Cleric challenges Nigerians on good governance, recreating nation
By Sunday Nwakanma – Umuahia
Nigerian leaders have been called upon to sacrifice self and work for the purposeful transformation of the society and environment.
This call was made by the Methodist Archbishop, Archdiocese of Umuahia, Most Rev. Chibuzo Raphael Opoko on the occasion of the Easter celebration, who advised Nigerian leaders to allow the death and resurrection of Jesus create in them a new heart, new attitude and new sense of belonging.
He advised all those holding public offices to live a life of sacrifice, to become patriotic citizens, serve without counting the cost, show integrity, honesty, transparency and dignity in all their engagements.
“Easter places a great demand on us as Christians. It is a demand that will cause us to resist all vain things that charm us most and then sacrifice them to His blood. It is a demand that brings about a display of love that is so amazing and so divine; a love that demands our soul, our life and our all.
“This year’s Easter falls within the period when duly elected political office holders are expecting to be sworn in a couple of weeks from now. Therefore, I call on all leaders and followers alike to contribute in recreating a Nigeria of our dreams, a Nigeria that inspires confidence, a Nigeria that gives her people hope, and a Nigeria that will be politically stable, economically viable and socially happy.
“The death and resurrection of Jesus was an obvious show of love to those who didn’t deserve it. Therefore, we must learn to show love to those around us. Husbands must show love to their wives, masters to their servants, the rich to the poor. Christians must extend this love to those of other faiths.
“We must show love to our Muslim brothers and those who still practice our indigenous religion. You may say, they do not deserve it, but remember that He showed us love while we were yet sinners,” the Methodist archbishop said.
On the implication of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the contemporary Nigerian society, the Most Rev. Opoko said that the resurrection of Christ is His victory over sin and death and we have been privileged through grace to share in this victory, adding however, Nigerians live daily as a people bewildered, encumbered and trapped by the power of sin and fear of death.
“Nigeria as a nation will never become what we desire it to be unless we begin to daily apply the victory which Christ won for us on the cross. That victory should enable us shun corruption at all levels.
“It is unfortunate that leadership in Nigeria across board has been seen by many to be corrupt, inept, inefficient, power drunk, oppressive and visionless. Fifty-nine years after independence, there have been various civilian and military regimes, each ending with a bad record of corruption and reckless mismanagement of the nation’s resources.
“This obviously has made many Nigerians to remain in abject poverty and others victims of injustice. I ask where is the cross and its relevance? Of what importance is His resurrection? If leaders cannot through their leadership build a Nigeria that is free from corruption, oppression and insecurity, then we make a mess of His death and resurrection.
“Corruption has been endemic; corruption of padding, corruption of nepotism, corruption of ethnicity and corruption of mediocrity. How can we conclude without making reference to the high level of insecurity and wanton killings of the innocent? We must as a nation say no to this act of wickedness.
“We must be willing to expose those we know that are involved in this wicked inhuman act. We must continue to pray for our nation Nigeria,” he stated and called on President Muhammed Buhari to rethink the present leadership status of the country’s security apparatus to include competent men and women from all parts of the country.
“It is my prayer that as we celebrate the Easter, God will enable us understand the extent of the bitterness of the cup He drank on our behalf, the gravity of the humiliation He faced from those he came to save and the level of glory He abandoned to come to this wicked and corrupt world of ours. When we understand this, it will reflect in our attitude to people around us.
“It will reflect in the kind of leadership we have to offer. It will reflect in our attitude to the service of God and it will cause us to live daily with a heart of gratitude. Indeed, Christ is alive. We all should be alive to holy living and righteous activities. This way, we shall justify this year’s celebration,” he concluded.
