We must change our orientation to solve Nigeria’s problems –Bishop Awe……Says: ‘if we solve economic problems, the security’ll improve’

A retired priest of the Anglican Communion (Church of Nigeria) and 2019 Governorship candidate of NCP (National Conscience Party), Bishop Funso Awe, speaks on the state of the nation in this interview with ISAAC NGUMAH. Excerpt:

Some people are saying that one year in office is not enough for this present administration to achieve much in a highly-mismanaged and battered economy. What is your take?

In a way, one year in office is not enough to change what has gone wrong. One year in office is enough to judge the directions of the government.

Some analysts are saying that former President Muhammadu Buhari mismanaged the economy before he left office. What do you say on this?

He mismanaged the economy; he did not even hold on to his campaign policies .When he was coming in 2015, they gave us a ray of hope that they will change the economy. In his eight years of government, he left the economy worse than when he took over from Goodluck Jonathan. So, we knew where we find ourselves by the time he was leaving office.

What can you say on the Renewed Hope agenda of the President?

The Renewed Hope promise has lasted one year now. I am seeing he is really getting over and fixing the country the way he actually promised in his eight-point agenda. The journey of a thousand years is decided by a step, and this step that he is taking does not give most of us hope for the future.

Some people are saying it will take a miracle worker to quickly fix the battered economy. What is your take?

It is not a miracle worker like I told you; you might not be able to fix the battered economy immediately but the steps he has taken would have given people a ray of hope. What Nigerians need now is just hope and hope that tomorrow will be better. We can see that although we are in a dark tunnel, right now, we are seeing a ray of light ahead of the one year. One year has not given us that ray of light at all, I am saying we will get out of the tunnel but we are saying we need to look ahead and know that oh, tomorrow will be better

Some analyst are saying that former President Buhari borrowed so much that whatever Nigeria earns was almost used in debt services. What can you say to this?

It is not the first; the debt that we now owe is worse than when Obasanjo came to meet when he was coming in and he was able to negotiate all out of the debt and sooner we had no debt again. The challenge is that we are still borrowing more and we are cancelling the one that we have that is the problem.

People are saying the economy was almost heading South when President Tinubu assumed office. Is it true?

The economy is heading nowhere; the economy is standstill, the economy is taking a lot of backward movement and right now, we are in a serious problem.

The issue of corrupt fuel subsidy had been on the front burner of national discourse ever before the President came to power. How do you see this?

My take is that the fuel subsidy should not have been removed at all and if this government wants to walk in the right direction, they should return the fuel subsidy regime and what they are giving us is excuses for removing the fuel subsidy. You said people are smuggling fuel to some other countries and we are paying subsidy for them, you can maintain a good security network round the country and saying that the money you got from the subsidy, you will use it as palliatives to the people, what palliatives are you giving to the people? The only thing the common man has been enjoying from the Nigeria government is the subsidy and there is no need to have taken the subsidy in the first place.

All the leading presidential candidates during the 2023 election promised that they will remove subsidy to do away with the corrupt subsidy. What is your opinion?

All the three of them are wrong; maybe if some other people have got there, they would have realized it; maybe if Tinubu had waited not pronouncing the removal of subsidy immediately and has settled down in government and see what it will cost removing the subsidy, maybe he wouldn’t have done  it. But like he has realized his mistake, I think, he should just return the subsidy; let the fuel price go down and let inflation rate tumble down to the ground so that Nigerians can live their normal lives.

How would you react to some people saying that former President Buhari did not vote any money to fund the fuel subsidy?

You see former President Buhari sometime ago after the 2015 election removed the subsidy and when he saw the danger and the problems, he returned the subsidy regime and this time he said we are going to remove the subsidy and later they change their mind because of the election; they promised they will be paying it and they will be leaving the problems for the incoming government. Now, the incoming government has fallen into the trap.

What can you say on the unification of the foreign exchange which has led to the devaluation of the Naira?

Until we become a productive economy and start producing and not independent on importation the naira can never have strength. The naira can only have its strength if it is backed up by what we produce and less of what we import.

Some analysts are saying that the President is insensitive to the sufferings of the people. Do you subscribe to this?

When you say insensitive, it means they are not responding. But to say that they don’t know exactly that people are suffering, they are pretending.

What can you say on the palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy?

I don’t know whether the palliatives have reached your own side but as for me, I have not seen any palliatives. Also, thousands of people living in the street I live have not seen any palliative.

How do you see the state of insecurity in the country?

A hungry man is an angry man; if we solve the economic problems the security problems will be less but as long as we do not solve the economic problem, the security issues will still be there. Though we have taken everything one step at a time, the security situations is actually pretty bad.

How do you react to the present government saying the security situation is under control?

You can say the security challenge is under control when it does not affect you. If you say the security problems are under control, go to some areas and places in Nigeria to see that they are not under control.

Should the country collaborate with foreign countries to tackle insecurity?

Calling other countries means we are exposing ourselves to them

What can you say on the war against corruption?

I cannot see any war; corruption is just the way it is; corruption is enjoying itself and nobody is fighting corruption.

Do you see this present government making progress in infrastructural development?

Maybe you can talk about the beautification of the Third Mainland Bridge because they did not construct.

Some analysts are saying rebuilding an economy will take time. What is your reaction?

But let us know how they are going to build it and let us see how they are building it.

What can you say on the June 12 celebrated last month as Democracy Day?

Well, June 12 has come and gone. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. And to really get the true democracy, you have to strengthen the electoral process in such a way that I will know that if a government is not doing well, I will vote the government out and put back the government of my choice but as long as those who will vote them out are not there, they are just celebrating democracy.

What can you say on the democracy and governance under this present administration?

Let us take Rivers State as a case study; we have a long way to go; the government should make sure they put things in place.

What can you say on restructuring the country and state police?

Everybody knows that state police is overdue and everybody is calling for it. So, we should as well just go for it and when we are talking about restructuring, we are talking about a country of equal opportunity for every citizens of the country irrespective of tribe and religion and also you are able to use or benefits directly from what God has endowed on us in terms of mineral resources and every part of the country will have  sense of belongings and be able to have an autonomy in different areas of their lives.

What can you say on 2014 National confab and the review of the Constitution?

The final draft of that document should be made public for everybody to be able to go through it so that we can make a categorical statement of what we feel we can do with that documents and the Constitution we are using now is not the people’s Constitution.

Will restructuring and the review of the Constitution solve Nigeria’s problems?

Will the bringing back of the old national anthem solve Nigerian problems is Nigeria themselves. We must change our orientation; we must change the way we react to government and the way we participate in governance.

What can you say on those agitating for their own country?

People will continue to agitate as long as they don’t see what this present government is giving them. So, when we know this is what Nigeria is doing for us and this is what we are benefitting, nobody will agitate.

What can you say on the release of Nnamdi Kanu?

It is a case for the court to decide.

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