‘Let’s Show Love To Criminals’‘Let’s Show Love To Criminals’Mrs. Bola Aduke Gbede is the Proprietress of Tobart Vineyard Children School, Ijaiye Ojokoro, Lagos. In this interview with SUNDAY OLADEJO, she explains that the only way to reduce crime rate in our society is by showing love to the criminals. Excerpts:
Which is the best way to tackle crime in our society?
The only way is by showing love to the criminals. This our advice, when you show them love through your advice, then you are contributing your own quota to free our society from crimes. In the olden days you will agree with me that our society was not as corrupt as it is today.
Today people work with all their strength but at the end of the day there is nothing to show for it, and these people find it very difficult to feed their families because there is nobody to help them.
When all hope are lost, and those whom you think will help you disappointes you, definitely such a person will think on how to survive. Therefore if we want to curb crime in our society we need to help the less privileged with our wealth and not by keeping them in the prison yard.
Again, I want you to know that we are blessed with large acres of land in this nation and we can easily employ these people to plant and cultivate crops that will generate us more money. In this way, we are simply enhancing our production, thereby reducing poverty. In a way, if you travel from Lagos to the Northern parts of the country, you will see how God has blessed us with land and the questions is why can't we use the land for something reasonable instead of wasting our money to employ foreigners to plant and cultivate our crops for us, why can't we make use of these people?
Most of these so called criminals are highly sensible, and talented; we can collectively assist them by empowering them, remember, an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. If I may ask is it easy to be an armed robber or even a petty thief without being highly intelligent and talented? That is it.
But do you think crime can be totally eradicated in Nigeria considering the level of poverty?
There is nothing impossible, with God I know crime can be reduced to a tolerable level.
What is your advice for the newly posted Lagos State Commissioner of Police?
He should not be distracted or tribalistically oriented in his approach. He should be focused and do that which is right.
How can we solve the problem of pipeline vandalisation in the country?
It's greed that causes vandalisation. The rich people are the people that vandalised it first. There was a time they vandalised a pipeline in Lagos and from what we were told that tanker drivers always come to that area with bodyguards to siphone fuel and when they finished their devilish work, they forgot to lock it well. When people living in that area saw the fuel gushing out the next day, they thought it was an opportunity for them to make money. So those who are vandalising our fuel pipeline must be the staff of the NNPC who would have provided the much needed basic tools. They are the ones that sold the idea to other people who now capitalised on it.
So if we want to curb this evil act, government should interrogate NNPC engineers, officials and others. Again we need to strengthen our institutions because the law on vandalisation of pipeline products seem to be too weak.
What do you expect from the newly EFCC chairman?
She should be upright, although I have never met her once in my life, but I know she could perform better.
Do you think women can effectively handle the position?
Yes, we have seen many women holding sensitive and tough positions in this country and they are doing well. I believe with God, she will perform.
What is your position on Iyabo Obasanjo's saga?
You should know that Iyabo is a Nigerian, so she should be given the right punishment. She should be treated the way a common man would be treated, because it's a shame for a woman to be in a position and misused that position to exploit her country.
Iyabo Obasanjo is an ex-president daughter, what does she want that God has not given her. Perhaps, she is a product of greed and avarice.
People wants OBJ to be probed. What do you think?
I think Yar'Adua is using his position well; he has given everybody opportunity to contribute his or her own quota to the development of this country, so that it will be an acceptable place to live.
Let him do it as the Lord directs.
What is your assessment of Yar'Adua's one year in office?
I think we should give him more chance before assessing him. I believe he is not there to embezzle. He was already born and brought up in wealth; to me the man is trying by giving the citizens free hand to judge him.
Remember, during Etteh's crisis, he allowed the law to take its right course. His government is okay.
Recently we celebrated Democracy Day in Nigeria. Do you think we are ripe enough to celebrate?
When do you think we will be ripe enough to celebrate it? I believe in something, we leave the past for the past, we shape the present situation to make things right and look for what will come in the future. If we are celebrating democracy now, it means we are still alife and we are getting it right and the future belongs to God. Now we are supposed to use the present situation to boost Nigeria, the past were worst, some are good and they have gone. So let's move ahead, let's continue celebrating.
Who then is Mrs. Gbede?
My full names are Bola Aduke Gbede. I attended Nasarawa Baptist School, Jos, and later preceded to Jindiri Teachers College, I did my Diploma course at the University of Lagos.
I taught in the public school for 20 years before I retired in 1995. That year I established Tobart Vineyard Children School.
Any advice for Nigerians?
They should appreciate what God has given us in terms of weather, culture and environment.
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