Sunday, 20 November 2011
Bishop Orire
YOUR convention is usually held every year, what successes would you say that you have recorded?
The church started when I was in the university about 25 years ago. I was at the University of Ibadan studying Sociology. Few years after, we started a convention. Then later we began what is called annual camp meeting. The programme is for souls to be won and people encouraged, especially when you consider what is happening in the country. Marriages have been restored; there have financial breakthroughs. We also use the programme to pray for people as well.
This year’s convention is expected to hold in December. What should be the people’s expectations?
While we were praying, the Lord said that the theme of this convention would be Divine Greatness. God is saying that the coming year would be one of divine greatness. We are expecting Bishop Akinola, Bishop Chuks Nnaji, Bishop Akila, Reverend Adeyemo and others.
Today, the north has been reduced to an inferno of some sort, no thanks to Boko Haram. Your take on this sir.
Sociologically speaking, when men’s aspirations no longer match the possibility of fulfilment, there is a stage when suicidogenic impulse would come in. I want food on my table but it is not coming; I want good roads, but it is not coming. No electricity, no job, no water. Yet the government wants to increase the price of petroleum products. If all these continue, the stage of suicidogenic impulse would come in which when it is started, it would make many to behave abnormally. That is exactly what is happening with Boko Haram. It is not religious. People are tired and hungry. Put food on their table. Let the government take care of the people. It is agression.
Fliers with the purpose of sensitisation can be distributed. This can be used to educate the people on the government’s policies to help them. If the country tears apart, none of us would have anything to hold on to. The use of miltary force will not do.
There have been contentions among the National Assembly, the Vice Chancellors of universities and the JAMB authority over the conduct of post-UTME exam. Do you subscribe to the conduct of the exercise?
It is a mechanism to defraud people. It is a way of making money out of people. If I were not a Bishop, I would have taken the government to court. My daughter wrote the JAMB examination many years ago. She did very well. Her Ordinary Level result was good. She wrote the post-JAMB and she did well. When the admission list was released, her name was not there. The arguement was that she was not from Ogun State. We tried the same thing elsewhere, the same excuse came up.
All these are not good enough. Post-UTME is unnecessary. It is not necessary to conduct another exam after JAMB had done its. I had to take my daughter to a university outside Nigeria. She made a first class there.
Do you share the federal government’s sentiment that oil subsidy be removed?
Never! I can never support them. These are the things that make Nigerians angry. The time is near when the people will rise up against the system. They should not think that what happened in Libya cannot happen in Nigeria. They should not think that what happened in Yemen cannot happen in Nigeria. God has heard the cry of the masses. What happened in Ghana under Rowlings can happen in Nigeria. They should not remove the oil subsidy.
President Goodluck should not bring hardluck to Nigeria. If he removes oil subsidy, God will fight.
Some people have condemned the national honours award recently held. Your comment sir.
What is the essence of the awards? I thank God for Professor Chinua Achebe. He is a man that I respect so much. He is in his right senses. Anybody who is in his right senses would not take any award. Roads are bad. People are suffering.
Yet, I know that Nigeria will be all right.
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