Economic recession: Cleric advises churches to establish commercial farms
A cleric, Dr. Ngozi Durueke, has advised religious leaders to establish commercial agricultural farms to cushion the current nation’s economic recession and high unemployment rate in the country.
Dr. Durueke who is the Bishop of He Reigns Chapel Power-line Living Ministries International, Owerri observed that food insecurity and rising unemployment were key factors responsible for the current economic recession stressing that, until urgent attention is taken the problem will continue to linger.
He said that, “Religious organisations should for now suspend the construction cathedrals and big churches, and establish big farms to assist in providing foods and jobs to Nigerians.
“Rather than task already suffering members of your church to raise money for construction of cathedrals and big churches, mega livestock ventures and farms to employ jobless people and provide food for the hungry should be established.’’
Dr. Durueke, a varsity don-turned cleric, added that survival from economic recession must not be left for government and the private sector alone, noting that religious bodies should as well think economic.
“All I am saying is that we should have community churches whereby the interest of the communities where the church is located is fused into soul-winning mission of the church because it is the living the worship God’’.
He therefore charged other clerics to always preach salvation to their flocks and avoid prosperity messages which he observed promotes corruption and inordinate ambition.
“If men of God should emphasize on holiness, rather than prosperity, it will discourage corruption, anti-social behaviour and criminalities among Nigerians”.
Bishop Durueke further cautioned Nigerians to avoid ostentatious lifestyle, regretting that it is painful that Nigerians are globally known for ostentatious living.
“Nigerians should stop buying luxurious items, expensive cars, and building of masons constructed by drug barons, let these millions of naira wasted on these items be re-channeled to more productive ventures’’, he said.
Durueke called on government to adopt urgent proactive measures to cushion current hardship, and prevent the economic recession from scaling up the more.
“Government appointees earning jumbo salaries and allowances like the president, vice president, members, national assembly members, governors, and their deputies should slash their salaries, to enable government get fund for life touching projects.
“There is also the need for the Central Bank of Nigeria to review some of the nation’s economic policies with a view to supporting the growth of SMEs, diversification to mechanized agriculture, and industrialization’’.
The Pentecostal cleric also called for the establishment of food processing ventures to encourage exports of agricultural produce for Nigeria to earn more foreign reserve.
“God has hand in the present economic hardship because He wants us to think deep and rediscover the potentials in this nation.
“If we really adopt the right lifestyle by looking inward, Nigeria will not only survive the recession, but come out stronger as the most developed Africa nation after the recession’’,
