BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin City
Apostle Johnson Suleiman is the President and Founder of the
Omega Fire Ministry. He is one man of God that does not hesitate to bare
his mind on serious national issues no matter whose ox is gored.
In this interview with Saturday Vanguard, he reacted to the
prevailing crisis in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the
lifting of the ban imposed on Dana Airline, describing it as insensitive
to the plight of the family of the victims. He also spoke on other
national issues and why he advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to
run for a second term.
Excerpts:
The disagreement between the Catholic Church and the leadership of
CAN is creating a lot of tension among Christians in Nigeria, what is
your view on the crisis because the Catholic Church has pulled out of
CAN?
Nobody is stopping them, they can pull out. When you are tired of
something, you pull out. It could become Catholic Association of
Nigeria, so we now have CAN 1, CAN 2.
The truth is that those who are crying for a breakaway are not really
good Catholics because every good Catholic should know the power of
unity. The problem we have is that when the Catholics are leading, they
expect everybody should follow but if somebody else is leading,
Catholics will have issues. It has always been like that, this
superiority mindset.
They said Pastor Ayo Oritshejeafor has now politicized CAN. If you
are to talk of those that fraternize with politicians, it is the
Catholic Church. Most Cathedrals were built by politicians. If you go to
Catholic events, the highest donors are politicians.
Johnson Suleiman
When Archbishop Oyenaikan was the head of CAN, he was a frontliner
at every national event. Rev Father Kukah said that right from the time
of Shehu Shagari, he has had one on one with all the Presidents, so why
are they crying?
I do not see any animosity in this. This man (Oritshejafor) has
tried. There has never been any time apart from the time of late
Archbishop Benson Idahosa where a man cried out for believers in the
North when they were being slaughtered.
There has never been any season in this country where a man cried out
for Christians in the North like this time. This man has always cried
out.
Recently, I was talking to him personally, about the killings in the
north. We were seated together and he was crying and I was looking at
him and I was confused. In as much as I am emotional, I was overwhelmed
for a man who is leading and he is still telling us to take things easy.
So, they are just making noise and crying over nothing. Pulling out?
Why? Just because they are not leading, that is the underlying factor
and don’t forget it is political.
The next CAN election is close and they are screaming and presenting
the bad side of the man so that everybody sees the bad side of him. CAN
is a spiritual organization and when they want to address issues, they
do that spiritually.
If the man does not see the President once in a while,…he went to the
US and advocated that Boko Haram should be tagged a terrorist group,
the President was angry with him but he was saying the truth.
A man who they said was supporting everything the President says
would not say such a thing because if Boko Haram is tagged a terrorist
organisation, it is a snag on Nigeria.
It means you are actually inviting troops and that will put us on
watch list but the man is trying to make sure that the country is safe.
So, why don’t they focus on his good sides?
In life, you may not be where you ought to be but it is obvious you
are not where you used to be. If they say they want to pull out, quietly
they can do so, we can now have two CANs; Christian Association of
Nigeria and Catholic Association of Nigeria.
So you are not worried?
I am not worried at all. No Christian will fault a man who is raising
his voice against the killings in the North. There have always been
killings in the North and Pastor Oritshejafor has been crying and
condemning it persistently.
Which sitting leader of CAN has ever gone to the North in the midst
of the crisis? None of them but this man has gone there alone to donate
relief materials.
They heard he was coming and he knew his life was on the line. He
flew to Maiduguri in the heat of it, gave them money and relief
materials, prayed for them and flew back. Some of them sit in Abuja and
send letters, some of them sit in Abuja and grant press conferences.
So in as much as I am against disintegration in all its totality,
when push comes to shove, people have to know the truth. CAN is a body
of Christians and we are happy at the level of leadership we are getting
now.
They should point out the politicking they are talking about; they
should quote what they claimed is politicking, if they are able to give
us, we will confront this man. I am not a Jonathan fan, I am not against
him though. I am not against his person but I am against his style of
leadership.
I am against the lack lustre style, lackadaisical attitude, this
lethargy…this slow movement. There are issues that should be tackled, I
feel we should address issues and move on; not always deliberating on
issues that can’t move us forward. Nigeria is one country you
deliberate.
After deliberating, you now have another meeting to discuss what you
discussed on that meeting and all of these are being funded and at the
end of the day, the man is out of power and everything is stopped. In as
much as I am not for disintegration, I am against certain people who
feel they have superiority mindset.
Dana Airline
We live in a lawless country, we live in a degenerate nation, a
nation where conscience has been trampled upon, a nation where evil is
being amplified and orchestrated where black is white and white is
black.
It is appalling and abuse to the dead that Dana is operating. Infact, this is wicked and a crime against humanity.
Any organization that has no value for conscience is bad. Dana
Airline should have at least given the dead a year’s respect, at least
one year to mourn them before coming back to operation.
I have no personal animosity against Dana but what I am saying is
that some people became widows, today we have widowers, some of the
people that died in that air crash were dependents, some of them were
highly placed elites in the society and all of that were forgotten in
seven months?
Another issue is that some of these people have not been adequately
settled, some of those who were on ground when this thing happened, some
of these people who were in their houses when the crash happened, some
of these people built these properties they have been crying to Dana Air
and they have not been answered.
I know a few of them who have not been answered. Some of them have
been threatening to go to court and people like us men of God have been
appealing to them to calm down, some of them who are at the helms of
affairs of religious organization are feeling pained. I know two
families who have been practically down because of this and now Dana is
on air.
Late last year, Dana was given an award after the crash, a leading
airline? Can you imagine that? I personally do not see why they should
fly now at least for the sake of conscience and respect for the dead,
one year is good enough and let them come with a publication that
everybody have been paid, when that is complete then people will fly
Dana with open mind.
Its Political
Everything in this country is political I will not be surprised if
there are power brokers behind Dana when you talk about law, laws are
regulated when violated. While people sit down at the National Assembly
to make laws, other people sit down and plan how to break it.
The Federal government and the aviation industry are not doing the best.
Do you still hold the view that Jonathan should not run for a second term
Most leaders who come back to power don’t merit coming back to power,
they always come back anyhow not that they merit it most times, if you
ask for my personal opinion, this Jonathan’s four years is okay.
Babangida; some people speak against him, some others hate him but some
respect him because he stepped aside.
Abdulsalam had opportunity to perpetuate himself in power he stepped
aside. People initially liked Obasanjo for his forthrightness, for his
boldness but when he brought the third term agenda that was when he
started generating enemies.
Most of these people who are conscious of 2015 are presently doing
nothing some people in the presidency are stacking money just because
they wanted 2015. I feel Jonathan 2011 to 2015 is okay. I will not
actually advocate for Jonathan to come back.
In fairness to the people he is governing, we should take cue from
all of those who have led nations that when the people say no you just
step aside.
Vanguard
