By Anthony Obi
For the country to make any meaningful progress, there is a need for Nigerians to elect quality leaders. Such leaders at all levels of governance must be humane, incorruptible, resolute, hardworking transparent, and accessible, amongst other qualities, he explained.
The Church must also ensure good governance by giving reasonable advice to leaders, “tell them the truth and not what they want to hear.” This was the assertion of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo at the annual public lecture organized by the Bishop Kola Onaolapo Memorial Foundation, at the Institute of International Affairs, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos. The lecture was held under the Chairmanship of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya of the Fountain of Life Church, Lagos.
Speaking on the “The Role of the Church in Enhancing Good Governance in Nigeria,” Ighodalo maintained that, “good governance is salient for making decisions, which are effective, inclusive and transparent. Commitment to best practices of governance and the effective deployment of available resources targeted at resolving the current challenges, are the only options for the country to move forward.
“Good governance is attainable only through the electoral process where the populace exercises its civic rights and vote in credible, capable leaders.” He urged Nigerians to ensure that they, at all times, pray for the nation and those in positions of authority. He drew from the biblical injunction in which the Israelites of old were commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
He also called for national repentance and an insistence on righteousness/holiness, particularly amongst those saddled with the onerous task of running the affairs of the country. He cited these as part of the major roles the church must play in ensuring and enhancing good governance in Nigeria:
“The state of a nation is determined by the quality of its leaders in government. Leaders or people in position of authority can do or undo. One of our leaders is quoted as once saying ‘After God, it is government.’”
Ighodalo bemoaned the poor state of the country’s education sector: “Nigeria’s literacy rate is estimated at 61 percent with a large number of out-of-school children (over 10 million). Between 2010 and 2015, 70-80 percent of students failed the SSCE. Universities can only accommodate 148,000 of the 1.5 million that attempt entry annually.
“There are academic staff shortages in all areas particularly in the critical areas of science and technology.”
He questioned why a nation such as Singapore, though not a Christian nation, applied biblical principles for governance and transformed its nation, while Nigeria, with a large population of Christians could not follow suit: “In Singapore, education, rule of law, sacrifice and delayed gratification form the bedrock of its national outlook.
“How did other developed and thriving nations get to where they are? What were their tipping points? Despite having some of the best resources and greatest intellectual minds available, Nigeria continues to face challenges in good leadership.”
He said good governance could only be achieved through strict adherence to ethics, morality, equality and fairness, rule of law, discipline, hard work and sacrifice. These, he stressed, are all biblical principles.
He referred to “non-Christian nations like Japan, China, UAE (Dubai), Singapore, Malaysia that have thrived largely on these principles. The prosperity and progress of a nation fundamentally dependent on following laid down spiritual biblical principles or laws, which the church must spearhead.
Odukoya insisted that for the Church to perform a useful role in good governance Christians must learn to conquer fear and aspire to the highest positions in the land.
The lecture was instituted in memory of Bishop Kola Onaolapo, founder of Abundant Life Gospel Churches, who in his life time, devoted time, energy and resources to youth talent and skills development, missionary aid and leadership capacity building.
Promoting Good governance and improved living standards for all Nigerian were central to his numerous sermons and teachings.