"Oni Has Made Ekiti A Peaceful Haven" - Bishop Fagun
Published on November 18th, 2009
Bishop M. O. Fagun is one man that has seen it all in the Catholic Church. A man who described the happiest day of his life as the day he was ordained a Catholic Priest, is an influential Nigerian who has contributed so much to the development of Ekiti State in particular and Nigeria in general.
In this interview, Bishop Fagun who is retiring after 44 years of active service spoke frankly on celibacy and the sacrifice of not having a wife. He also noted his distaste for Yoruba men, who he said, do not often want their women to be “economically buoyant”. The revered Bishop also bared his mind on governance and the political situation in Ekiti State.
Excerpts:
Let us start this interview sir on a light note. You were ordained as the Bishop of Ekiti in 1972 and your first car registration number was WP 1972, was this a mere coincidence or you got yourself a customized number, a fashion that is prominent in the country now.
I was ordained a Priest in 1965 and was made an Auxiliary Bishop of Ondo in 1971 and also became the Bishop of Ekiti Diocese in 1972. At no time did I get any special car registration number even till this day. The motor licensing office gives the next available number to whatever car I present to them for registration.
Can you take us through the journey so far?
I was born in Akure on the 17 TH day of February, 1935. I had my secondary school education in Sacred Heart Catholic College in Akure and proceeded to Saint Theresa Minor Seminary in Ibadan. I completed my seminary studies at Saint Peter and Paul Major Seminary, also in Akure. I thereafter when to the University of Ibadan and also Universite de Dakar, Senegal. I equally went to the University of Toronto in Canada for my Masters. I was installed as the Bishop of Ekiti Diocese in 1972. I have been a member of several boards and commissions in both Ekiti and Ondo state since 1975 and till this moment a proprietor of several schools.
What are the high and low moments that you have experienced in the course of your calling?
The high and low moment of my calling covering a span of 44 years would require a booklet. Suffice it to say that I thank God for helping me to weather the difficulties of life and endowing me with the grace of achieving success and joy.
Sometimes ago, there was a push by some eminent Nigerians to return missionary schools to state government. Is this the right step in solving the problem of moral decadence in secondary schools?
The take-over of schools in 1975 was a miscalculation on the part of the military government that wielded more power than common sense. Moral formation is part of the benefits students receive in the mission schools, but was lost, and he that sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. The horse is already loose from the stable, what use is in closing the stable without the horse? The damage has been done to the moral formation of the children for 35 years. These adults are now the social problem of our time. All hands should now be on deck in redeeming the past and find new strategies for moral formation of our youths.
Your school, Holy Child Catholic Secondary School turned 14 recently, how would you say the school has fared?
The School has been adjudged by the stakeholders, I mean the parents and reputable institutions to be the best school in Ekiti State and among the most excellent in the country from academics, moral and spiritual points of view.
Though you are not a politician, you are still a Nigerian, how would you rate governance in the country?
Man is a political being and I share in that notion, though not in partisan politics. The basic problems bedeviling Nigerian politics is the lack of the spirit of oneness and common purpose. If all Nigerians give the country the loyalty they give to their villages and towns, the country would have advanced tremendously. If democracy had been given the chance to grow from our independence in 1960 without military intervention, we would have overcome the problem facing us as a nation. Thank God there is a general awareness of the shortcoming of our politicians in general. With the influence and greater efforts on the part of the citizenry to correct the wrong of our Politicians like greed for power and material wealth, we shall succeed as a great nation.
The searchlight is constantly beamed on the Ekiti. Can you tell us how you rate the government of Engr. Segun Oni?
As I remarked earlier that the Ekiti people are forthright and vociferous, it is only natural that the searchlight would be on the people but the truth is that there is less crisis in Ekiti than in other states in Nigeria. Engr. Segun Oni as a person is admirable, coolheaded, gentle, humble and focused. As a governor he has put these qualities into action. His friends admire him but his critics think he is always influenced by the dictates of his party henchmen.
Nevertheless, he holds on doggedly to his position and pursues his political agenda in serving the people of the state. Incidentally, Governor Oni is handicapped by legal tussles in court on his election to power. This would normally constitute a great distraction from focusing entirely on governance. Another handicap is the lack of adequate financial resources. Ekiti land has no natural resources and worse still no significant commerce to generate internal revenue. The pittance, don't forget that Ekiti has the least allocation of all the states in the federation.
In your estimation, what area specifically has Governor Oni done well?
I would say his ability to maintain peace and order in Ekiti is where he has done well. Normally all our governors like to place emphasis on their effort on some indispensable infrastructures like Streetlight, pipe borne water supply and tarring of roads of which one of my institutions is a beneficiary. These are taken for granted in developed countries. The crux of it all is that power supply has bedeviled our Federal might. Until Nigeria has regular power supply, then, I would applaud our government for a job well done.
There has been infighting in the State, the Peoples' Democratic Party and the Action Congress has continued to create some sort of tension. What is your take on this?
With regards to what you term infighting in the State among the Action Congress and the Peoples' Democratic Party, it is unfortunate that thuggery is still part of our political weapon in Nigeria. We thank God in Ekiti that thuggery is subsiding for common sense in human behavior. Thank God both sides have now recourse to the court of justice to arbitrate in their dispute. My advice all the time is that whoever wins as governor should join hands with all experts available in nation building irrespective of party affiliation to lift our people up to total development.
In Ekiti where you have been the Bishop of the Diocese for several decades, what has been your experience with the people?
I have found Ekiti land beautiful with forthright people, hardworking, congenial, accommodating and generous. They want the best for their children and they employ all efforts to get them educated and well placed in the society. They are more spiritual than just being religious. The only shortcoming I see that is negative is that a good number of our men, not just in Ekiti but in Yorubaland as a whole do not have respect for women. This is evident in the way they treat their wives, almost like personal property. I was amazed for example, when one of our men expected his wife to serve him food on her knees.
Secondly, they are not comfortable with their wives being economically buoyant. They will insist on wreaking the business through exploitation by letting her take care of the children alone even to the point of expecting the woman to feed them without any financial support. This is the area of weakness I see in our men and it is said that, the civilization of the people is first and foremost judged by the way they treat their women. So, we need to improve in this cultural behaviour.
You have spoke glowingly in the defense of women, do you not miss anything not being married Sir?
Of course, it is natural for all any man or woman to be joined to the opposite sex as husband and wife and to abstain from this cannot be convenient for both side and so in my case, it is one of the big sacrifices we make as priests to God. By denying ourselves this right, it is a right and as such we call it self-denial. To do this we need will power and the grace of our lord Jesus Christ to support us.
What would you consider as the happiest day of your life?
I would rightly say, the happiest day of my life was when I was ordained a Catholic priest on the 4th day of July, 1965. It was an ambition I nursed for 14 years from my tender age. In spite of opposition from home due to the celibate life demanded of the Catholic Priesthood, despite the rigour of training processes, and with an irresistible urge impelling me to this divine call, I have not experienced any greater joy than in attaining the Catholic Priesthood ever since.
That you considered your happiest! What about your most anxious moment, my lord?
Oh! That was when my mother died in 1978. She was my closest companion from my cradle until her death. I felt desolate. A great chill overpowered me at the announcement of her demise, reminiscences of our togetherness unfolded in a vision in my mind. My thoughts mingled with rumination. I saw death in its sad reality for the first time as it were. With my mother's death, I was seasoned to bear that of my father a decade after.
In conclusion Sir, what legacy would you like to leave behind as you retire in months to come?
I want generations yet unborn to emulate the example of my life which is a life of sacrifice for others as in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. And through the grace of God, my life has been a life of faith, hard work, moral probity, self-sacrifice and self-reliance, a life of one trying to achieve something for the good of the society in the pattern of Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life through him, with him and in him. This is the legacy I would like to hand over to coming generations.