Elected public office holders in Nigeria have been advised to see public office as an avenue to render service to the people rather than a platform to pursue self-interests and personal agenda.

Making this appeal in an interview with TUNDE THOMAS, a retired cleric and renowned social critic, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, lamented that Nigerian politicians and political leaders are becoming increasingly selfish and narrow minded.

Gbonigi also spoke on restructuring, 2019 general elections and other national issues.

What is your reaction to the ugly developments in Libya where many stranded Nigerians, some of whom are being sold as slaves in open market, are now being repatriated back home?

What is happening in Libya is a big shame, a very big shame that should be denounced and condemned. Thank God other nations of the world including the United Nations have arisen in unison to condemn it.

But I believe that it should go beyond mere condemnation. I believe Libya should be sanctioned for being involved in this immoral act.

Slavery is evil. It is an abomination. Those people that are involved have committed crime against humanity. They should be apprehended and punished.

I support the moves by the Federal Government to bring those stranded Nigerians back home. It is a good step in the right direction, and the process of bringing these Nigerians back should be monitored effectively in order to ensure that no Nigerian is trapped in Libya. Even for those that have already been sold into slavery, efforts should be made to locate their whereabouts, and bring them back home.

Concerned people alarmed by the large number of Nigerians trapped in Libya, with some of them initially hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe in search of greener pastures are saying that it was hardship and harsh socio-economic conditions in Nigeria that are making them to embark on such dangerous journey, do you agree?

Absolutely no. For most Nigerians who are undertaking this risky journey, it is greed that is pushing them into it. Some Nigerians are very greedy. Do you know that some of these Nigerians that are involved in this illegal trip to Libya and other places are even comfortable here in Nigeria? Many of them have businesses which they were running, some of them were shop owners and they were doing fine and can even afford to feed their families. But it is the lure of dollars, pounds sterling and euros that is driving them away from Nigeria. Their goal is to make money in dollars and euros.

But the big mistake they are making is that there is no system or country that is 100 percent perfect. Even in the United States, they don’t pick dollars on the street, you have to toil and work for it. So for most of these Nigerians, it is because they are not contented with what they are making here in Nigeria that is driving them to embark on the dangerous journey through the desert to Libya.

Even from the personal confessions of some of them that have been repatriated back to Nigeria, they have been saying that greed pushed them into travelling to Libya because the impression they have is that Libya is a paradise on earth. Some of them who sold their property and closed down their business premises in order to raise money for the dangerous trip to Libya are now expressing regrets  — they are saying had I known.

Some of these Nigerians can be compared with our greedy politicians. Some of these politicians were already wealthy before going into politics or winning elective offices, but what you discover about them is that when they get into public office, they start looting, stealing public funds and this is despite the fact that they were already wealthy before going into politics.

Having said this, our political leaders also have a share of the blame. If they have done their own bit by ensuring that dividends of democracy are delivered, the number of Nigerians wishing to run away from the country would have been drastically reduced.

These politicians have failed us. Forget whether it is PDP or APC – what is the difference between them? These politicians have failed us. I believe we must demand accountability from them. Politicians are eating up Nigeria. They have become parasites – they promised us change, but they have not changed anything.

Our political leaders have not met our expectations, and even our leaders know this. They know that they are self-serving. Our political leaders in this clime have come to see political office as an avenue to loot, to enrich themselves, their family members and a few cronies, and not an avenue to serve.

This is very bad. The irony of it is that there are leaders who travel to other places, and they see how things are done which make their own system work very well, but when they come back home, they don’t bother to put into practice one or two lessons they learnt from their trips abroad.

It is only here that public office holders behave like emperors, they behave like kings, they become untouchables, and that’s when you see them being criticized or condemned, they don’t take it lightly with their critics.

Most of these elected public office holders have become our masters, and that’s why they prefer lording it over Nigerians rather than being our servants. Political leaders in Nigeria despise accountability. But the time has come for Nigerians to wake up from their slumber and start holding their leaders accountable.

However, from my experience here in Akure, Ondo State, I have come to discover one of the reasons some Nigerians found it difficult to hold their leaders accountable or even challenge bad leadership. During the last gubernatorial election in the state, politicians were openly buying votes. A particular political party was giving a voter, N5,000. What eventually happened was that some of the voters had already made up their minds to vote for a particular party, and candidates were lured by money (N5,000) to change their mind.

What my investigations revealed was that these politicians sharing money openly were reported to be saying that they prefer to buy votes to rigging, that rigging may be challenged in the court and the election can be overturned by the court, whereas there is less risk or no risk at all when you buy votes.

Now for a voter who sold his vote for N5,000, you have mortgaged the future of your children and generations yet unborn. There is a need to enlighten Nigerians about the evils of money politics.

You believe that APC and PDP have failed Nigerians, but what some Nigerians are saying is that things are changing for better, and that President Muhammadu Buhari is making a difference, what is your reaction to that?

Well, I don’t know the kind of difference that Buhari is making when millions of Nigerians are hungry and angry. A lot of Nigerians are suffering and experiencing hardship, real hardship. Many are even dying because they don’t have money to buy drugs to take care of themselves or to pay the hospital bills.

No doubt, the present government has done some things to alleviate sufferings of Nigerians by creating new jobs and some poverty alleviation programmes; but this can only be compared to a tiny drop in the ocean. Whether the present leaders want to admit it or not, the reality in Nigeria today is that millions are suffering, many are going through difficult times – there is an urgent need to introduce measures that will provide immediate relief and succour to millions of suffering citizens of this country.

This is why I said earlier that both PDP and APC have failed Nigerians. These people we refer to as politicians are strange-bed fellows. They don’t have ideological leanings – some of them don’t even know what is called party manifesto – they just come together with one common aim and that’s just to win elections, and then they take over sharing and looting our commonwealth. We need to form new political parties that will have ideological leanings and strong moral foundation. Politicians in Nigeria are exploiters. But this is not good at all. My divine message to all politicians in Nigeria is that they should all remember that God will judge each of us according to the works of our hands.

Based on what some Nigerians perceive as the good work of the President, some Nigerians have already embarked on a Buhari-for-2019 campaign, what’s your take on that?

While it is Buhari’s fundamental rights to seek a second term, I believe that it is too early to start such a campaign now. To me it is a distraction. It is a big distraction to governance. Buhari- for- 2019 campaigners are enemies of Nigeria. They are also enemies of Buhari. For God’s sake, why embark on 2019 campaign for Buhari now when the man has barely finished the second year of a four-year term?. What manner of country is Nigeria? Those people involved in Buhari-for-2019 campaign are political jobbers and jesters. They are not patriots. My advice to them is that they should allow Buhari to work first, and they should allow Nigerians judge his performance. You see these campaigners or do I say political jobbers in every regime or government. They were there when Babangida was there, they were there when Abacha was there, they were also there when Obasanjo and Jonathan were there. They sing praises of any leader that is in power. They are sycophants. Nigerians should not take these fellows serious. They are unpatriotic elements – they are enemies of democracy.

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So anybody talking about 2019 …

Politicking about 2019 now is very wrong. It is a distraction. We should allow elected public office holders including the President and the state governors to do their work. Politicking now is an act of injustice. It is being unfair to the electorate. Those politicking now should stop.

They are short-changing the electorate. By distracting elected public office holders, they will lose focus and they will not be able to perform optimally again. The Bible says that there is a time for everything, this is not the time to start talking or campaigning about 2019 general elections.

The issue of restructuring still continues to be a source of debate even with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Paul Arkwright, saying in Jos few days ago that restructuring will be a major determinant factor in 2019 general elections, what’s your own view on that?

The British High Commissioner is very right – it is a pity that the Federal Government seems not to be too keen on taking steps to ensure that restructuring is carried out as early as possible.

Restructuring was one of the recommendations by delegates to 2014 National Confab. Even before that confab, there has been persistent calls for restructuring. The present federal system is seriously flawed. What we practiced today is a mockery of true federalism. If we want peace, justice, and equity, we must return to a true practice of federalism. I want to tell our leaders, those people that are in charge now that 2019 will be a huge joke without restructuring.

Without restructuring, 2019 general elections will be doomed. The elections may not be. Not only that, we must also conduct census before 2019. Both census and restructuring must be carried out before we even start talking about 2019 general elections.

How possible do you think it is to stop 2019 general elections if restructuring is not carried out?

Majority of Nigerians are clamouring for restructuring from North to the South. Like I said earlier, delegates to the 2014 national confab also recommended restructuring. These delegates who made the recommendation were drawn from the country’s six geo-political zones. If people say that this is what they want, then our leaders should listen to them. Nigerians are clamouring for restructuring, so our leaders should let it be a reality.

Our leaders are arrogant and this is not good. They behave like tyrants and despots. But what they forget is that we are in a democracy where power belongs to the people. Our leaders should listen to the voice of the people.

As I said earlier, no restructuring, no 2019 general elections, and this is not a joke. I expect human rights organizations, religious leaders both Muslims and Christians to mobilize Nigerians to resist any attempt by the government not to carry out restructuring.

But some doubt if Nigerians will come out to make any protest against government on the issue of restructuring or any other issue at all because the general belief is that Nigerians are docile?

I don’t think I completely agree with that assertion. What Nigerians need is somebody to mobilize them. That was why I said I expect human rights group and religious leaders to play a leading role in such protest.

Did Nigerians not protest against annulment of June 12,1993 presidential election by former dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida? Did Nigerians not protest when Babangida’s government introduced unpopular SAP programme? Did Nigerians not protest against Abacha’s dictatorship? Even during  former President Goodluck Jonathan’s time, Nigerians protested against fuel price hike.

At 87, I’m already an old man, but I will join any protest against injustice. I’m ready to mobilize and join other Nigerians on a protest if Buhari’s government failed to carry out restructuring as wished and being demanded by Nigerians.

Are you not afraid of being arrested or being accused of inciting Nigerians against government if you lead such a protest?

Me, being afraid? Never. People that know me very well know that I’m a radical cleric who is renowned for fighting against injustice. What many people don’t know is that religion is to be used to protect the poor and the weak. It is to be used to fight oppression, and injustice – that’s why I pity those men of God who will only tell our leaders only what they want to hear or what will be sweet to their ears.

I’m not that type of cleric. I will call a spade a spade. During the era of military dictatorship, I challenged and fought military dictators. I led protests against Babangida, and Abacha. Many dreaded Abacha but not me, I fought him in the overall interests of Nigerians whose rights Abacha was trampling upon. If I can confront Abacha, Buhari can’t intimidate me. I fear nobody except God. How can anybody accuse me of inciting Nigerians when what I’m demanding is equity and good governance? I can’t be intimidated.

On the 2014 confab’s report and recommendations which have become a subject of debate and controversy …

What is controversial there? There is nothing controversial about the confab’s reports and recommendations. The recommendations were made by all delegates, and the decisions they arrived at was by consensus – not only that, the recommendations was duly endorsed by delegates from both the North and the South.

Government is supposed to be a continuum. Since the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan who initiated the confab couldn’t implement the confab reports, then President Buhari that took over should have worked towards its implementation. But I’m shocked that President Buhari declared that he would have nothing to do with that report, and that the report would be consigned to the dustbin. That approach, to me is very wrong.

Northern delegates that took part in the confab have also come out to disown it – they openly told President Buhari not to have anything to do with the report, how do you see that development?

It is very sad and unfortunate. Those northern delegates are unpatriotic. They don’t love Nigeria – they are selfish and self-centred.

How can they turn round almost three years after they took part in the confab and also approved its recommendations and now disagree? They are hypocrites. Nobody should take them serious. I will advise Buhari not to listen to them. My advice to Buhari is to see himself as Nigerian President, and as a father to all by doing what will ensure that justice is done to all. Those clamouring for restructuring are from patriots who love Nigeria, and my take is, agitations here and there all over the country will not stop unless restructuring is carried out.

You were saying that both PDP and APC have not lived up to expectation and that we need new parties to take up the challenge of bringing dividends of democracy to Nigerians, but some have expressed concern that there are too many political parties in Nigeria, what is your reaction to that?

Honestly, Nigerians should not put their hopes in the present crop of politicians. I still believe that some Nigerians of like minds who share the same ideological beliefs, and who also believe in the concept of the nation first should come together and float a political party that will meet the expectations and yearnings of Nigerians.

Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant natural resources by God. We have everything it takes to excel, but bad and selfish leadership is robbing the country the chance of excelling. If we have the right and focused leadership, Nigeria has what it takes to be a great nation. If our leaders over the years have been able to harness minerals and human resources available in the country for the common benefit of all, Nigerians today will not be crying of hunger and hardship. They will not be undertaking the risky journey of trying to cross the Mediterranean with all the attendant risks.

As a cleric, I will continue to pray for Nigeria. I will continue to pray for our leaders, and will also continue to pray that God should raise up for us selfless leaders who will be genuine and real patriots.