The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), recently directed members across Nigeria to set up the directorate of politics and governance. Tope Ilesanmi, chairman, Ikeja province of the PFN, spoke with SEYI JOHN SALAU on the importance of the directive vis-à-vis the role of the Church in nation building. He also spoke on the need for active participation in the electioneering process, especially at the ward level; just as he touched on the state of the nation and considers the honourable thing for the current administration. Excerpts:
What is your view on the general insecurity across the country, especially along the Kaduna-Abuja axis being the seat of power?
The insecurity in the nation is out of order for several years. Bombing along Kaduna-Abuja axis is not as worse as bandits invading military cantonment as we witnessed last year.
My conclusion then was that President Buhari Muhammadu should step aside, but now I made bold to say that the only panacea is for him to step down together with his vice, and put a more credible person- someone who is not a puppet!
The state of the nation in terms of a nation with abundant natural resources, and yet so much lack and I quote from Samuel Connicks’ what the nation can do about the poverty that is so obvious to all of us.
What is your position on the state of the nation?
The state of the nation reveals a failed nation from every sector of life – economy, security, judiciary, education, health and others. Our rating in the Global Peace Index is horrible. We are nowhere near our nickname – Giant of Africa. Giant in poverty and corruption best describes us.
If everything points to a failed state like you said; how then would you rate the present administration considering Nigerians reject the previous administration based on insecurity and corruption?
The present administration is the worst I ever experienced in the course of my growing up. However, God is using this government to panel beat us, and to bring us to our wit’s end; so that when He intervenes, we shall unanimously let Him have His way.
The PFN recently directed members to create a directorate of politics and governance; do you think the Church is ready for this?
Yes, the Church is ready. The Church has learnt her lesson in a hard way. She is the worst hit in the crisis of this nation. So, PFN decided to look at the cause and discover that our apathy to governance is responsible. Now that we are entering into the season; we therefore decided to mobilise leaders for the assignment.
People can be involved without necessarily seeking any political office. So, the solution is their involvement, and that involvement goes beyond just having PVC because if you are not part of the decision makers at the ward level, you will use your PVC in favour of the wrong person, which has been a recurring decimal in the politics of this nation. You will discover that our lack of participation at the ward level is one of our greatest undoing.
How should the province and chapters of the PFN respond to this directive?
So, it is for them to accept that that is the direction for the Church. Two, we need to pray about it. If they don’t know what to pray about or how to prepare the people, then we will call for another meeting; so that those things we have been taught can be further explained.
But, first of all; they need to accept the message – they need to spread it and prepare for more. When that hunger and thirst is created, we trust that with little leadership – CAN chairman Lagos State; PFN chairman Lagos State will need to discuss the way forward. But for me, it is to multiply the message and begin to now grow that in an action plan that will give a road map to the dominion mandate for Nigeria.
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Let’s agree that the Church is ready to play its role in the political space; has the Church gotten it right with governance?
I suppose what you mean by governance is leadership within the Church? As of now, the Church has been denied the opportunity to govern the state, because she had hidden herself from that space.
But, I am saying that a lot of improvement has been made internally within the Church in Nigeria to self-govern herself. What we are driving at for now, is for the Church to take her place in the governance of the nation. The Church in Nigeria is ready to shine her light in the governance space.
The role of the church in nation-building is to understand the timing of God and seek to prepare themselves to fit into the time or train their members to fit into the purpose of God per time.
Only a few have been taking decisions and the decisions are not obvious, especially taking decisions over the people and pretending not to have taken any decision.
Pretending not to have known anything about the politicians – to me that is insincerity. So, what is visible to the world is that the Church in Nigeria has a terrible apathy against governance; but a massive reorientation of the mind is going on within the Church now.
Finally, as we go into the Easter period, what are thoughts for the season?
Easter Festival is just around the corner. I fear for the following reasons, though I trust Him to keep me if I need to embark on any mission involving travelling.
With the current rate of insecurity across the country; will the bandits not take advantage of this festival, to hack down lives as they travel for Easter Festival?
Government should beef up security in conjunction with vigilantes to stem the evil tide-alarming hike in food prices occasioned by herders attack on farmers or by exchange rate? What relief can the government give to ease the pain of the masses? I appeal to those who have enough or who can spare, to show mercy to the less-privileged in kind or cash.
