visiting orphans and widows, instead of generating controversies and dissensions.
And if you want to join politics, both Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina claim, saying you should just dump the scapular and join partisan politics; because in their reckoning, your Eastern homely was not about Christ, it was about partisan politics.
Are you guilty as charged?
Bishop Kukah: Well, I do not know whether any of them [Adesina, Shehu] has the ability or capacity to think about guilt or no guilt. But let me, first of all, set the record straight. I delivered my sermon to my congregation in our cathedral, so the hearers or the bearers of the message were primarily the good people of the Diocese of Sokoto.
And of course, I am not unaware of the state of mind of my two friends, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, when it comes to talking about Bishop Kukah. They seem to suspend reason unless, of course, Garba Shehu has plans to convert to Christianity, is a closest Christian or an anonymous Christian.
I appreciate the fact that when it comes to talking, he has not quoted the holy Quran and all he does is end up with some convoluted interpretations of The Bible that are embarrassing in their contexts.
And I am surprised that Femi Adesina, who I believe is a regular Christian in the Four Square Gospel Church, I am surprised that he is unable to help his friend put the facts together.
But let me simply say I have made an offer to them and I still make the offer that they choose the venue and choose the time and just let me know. I will like to sit down with the three of them, beginning with their honourable Minister [Lai Mohammed] and both of them; let us sit down and talk about Nigeria.
I am ready to pay my way. And I still repeat that offer to them.
Inefficiency of Buhari’s spokesmen
Dr Abati, you have been a spokesperson for the President and I am sure you know better than anybody else. In your time, as a spokesperson, I do not remember that I read messages written by you because the job of a spokesperson, which you did extremely well, was to highlight and elaborate, debate and put to the public government policies and what government intends to do, and use it as an opportunity to clarify government policies as they affect governance and the people.
These are the only spokesmen that have spent a lot of time buying photocopy papers and simply typing away texts. They have been involved in all kinds of writing of the poorest quality; [they] never talk about the issues.
The first thing is to show you their inefficiency, because they are used to writing statements as opposed to talking to Nigerians about policy. And all that this tells you is that 99.9 per cent of the things they write are simply second-guessing what’s in the President’s mind.
They have no contact with the President, they have no contact with the government policy and all they are doing is writing on behalf of the President. There is nowhere in the world where the job of this nature is being done [like this] and has been done so poorly.
Historical involvement in governance
If you may please indulge me, because I need to explain to you and to Nigerians where I am coming from. Let me cut it short by talking about the last 20 years.
Abati, we are no strangers to one another. We knew where we were in 1999 before democracy. I need to state where I am coming from so people can understand by context why I feel the way I feel.
The first thing to say is that I have served three successive or even four Presidents since 1999. I served in the Oputa panel, I served as a member of the Electoral Reform Committee, and I was appointed Secretary of the Political Reform Conference.
I spent about seven years, beginning from the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration right through to this government, going in between Abuja, Kaduna and Ogoniland to reconcile the people of Ogoniland with Shell.
My book will be out before the year runs out.
So I am saying, therefore, I was also crucial to the signing of the second peace accord between Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
And if you excuse me, Abati, I have never told you this and we have never spoken about this, but you played a very critical role that Nigerians do not know and you probably do not even remember.
When it came to the signing of that accord, you were the one person at the time that [could like us with] Johnathan …
We had planned a meeting with Jonathan and the meeting didn’t happen because Buhari and John Oyegun and all their team had all moved to Lagos because [Bola] Tinubu was celebrating his birthday, and given his status in the APC, his birthday was more or less like a public holiday for the APC.
So Buhari could not be at the meeting because the Peace Committee had decided that they wanted the two of them [Buhari and Jonathan] to sit down, based on the things we had heard, and we were hearing, as you can remember, Buhari’s famous statement about the elections and the outcome, that if the election did not succeed it would be blood for the monkey and blood for the dog.
Defusing political tension in 2015
All of us were aware of the tension that existed in the country at that time. I was responsible, led by [former Head of State Abubakar] Abdulalami, in getting both men to sign the Peace Accord.
The point I want to make is that on the morning of that day, just two days before the election when Buhari had agreed, finally we were able to track him down and he agreed he was going to meet with us at 8am.
But we did not know how to meet with Jonathan who had told us he was flying to Asaba, Delta State at 9am. If you remember [Abati], I called you and I was able to reach you on the phone and I told you that “We have a text of the Peace Accord that we wanted Jonathan to please sign, can you help take the text to him?”
And I asked you if you had your iPad with you and you responded yes. Then I sent you the mail. And you took it to former Jonathan and he signed it.
And I was able to persuade Jonathan to shift his journey to Asaba and come sign the Peace Accord. And the rest is history. I am saying so because I am not a stranger to the process we are in.
Everyone should answer his father’s name
While we were sweating and doing all these things, Femi Adesina was being paid a salary by Orji Kalu and he did a good job in The Sun newspapers as a journalist. Garba Shehu was working for former Vice President Abubakar Atiku. And Lai Mohammed was working for Tinubu.
So I think everybody should be able to answer his father’s name. And I can say that the reason why I am emotional and passionate about the things of this country and where we are today is because I have paid my dues.
Let each and every one of my critics tell me where they were at the most critical moments in Nigeria’s history. It is not that now that people’s bank accounts have swollen that they can probably try to preach the gospel to others that they themselves do not believe in.
In recent months, you have been quoted as saying among other things that you are opposed to nepotism and insecurity, not Buhari, that Buhari still takes your calls even though you are highly critical of him.
And you recently supported his position even though he was criticised for declining his assent to the electoral bill because of that clause making direct primaries compulsory. You said that you agreed with that position.
So my question here is what is your response to the fact that you have been accused of hatred of Buhari and his government and there is some kind of personal vendetta against the President?
As I said, you know my two friends [Adesina and Shehu] are desperate to be seen as doing their jobs.
Nigerians, including those who can barely read, know that they have done a terrible job in their assignment because, as I said in the beginning, as spokespersons to the President, all you have to see is what the spokespersons of the President of the United States of America are doing and what the spokesperson of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is doing.
As I have said, when was the last time you saw either Adesina or Garba sitting and addressing the Nigerian media by taking questions from them?
Buhari knows that I have the greatest respect for him. And I believe he is a gentleman. But for me, as the President of Nigeria, he has done a terribly bad job. Nothing I am saying is new. Tell me all the messages that I delivered that I was wrong and we can talk about that.
But for me, a Muslim [Shehu] would be the last one to tell me what an Easter message should contain. You see, I understand all these things and Buhari knows himself that it is nothing personal.
The President said [one thing] to me and I was humbled, because I heard rumours that people were telling me the President was angry with me because I have said things.
I had said at the beginning of the life of this administration that “please get on with the job of governance and the fighting of corruption can go on pari pasu, as one should not cancel out the other.”
The Buhari apparatchik all descended on me. Today, 99 per cent of [them] are now the ones asking me what did I see that the rest of Nigerians did not see?
The President said [one thing to me] as I asked him whether he had heard and how he felt. The President said, in quote; you can quote me verbally. He said, “Bishop Kukah, I know where you stand on any issue in Nigeria.”
Public position on issues
What has connected me with Buhari and what has connected me with 99 per cent of Nigerian Muslims is not the Catholic Church. It is my public position on a lot of things. And I am not saying this because I expect people to agree with me.
And I have said this several times, Nigerians have been extraordinarily magnanimous, because I have not heard many people saying to me “We disagree with you.” And I have never spoken because I know the issues.
The primary beneficiary of the things I am saying is myself. And I speak my mind. If you agree with me or you do not agree with me, let us clarify the issues.
Does not attack Buhari’s person or character
So for me, all these people saying I am attacking the President, where did I attack the President? Because I did not attack his person.
Is it about nepotism, is it an issue that is a stranger to us? And the two critical things that I have fundamental disagreement with this President on, is his inability to manage diversity effectively and efficiently.
I have studied diversity as a subject and I understand what I am talking about. The second thing is that those who think that these things are about Buhari … I have never dealt with the issue of his character because I believe he is a gentleman.
But as far as being the President of Nigeria is concerned, we are talking about two different things.
And, please, just indulge me. There was an interview that former First Lady, the late Stella Obasanjo of blessed memory, granted to a State House magazine. She was asked many questions about her husband.
They asked her to rank her husband, as a husband, as a President and as a father. It was very interesting because I remember that interview. Mrs Obasanjo said “as a President of Nigeria, I rank my husband between 80 and 90 per cent because I live with him and I know he is doing very well.”
But as a father, I think she ranked him maybe 30-40 per cent, then as a husband she scored him 30 per cent or something of that nature.
Aisha also disagrees with Buhari’s policies
What am I saying? I am not the first person to disagree with Buhari’s policies. His own wife [Aisha] has done so.
I live in Northern Nigeria and I can tell you the things one is hearing every blessed day. And you do not need to hear them, all you need to do is to be alert.
So these guys [Adesina and Shehu] should not be sitting in their air-conditioned offices drinking coffee and thinking that somehow everything is just hunky dory, it is just that we do not seem to appreciate.
Let them disagree with the text of my sermon or any of the things I have written.
I think it was a couple of months ago you made a Christmas message that a lot of people reacted to it. In fact, some were even calling for attacks on you and your life.
I will like to know how you live to know all of these calls for attacks by these various groups. And also, you had the chance to speak with the international body in America and you made some vital recommendations about the things going on in Nigeria.
For the goodwill of elucidation during the Easter period, we will like to get those copious notes on how we can fix a lot of our problems, needling problems I should say.
First, I should say in another month or so, my new book titled: Broken Tongues for Elusive Quest for Coercion in Nigeria”, which is a collection of some of my convocation lectures, would be out and it would illustrate to you some of my agonies and some of my struggles.
Look, I am a Christian and I think anybody who has a good level of faith must also be convinced that you do not measure what you are saying by his many hands in support of you. It is only truth that validates itself.
I have never tried to speak because I want people to agree with me. I have only spoken my mind and I have always constantly thanked all the media that have made this opportunity available to me.
What I will tell you on Monday I will tell you on Tuesday. And what I will tell you in the morning I will as well tell you at night.
Making moral choices
I am sorry I have got my own faults but even my worst enemies would tell you that what I would not do is prevaricate, especially when we are dealing with a very clear issue of moral choices.
And during my time in America, I tell you that 90 per cent of the many things that were said were actually based on ignorance because people did not understand the context of what happened.
Generally, including my friends from the Presidency, I went to address the American congress and I told the American congress bad things about Nigeria. And unfortunately for many of us, the Americans know far more about what is happening in our country than anybody.
And secondly, I did not go to address the American Congress. I went to a conference and I had three platforms. (At) the conference, I spoke about the theme of the conference which was on religious persecution of Christians specifically. I spoke on the prosecution of Christians.
My Muslim critics say why did I not speak about the killing of Muslims. I said another speaker was asked to speak on the killing of Muslims and I said sorry I wasn’t in the position to amend what I said. And again, can you name one single thing that I said that you can disagree with?
Contextually, that was why I took the time to tell you where I have come from in the discussion about Nigeria and I feel that I have just little to prove to Nigerians about where my heart is regarding this country.
A lot of the guys are saying what they are saying was not where we were with Lai Mohammed and Tinubu and all the members of NADECO and all the difficult things we had to deal with.
Responsibility to provoke public conversation
Yesterday (18 April), my good friend, [Ekiti Governor] Kayode Fayemi, and I were just joking and laughing over the phone about the [Easter] message. Because of the kind of background he has come from the struggle, I used to joke with him that he was the first person to start up a pirate radio and this is where you have ended up.
So the problem with our situation in Nigeria is that there is no consistency in the system. There are very few people that can tell you these are the things that have qualified us to be here. Now if the elections hold, many of these people who are presidential spokespersons today may have to find another job somewhere.
So for me, if it is talking about Nigeria, just ask me the questions or where you think my analysis is wrong – and, of course, I am not saying because I am right but this is how I feel.
So when people react, I am actually very happy because they do not have to agree with me. I am a public intellectual. My responsibility and duty is to provoke conversation.
But we are living in a semi-feudal environment where people would think the man is talking and the woman too is talking and big men are talking and small men are talking.
We are in a democracy and a good number of the operators of this system do not understand the ingredients of democracy. They think democracy is about building roads and seeing the infrastructure we are working on. No!
I think the thing that makes democracy what it is is intangible and they are about freedom of expression. They are about expanding the frontiers of freedom of human imagination and thinking. So any attempt to limit those ideas, democracy collapses. And it is [also] about managing diversity.
Facts in the public domain bear me out, he says
So if I tell you the way I feel about what this government has done, I know what I am talking about, the facts bear me out and the records are there about how we are fighting insecurity.
Have we ever had a time in Nigeria when we say all the people holding security positions in Nigeria are all Christians and all Muslims and are from one tribe?
How do you run a country like that? On issues as sensitive [as this], you go to the [US] FBI and CIA, they are all learning Igbo and some speak Igbo and speak Yoruba. You have to have listening devices across the board.
The evils of nepotism
Nepotism is horrible, it is evil, precisely because it denies you as a leader an opportunity to hear other voices and what you have. All of you end up in an echo chamber where all of you are speaking the same language and thinking the same.
.
For me, when I speak like this, if my mother or father happens to be the President of Nigeria – and they are not because all of them are no more – I will take the same position if there is any evidence that everybody is not being carried along.
You cannot satisfy everybody, but at least give people the impression that they matter. You were not invited by people from one religion or region.
For me, what we are doing is killing democracy. And by allowing banditry to gain the kind of scope it has gained, we are actually trying to use democracy to kill democracy.
Those are the things that I am passionate about. And that is why I am resistant to anything that tries to close those doors of opportunity.
You talked about Caesar and God as part of the problems we have in Nigeria. Can we resolve that conflict between Caesar and God as we move towards a new transition in Nigerian politics?
And you said the system has broken down and you provided more than enough illustration of how we [can] fix this broken system called Nigeria.
Well, Abati, remember that every Nigerian who raised his hands to say he wanted to be President or Governor told us what they were going to do.
And I have never taken Buhari out of the promises he made to Nigerians. And I am saying to his so-called spokespersons, let them tell me and give us chapter and verse and tell me all the promises that were made. There is a box we can tick.
Need to scrutinise leaders
For me, those are the issues we should be talking about. The people who are now telling you they want to be your President believe that they will solve the problems of Nigeria.
And your responsibility and duty, and I put it in my statement, is that we must now look at a gift horse in the mouth.
We are no longer interested in the promise you are making because politics in Nigeria has always been surrounded; where all these parties, the PDP and the APC just carry their people, pay a few women and poor people to gather in the stadium for a few minutes and clap for themselves and everybody goes home.
We must now insist – because we are better educated than the people asking for these positions on the other side. This is where the professors are, and this is why we have this great tragedy that universities in Nigeria have not been given the respect that they deserve.
And the fact that our universities are closed suggests that we have opted and opened the doors for the bandits. So most of these things that we are talking about are a result of politics without the refining ingredients of intellectualism and diagnosis.
It is our duty and it is the business of the media – and I thank ThisDay for now opening up this opportunity – but it should not be a monologue.
Nigerians, we must create the opportunity to be able to interrogate all these people [leaders and aspiring leaders] and design the mechanisms.
[These are] the reasons why people like us are talking, [but] my opponents like the spokespersons of the President think that “we have cast our votes, let us all go to sleep. And the obligation we have is to pray for our leaders.”
Misinterpretation of The Bible
And that takes me to answer your question about Caesar and God.
Abati, I am a priest and I have studied a bit of theology, so I understand this issue. So I am not going to take lectures from illiterates who do not understand Scripture.
The idea of the debate between Caesar and God, if you remember the text in The Bible, what was the issue? They approached Jesus and they said, are we to pay a tax to Caesar or what are we supposed to do?
Jesus responded and said give Me the coin, whose image is on the coin? And they responded, it was that of Caesar. Then Jesus said to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
Nigerians in their naivety, let me say secular analysts across the world, have taken this to mean that Jesus was talking about the separation of religion and politics only superficially.
The real context of what Jesus was saying, which you could only insinuate by extrapolation [is that] Jesus said “okay the coin belongs to Caesar.” So Caesar has dominion over the coin. But who is Caesar answerable to? Caesar is answerable to God.
Therefore, [both] the coin and Caesar belong to God.
And that is why you say politics should be an art, it is a call from God and it should be an art of serving God.
So those who think that what Jesus was saying is that politics is here and religion is here, and all these journalists who are telling me, “Bishop, please go back if you want to be a politician” – you are journalists, were you trained to go and work for any President?
I understand that I am political but I am not a politician.
