Last Sunday, May 6, 2018, the congregation of Word Communication Ministries (WOCOM) organised a march within the premises of its headquarters at Onireke, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to protest killings in various parts of the country. WOCOM President, Apostle Sunday Popoola, in an interaction with newsmen after the march, shared his thoughts on the state of insecurity, how the 2019 elections may be affected, and what Christians should do at this time. RITA OKONOBOH provides excerpts.
FOLLOWING killings in parts of the country, there have been calls for Christians to take up arms to defend themselves in the face of provocation. Do you support such calls?
You don’t need a prophet to tell you that. It is a natural reaction. Think about it. You think I’ll see someone taking a cutlass to attack me and I would wait and do nothing? I would naturally defend myself. What is happening now is already pushing many Nigerians to the point where people are getting ready to defend themselves. They don’t need anybody to tell them. It’s a natural reaction to any vicious attack. Thank God, internationally, it is lawful for people to defend themselves.
Reacting to the killings of two priests, as well as worshippers in Benue State recently, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) asked President Muhammadu Buhari to step aside. Do you support this?
We have heard rumours from the very house of Mr President that his government has been hijacked by cabals. If the president knows he is not in charge – that strange fellows have taken over the government – then, it is better for him to step aside, than to allow cabals to continue doing what he didn’t promise to do, or contrary to what he promised to do.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has not minced words in expressing their dissatisfaction with government’s handling of the killings in parts of the country. How would you react to same?
We are sad and very worried. We are worried because too many lives are unnecessarily being lost and we feel we have been deceived by those in authority, seeing it is a clash between the ordinary herdsmen we know and farmers. One, there is no way herdsmen will have access to AK47, which is said to have been used during attacks. Secondly, what business do herdsmen have in churches? We read reports of worshippers and priests killed. Is that still herdsmen/farmers clashes? We have started to really believe that this is ethnic cleansing and that the security agencies have been compromised and that they are looking away and probably aiding these killers. We call on the president and commander-in-chief to rise up to the occasion. We all voted and some of us mobilised to vote for him, because we thought he was going to make a difference. We thought he was going to bring change, but now, that is not what we are seeing, as things are going from bad to worse and the bloodletting is getting too much. He must rise to his job as the chief security personnel of this nation to protect our lives and to protect our properties.
The present government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been shouting about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stealing our money. PDP stole our money; APC is taking our lives. That sin is more grievous than that of the PDP; so, they must rise to the occasion and save not just our money, but, more importantly, our lives.
What implication do you think the killings will have on the general election next year?
Obviously, if nothing is radically done, there is no way we are going to vote in a government that is allowing our blood to be shed and our people to be killed. There is no way we will vote them in; it’s obvious. We voted because we thought this government would perform. So, if they don’t take urgent steps to address the situation, there is no way Nigerians will vote for a government that will leave the nation in a state of chaos and anarchy.
What is your message to Christians at this time?
My message to Christians at this time is that we should wake up to our responsibilities in prayers and in expressing our dissatisfaction until Mr President gives us hearing and takes practical action to show that he cares about us and not just a section of the society.
What about the 2019 election?
It’s too early. We want to give President Buhari a chance to mend his ways. We want to give a chance to this government to correct the wrong. If they do that, then we will decide. If the wrong is not corrected, I’ll say this, that we cannot allow wrongs to continue in the country.
Do you think Christians need more participation in politics?
We have people who commit crimes in the name of God. The question is, which God are these crimes committed in the name of? We need people who are not just religious, but who really fear God. True Christians are taught to love, even their enemies. So, if true Christians rise up and participate in governance, the difference will be clear. When someone becomes a true Christian, he/she loses sense of division. He/she sees and treats people for who they are – people made in the image and likeness of God. I’ll advise all Christians, and in fact, all Nigerians – old and young – to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), so that we can work with those who truly fear God and have a true vision for the nation, and vote in people who would help this country be the haven that it should be for all of us.