Nigerian Christian leaders, under the umbrella of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) have been charged on the need to ensure that the church becomes the centre of transparency and the change they desire to see in Nigeria.
Oyo State Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, who spoke on the ‘Role of Church in National Development, at the 18th annual convention and thanksgiving service of Sanctuary of Christ Evangelical Church, Ibadan, added that the church could no longer bow its head in the sand and look unconcerned with the travails that Nigeria faces.
According to him, “lit is time we rose to our responsibilities as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
“If we desire to see more transparency in government, commerce, and industry, then we (the church) must take the lead in demonstrating transparency through our own operations, leading by example. In other words, we must become the change we desire.”
He, however, enjoined the church to always promote and support values that will culminate into national development such demanding adequate funding for education, promoting honesty, placing values on punctuality and dignity of labour, as well as savings and investments.
Delivering a seven-point agenda on the state of the nation entitled: Giving Hope to Nigerians, Pastor Gbade Ojo, who is the General Overseer of Sanctuary of Christ Evangelical Church, said President Muhammadu Buhari administration must be seen to be truly committed to fighting corruption and cutting down on the huge cost of governance, hence he should fight the corruption war with renewed vigour, not to be seen as cosmetic.
Ojo, who is the Chief of Staff to the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; and former Head of Department, Political Science, University of Ilorin, explained that corrupt politicians that were part of the rot of the last eight years in the current administration and outside the government should be fished out and prosecuted.
He pointed out that the current administration in the country has been given the right perspective to governance saying, “It has been a new dawn for Nigerians, as President Muhammadu Buhari is fighting corruption and giving the right perspective to governance in the country.”“Nigerians expect a sincere, genuine and complete war against corruption with no sacred cows. This is especially so considering that many of the politicians now masquerading as patriots and agents of change in APC were part of the rot of the last eight years, both within and outside government.”
He noted that: “Naturally, expectations are high, and the nation’s number one citizen will have to grapple with and surmount a lot of fundamental issues to be able to move the country forward,” he added.
