We encourage people to participate in politics, advice them against desperation for political positions - Rev Fr. Edet

As the State continues to bask in the euphoria of its 27th anniversary, a Clergyman with the Catholic Diocese of Uyo, Rev. Fr. Louis-Abasi Edet bared his mind on the significance of the occasion. Our correspondent, KENNETH JUDE spoke with him.

Father, may we met you My name is Rev. Fr. Louis-Abasi Edet, by the special grace of God; I am a Roman Catholic Priest, serving in Christ the King Cathedral, Uyo as Assistant Pastor. I am only two years in the priesthood.

Two years in priesthood; how has the experience been?
So far, so good the journey has been fulfilling. God has been very faithful; he’s always present with me. He has led me thus far and I know the future is brighter for me.

In the course of your ministry, has there been any time you’ve felt you would have done something else asides being a priest?
Well, I have always seen myself as a very talented young man with great aspirations and becoming a priest is an added advantage for me. The priesthood does not limit me in anyway instead; it sets a greater springboard for me to even actualise my dreams.  

Any challenges these past two years in the ministry?
You cannot rule out challenges in the priesthood. They are always there and they will continue to be there. In the course of my ministry for the past two years, there have been many misunderstanding from people; a lot of them perhaps expect much from you and when they do not see it coming forth, they get dispirited about you, not minding the fact that you are also a human being like them. So, they tend to capitalise on your area of weakness and mistakes and forget that grace is built on nature; so, along the line, I have had the challenge of trying to carry my people along, getting people to really understand why I do what I do at a particular time. Apart from that, it has been very easy and inspiring so far. 

What is your take on Akwa Ibom @27?
So far, the hand of God has been at work in Akwa Ibom State. There have been many added advantages and progresses so far. We have also had our challenges too notwithstanding the transformation that is ongoing. As a Clergyman, I stand to be very impartial; there are areas we really need to put more efforts on. Everyone should be carried along in the uncommon transformation that’s happening in the state. There are some areas that have been completely left behind.

What do you mean by the people being carried along?
I must commend our leadership for building on the already existing structure of the state. They have really done much in the area of infrastructural development and in the area of education which has brought succour to the destitute. Areas like youths empowerment is another area the government really needs to invest in. Empowering the youths means setting up structures and industries that will offer employment. Look around our streets, you’ll notice that there are many graduates roaming the streets and the problem is not education. When you educate and there’s no means of absorbing the graduates, the very aim is defeated. Government should put more efforts in setting up industries and structures that will absorb these people when they eventually leave school.  

While some people have commended the government on the introduction of free and compulsory education, others say it’s not totally free or qualitative. What’s your take on this?
As a matter of fact, people will always criticize the government. In fact, criticism is part and parcel of it because it makes it grow. The government needs criticism to survive. There will never come a time when people will lack comment so, I won’t be surprised if they say there are some strings attached to education. I still feel that education should not be altogether free and it’s my personal opinion and I owe no explanation to anybody. Because if education is altogether free, there’ll be that tendency of taking it for granted. People should commit something, there should be a sacrifice especially among parents and the students too so that they will know that if they do not do well, their parents money will be wasted and they won’t be happy with them, that’s my personal opinion and I hold unto it.

As a Clergy man, do you think Akwa Ibom State has fared well in the area of religion?
There have been many crises in terms of religion in Akwa Ibom because of the multiplicity of religious sects. Some operate under the canopy of business, some do it to survive. In fact, someone had passionately observed that one of the lucrative businesses around is religion itself. So, people can afford to wake up one day and open churches and then begin to confuse people. The people are suffering the impact of it because they no longer know what is really right to follow. The tension in Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has become another challenge. So many people have politicised it which is not supposed to be so. That group is supposed to be an impartial body serving as an advisory body to the government. A lot of clergymen have been misled in that direction. Akwa Ibom State is a very religious State, no doubt and the people within it are very religious too. But we the leaders of the church really need to know what we stand for and our calling in order to lead the people aright. The government expects a lot from the church. If there’s any place the truth should be spoken raw and blunt, it should be in the church. But unfortunately, some churches are really lagging behind and I don’t think it has entered the Catholic Church where I am a priest.

 There is a widely-held belief that prosperity gospel has replaced that of repentance and salvation in Christendom. Do you agree with this notion?
When the foundation is destroyed, what can the church do? I think my clergy brothers have lost track. Jesus came into the world and He had a mission. The mission was calling people to repentance so that they might have salvation and so, Jesus did not complete that work, he left it for us to complete and we are still in the process of carrying on that mandate. So, when people begin to leave this area that is very foundational to salvation and begin to talk about prosperity, adding that Jesus had died and taken away all our suffering so therefore suffering is no longer our destiny, they have lost the track; they don’t really know what religion is because the very fact of Christianity is already portraying suffering. You need to suffer in order to get something. A Christian, suffering does not suffer forever. He suffers with an end in sight and that end is salvation. And so, in the world that we live, there will never come a point that the world will be problem-free. We need suffering. If God were to make everybody very comfortable in life, then so many people will not know God. There are moments God allows us to suffer so that we’ll know that there’s someone in-charge.

In spite of the efforts of the clergy, why is it that most Christians are living wayward lives?
I beg to differ because there are still very good and committed Christians. It has always been like that since the time of Jesus. There were many people who did not follow him straight away as they went their different directions. We are still having that challenge and there’ll never come a point that every person will be a Christian. If that will happen, it will be when all of us have left and entered a different world where we’ll no longer have problems and difficulties but for now, we are still in the process of giving people the orientation the need to know God.

Endorsement of candidates for elections, your position?
We only encourage people to participate in politics actively while advising them against desperation for political positions. We only pray and encourage them but only God’swill will always be done. Only one person will govern at a time, and our prayers always is that God should choose for us. It is therefore wrong for me to say that Mr. A or B will be the governor. It is God’s place to decide, not me.

Your advice to politicians and youths
My advice is that our politicians should really have service at the back of their minds. They should fear God and place Him first. They should also be disposed to the result that will come. If it’s the will of God that you should make it, fine but if it’s not, there may be greater opportunities for you. For the youths, they have to be very careful. Let them not allow themselves to be used as agents of destruction, they are the future leaders and they have a lot to offer. As a youth, never allow anybody to make use of your head and at the end of the day, you lose your life and the person continues. Whatever amount you’re given will finish someday especially when it is ill-gotten. So, all you need to do as a youth is to go out and exercise your own franchise. Vote for your choice candidate and leave the rest to God.

Your parting shout to the government and people of Akwa Ibom State
I congratulate the leadership of Akwa Ibom State. They are trying. There will never come a time that the government will altogether satisfy the people. It will always benefit some people while some others will have one or two things to say. I’ll encourage them to continue to insist in doing what is right. Display justice and equity in the distribution of the natural resources of the State. I wish my fellow Akwa Ibomites a very happy celebration and also encourage them from a serious prophetic unction that the future is brighter for us.