Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo urged churches in Nigeria to reassess their priorities and shift focus from wealth accumulation and prosperity to the promotion of peace, productivity, and community development.
Osinbajo, speaking at the 68th Anniversary and 58th Annual Convention of The Gospel Faith Mission International in Ogunmakin, Ogun State, argued that the current obsession with material wealth among some religious leaders has alienated many, particularly youths, who seek more meaningful messages from the pulpit.
He stressed that churches have neglected their true calling, promoting peace, unity, and societal development, and must return to their roots, preaching values like hard work, compassion, and community service.
The ex-Vice President said: “If we truly want to see Nigeria rise again, the church must shift its focus… inspiring people to become agents of positive change, rather than mere consumers of prosperity gospel.”
Osinbajo highlighted the transformative power of the gospel in developing nations, citing European and American examples, where virtues like hard work, productivity, and integrity preached from the pulpit drove national progress.
He added, “For too long, our churches have been caught up in the pursuit of personal prosperity and material wealth, neglecting the true calling of the gospel to promote peace, unity, and the holistic development of our society.
“If we truly want to see Nigeria rise again and fulfill its immense potential, the church must return to its roots, preaching the values of hard work, compassion, and service to the community. It is only through this shift in focus that we can inspire our people to become agents of positive change, rather than mere consumers of prosperity gospel.
“The major responsibility of Christians, responsibility of the church is propagating the correct version of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is that correct version of the gospel of Jesus Christ that transformed other nations of the world.
“The nations that we copy, the nations we want to emulate, the nations whose developments we have seen, the nations in Europe, America, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the virtues of hard work, productivity, integrity, protection of the poor preached from the pulpit that transformed these nations.”
