Gyang Bere, Jos

General Overseer, Evangelical Outreach MinistriesInternational, Prophet Isa El-Buba has urged the Federal Government to releaseall political detainees. In this interview, he speaks on the need for Nigeriansto pull their strength together and move the country forward and other issues.

 

How do you advise the Federal Government to tackle thecountry’s security challenges?

If you look at the recent events in Zamfara State where the governmentwas negotiating with bandits, who are supposed to be classified as terrorists aswell as paying them while innocent people were proscribed, you can say we are buildinga nation of falsehood. I think we can have a good society; any society that isgoing to work must be a society that comes to the table to face the reality andlook at things objectively and critically to bring healing to the system. Iknow it is not every Fulani man that is a killer but the question we must askis where did these killer Fulani herdsmen come from? They have taken overeverywhere in the country that you can’t travel by road again. These are theones we should call terrorists.

Are you satisfied with the way the security agencies haveresponded to these security challenges?

If the way the security forces respond on those opposing thecurrent administration is the same way they respond to criminality in thecountry, I think we are going to have a difference. I am asking that asNigerians, we must know that if we don’t help this government to do what isright, we will all suffer the consequences. For me and some few Nigerians, wehave chosen to fight the right fight of faith to awaken the government to areality that what is going on is not right. The economy is so bad that for thefirst time, Nigeria is coming tops in the suicidal index, the number ofsuicides in the country in the past few weeks is alarming. The security is alsoso bad that personnel of our security agencies are being killed daily in Borno State.This is first-hand information I got from people there. The truth is thatthings are not well, I appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to wake up and facethe reality of the things. We want to see a Nigeria where our economy is reallyworking, a country where we will see a new breed of Nigerians without greed, aNigeria where we will see righteousness and peace. God said that the throne ofa king should be established on righteousness, the throne of our leadership isnot established on righteousness. People who were suspected of stealing ourresources were charged to court for corruption but some others were left alone.You can’t be playing two cards and telling Nigerians that you are a man oftruth and honesty. I am sick that people from the age of 50 to 70 years arejust playing on the intelligence of Nigerians and the future of the country. Wehave to face the reality and build this country but not on falsehood and lies.I have travelled across this country, and I have seen certain projects goingon, yet it is not commensurate with the amount of money reportedly recovered. I’mpained and I feel for the younger generation. I see many youths of this countrythat are futureless and this is because of the crop of leaders that we have. Ifwe don’t do what is right in this country to help ourselves, no other personwill do it for us. We are the people that will fix our country and make itwork. You can imagine the massive number of our youths that are dropping out ofschools. I see leadership that tells lies to the followers. They may suppresspeople today but you can’t suppress them forever.

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The administration of President Buhari is facing severalcriticisms. What do you advise him to do?

Leadership is the capacity to lead your people to a place ofdestination, and if you fail in that regard, you have failed your people, youhave failed the generation to come. I want to advise Nigerian people that it istime we harness our strength together and begin to think rightly. In the daysahead, we are going to unveil a brighter and greater Nigeria; you are going tosee our offices across the country. We are trying to register over 20 millionNigerians across the 36 states for the better and greater Nigeria.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo raised alarm over theFulanisation of Nigeria and said the country is drifting towards another civilwar? What is your take on that?

That is just the truth, we are drifting towards lawlessnessand when we have lawlessness, basically it is war. You talk about war and warhas different dimensions. People are beginning to retreat gradually andplanning in the dark and it is going to be very destructive. I have spoken withsome key leaders on how to put things properly in place in Nigeria, so that wedon’t get to that place. The truth is that the Fulanisation of this country isan agenda, it is something that is going on.

The All Progressives Congress (APC)-led FederalGovernment is accused of being intolerant of opposition. Do you have anyadvice?

I am deeply pained by the events that are unfolding eachpassing day; as citizens, we have the responsibility of saving our nation.Looking at the depth of things in terms of democracy, our desire is to seeNigeria as a democratic nation where democracy is practised in practical terms,where freedom of the people is guaranteed. I am deeply pained by the way theIslamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) is treated and the continued detention of itsleader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky. I also feel pained by the arrest and detentionof Mr. Omoyele over the #RevolutionNow protest. If truly we are a democraticnation, the APC government should give the opposition the same kind of freedomit had when it was in the opposition. I remember that at that time the APC ledprotests and none of them was arrested. The sitting President at that timeallowed everybody to voice out their grievances for the government to hear andwork towards addressing them.