Rt. Rev. Barr. Otuekong Ukut, PhD, is a financial expert by training and the presiding Bishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Atamunu, Calabar, Cross River State. The cleric stated that his wealth of experience is enough for him to live up to expectation, having been appointed into the steering committee of the World Methodist Council Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relationship Committee 2025-2029. In this encounter with NSAN NDOMA-NEJI, he condemned the increasing rate of ritual killings and bares his mind on other sundry issues. Excerpts:
How has the journey been so far since your name was mentioned as a member of the Steering Committee of the World Methodist Council?
It’s been a long process, which began since 2006, when we had the World Methodist Council conference in Seoul, South Korea. I was with the then President of the World Methodist Council, our reverend father, his Eminence Prelate Sunday Mbang. I worked with him as his chaplain, from that time on, I had been in the Methodist Council, as a floor member, attending conferences in South Africa, Argentina, in the United States if America – twice, in Houston and Boston, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
I had been part of the World Methodist Council. This is the first time that a Nigerian, especially from the South-South region, after the departure and the handing over of his Eminence Sunday Mbang, as the President, no South-South person had been appointed into a major committee, the ecumenical and inter-religious committee, one of the most crucial committees of World Methodist Council. It is the body that interfaces with other denomination and then other religions, ecumenical – the Catholics, Anglican, etc.
It is one of the most critical committee, ecumenical interface and others in the christiandom.
I have been with them and they have seen my capacity. I have been active, and so, when the nomination came, His Eminence, Dr Oliver Ali Aba JP, with the world President, the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, nominated and sent my name, to the steering committee of World Methodist Council. They were very happy and joyfully accepted my nomination.
If there was no capacity, there wouldn’t have been a nomination. If there weren’t a capacity, they wouldn’t have agreed, approved a meeting of the executive before the letter was sent to me.
What are the expectations as you become a full member of that committee. I mean the impact that would accompany your membership of that committee?
The first thing is that in Nigeria, we have a whole lot of issues in Christiandom, which is ecumenical and inter-religious, which is mostly before the four major faiths, like the Christian faith, the Moslem faith, the animist, and African traditional religion, which is at the inter-religion front. On ecumenism, I had been involved in the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, at the highest apex of the association in Akwa Ibom State. As the chairman of CAN caucus, Akwa Ibom State. It’s a caucus that decides on the rotation of where the chairman of CAN should go to.
I had been the chairman of the advisory board. The advisory board is the executive, almost all the major churches in Akwa Ibom belong to the advisory. We advise the executive of CAN up till date.
Can you tell us your message to the Christians?
We need to do more to put an end to this. What I noticed is that our young people have totally abandoned the Christian faith, hopping from one inter-denomination to another inter-denomination. They have gone into unethical practices like ritual murder, because of the get-rich syndrome. This is so sad. You see 19 to 20 -year old killing mothers, killing fathers to get-rich-quickly. It is like a trend, we need to reverse this ugly trend. We need to give them Christ. We have allowed prosperity gospel and they have become disillusioned with it. And so they are now going to get rich quickly with it, using ritual murder. It’s not only in Christiandom. The alfas, the imams are also involved. Prayer houses are also involved.
Young men now kill women, killing their girlfriends and friends, some killing their mothers, and mothers conniving with sons to kill their girlfriends.
It’s a trend that we need to very urgently sit as inter-religious body to reverse, otherwise they will not have a tomorrow. That’s the burden that I am putting forward. What are the best practices. Can we do away with some of these practices and then give them Christ and leave worldly things? Then there will be salvation, and holiness.
What advice do you have for the Federal and state governments in regard to response to the insecurity challenge faced by the nation?
As a son of a former military officer, I do not give advice on pages of newspapers, because the insecurity challenge faced by the nation is multi-faceted. It also boils down to values, get-rich quick mindset and breakdown of family values. That ritualist came from a home where there are brothers and sisters.
Are you insinuating that the young men and women involved in ritual killings are not properly brought up?
Even if you are to narrow down the insecurity challenge to ritual killings, it’s still boils down to national values.
Parenting is involved, the general society’s mindset is involved, the get-rich-quick syndrome is involved, the lack of the fear of God is also involved too.
