Constitutional Review Meant To Shift Attention From Insecurity – Apostle Kure

Some critical stakeholders in the country recently said the Constitutional review is a hoax, saying that only restructuring can address the perennial challenges that have grappled many parts of the country. What is your view as regards to that?

I have already told you that the government is bringing this to distract us from the real issues that are disturbing us as a country. So, if they said is a hoax i agree with them totally, I don’t have confident on the Constitutional review but that does not stop the government from proving 99 percent of Nigerians wrong. The one percent that they’ve bribed they can put them in their pocket let them clap for them but the 99 percent is our hunger and security that concerns us now. How many people can afford air ticket? Now, you can’t travel by road, I don’t know how many times you travel by air but right now all the Flights including the local flights are over booked even though the poor Man now gathers money to fly because that is the only way he’s guaranteed at arriving at the other bus-top alive, even at the bus-stop you need to say the Lord’s prayer. what kind of a nation is this? There is despair in the air the Government must know that Nigerians are living in fear of the Government, fear of themselves and fear of lawlessness.

If the Government cannot secure us we beg them to resign or step down all of them to put an interim Government that can help us find our way back, because this constitutional review is not helping us to find our way back is just a distraction from the real things that are disturbing us. Let them start a new program that is going to solve this problems then we’ll take what they’re doing seriously. Like you said hoax, if there is a word better than hoax that word should be used this is just a distraction so that we can remove our eyes from the IPOB challenge, Oduduwa challenge, Zamfara, Borno, Niger, Bauchi so call bandits threats and the general Fulani Herdsmen challenge that’s what they’re doing to distract us. Let them solve what is Killing us, constitution is not killing us for now is our hunger and let us be sure there is security for us tomorrow. Because as it is now you’re not sure if you will see tomorrow whether you’re poor or rich this bandits are taking both the poor and the rich. They’ve attacked Governors only the President have not been attacked and he should not think he’s free because some of this bandits are getting bolder by the day. I won’t be surprise if there is a news report one day that the President have been ambushed because his ransom will be bigger the whole of Nigeria will pay that ransom. Is that what they are waiting for? Is a shame that our country has come as low as this now that men begged Government for their lives is a shame. There is no greater attack on human dignity than this. The Government need to do something so that we’ll begin to think whether they’re the right Government or not but for now is our security that we want.

Some people are calling for a new constitution. What do you expect the National Assembly to do in this constitutional amendment?

Well, in the first place what they’re even thinking about is an admission that something is wrong with the former document and with the present contractions called Nigeria just by touching that part.

What Nigeria need right now is a new contract that will make us agree to the new terms by which we want to leave together as tribes band Countries, of course under one particular parameter there are lines we cannot cross. For example we cannot be a divided Country, we cannot break into two or three it is not even God’s will. So, those parameters should be drawn from the beginning there are areas that cannot be discussed, but any other area has to be discussed even if it will offend us or other parts of the country.

If you asked me, I will say we need to go back and review the foundation, review the contract we signed together both before and after independence. We start with the one that was signed regionally with the companies, the ones that were signed in the North with the British empire and then with the one that was signed generally that marry all of us together, the almagamation. What were the intentions behind those contract? have they been effective in keeping us together? If they have not been effective in keeping us together we need to overhaul them because we have outgrown that contract and write a new one, if it means we should have a new constitution so be it, let us hold a referendum over that document.

Whatever the legislatures are doing now if they’re just doing it to buy time because it seems to be the problem with Nigerian Politicians even Jonathan’s time when there was too much noise they keep us busy talking and talking and their time passed. If that’s part of the reason they should remember that they will give an account to God in Heaven one day. God will require this from them because it will mean that they are playing with our intelligence trying to just buy time to 2023 general elections and we’ll forget that we’re doing this.

They have to give us a time frame, for example; are we expecting a new constitution by next year? They’re not talking about that there is no timeline program and that is making it so suspicious of it, there is no clarity in the direction of this thing. They’ve not giving us their real time of reference, what they are giving us is boju boju. So, I am still taking it with a pinch of salt. If you ask me I will prefer they write a new document let hold a referendum over that document a brand new constitution not this old one, let’s get people who will write it that one will be written by us, owned by us, execute by us, it will become like a vow marriage ring that we have decided to live together under this terms then the present younger generation will feel committed to it but as it were now the present younger generation don’t even know the terms of the other constitution they are not bowed by it they don’t feel passionate about it, they don’t feel responsible for it, they don’t feel committed for it, as long as they are not bowed by it we are wasting our time because they are the ones that will scatter everything eventually because they don’t know the Spirit behind the old constitution, so, lets do one now for another generation.

This is the fifth alteration to the constitution since 1999. Out of these exercises, only one of the amendments 2007- 2011 was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan. Do you see this present exercise as a Jamboree?

I said that indirectly in my previous answer, I see the present research on the constitutional review as Federal Government is trying to play with our intelligence just to buy time and calm down the tension. They’re using this to close our eyes from the real mundane things that are worrying us which includes; hunger, insecurity, not just religious bigotry but one religion trying to take advantage of the other under the guises of insecurity, that religion today is gaining grounds, they have never gain grounds as they’re gaining during the time of this President. That’s wrong and somebody need to stop this on it track.

There are two memos from Kaduna, both seeking for the creation of Gurara state and another seeking for the creation of New Kaduna state. What should be done on this?

I raised my hands to the two; Zazzau Development Association (ZEDA) and the Southern Kaduna Development Association (SOKAPU), the truth is that they’re now representing their people properly because it will help the two places grow. Overnight those places will become like new London or new America. Development will come without restraining the other, and let me just make this comment, under the constitutional provision if the spirit of the Constitution is been followed there will be no minority suffering. So, it means the Muslim minorities living in the new State to be created called (Gurara state) will be bound by the constitution their right has to be protected either the majority like it or not. The same thing will be applicable in Northern Kaduna. Is just that Nigerians have never come to protecting the provisions of the constitution. Our Governors have not done well and the present system were not effective if not there wont be need for agitation of States creation. The Governors should be ashame of themselves all these agitation wouldn’t have been there if Government were working not just Kaduna but across the country. I hear even in the North-east they’re also agitating for two States. The Constitutional review exercise is a failure in the part of the Government. Is a sign that Government has failed and shame on them for that.

What should be done in the constitution that will help in tackling insecurity?

We need to put a kind of proactive security system where you nip the crime before it happens. We need to put a kind of preventive measures but is unfortunate today in Nigeria we don’t have that. What we do as a Country, we wait for the crime to happen and then we choose whether we want to react or we want to allow it wipe away everybody. So, it is a loss for the citizens of this country, the security apparatus we have now does not prevent crime, it allow it to take place then begin to decide whether they want to react to it or they don’t want to by which the complete damage have been done. So, the whole security apparatus should be overhauled.

The truth is this, both State Police and Federal Police have their advantages and disadvantages all of them can be manipulated. If you have a State Police the Governors will grow stronger, the local government will also grow stronger which they can use the apparatus for witch hunt. There is no system that is perfect for the two that people are agitating for, whether Federal or State. The Federal one has been abused before our very eyes. In fact, is becoming weaker. Nigeria has grown too big for the center to hold everything. So, they either raise a kind of a regional Police or regional security apparatus that can take care of different regions taking in consideration the different cultures and backgrounds or they raise a localise policing that control not just by the State or local government but supervise by the Federal Government. I repeat, that is why my view is quiet different from that of other people. They should raise a system where both the Local government and the State will have power to control and monitor the security in their places but the Federal Government will supervise what they both do. The Federal Government cannot completely remove its hands from bringing balance to the two, otherwise; it will be abused. Now, to do the architecture of that kind of security we need to have our brilliant minds to make this happen, that is my view because if they allow them to operate independently, they will oppress some of us at the Local government level. I stay at the local government I am not at the State Capital. Let them have a kind of devolution of power the Local Government control the Police, the State also control those in the State then supervise by the Federal Government, let the Federal government draw it laws for them. Like in America they have the Sheriffs, then the State Police and they still have the Federal Police then there are rules. I don’t actually know how the Federal checks the local but we should do something that is domisticated here in Nigeria that we can all fit into so that crime can be nipped in the bud and the reason is because our size is too big as a nation and I don’t believe that Nigeria should break into pieces because we are large. Our size as a Country is an advantage for the rest of africa, If we’re able to harness ourselves the truth is that we’ll challenge the supper powers which they don’t want us to get there. So they will do everything to keep us weak so that we’ll look up to them. Let us re-engineer our system so that we become the true big brother of Africa and we can talk to other nations of the world as a super power and I don’t think that’s difficult.

Many Farmers did not access their farmlands. What should the Government do to summoning hunger that may likely come?

Half of the North cannot go to farm this year if you try that you will get kidnap. The truth is that Government must start storing food and should not play Politics with it. When they start distributing it shouldn’t be like the one they did here in Kaduna State. If it is for Southern Kaduna they take to Zango people there. The Commissioner take it there and invite the Zango people to meet him there that is not local government headquarters and if it is in Kafanchan they take it elsewhere they don’t take to the local government not that kind of distribution because the poor will still die. Can the fear of God take over? So that we do what is right, maybe in the far North is not happening like that but where there are minorities they’re doing so much of that and is a grand plan to eliminate all the minorities so that the majority will continue to rule and is like the minorities are becoming like a pain to them in their side. Is like this nation want to get rid of minorities and the majority are in agreement with it. So, we need to sit down heal the problems of the nations. The hunger that’s coming is going to be a big problem I am already feeling the weight people are always coming begging for food. Almost every week I have a thief that try to disguise as something else to collect money from us that’s what Nigeria has become and you can’t blame the thief. The Government seems to have no any solution. I won’t tell you a lie, sometimes I am afraid to talk, people have already started cursing the Government something has to happen very fast if the Government continues to pretend to be oblivious, disconnected with our pains it has to happen and I am talking as a Priest and there is a spirit trend that’s listening to me it has to happen, the nation is in despair and nobody is doing anything about it everybody is leaving it to chance who is chance, somebody has to do something either from the Presidency or outside the Presidency even if it will cause him his position in the Government but somebody must take a risk and stop this nonsense.

End.