Wife of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and founder of the Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor (Mrs) Helen Oritsejafor, in this interview, speaks on the nation’s security challenges, the $9.3m arms deal and the church’s forthcoming Jubilee Word Festival among other issues. KEHINDE OYETIMI provides excerpts.
Another Jubilee Word Festival is around the corner. What shape will this year's event take?
With eminent speakers like Reverend Felix Omobude, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Pastor Philip Thomas, Bishop John Francis (UK), Pastor Jonathan Miller (USA), and Bishop Wayne Malcolm (UK), this year's event billed for November 9-16, is loaded. We also have guest artistes like Frank Edwards (Nigeria), Lara George (Nigeria), VaShawn Mitchell (USA) and Sonnie Badu (UK) who will be ministering alongside our Milk and Honey Choir.
The theme of this year's programme holding at the Word of Life Bible Church, Ajamimogha, Warri is; 'Talitha Cumi, Arise 2015'. It’s really going to be awesome.
Your husband who is the CAN president received a lot of bashing lately. What is your reaction to this?
For us southerners, we may not really appreciate what Papa Ayo Oritsejafor is doing and the role he is playing in Christianity in Nigeria because we are not directly affected by the activities of the terror group, Boko Haram. Christians in the North are the ones experiencing it; they are the ones losing their loved ones. Their houses are being burnt and their young ones are daily abducted. The northerners value him very much. They know that whatever he is going through today is because of them. It was actually them who came to persuade him to run for CAN presidency. The first time they came, he told them he would think about it. They came back again and kept coming because they know who he is. He is a good man. If there is anything I know my husband to be is that he is a good man to a fault, and sometimes I really feel for him. Unfortunately, today’s society does not value a man like this especially those of us in the South. He is much respected in the North.
How did the news of his jet's involvement in the $9.3m money for arms saga hit you?
I was really surprised. I didn’t even know anything about it. I didn’t even know our plane was out of the country, because we leased it out to a company in Abuja so that we would be able to utilise whatever comes out of the deal for the maintenance of the plane, because it is quite expensive. So we didn’t know. Even though we read and heard some comments some people made concerning it, unknown to us that our plane was actually involved. In all honesty, by the time we got to know that it was Papa’s plane, we knew that the enemies were trying to play some pranks. It is natural, because he is a symbol of Christianity in Nigeria. The only thing is I wasn’t expecting people to get really dirty as they did.
The whole episode appeared as if somebody was out for some sinister joke...
It’s quite obvious. Take for instance, why was it that it was Papa’s plane that would be hired? It’s still very baffling. It became obvious that it was orchestrated and the whole essence of it is to see how they can give him a name God has not given to him and all because he has been a very outspoken man. I know him too well. He is a very quiet and reserved person. But then when there is a need for him to speak about anything, he would rather confront things the way they are than to hide behind his fingers. I know quite a number of people have been very uncomfortable with that especially with the Boko Haram situation.
Why do you think that some people would politicise a purely security issue like that?
Well it’s natural. It is their perception. A personality like Papa Ayo Oritsejafor is a threat to anyone who sees him as one because they believe he has a voice, he has clout, coupled with the fact that the present president of Nigeria happens to be a Christian who is also from the South-South.
At a point, I was going to call some of the wives of these so-called people who were going outside saying a lot of things about my husband, having to engage them as well and see how it looks like, telling them to come out and look at the issue, how would they feel, how would people condescend so low? A lot of things I read in the newspapers, sometimes, amuse me. Sometimes, I'm a little bit surprised.
At least, now we all know that it was the National Security Adviser who hired that plane out. He happens to be a relation of the Defence Minister who happens to be an in-law to the Sultan of Sokoto.
Before this issue of Boko Haram and so on, the Sultan and my husband used to be very close. I remember every now and then when he wanted to talk to my husband, he would often ask after me? If there were issues in the newspapers and all that, he would call in to find out things and so on and so forth. I so much cherished his relationship with my husband. But I'm a little bit surprised because no matter how it is, you know your friend. We must not allow bigotry to take away our innocence, our integrity, our corner in the name of what we are trying to get.
What some people don’t know is that we love the Muslims. We do not have anything against Muslims. A lot of people are sending wrong signals to a lot of people, particularly Muslims, thinking that Pastor Ayo is an enemy of Muslims. It is totally untrue. There is no iota of truth in it. He has a lot of them as friends. Papa Ayo’s relationship with the Sultan of Sokoto is still strong as ever. When Islamic fundamentalists were killing his Christian brothers and sisters in the North, he was forced to urge their leaders to speak against the killings.
Is Pastor Ayo really that close to President Jonathan as his accusers allege?
It is so amazing. I do not want to be rude or saucy. So I'm trying as much as possible to hold my peace. Let me say this, I would love it if people can help me define that word ‘close’. Yes, there’s a relationship that has to do with being in his position as the President of CAN and President Jonathan as the President of Nigeria. Automatically, whether he likes it or not, there will be some level of interaction and that is what Nigerians are calling closeness. Maybe they should tell us how President Jonathan gave him one naira to buy a plane.
I don’t really think that Pastor Ayo is closer to the president than the Sultan of Sokoto, the co-chair of NIREC. This is not to say that Papa hates Jonathan. No he does not. He is a Christian and so as a Christian father to the nation, he tries his best to provide a guide. He speaks out whenever necessary. He goes in to offer his own advice or suggestion as the case maybe whenever he is asked to. When he wants to see the president, he makes request just like everyone else. And mostly, it is to discuss the issue of the nation. Many times, he goes with his CAN executive council members to sit down with the president and confront him on certain issues all to see how the nation can be well piloted.
When he was elected to lead Christians in Nigeria, he made up his mind that he was going to do everything and anything possible to propagate what he has been given. And he sees it as an assignment. He has truly given himself out to the nation and then, of course, to the people who we call his constituents.
How did he receive the news of the plane saga?
He didn’t also know. When everything happened, according to what we heard, the plane was released immediately and it came back to Nigeria. They didn’t even bother to contact us to tell us what happened. No one said anything. It was when someone called him and asked 'where is your plane?' And he said he didn’t know but he would find out from his wife. I have been the one managing it. When everything happened, they put it on him, but I have actually been the one running it. So he called me and asked where the plane was, I said I didn’t know promising to call him back.
The person who called him told him the plane was impounded in South Africa. So the gentleman said something happened. It was at that point he said one John came to hire the plane to South Africa. That was what happened. The next they heard was they discovered this and that. However, since they knew that the plane and the crew members had nothing to do with the transaction, they let the plane go which is the normal practice. The only thing they do is that once that occurs, they search whoever is involved, pick the person and that’s it. No one is now going to start putting it on the plane or the owners or even the crew. The next thing he said was ‘Oh my God’. He said these people are after something. I actually thought it was a joke because I wasn’t expecting anyone to condescend. I expect someone to be able to see between the lines. Please let us not belittle our government. Are you telling me that a whole Federal Government of Nigeria would need a pastor to help it move money to a location to buy arms? That is an insult on this nation. It just does not make any sense at all other than the fact that certain people just said since it is his plane, let us just see how we can rope him in with it so that we can malign him at the end of the day.
Why is it that Christian leaders did not even see between the lines?
I think the greatest challenge in Christianity is that unlike our other side, they have a leader and regardless of how they feel, when that leader speaks, it is final. But in Christianity, everyone is a leader. The unnecessary rancour that actually takes place in our fold is quite sad and shameful. What they don’t even know is that they are the target. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor is not the target; it’s every Christian in Nigeria. We are the entire target. We are the ones they have targeted but, of course, they can’t get to everyone so they have to look for the person who represents Christianity in Nigeria and that is what we are experiencing.
It’s sad to see Christian leaders calling for the resignation of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and so on when some of them don’t even know the details of what happened.
And some of them too have betrayed themselves. We also know the lives they live. I don’t even see some of those people as Christian leaders. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate our Catholic brethren, our Baptist brethren and all of the five blocks of the Christian Association of Nigeria who stood their grounds knowing who they have as their leader and, of course, standing to confront anything negative concerning him.
When I read the communiqué after a meeting they had in Abuja, they said this jet wasn’t bought by President Jonathan, but if anyone has evidence to this effect that it was bought by President Jonathan, make it public. Number two, they also said that this particular plane was leased out before now. If anyone has an evidence to show that it was not, make it public. I'm still waiting. I haven’t seen anyone to do that. I think he is a man who is worthy of commendation. A lot of people chickened out because they want to appear in the good books of everybody. No one really wants to come out. Everyone tries to shy away from anything that has to do with things like Boko Haram. He is the only one by the special grace of God, and no wonder God decided to put him in this position for such a time like this. If we had a weakling there, I don’t know what would have happened to this country by now. It would have been a different ball game entirely.
No comments:
Post a Comment