Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Mike Okonkwo, has dismissed fears that Nigeria could relapse into a one-party state, describing such a scenario as impossible. However, he urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently restructure the country to prevent any single region from holding others to ransom. He made the remarks during a recent media chat with selected journalists. SEYE OLUMIDE was there.
The Church in Nigeria has a large enough population to influence the country’s politics significantly, but over the years, the outcomes have fallen short. Does this mean the Church has failed?
I am totally disappointed. I feel embarrassed, and I’ve said it in many places. How can we have this number of churches in the country, this number of gatherings—massive gatherings—and yet we are still in this kind of mess in Nigeria?
The Church has failed. Most men of God are not preaching the gospel, but their opinions. I don’t think there’s any place in the world that has such a number of Christian gatherings like we do in this country, and yet things are the way they are. There is nothing to show for all the prayer sessions, large congregations, and even the enormous wealth and population. Is there any other place where God has raised dynamic, strong leadership in the Church as we have in Nigeria? Yet, our nation remains where it is.
It embarrasses me as a leader in the body of Christ. Nigeria is not where it should be socially, politically, and economically. Our political leaders have learnt nothing. There’s this belief that past military leaders destroyed everything, but now that civilians—both Christians and Muslims—are in charge, what have we done?
A politician comes into office today and immediately begins to think about the next election. And what does he do? He doesn’t care about performance, not realising that if you perform, the masses will beg you to return.
When you give the electorate basic things, true dividends of democracy, they will urge you to run again. Is it not shameful that a politician constructs a road, drills a borehole, paints the road, and we start clapping? Clapping for what? Isn’t that the job of a politician? So, in truth, we’ve done nothing. And it’s not that there’s any difficulty in doing what needs to be done.
All it takes to move Nigeria forward is to restructure the country. Structure the country in such a way that there is a level playing ground for anyone, from any part of Nigeria or tribe, to aspire to any office without fear.
Would you agree that one of the major problems with our politics, especially during electioneering, is the high cost of running for elective offices, from the presidency down to the lowest ward councillorship positions?
Somebody was recently having an interview and talking about how much it costs to run for various offices. Imagine running for president in Nigeria today may cost up to billions or even trillions of naira. How can genuine citizens participate, except moneybags and godfathers?
It will cost billions of naira to run for this office or that one. And I said, with this kind of situation, do you expect a new Nigeria? It will never happen, because if it costs me billions to run for an office, won’t I try to recoup the money once I get there? Of course, I will.
So, why can’t we put mechanisms in place to ensure it doesn’t cost such humongous amounts of money to run for office? That way, we can get credible people into leadership. Are there no credible people in this country?
Are there no brilliant people? What are we doing?
Let me tell you, it will take a long time before Nigeria gets it right because we are playing politics with people’s lives. That’s what it is. We are simply playing politics. Our politicians don’t care because of how they got into office. Someone becomes a councillor today, and the next thing, he’s building a mansion. Where did the money come from? You really don’t want to talk about our politics.
Let me tell you, our politics requires drastic surgery. It’s not about individuals or parties; it’s a broken system. It requires drastic surgery. And I don’t know—my prayer is that God will give us a leader who has the willpower to carry out this surgery. That’s where we are, unfortunately.
Two years into the current administration’s first term, politicians have already begun campaigning for the 2027 elections, despite it being a violation of the Electoral Act. Campaign posters are everywhere. What is your opinion on this development?
The way I see it, we’re dealing with misplaced priorities, and I’m not just referring to this government. It’s a general problem in our political structure. Misplaced priority in the sense that once elected, leaders immediately begin thinking of the next election instead of focusing on governance.
Take, for example, Governor Alex Otti. It will be difficult to unseat him. Why? Because the man came on board and tackled the real problems facing the people. Our political leaders don’t need drama, manipulation, or unnecessary tension in the polity. Just perform. If you do your job, re-election becomes easy. Nigerians are easy to please. They’re not asking you to bring down the moon. Just give them fairness and good governance.
Sincerely, I do not understand Mr President, who went through so many struggles and still identifies as a progressive. With all the mud thrown at him, the name-calling, the certificate controversies, claims that he doesn’t have parents, he still emerged as president. Whether you like it or not, he is president.
The day I get to see him, I will ask: What is stopping you from leaving behind a legacy that will put an end to all this political nonsense? Reform the country. Put Nigeria in a state where anyone can aspire to any office; a country where no region holds the rest to ransom, saying, unless you pass through me, you can’t be president. Why?
Why should one section of the country have the final say on who becomes president? For me I don’t agree. Let the structure speak. Restructure Nigeria, and the country will remember you forever.
What is your view on the recent wave of defections into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), amid growing concerns that Nigeria may be drifting towards a one-party state?
Nigeria is too multifaceted for that kind of agenda. Let me tell you, anyone who tries it will face an implosion within that party. It cannot work. Forget about all that is happening; it won’t work. It cannot succeed in our political climate, especially now that people are more enlightened. It’s not like it was in the past, when information was scarce. Now, people are informed. It won’t happen. Let them forget it.
It’s all a joke. A one-party system is impossible. Even members of the ruling party are fighting each other. Is that not Nigerian politics for you? Everyone at that party has their agenda. So forget it. I’m not even thinking along that line.
What specific message would you like to convey to President Tinubu?
He should urgently restructure Nigeria. There’s an urgent need to reform the country’s electoral system to guarantee free, fair, and credible elections.
Anyone opposed to the restructuring of this country doesn’t mean well for Nigeria. As I’ve said before, I am completely opposed to a political culture where certain regions or power blocs arrogantly assume they are the custodians of power, insisting no one can become president without their blessing.
This is a golden opportunity to fix the governing system of Nigeria, and I believe President Tinubu has what it takes, in terms of experience, to do it. He could inscribe his name in gold if he undertakes serious reforms to reduce the influence of money in politics, cut the cost of electioneering, and stop vote manipulation. The current political culture encourages desperation and scheming, even though the next election is more than two years away.
It’s painful that many elected and appointed officials have abandoned governance in pursuit of political ambitions for 2027. Restructuring is the only enduring legacy President Tinubu can leave behind. The current structure of Nigeria is not sustainable. Unless we build a system based on fairness, equity, and justice, we’re only postponing disaster.
How is the Church holding its members who are also active in politics accountable?
Who are the people stealing money from the government? James, John, Martha, Mary—they are church goers. That’s the truth. I agree with you. That puts a lot of responsibility on the Church to re-examine what it is preaching. Honestly, many churches today are not preaching the gospel. They’re preaching their opinions.
At 80, do you believe your generation, both those who served in politics and outside it, has set any meaningful example for the younger generation to follow?
Leaders have failed to realise that they are sowing seeds that will grow and manifest in the future. If we thought about legacy, there are things we would never do as leaders. However, so far, we have destroyed the younger generation for nothing.
I won’t blame the youths. What options do they have? They struggle, go to school, graduate, and still find nothing. And yet we expect them to be morally upright?
That’s why the Church must step up. Because if the younger generation follows the examples they see—especially in politics—then I can tell you for sure, there will be no future. So, the Church has plenty of work to do.
