Umunna was called to ministry in the 60s and by the leading of the Holy Spirit has remained in the Ajegunle suburb where the church has grown to the shame of those who believe that nothing good can come out of The Jungle City.
He has established several other business concerns including schools, hospitals, music school and studios among others in the neighborhood. In this interview with Sam Eyoboka, the bishop spoke on several national issues including Boko Haram. Excerpts...
The abducted Chibok girls have spent over five months in captivity and Boko Haram is still on rampage capturing communities in the North Esat. What is your take on these?
Chibok, Gwoza, Bama, all put
together tells us that they have politicised our lives. When the Chibok school girls were abducted, some people did not believe because they said it was all politics and that certain people wanted to use it to discredit government and all that. A situation where government sees every comment, no matter how reasonable, from the opposition as a ploy to pull down government is condemnable. Again, opposition must not be seeing only the negative aspect of government.
They must not only dwell on criticism. Again, reaction time of government to crisis is not always prompt, except when certain people's lives are involved. This really does not help the image of government. What we have seen over the years is that whenever a relation of any government official is involved in some of these problems, concerted efforts are made to rescue such people as quickly as possible.
So the opposition people are asking: 'Why hasn't government been able to do so in the case of these Chibok girls? If I were the president, the steps I would have taken in this matter would endear me to the people. In the Yar'Adua administration we heard that Jonathan, as vice president, had to go to the Niger Delta Creeks to pacify the then militants.
I don't think the president has thought of drafting the vice president, Namadi Sambo to personally go to go speak to the Boko Haram members. That is what leadership is all about, sacrifice. I think measures must be put in place either in the constitution or wherever, that whosoever becomes governor or president must not politicise our lives. There are certain things that should not be brought under political interpretation at all.
The Constitution must compel elected public office holders to do certain things, take certain actions under certain circumstances even if it will involve their lives. This was why I felt unhappy when I heard that the recommendations of the National Conference would again be subjected to the Federal Executive Council. I said for what reason?
These are the same people who have been there for years doing nothing; they travel abroad and see how human society operates, they come back here and continue the same way they have been.
They can't import all those good things they see abroad and apply them here for the good of the country. The National Assembly on the other hand, is it not a group of the people who have been there without the desired impact? They could not sponsor the bill to effect the correct changes in the Constitution, but they allowed all that billions of naira to be spent on a conference, what do they have to say on the outcome of the conference?
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