Exclusive: Imported crude are bought from refineries owned by Nigerians abroad. Indigenous refineries won’t work – Anglican Bishop Timothy

The lord spiritual of the Anglican Church Kubwa Diocese, Rt. Rev’d Dr. Duke Timothy Akamisoko is a cleric, a father, a leader and a philanthropist who is rooted in education and the work of God. He is the current Bishop heading the affairs of the Anglican Diocese, Kubwa Abuja.

In this interview the Cleric, father and philanthropist speaks on the current hardship in the country and the challenges the masses are currently facing. 

He further spoke on the magnitude of class segregation in Nigeria and how students of the rich and poor attend same schools in western worlds going further to highlight the reasons why Nigerian owned refineries won’t work.

Sir as a Bishop and also a leader in the Christian faith and Nigeria in general, what do you perceive as the main brain of our leadership in Nigeria?

Well it’s leadership failure, what I found out over the years is that our leaders don’t have passion for the people, they don’t have the interest of the people at heart. When they campaign they make a lot of promises which they never fulfill. The problems we face in this country we have no reason to face them at all. With all the resources available to us an average Nigerian should be comfortable.

I just came back from Germany and in Germany there is no class segregation in education. The child of the president and the child of a common man attends the same school. 

They go from primary school to the university free without paying a dime and it happens in other parts of the world. Nigeria have the resources but it’s not properly distributed. You hear controversies here and there on how much is a senator taking? , how much is governor taking? When you hear the amount you weep while the majority are suffering. The bottom line is that our leaders lack the political will to help the masses.

When President Buhari came he promised to remove ten million Nigerians out of poverty did he do it? Rather he plunged more into poverty. When Tinubu was campaigning he said if he wins he will employ ten million youths into the army and police has it been done? So the sufferings, the pains we are going through is much . We have enough resources in this county 

What you hear about our leaders is not done in other part of the world. When you hear the amount state governors embezzle you will marvel. Like in my own state, Kogi state the governor stole 82 billion Naira that’s the one they have record of. He is not the only one looting, the rest have such kind of records you see them in Abuja here with numerous houses in central areas.

Sir we gathered that you visited Liberia and Monrovia for a climate change conference. What is your perception of what Nigeria needs to do to ensure the climate change is to the advantage of our nation? 

Well the sad situation is that Nigeria has being involved in this conference for the past six years and nothing is done. In the next two weeks I will be in Nairobi for similar matters. The truth is that Nigeria is doing nothing absolutely nothing. The informations are there but it’s not implemented. 

When we started this climate change matter during the COVID we were invited to Ethiopia Adis Sababa, it was there we were told when the climate change became an international matter. In Paris they made a communique and ask all countries of the world to make sure by year 2020 their entire countries are on solar. 

The United Nations, The world bank ask every country in the world to bring their budget on how to put solar in every home. When Nigerian government presented their budget fifty percent of the budgets were given to the Nigeria government and they were instructed to add the remaining filthy percent to make sure all houses in Nigeria are on solar. The United Nations and other international organizations already paid for free solar in every Nigerian home.

As far as climate change in Nigeria is concern, the government is doing virtually nothing, they attend all the conferences with large contingents hear all the lectures, collect all the bonuses, collect all the international supports, yet the information gathered from the conferences hasn’t tickled down to the society. 

The international bodies now invite us the religious leaders because they believe that as religious leader’s people now have more confidence in us than politicians so when we come back home from the conferences we enlightened our people on how to move forward. 

Sir, what do you have to say about the current out cry as a result of hunger and hardship in this present administration?

Nigerians have reason to complain. Our leaders are not helping matters no matter how we talk about it the bottom line is that our leaders have failed us. Some youths in Lagos were saying Nigerian government are dream killers. They don’t support dreams, they don’t inspire dreams, of the young once. One very sad something is that in 1996 in the olympic Nigeria won gold in football which made Nigeria the first African country to win gold, Nigeria won gold in long jump, Nigeria won silver and three bronze.

This year after 28 years the contingent is more than the outlets. Is it done? They spent 84 Billion this year and yet the outlets didn’t come back with any medal, If it’s a working country? The minister of sport. Directors, and whatever must go. But did you hear anybody talked?. When they were going, the qualified people for the job were sidelined and the children of the rich were taken to go and run and they came back with zero medal while twenty eight years ago we came back with eight medals two golds. 

Sir don’t you think there are ways out ?

The only way to right the wrong is to get the right leadership and to get that in Nigeria is very difficult. When I went to Liberia George Weah the president whose citizens said was not doing well,  was always going for parties, was always bringing celebrities, during the election they voted him out. In Nigeria do they want to allow our election to count? They do what they do with impunity In Nigeria because they don’t allow our election to count , if they are aware that if they don’t do well they will be voted out you will see them want to work.  

The right set of leaders who should lead are not there because they manipulate the elections, they rig it, that’s why they do it with impunity because they know they don’t allow elections to work. So the people’s choice are not allowed to emerge. If elections are free and fair eighty percent of the leaders won’t be there. 

what is your perception on the Dangote refinery? 

You know some of us have been following this event for a very long time. In 1995 I was in Israel one of the political leaders i won’t call his name had a refinery in 1995. The Nigerian story making the rounds that fuel are imported from foreigners are lies they are taking that fuel from Nigerian politicians that have refinery outside the country. They are not buying it from foreigners. If Dangote refinery works many of their refineries in west African countries and beyond will die.

OKay sir, as a member of the Chattered institute of leadership and management in Nigeria what would you advice every Nigerian leader? 

leaders should be selfless, they should serve the people, let them have the interest of the people at heart, let leadership not be accumulation of wealth, let them not be greedy and let them be concerned about the people. 

So sir as the Bishop of the Anglican Dioceses in Kubwa Abuja we learnt that you have spearhead so many infrastructural developments like schools, hospitals and others. what’s the driving force of doing this ?

Well the failure of the government is what led us into this. If the government is doing well we shouldn’t be going into all of these. We have schools, hospitals and all is for the betterment of our people. We have being running them well. How do we get these monies? It is from our members. We have one of the best hospitals and we are dedicating twenty five bedrooms hospital to serve the people and why we go into it is because of government failure. The public schools and hospitals are dead. 

Finally sir what do you have to say about what is happening now in Nigeria and in 2027?

The people are suffering and the future is bleak.

Has the removal of petroleum subsidy done more harm than good?

Good to who, have you benefited from it or has the subsidy removal improved the lives of common Nigerians or improve the bad roads in Nigeria ?

Are hopes lost?

No, we can’t say all hopes are lost because it’s dangerous to say so. As religious leaders we preach to our people always have hope in God.