Most Rev (Dr.) Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche is the Primate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria. He speaks with OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU on the state of the nation, his emergence as the head of the church in the country, his life’s journey and other issues of national concern. Excerpts:
What is your assessment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration vis-à-vis his campaign promises?
He has four years in office and to start something, initially, may be difficult. So, we are still believing and hoping that he will do better. We are still hoping that he will change and do something. For now, you know that the economy is biting. The naira has lost its value and electricity is epileptic, it is irregular. We know Babatunde Raji Fashola is trying to do his best, but we still have bad roads in our rural communities; we heard that many of the things are lacking maintenance.
They want to close Nnamdi Azikwe Airport and work on it. I wonder why they should close an airport because you want to repair it. I see that there will be a huge loss of revenue and time, and probably there might be loss of lives for people who would be shuttling between cities, and you see, the traffic will be so bad, because Abuja had been a very good tourism centre. The volume of passengers going to Abuja and moving out of Abuja is very high; so, when you say you will provide bus, what of the risks? Are you going to station soldiers at every point? So, they should repent and know what to do.
What is your reaction to the National Assembly’s stand on budget passage?
Some of them are very good and a few of them, I know, are touching lives; a few of them I know are giving scholarship to people. But others, I don’t know what they are doing. Some people should have a rethink and have a change of mind that going into the national or state Assembly is not to get wealth, but it should be to fulfill your campaign promises to the electorate. You know Nigerians are very gullible; the same people that are punishing you now, next time when election is coming, they will distribute meat and N5,000 and overnight you are selling your birth right and you are abusing your franchise. That is why I don’t believe much in political parties, but I believe in the persons contesting, and I vote based on personalities that can deliver, not based on political parties. I look at people that can deliver and I vote for them.
I see so much that these people gain from the Senate. Some of the money is not judiciously used, ITIS wasted away. If they used the money properly, our people won’t be where they are now; there will be improvement in the communities
There is the belief that the Hausa-Fulani is trying to lord itself over other tribes, what is your take on this?
Sometimes ago, I heard a slogan that says, ‘We are born to rule’, but if you want to rule, rule your people. Don’t rule other people, don’t make it your right. If I am President of Nigeria, I am not President of Igbo. As I am the Primate of Methodist Church now, I am for all Nigerians, and there must be fairness, equity, love and justice. Rule of law must be maintained according to the policy and politics of our church. So, whoever emerges as the President or governor of the country or a state, he is no more belonging to a tribe or party. We are watching. Why is it that when you talk about Boko Haram, it is Hausa Fulani, Kanuri? Why is it that when you talk about herdsmen, it is Hausa Fulani, Kanuri? What are they looking for? They can never take over Nigeria, otherwise, I have said it many times, I foresee that if they pursue such an ambition, there will be no Nigeria.
How do we separate the church from politics?
You can’t separate the church from politics as such. While the church deals with the intangible spiritual things, politics is about government of the people for the people and by the people, which provides the tangibles like road, electricity, education and caters for the social well-being of the people. Politics deals with the physical things. On the other hand, religion appeals to the spiritual. Religion teaches that we should play politics without bitterness, that is politics without killing people. So, I believe that if I have my way, Christians should go into politics, but it should not be dirty politics. They should ensure that the money allocated is used judiciously. I see so much that these people gain from the Senate. Some of the money is not judiciously used, it is wasted away. If they used the money properly, our people won’t be where they are now; there will be improvement in the communities. But you can separate the church from dirty politics, but not politics itself. Philosophers say that politics is about who gets what, when, and how. If the process is clean, there is nothing wrong with politics, but if it becomes a do-or-die affair, with killing and destruction, it becomes absurd.
What have been your challenges in the service to God and humanity?
Service demands sacrifice and selflessness. In some areas in Nigeria, you serve and you look forward to what you can get. Some of the meetings I attend, I pay out of my pocket for my accommodation and feeding, provided I am making impact.
For me service is sacrifice. You must be selfless, humble, patience, dogged, faithful, determined and calm before you can serve humanity in an acceptable manner. When you serve, you don’t seek for what you can get, but what you can give; that’s what I learnt about service. I don’t want to go to a place and leave it the way I saw it. I must leave it better than the way I saw it.
So, that is my policy and philosophy in life, and that has been guiding me and as I told you, I sleep and snore, because I don’t think any inquiry can ever implicate me.
By the grace of God, no board of inquiry can ever implicate me of taking money that doesn’t belong to me. So, I go to sleep and sleep well. I am someone who fears God and I hate sin, so that fear of God or reverence to God, that consciousness of a supreme being somewhere, models my life the way it should and that’s what I want to bequeath to my children and everybody that has something to do with me. I make them understand that your personality and your work is not dependent on the amount of wealth you amass, but it depends on the integrity in you. So, integrity, for me, is more valuable than money or wealth.
You are the first Igbo man to occupy the office of Methodist Primate since 1841, what did you do differently and how did you emerge?
I didn’t even know I would emerge as Prelate, it was just God’s grace. God brought me from grass to grace. When I was made Bishop of Owerri, I didn’t expect that I would be made bishop. I had been the conference daily record secretary for seven years and that time, when I wrote my records the next moment we finished meeting, I finished reading by 6pm.
The next morning, by 9am, the minutes had gone to where they should go. One particular Tuesday evening, I was writing and our father in the Lord, His Eminence Mba, came back from a party. I think they went somewhere and I don’t think they were well entertained, so they came around 12 midnight and when they came in, they saw me writing alone and he said to me: ‘Uche, don’t worry you will be rewarded.’
So, I was expecting, maybe, some cash. But what I saw was the announcement of my name as the newly elected Bishop of Owerri and then when I became the Archbishop, I didn’t have anything in mind; the then Archbishop announced before the electoral college that I have emerged as the Archbishop of Enugu. I didn’t expect to emerge the Prelate either.
There was a keen contest among three of us, and it was open secret ballot. There was a first ballot, second ballot, third ballot and fourth ballot. So, when there was almost a tie during the third ballot, one must have an edge over the others, after the final ballot, I emerged as the winner. I had 98 votes while the other person had 65 votes. It was a wide margin.
How do you react to the stipulated 20-year tenure for church leadership by the Financial Regulatory Council of Nigeria?
Those people out there have no right to go into religion. What right do they have to go into religion? They are playing with fire. Even though the Methodist Church, in our constitution, stipulates that every minister of every rank retires compulsorily at 70, I wouldn’t force another church to do what we are doing.
So, they have no right to interfere in church matters. The church should be allowed to operate according to their constitution. They should find better things to do and not go into church matters.
