National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. Dr. Felix Omobude, who also doubles as the Founder and General Superintendent of New Covenant Gospel Church, Benin City, Edo State, spoke to Senior Correspondent, ARAMIDE OIKELOME on the current state of terror in Nigeria and efforts of government to combat it. He also spoke on PFN’s effort to support victims of insurgency.
Omobude
Sir, it is no longer news that Nigeria is going through a very dark era. It appears that despite the fact we have many Christians in position of power and influence, their impact is not felt. What do you think is responsible for this?
I sincerely believe that these are challenging times for Nigeria, but I am also confident that light will ultimately overcome darkness; good will ultimately overcome evil. I believe that no matter how long, the battle against Boko Haram is a passing phase in Nigeria.
Critics uphold that although Christians have been praying and praying, nothing has changed. Instead of the prayers working, things are getting worse. What is the place of prayers when there is no change?
Well, the question they would have also asked is; what would the situation have been if there were no prayers? Is there no possibility that Boko Haram would have overrun the whole nation? People forget so easily but as a leader, I know that every Sunday we have been praying to avert one problem or the other, asking God to save the country. The situation is totally not hopeless. Yes! On the one hand. it is escalating, but I do believe that the darker the night, the brighter the day. I believe that there is no night so long that day will not break; so, people who say they are not feeling the impact of prayer should think again.
One would have expected that Christian leaders in CAN and PFN would rally round Mr. President at such a time as this and help him proffer solution to the insurgency challenge. Is there anything PFN is doing in terms of giving useful suggestions on how to manage the situation?
Well, I am pleasantly surprised that you are asking this kind of question, because what people have said most of the time, for example, is that the CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, is a part of Jonathan’s cabinet as people have accused him of being too close to government.
Yes, we will support President Jonathan. We see Nigeria as our constituency, and the leader who does right will be supported. The church is in partnership with the government when they are doing what is right. The insurgency challenge is for the nation, not just Mr. President. It is a challenge for every Nigerian. So, we are with him, we support him in all our prayers. We give him necessary counsel where opportunity avails. We will do that for any president who gives us the platform. I believe that the President has fared well. I am not a politician; people have been criticising Jonathan, but given the circumstance and monumental challenges he has faced, which no president in this nation had faced, I think we should be fair to say he has tried.
Given that the challenge is overwhelming, don’t you think there are still some things that the President ought to do that he is not doing?
Well, I would not want to use the word overwhelming. Yes, the challenges are there, they are monumental in nature. But a fraction cannot be greater than the whole, no matter how strong the fraction is. I believe that Nigerians should come together – traditional rulers, politicians and all stakeholders, should come together and put aside partisan affiliations. Boko Haram agents are not living in the forest; they have relations, people supply them with weapons. So, what are we talking about? Can we blame President Jonathan? If people resolve and we say ‘Yes, this thing must stop’, then it will. Our military are doing well, doing the best they can; so we should cooperate and give them necessary information. Do not shield evil. The president needs the cooperation of every Nigerian, whether north or south, irrespective of the religion, so that we can end this ugly situation.
Few days ago, mother of the nation, Dame Patience Jonathan, threatened to stage a protest march to Maiduguri if our abducted girls are not released; but people have criticized her outburst, saying it is rather too plastic and coming very late. What is your take on that?
The situation with our abducted daughters is very painful and I feel for the parents. One can only imagine the agony they are going through. But, I also want you to know that with the little I know about crime fighting, I do not think from my own sincere heart, that the government has been sleeping over it. I can tell you; they have had sleepless night as well as most Nigerians. While people have different styles of handling issues, what we have at hand requires a tactical warfare. When you have people who you think are with you, but they are not with you, then you have to be tactical. I believe that nothing is too late to do. Whatever needs to be done should be done now; it is better to do it now than never. If setting up committees will bring our children back why not go for it. As to leading a protest march, I don’t know what effect that can bring.
How soon do you think this problem will end? Nigerians are quite weary; they are tired as they don’t know which way to go. Nobody knows who is the next target and where.
I wish I can tell you that it will end tomorrow, but I can tell you it will not be forever and I want you to understand that war against terrorism is not like conventional war. People have said so many things against Nigerian soldiers. If these soldiers are to use maximum force, then it means we are asking them to destroy our children. So, I will ask for patience from Nigerians. The Bible says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”. So, we should wait and see what prayer, dialogue and unity are going to achieve. I feel that Nigerians should have faith in God. The whole of Nigerian people are praying for them. I believe they would return home safe. It is my prayer that God will keep them and that this stage will be over soon.
Records say that PFN has some kind of relief package for victims of Boko Haram insurgency. How well has it faired ameliorating the pains of these people?
I believe we can do better than what we have done, what we have done or we are doing is to show them they have a family. Is it so easy for a woman to lose her husband? How can you replace the bread winner? How can you replace a ministry when the church has been burnt down and members scattered? What we are doing is just a little way of showing to them that a family is with them; that they are not alone and that there is hope.
How about those children that have been displaced and become orphans? What happens to their education?
Our relief effort covers those children, as a matter of fact, if it is possible to get the cooperation of others, we will do more. I am using this medium to appeal to all Christians, businessmen, businesswomen and leaders to contribute towards this project. There is no reason why any child should be out of school because he is bereaved of a parent, either father or mother. PFN should at least ensure that the education of such children is taken care of. We can only do the little we can. PFN should take responsibility and ensure the education of such children is kept uninterrupted in spite of what has happened. But, we can only do the little we can for now. But with the support of the generality of Nigerians, especially Christians, we will do more.
Any hope for Nigeria?
Certainly there is, the road might not be smooth, but there is hope. Nigeria is a great nation with great people. Whether rightly or wrongly, our people are daring and hard working. So there is hope for Nigeria.
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