Pastors weren’t responsible for Jonathan’s failure — Rev. Uma-Ukpai

Frontline evangelist, Rev. (Dr.) Uma Ukpai of the Uma Ukpai Evangelical Ministries in this interview is of the opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari reviews the political landscape and affirms that the clergy was not in anyway responsible for the perceived failure of President Goodluck Jonathan. He also speaks on his expectations from the Buhari administration. Excerpts:

By Tom Moses

Do you believe the clergy is culpable for the failure of former President Goodluck Jonathan?

The church is not the government of a political party. To blame the pastors who were around him is like giving a dog a bad name so as to hang the dog. I am shocked that somebody could bring up that type of story that former President Jonathan failed because the clergy did not do what they ought to have done to guide him.

I don’t know any of those pastors who was on the PDP payroll and if there was a pastor around him, was he playing the role of a pastor? You can take a horse to the river but you cannot compel the horse to drink from the river.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Already, I want it to be on record that the church has not been able to disciple the Christian politicians and therefore, for anybody to expect Christian politicians to obey his or her pastor, means he doesn’t know what to say or what is on ground.

Advise from anybody

Our politicians are already next to God, they don’t take advise from anybody because they know it all and only a committed child of God who is a politician can digest, absorb, can assimilate and obey the advice of his pastor.

I remember that President Jonathan was not ruling alone, he was ruling with the party hierarchy and I don’t think he took decisions alone without consulting members of his party.

It was indeed, a party affair, not a church affair and I do not think anybody should be blaming the pastors around him for the failure of the PDP.

Can you say exactly where former President Jonathan went wrong?

No, I can’t do that on the pages of the newspaper.

What quality of persons do you think the president should appoint into his cabinet?
Well, if he is actually looking for the officers to help execute his programmes, I think he needs people who are teachable, people who are also accountable, people who are humble, people who are knowledgeable, people who are ready to serve Nigeria, people who have vision and the mission.

Our case is worse than the press has told us. Let’s go back to what the president is doing about corruption. As I speak, I have not heard the government of the day saying anything against any APC officer.

Is it true that all APC members are all angels or saints? The answer is no but that because most APC members are only ex-PDP members and to me, they are the one side of the same coin but we are watching with our eyes open while we go on our knees praying that God will have mercy on the ordinary people of this country.

What is your assessment of President Buhari so far within this period of leadership of Nigeria?
It is very difficult because I hear that Buhari is on a honeymoon. A man who is enjoying his honeymoon cannot be judged for any action because he is supposed to be inactive.

A man who is on a honeymoon can’t even be visible, he should be hiding somewhere with his bride. So, I cannot assess him, I can’t assess the APC government as of now because there is nothing that will help me to assess.

What role should the church and the clergy play in governance?

Well, every clergy must first discover his God. When you discover who your God is, you will not depend on people. A man that knows God fears nothing. A man that knows God can confront any person and situation without fear.
Ahab called Elijah the enemy of Israel but Elijah told him that he was the enemy of Israel.

Political class

It takes a man that knows his God verily and tenderly, implicitly and absolutely to say what Elijah said and as I speak, Nigeria needs that type of person who can speak against the ills and the wrongs in the political class.

Our political leaders have refused to serve us. They want us to be their slaves. So, we need dedicated, committed men of God who have discovered God to confront that anomaly.

We are looking for men that have found their God, we are looking for men that fear nothing because the God I am talking about is so awesomely awesome that if you discover Him, you cannot walk away from the tears of the people around you.