Former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has explained why the country’s resources are concentrated in the hands of a select few, claiming that those in charge of allocating them lack the moral character to act in the best interests of the people and that their enjoyment comes from the rudimentary accumulation of wealth.
Osinbajo, who is also a pastor, gave the keynote address at the 80th birthday celebration of Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, or TREM, in Lagos on Thursday.
Osinbajo expressed the opinion that the Nigerian church needs to wake up and preach the same authentic gospel that the Puritans preached in Europe back then, which transformed the continent and the lives of its people.
Osinbajo spoke on “Church as a responsible pathfinder in attaining the Nigeria of our dreams’.
This comes as Major General Ike Nwachukwu, the event’s chairman, and Bishop Okonkwo urged Nigerians to take stock of the country’s accomplishments following nearly 65 years of independence.
Drawing from the Bible, Osinbajo cited Chapter 4 of the Book of Acts of the Apostles, in which the Apostles tasked seven men filled with the Holy Spirit with distributing wealth among the populace.
“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 a 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 the role of the church is in us realizing 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 the 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 hardworking 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.
Osinbajo 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 took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Bishop Okonkwo for allowing him to convince some Christian leaders to support his pick for vice president 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.
In his address, Nwachukwu tasked Nigerians and their leaders with responding to the question of what has been accomplished since the country’s 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.
During his speech, Bishop Okonkwo asked the populace to evaluate the state of their nation and honestly determine whether it is where it should be.
“For over a decade now, we have been organizing this annual lecture and bringing men and women of caliber 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 dreams and which our founding fathers put in our care will realize 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.
