What I told Tinubu about Buhari On N-Delta militancy And Biafra Agitation — Cardinal Okogie

Cardinal Okogie

Last Thursday, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, celebrated his 80th birthday with a Holy Mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, and reception at the St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos. In an interview later, the retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos reflected on his four years in retirement after attaining the mandatory age of 75. This year also marks his 50th priestly ordination anniversary. He recalled that a large chunk of his years as the Archbishop of Lagos was devoted to speaking out against injustice and oppression of the downtrodden by those in positions of authority. 

“Though a clergy, I have always believed that it is the right of every citizen to aspire to actualize his God-ordained destiny within the framework of the larger society. It is also my firm conviction that one should never be silent or docile when his or her fundamental rights are being trampled upon by those who have sworn to the Constitution to safeguard the welfare of the citizens. These, to a large extent, have for years defined my guiding principles, actions, and utterances as a clergy and a citizen of Nigeria”, he said. 

“For instance, during my years as President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and also as two-term President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, during the Babangida era, I did not shy away from saying the gospel truth whenever it was obvious that the country was being led astray by the leadership. A couple of times, I and other like-minds succeeded in pricking the conscience of those in authority as to make them re-think their anti-people policies. But for a larger period of time, it is on record that we were able to help galvanize the civil societies into standing up for their rights and hold their leaders accountable for their stewardship. How well these agitations have been sustained to achieve set goals over time is a topic for another day.

“Today, since I retired as Archbishop of Lagos, and by extension from active public service, you may still wonder why I still speak on the state of the nation when I should be enjoying my retirement. Well, it may interest you to note that though I may not be as visible as I used to be, I have however not relented in my commitment and desire to see to the entrenchment of a truly egalitarian society where justice, equity, and fear of God would reign supreme. These have always been my desire. You may say that at my age, since I am near the departure wing to heaven, I should by now be indifferent to the numerous challenges confronting the country. 

I beg to disagree. How can I remain quiet when 17 years into our democratic dispensation, the ship of our nation is being tossed about by self-inflicted storms that are tossing the people up and down? How can I keep mute when Nigerians have continuously been taken for a ride over the years by our politicians, who rather than serve the masses, chose to play them like the game of chess? I want to affirm here that as long as the good Lord gives me strength and the breath of life, I will never remain silent while this country is in turmoil. 

I believe it is the responsibility of everyone of us to continue to contribute our quota to a better society for us and the generations yet unborn. 

May 29, 2016, we marked Democracy Day under the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. But is there much to really celebrate about? 17 years into our democratic dispensation; have we really mature as a nation? What lessons have we learnt from the errors of the past and what efforts are we making to avoid a repeat?”

On renewed N-Delta militancy 

For the years that the late Musa Yar’Adua and his successor, Goodluck Jonathan, held sway, we saw a drastic reduction in the activities of militants in the Niger Delta.

Unfortunately, the militants are now back to the trenches under different pseudonyms. Their recent attacks on oil facilities in the region are daily crippling the country’s capacity to produce oil. The oil and gas pipelines bombed in Warri West Local Government Area have also worsened electricity generation plan of government. How long would this continue? One thing is certain. Ours is a mono-economy that relies solely on oil for our foreign exchange earnings. With the sorry state of our economy, we cannot at this crucial time afford the stalling of oil production in the Niger Delta.

That would further put the country’s finances in a precarious situation. I am aware that the Niger Delta Avengers have reeled out many conditions to be met before they can agree on a ceasefire. 

I am equally aware that President Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the militants. Only a few days ago, the dailies reported that the military invaded Gbaramatu Kingdom believed to be the hometown of a wanted ex-militant, Tompolo. While condemning the disruption of our oil facilities under any guise, I equally want to stress that the use of military force is not the best solution. It would only aggravate the situation. I, therefore, want to plead with President Buhari to consider dialogue as a major option to end the crisis. Considering the high casualty rate and huge losses so far expended in our on-going fight against Boko Haram, it would not be out of place to settle the Niger-Delta issue without wasting human lives. 

Equally, I want to plead with the aggrieved militants to please sheathe their swords and allow for mediation. 

On Biafra Agitation 

Many of us who witnessed the pogrom that is the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970 are yet to come to terms with the devastating effect that war could have in a society like ours. That is why it is imperative that we do not have a repeat of a civil war. God forbid. Mr. President should, therefore, do the needful by releasing Mr. Nnamdi Kanu as a sign that he is ready to dialogue with his pro-Biafra group. He must remember that it is the right of any group to seek peacefully for secession if they feel marginalized in their present abode. The use of force is never the right approach to quell such agitation. As the father of all, let him do the needful by addressing the issues that led to the agitation in the first place.

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