Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has given the reasons why the nation’s resources are stacked in the hands of a few citizens, saying those entrusted with the distribution are bereft of godliness to do the needful and that they see primitive accumulation of wealth as what gives them joy.
Delivering the keynote address at the 80th birthday of Bishop Mike Okonkwo of the The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM, in Lagos on Thursday, Osinbajo, who is also a pastor, opined that the church in Nigeria must also wake up to preach the true gospel that the Puritans preached in Europe in those days which changed the continent and the lives of the people for better.
He spoke on “Church as a responsible pathfinder in attaining the Nigeria of our dreams “
This is just as Bishop Okonkwo and Major General Ike Nwachukwu, who was the Chairman of the occasion, called for stock taking by Nigerians on what the nation has achieved after almost 65 years of independence.
Osinbajo, drawing from the Bible, quoted the Book of Acts of the Apostles chapter four where seven men full of Holy Spirit were given the task of sharing resources among the people by the Apostles.
“In that Bible passage, people on their own sold their properties and put the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles. The truth is that if the proceeds were just put there, the people would still be hungry, but there was need for equitable distribution among the people. So, seven men full of the Holy Spirit were chosen to do the distribution. If those entrusted with the resources are not godly, then there would be problems.
“So many people wonder what is the role of the church in us realising the Nigeria of our dream. This is important because the same gospel that many take for granted here is what Europe and America used to change their societies for better. The gospel tells us that hard work, productivity, integrity, honesty and other good virtues are the bedrock of the growth and development of any nation.
“When we are hard working and are productive and we show honesty and integrity in whatever we do, then we won’t be far from the Nigeria of our dream. The gospel does not support corruption and cheating, the Nigeria of our dream stands a chance of emerging if the church turns to preaching that doing honest work is divine and that caring for the poor is true religion,” he stated.
The ex VP frowned at the situation where many people believe that Manna would fall from heaven, when they ought to know that humans have been given divine ability to be productive.
He used the occasion to thank Bishop Okonkwo for his efforts to let him sell his choice as a vice presidential candidate to some Christian leaders in 2014.
“I was invited to a meeting with some Christian leaders to explain to them what my choice as a vice presidential candidate would mean. Surprisingly, some of the leaders were really opposed to me talking to them. They did not want me to state my position despite Bishop Okonkwo’s efforts and I had to leave. Later the Bishop called me for another meeting with regional leaders of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria where I spoke,” he added.
Nwachukwu, in his speech, charged Nigerians and their leaders to answer the question of what has been achieved since independence.
“We really need to ask ourselves what we have got under the belt since 1960. President Bola Tinubu recently came back from a visit to Brazil, but for over 40 years now, Brazil has been producing vehicles, even aircraft from their own steel factories. What about our own Ajaokuta and others,? He asked.
In his remarks, Bishop Okonkwo urged the citizens of the country to assess the situation in their country and truly answer if the country is where it ought to be.
“For over a decade now, we have been organizing this annual lecture and bringing men and women of calibre to speak on topical national issues. It is one of the ways we are making our modest contributions to national development. We hope that the Nigeria of our dream and which our founding fathers put in our care will realise its potential one day.
“The task of getting that done lies with each and every one of us. We all have our roles to play and we must all do so. If we care for others and we see the corporate wellness of our country as a task that must be done, then things will be okay,” he stated.
VANGUARD.
