Nigerians must continue to have faith for a better tomorrow -Odubogun

Rt. Rev. Oluranti Odubogun
The Bishop of Ife Diocese Anglican Communion

IN spite of the numerous socio-economic problems that besiege the country, Nigerians must continue to live on the principles of faith and total submission to God, which, in due time, would translate into a better tomorrow.

The Bishop of Ife Diocese Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev Oluranti Odubogun, gave this charge last week, during the Grand-finale and Thanksgiving ceremony of the 3rd Session of the 7th Synod, which took place at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ile-Ife, Osun State, to mark the end of the three-day event.

While placing emphasis on the theme: “Faith without work is Dead”, Bishop Odubogun, who doubles as the President of the Synod, emphasised the need for Nigerians to look beyond the situation by holding on to the belief of a better tomorrow, saying “when faith is at work, glory is the end product.”

The cleric, who lamented the spate of insecurity, corruption and wavering economy, admonished politicians and other stakeholders who are at the helm of affairs to complement their electoral promises with prompt and necessary action so as to improve the grave socio-economic situation on ground.

“From the results of the 2011 elections, it has been established that our country has worthy leaders who can lead the nation aright. Also, from reports coming in from the federal and state governments, sincere efforts are being made to embark on measures aimed at making life more meaningful for Nigerians.

“This notwithstanding, it should be emphasised that there is still a lot of suffering in the land. Most of our social and economic problems are caused by the challenges in the power sector. Inadequate electricity supply leads to closing down of factories. The effect of this is unemployment which, in turn, leads to armed robbery and related vices. We pray for President Goodluck Jonathan to succeed in the ongoing efforts at finding a permanent solution,” he said.

He further charged other leaders to set good examples through faith and fear of God, stressing however that “faith must lead to deeds.”

The Bishop, in his address, also harped on the need to urgently checkmate the security challenges which is causing a halt in the wheel of progress of the country, saying that the problem of employment, if addressed, would go a long way in improving on the challenge of insecurity.

“The need to use employment generation as a means of tackling the country’s security problem can therefore not be overemphasised. An idle hand is the devil’s workshop. This explains why Boko Haram, which was relatively unknown before 2009, now enjoys followership in Bauchi, Kano , Yobe and some other states in the northern part of the country. It is our belief that government will, once and for all, sum up courage to tackle this problem by identifying those behind the dastardly act and apply appropriate penalty,” he said.

The Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas D. Okoh, in a communique from the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), also lamented the spate of religious intolerance and gruesome murder of Nigerians in the northern region of the country.

source: www.tribune.com.ng