BY BENSON OKOBI-ALLANAH
LISTENING to him talk lamentably with a voice pitiably laced, excites tears and ill-feelings for all he says are full of lamentations for a nation he describes as a dying one and at the brink of total destruction if not extinction if adequate care is not taken to address the prevailing ugly situation in the country.
He says when one is overburdened with problems created mostly by our leaders, the person runs to God through the church to prevail over such problems but asks a very pertinent question when he says what happens in a situation when the man of God one runs to for God’s divine intervention is himself consulting oracles for power to enable him proffer solution to such problem? He answers the question himself when he says: ‘one is then totally webbed in confusion.’
Prince Oseji Obuseh-Onyeisi says this is the situation in Nigeria where there are many churches and countless mosques where prayers are ceaselessly offered without solutions being proffered to such problems for which prayers are offered; because God’s intervention on the problems appears unreachable; saying ‘it is so because not many worshippers are not clean in their hearts. ‘’This is the reason why our people are dying every day, with murderers decimating daily large proportion of the populace because most of our religious worshippers are not serving God in truth and spirit, while most of our politicians keep pretending, paying lip-services to the people they lead, and carting away our money with some so-called men of God praying for them in exchange for money.
He says instead of those with the true calling of God to serve Him well, doing the needful to change the ugly narrative, they are involved in unhealthy rivalry, fighting for supremacy, seeing one religion to be more superior to the other, saying this is why there are churches and mosques everywhere and yet crime refuses to abate and with no solution in sight.
The 1978 graduate of Philosophy who says he refused to join politics and go to any church because of the many atrocities befalling the country ruled by many unserious leaders and being hero-worshipped by good number of those who claim to be religious practitioners, says he loathes the idea of belonging to either groups.
He maintained that the ugly situations in the country were becoming very worrisome, and made the whole problems facing the entire country looked as if they were insurmountable.
‘’Some few concerned Nigerians are growing sick and tired of the whole things happening in this country; their hearts bleed with regrets for coming to this world through the country called Nigeria.’’ He said bitterly.
On the part of security agents, he says because many of them are not focused and vigilant enough during operations, there are lapses here and there.
‘’What serious security coverage do you expect from some security agents who are out there extorting money from motorists and other people? He asked rather rhetorically.
‘’You go to road blocks and see these ‘blindfolded’security operatives that are supposed to be carrying out checks on motorists on highwaysas they concentrate on collecting peanuts from these motorists even if such motorists or their passengers are carrying human parts, that is not their lookout, provided they have their palms greased.’’
He decries the killing at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State, saying churches and schools have now become killers’ major target where they are sure to make a good ‘haul’ of human beings through killing innocent people.
The Ika –born Lagos-based businessman said it was high time serious, well-armed security operatives were drafted to churches especially in urban centers during sermons like Sunday service to avoid easy entry into churches by hoodlums with the intent to unleash mayhem. The same suggestion he said should be extended to schools as they are another hot-bed of target.
The 57 year-old CEO of Mandoquip Limited, a company into sales/distribution of office equipment, condemned the OwoInside Church Massacre (OICM) and said even if he does not go to church because of the many atrocities being committed in many of the churches of today, there are still some churches where few true worshippers could be found.
The businessman who recently opened a branch of Mandoquip in Asaba, the Delta State capital, said if Nigeria fails to be accorded respect and continued to be despised by other Nations of the world, that our politicians, religious leaders, and other stakeholders should be held responsible because they are majorly the cause of the whole evil befalling the country today.
He tried to exonerate some few individuals in the religious and political class from the maladministration and religious intolerance facing the country, pointing out that they are few who still have religious tolerance in them and some politicians who are blessed with skills of good governance but admitted that they are very few.
Obuseh-Onyeisi frowns at the continued circulation of old breed politicians who, as it seems, try to create the impression that they are the only ones that are politically fit, competent and relevant, and as such continue to distribute powers amongst themselves.
He said because they have the money, money meant for the masses confiscated by them in power into their private pockets, nomination and expression of interest forms which prices are pegged high, are only affordable by them, thus, robbing would-have been genuine aspirants of their ambition, saying that Nigerians are worried about the monetization process being adopted now in primaries and main elections.
ObusehOnyeisi says it is now a question of the highest bidder taking it all and not by seeking for those with genuine ambition to represent the electorate.
He blamed the rancid situation majority of the populace is facing in the country on the polluted and unfriendly environment created by our politicians who transmit same to churches by allowing religious worshippers who are enticed by money in order to be offered undeserved prayers which though, according to him, had not made any major impact in the society considering the many troubles befalling the country.
He called on the few well-meaning concerned Nigerians, the youths, religious leaders, electorate, and top security officials not to allow themselves to be used by self-serving politicians who will abandon them as soon as they get what they want.
