Henry Okonkwo
The Catholic Bishop of Oyo Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo has decried the rising cases of insecurity and wanton killing of people all over the country, complaining bitterly that President Muhammadu Buhari-led government seems be paying only lip-service instead of making concerted and strategic efforts to stop the killings and carnage orchestrated by blood-thirsty terrorists, herdsmen, bandits, and several other criminal elements.
He made this known amid the continued rise in cases of bloody attacks of communities by insurgents and kidnappers. In this interview, Bishop Badejo, who leads a diocese of over two million Catholic congregants, doubts if this administration has the courage to arrest this ugly situation while advising what the government should do to win back the confidence of Nigerians. Excerpt:
International bodies/government recently called on the Nigerian government over the spate of killings in different parts of the country, which some labelled ‘genocide’ against the Christians. However, the presidency in defense said that these statements are not fair to the efforts made by the government towards quelling the killings. The presidency also adduced that it is wrong to tag the killings as genocide against Christians because Muslims are equally victims of these killers. What do you make of the presidency’s defense?
The Nigerian government is known for simply waving off such allegations without any credible explanation. The presidency laid itself open to all sorts of criticisms because it has simply not done enough to curb the spate of killings in the country. Meanwhile, its body language, in numerous important actions and inactions, does not inspire confidence about its intentions. There is embarrassing lopsidedness in federal appointments, entrusting the entire security apparatus of the nation almost exclusively to officers from a section of the country and a particular religion, and failure to take decisive action when some particular sections of the country are aggrieved. All these do not inspire confidence and do not give much evidence of fair handedness. The mere fact that Muslims too sometimes get killed simply is not enough to calm the kind of allegations coming from the international bodies which you mentioned.
But as a Christian leader have you been impressed with the government’s efforts at curbing the wanton spate of bloodletting in the country?
One hardly needs to be a religious leader to declare that the bloodshed we witness practically every day in Nigeria is unacceptable. The bloodletting is emanating from not one ,but many sources namely insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping, ethnic clashes, the murderous activities of herdsmen, and even killings by security agents. The huge resources which the government claims to have invested in security are not in the least justified by the token result that we are getting. The obstructive stance of the Federal Government and its officials to the effort of some state governments to set up complementary security organs in parts of the country is probably the clearest evidence that there is a good dose of hypocrisy in government’s claim of doing all it can to stop the bloodletting and secure the country. As a Christian leader, my greatest concern is that there is no fair handedness and equity. Therefore, this bloodletting seems to get worse by the day. Human life is sacred and shedding innocent blood portends serious consequences for the nation now and in the future.
So, what would be your advice to the government on ways to ensure better security for all Nigerians?
The government should heed the advice of well-meaning people and reorganize the security set up of the country. It should also return to the constitutional requirement of Federal balance in a multi-ethnic country and deal even-handedly with all. Of course, there are other factors that need attention in order to better the security situation like job creation, prompt prosecution of those who run foul of the law, and applying the rule of law to the high and low alike, etc. The government needs to be a lot more fleet-footed and creative in tackling these.
Clerics are divided on the closure of worship centres in places like Lagos, as a measure to control the spread of Coronavirus. Many feel that it’s a bad move to close worship centres; they argue that it is wrong for the government to focus solely on medical and scientific approaches in fighting COVID-19, and discard the spiritual aspect. Do you agree with this notion?
When the Coronavirus pandemic ₩ struck, all were taken by surprise and we had to shut down everything in order to understand what had hit us. I think that nobody can contest that for it was wise to do so. In gradually reopening the country, states, and cities, the government had a difficult decision to make. Cities like Lagos, for example, present very peculiar challenges. The situation required that all be realistic and take the preservation of life as a paramount objective. However, it is here that the government could have done better by trusting religious leaders more and involving them in decision making about when to open things up and in what measure. With facts and figures backing up the arguments I believe that all would have been better informed. If we are in a democracy then decisions that involve large numbers of the populace in such a key sector as religion must be seen to be consultative. I believe that if the reasons for keeping worship centres closed were scientifically and systematically presented to religious leaders, few would argue against it.
And how would be your advice to clerics that hold such belief?
Religious leaders too must be open to logical and fact-based perspectives in collaborating with the government for the common good. It is true that the care of the soul is more important than the body. It is, however, true that care for the body is more urgent to most people than the spiritual ones. I believe that it is for this reason that markets and parks were gradually opened up before even churches. In reality, the Church or the faithful have never stopped praying. Prayers are truly necessary and indispensable in this kind of situation, but we do know that the Church is in the people and can actually pray in alternative forms, online, in families, in small groups, etc. Transportation, buying, and selling can, however, generally not be done in these forms.
What lessons would you want clerics to learn from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic?
We need to learn that God manifests himself in ways we can never predict and cannot be caged by our conjectures.