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By Emmanuel Kehinde, Ilorin
The Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr. Mike Okonkwo, has lamented the inability of the Federal Government to address the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
He noted that the strike had taken a toll on the academic development of students in public universities in Nigeria.
The Bishop spoke during the first edition for 2022 of TREM’s programme tagged: Breeding Leaders for Empowerment and National Transformation (BLENT) at TREM’s international headquarters, Anthony-Oke, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos.
Okonkwo said, “How much is the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) asking for that they have shot down the schools and our children can not go to schools? Our school system is destroyed because we have bad people in those places. And a nation without education, a nation that is destroying the education in that land can not make any progress.”
The bishop reiterated that Christians are the light of the world.
Okonkwo said, “The church must come out. We are called the light of the world and the salt of the earth. And you put salt in a bottle? We are not the bottle. Come out of the bottle and be the salt in society. That is who we are. We are to make an impact.
“How many of you know that we are praying for the coming elections in Nigeria? How many of you know that we are trusting God for a change in Nigeria? But the question is how many of us are participating actively in the political process?
“Many of us do not understand how powerful government is. There are powerful forces on earth: God or the church. After that the Government. Government is powerful.n Government can kill you if they choose to kill you and there is nothing you can do about it. They can decide to throw you into jail, lock up the key and throw away the key and you will be there. Government is powerful. But we are burying our heads inside the church and we are praying. There is nothing wrong with praying. I believe God has answered our prayers. But the issue is that we have not actively been engaged.
“Decisions are taking behind the scene and they will throw up two candidates and you will say, ‘out of two evils, let us choose one.’ I do not want to choose any evil. I want a good one. But we choose out of the two evils they will throw up and you expect them to make decisions that will bless you. We are wasting our time. It does not work that way.
“Go to your wards and register. Be there when they will take decisions so we will be looking for who is right and who is wrong that will come because once they throw them up,
“If you say I will not vote, for people will still vote and they will win and they will go there and take decisions for you.”
He added, “Many people who say they want to go into politics are actually looking for positions where they will carry sirens and not really to serve because if you really want to serve, why don’t you want to be a councilor. The grassroots, that is where the people are. Why do you not want to display what you can do as a councillor, chairman of a local government, and not I want to be a governor.
“You do not even have a political structure. You say you are praying to God. Is God the one who will come and organise it for you? It is the local government should do the road for you in your area and we leave those ones. We are looking at President. Go and get involved in your ward. Join the political parties and make your voice count. Do not be lost in the crowd. We need to be committed, otherwise, this country will not change.
“You think the social media will move them? You are telling them to reduce their salaries, how can they reduce their salaries when that is the reason they went there in the first instance? And you expect them to pass a law that will reduce their salaries? They can not pass a law that will reduce their salaries because that is the main attraction. They will even take more while they allow you to suffer. “
He urged christians to make positive impact in whatever field of human endeavour they are engaged in.
The bishop further said, “Let us start from where you are in, in your little corner. Display integrity, there is nothing like if you can not beat them, join them. No! No! You do not join them, even at the risk of your life because your salvation is more important. Jesus said where your treasure is, that is where your heart is. What is the treasure/Jesus is our treasure and that is where my heart is. That is where I have been zeroing in on. I can not allow society to determine how I behave. I look at the Scripture. How will my Jesus behave? Some of us are here now when they talk about government we laugh. You nko? In your little corner.
“So let us start with our constituency. Your corner is your constituency. Make up your mind to be a man or a woman of integrity, excellence. When you do things, they are different. You have integrity and excellence. You are committed. Take a quality decision. Let it be part of your life because that is what Christianity is all about.”
A former National President of the Student Wing of Peoples Redemption Party, Rev Sam Kputu, said christians in Nigeria can make positive impacts in governance.
He stated that Christians have appreciable numerical strength in the country and could influence voting pattern.
Kputu said, “Nigerian Christians and their political adventure: The history of Nigerian Christians involvement in national politics is a mixed creed of sadness and joy. We moved from the Scripture Union mindset of abhorrence (don’t touch it) to the holiness era of aversion (touch it with a long spoon). Then we can to the discipline moment (engage it but be cautious) to the charismatic era now (get fully involved). And each of those who have turned up both great results and great disaster. Have we made an impact and a difference? Have we? If not why and how can we?
“Nigeria’s population as of today is about 214 million. It is an estimate. The population of Christians is put at about 87 million. Out of that, evangelical Christians (those who claim to be born again, and spirit-filled, tongues-speaking, heaven-going) are about 50 million. This is a significant number, significant enough to cause social change and mobility. So why are we not?
“Look at, in 1999 President Olusegun Obasanjo won the election with just 18.7 million votes; add even Buhari’s votes to him, they were not up to 30 million. In 2003, he was re-elected with 24.4 million votes, in 2007, Umaru Yar’Adua won the election with 24.6 million votes. Goodluck Jonathan who succeeded him was elected with 22.6million votes. In 2015, Muhammadu Buhari was elected President with 15.4 million votes. In 2019, he was re-elected with 15.19 million votes. How could 50 million people not decide who became President?
“What this shows is that christians in Nigeria have enough number to put in power a national leadership even if operating as 50 per cent capacity. Why then are we playing the victim in a nation where we hold competitive advantage. We have challenge, disunity occasioned by sectionalism. We have Nigerian christians when we should be having christian Nigerians. When you are a Nigerian Christian, you Nigerianness is sitting on your christianity. It will pollute it.”
He added, “There is disunity occasioned by sectionalism and even communalism. Lack of coherent and cohesive kingdom agenda. The church has not designed a cohesive agenda for the kingdom.
“Sporadic and discordant political engagement, poor voter education, and mobilization. I see many of us now keeping quiet. We are saying, ‘hold your PVC.’ Elections do not start with PVC, Right now, party caucuses are meeting. Congresses are meeting. In 2023, they will throw two demons
“Right now party caucuses are meeting, congresses are meeting. In 2023, they will throw up two candidates that you want, you decide who you want. If you are not involved in the process that threw up a candidate, you have lost power. How many Christians are registered members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Very few. Your Permanent Voter’s card is of no use if the caucuses of the parties throw up two bad candidates.
“Absence of a strong support and accountability structure. My pursuit of Christian involvement in politics took me to South Korea some years ago. I found out that South Korea was worse than where Nigeria is today. The government was changing three, six months for corruption. The people got tired, they went and approached the Late Paul Yongi Cho and said, “Please .., so if the Lagos State people wanted a government, they will come to Bishop Mike Okonkwo and said, ‘Sir do you have somebody in your church who can be governor for us? The church will make an altar call, screen them and send them to the people. You did not need to spend money and you did not need to swear to idols. The church will throw you up and if the church disciplined you, you lost political power. There was a structure, there was accountability but as soon as you become commissioner in Lagos State, you are no longer a member of the Men’s Fellowship. You have outgrown. Level don change. There is no accountability. That is the problem.
“Being a Christian does not translate to being a good leader. You have to have initiative, competence, and delivery capacity. It is not so much your degree as your pedigree. What have you been doing previous to coming into politics? Who have you affected? Which community have you transformed? That is your pedigree. Ayo Fayose became a governor with HND in a state with many professors because he just loaded water in tankers and went to villages and gave water. Nobody knew he had an agenda but when politics came it was like this our waterman, let us vote him. Is it now why they wanted to make Jesus king after he fed them, 5,000 people. They wanted to grab him by force and make him king. Touch the people and they will vote for you.”
