Anthony Okogie, archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos Metropolitan See, held a press conference as part of activities marking his 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest.
Okogie, a social critic for decades, also spoke on issues germane to national survival. TEMITOPE OJO reports excerpts.
How life has treated you
It has not been all that smooth. The beginning was fair and I thank the good Lord for it. I was brought up in the Christian way and taught by my parents that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
My parents instilled in me that once I have the fear of the Lord everything would work out well, which is what has been keeping me.
Most memorable days
During my early days as a priest, when I was asked to go to the war front, I trembled and ran to my bishop thinking I would be assigned somewhere else. But he said I should go, that there were human beings in the war front.
Another time was when my junior was promoted and I began to wonder if I would have to start calling him “my lord”.
He came to the cathedral and I asked him what I should call him. He told me that in two weeks’ time my own promotion would come. In the same month, I was made the auxiliary bishop of Oyo and rejected by my own people.
It is one incident that I try to forget, but thank God it did not drag for along.
Two months later, when everything was calm and I was doing my work, I was brought back to Lagos as an auxiliary bishop. I was finally made an archbishop in 1973.
Nigerian democracy
A large chunk of my years as the archbishop of Lagos was devoted to speaking out against all forms of injustice and oppression of the downtrodden by those in positions of authority.
Though a clergy, I believe that it is the right of every citizen to aspire to actualise his God-ordained destiny within the framework of the larger society.
It is also my firm conviction that one should never be silent or docile when his or her fundamental rights are being unjustly trampled upon by those who have sworn by the Constitution to safeguard the welfare of all law abiding citizens.
These, to a large extent, have for years defined my guiding principles, actions, and utterances as a clergy and a citizen of Nigeria.
For instance, during my years as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and also as two-term president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), during the Ibrahim Babangida military era, I did not shy away from saying the Gospel truth whenever it was obvious the country was being led stray by the leadership.
How well these agitations have been sustained to achieve set goals over time is a topic for another day.
Current state of the nation
Though I may not be as visible as I used to be, I have, however, not relented in my commitment and desire to see to the entrenchment of a truly egalitarian society where justice, equity, and the fear of God would reign supreme.
These have always been my desire. You may say that at my age, since I am near the departure wing to heaven, I should be indifferent to the numerous challenges confronting the country. I beg to disagree.
How can I remain quiet when 17 years into our democratic dispensation, the ship of our nation is being tossed about by self-inflicted storms that are drowning innocent lives by the day?
How can I keep mute when Nigerians have continuously been taken for a ride over the years by our politicians, who, rather than serve the masses, play them like the game of chess?
I want to affirm that as long as the good Lord gives me strength and the breath of life, I will never remain silent while this country is in turmoil.
On Sunday, May 29, we marked Democracy Day under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but is there much to really celebrate?
Seventeen years into our democratic dispensation, have we really matured as a nation? What lessons have we learnt from the errors of the past and what efforts are we making to avoid a repeat?
The swearing in of President Muhammadu Buhari last year was perceived as a major milestone in the people’s quest for positive change and improvement in their quality of life. But a year later, the people are still grumbling.
Indeed, the hardship has even doubled.
I want to make it clear here that I do not belong to any political party. I am only a concerned Nigerian who is saying it as he sees it.
Buhari may mean well for the country but, so far, his actions and utterances have failed to help put food on the table of the average Nigerian. This government needs technocrats.
For a long time people have been talking about farming and they gave it deaf ears, now they are talking about it but how much money have they given to farming to improve it? What are they doing with the money they are getting from the looters?
Implications of oil pipeline vandalism
For the years that the late President Musa Yar’Adua and his successor, Goodluck Jonathan, held sway, we saw a drastic reduction in the activities of militants in the Niger Delta.
Unfortunately, the militants are now back to the trenches under different pseudonyms. Their recent attacks on oil facilities in the region are daily crippling the country’s capacity to produce oil optimally.
The oil and gas pipelines ruptured in Warri West Local Government Area have also worsened the electricity generation plan of the government. For how long will this continue?
One fact is certain. Ours is a mono-economy that relies solely on oil for our foreign exchange (forex) earnings.
With the sorry state of our economy, we cannot at this crucial time afford a further breakdown of oil production in the Niger Delta. That would further place the country’s finance in a precarious situation.
There is a popular saying that to jaw jaw is better than to war war. I am equally aware that Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the militants.
Some days ago, the dailies reported that the military invaded Gbaramatu believed to be the home town of a wanted former militant, Tompolo.
While condemning the disruption of oil facilities under any guise, I equally want to stress that the use of military force is not the best solution.
Curbing herdsmen killings
One of the most contentious issues facing the present administration is the carnage allegedly linked to Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the country. We are all too familiar with the Agatu killings and those of Nimbo in Enugu State.
First, I want to express my sincere condolence to the families of the deceased and pray that the good Lord will comfort them in their period of grief.
The loss of lives in any form is very sad, particularly if such lives are cut short in such tragic circumstances as the attacks by the herdsmen. Such barbaric acts only dehumanise us.
Some have opined that the failure of Buhari to make a public pronouncement immediately the issue came to national discourse is borne out of his affinity to those concerned.
That aside, I want to reiterate that it is the responsibility of the government to safeguard the lives of citizens. No life is more important than another.
The questions many are asking are: who provided the herdsmen with AK 47 weapons? Are the herdsmen truly Nigerians or Boko Haram sect members, particularly as global terrorist watchers have listed them as terrorists?
However, I am glad at the outcome of the recent visit of Catholic bishops to Buhari during which he ordered the law enforcement agencies to quickly fish out the perpetuators of the dastardly acts and bring them to book.
If the identity and judicial trials of the perpetuators are made public, it will also assuage the grief of the affected communities in the knowledge that justice has been done.
Buhari’s fight against corruption
One of the major campaign slogans of the APC last year during the electioneering was the fight against corruption.
Coming at the wake of alleged endemic looting credited to the past administration, cleansing the land of supposed corrupt elements was perceived as a sure way of stabilising the country and entrenching speedy growth and development.
The past one year has seen the present administration making spirited efforts to recover looted funds and prosecute the offenders.
Despite these, Nigeria’s perceived reputation as one of the most corrupt nations on earth was reiterated by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on the eve of an international parley when he branded Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”.
The psychological impact of that statement made before Queen Elizabeth is still fresh in the minds of many of us.
While it is true that corruption has become endemic in this country, I also want to stress unequivocally that there are still men and women of high integrity who have not sold their birthrights to the monster called corruption.
I commend Buhari for his commitment to clean the polity. There is also need for him to be more systematic in the fight so that even after he leaves office the structure in place would make it difficult for corruption to thrive.
There have been complaints by members of the opposing party that the fight has been selective and only targeted at the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party).
Buhari must respond to this proactively by allowing the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to truly work independently, based on facts and figures at its disposal.
Handling agitation for Biafra
Many of us who witnessed the pogrom that was the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970 have yet to come to terms with the devastating effects. That is why it is imperative that we do not have a repeat of the civil war, God forbid.
Buhari should, therefore, do the needful by releasing Nnamdi Kanu [leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB] as a sign that he is ready to dialogue with the group.
He must remember that it is the right of any group to peacefully seek for secession if it feels marginalised. The use of force is never the right approach to quell such agitation.
Image of CAN
I was there for eight years, some persons were not satisfied because they had a hidden agenda and were questioning if it had to be Catholics alone.
Years ago, almost everybody respected CAN, both in and outside Nigeria. We lost our birthright when Sunday Mbang made a very bad mistake by selling us to [former President] Olusegun Obasanjo. Since then, OBJ lost respect for us.
Whenever we wanted to hold a meeting, we sourced for the resources from our pockets, we did not go to the government for funds; because if you are serving God He will take care of you.
I’m sorry to say that what is happening in CAN is a disgrace to Christianity. And it is going to go on until a God-fearing person heads it.
Abducted Chibok girls
It is good news to hear that some of them are back, though people still doubt if they were among those taken away.
I do not really know how the rescue is going to take place, since the government is not willing to give in to their abductors’ terms.
Buhari describing Jonathan as a patriot for conceding defeat
The truth cannot be hidden. I can remember what the APC said about Jonathan during the election campaign and what people are saying about him as if he did nothing for Nigeria.
That comment coming from Buhari, I think it is an open confession and he too has to be very careful because people are watching him.
Advice to Buhari
The task of building a viable nation calls for the involvement of everyone of us. Evil thrives when good people stay aloof. We must therefore continue to hold our nation accountable.
The days of impunity are over. We must prove to the international community that there are good people among us; that we are not all corrupt as some believe. We must call our leaders to order when they err and commend them when the need arise.
So, my advice to Buhari and his associates is this: do not take the goodwill that you enjoy from Nigerians for granted. Do all that is necessary to revamp the economy before things get out of hand.
The economy in particular needs the input of tested experts. There is no shame in seeking for help in order to formulate policies that would attract foreign investors who would shore up our economic fortunes.
