BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, has stressed the need for the Christian Association of Nigeria to groom future political leaders with Christian values in a bid to address the ills usually militating against developmental goals in the overall interest of the nation.
Badejo, while addressing the South West CAN at a meeting held recently in Ibadan, also admonished the Christian body to embark on education and sensitisation of Christian voters on what to look for in political parties and their candidates before elections.
Decrying the plight of the masses in the land, he said, “The truth is that Christians are not the only ones who suffer. Minorities suffer, professionals groan and youths moan. Businessmen cry and we can count on and on. Perhaps, the most rampant point of public discourse in Nigeria today is whether to break Nigeria up or to keep it as one.”
To change the narrative and right the wrongs in governance, Badejo urged CAN to start a nursery of future politicians who would contest elections and attain positions in which they would be opportune to formulate policies that could remake Nigeria.
He said, “I often conclude that Nigeria is on auto pilot and that it even often seems to be running without a pilot. Sometimes, it seems like an aircraft piloted by complete neophytes or even demons. Whichever way we look at it, we are in dangerous waters because of inept leadership, unfair application of or lack of rule of law, nepotism and unjust allocation of resources and privileges.
“While it is true that people of other religions suffer as well from government’s ineptitude at the federal and state levels, there is clear evidence that in many critical areas, policies, programmes and privileges are skewed against Christians for no justifiable reason.
“Some people, due to the imbalance and inequality in Nigeria, call the nation a kwashiorkor federation, big at the head but small in the body. The main role of the Christian Association of Nigeria is to provide advocacy and a platform for Christians to jointly address some of these injustices and seek redress as much as possible.
“I challenge CAN to have the foresight to groom foot soldiers for the future in order to better defend and protect the rights and welfare of Christians and Christianity. It is my opinion that if CAN is ready to effectively play this role and act as a vanguard of the spiritual and moral welfare of this nation, it must consciously determine with what tools and strategies to do the job.
“I submit that in order to have more direct, effective influence on future politics of Nigeria and transform our society according to the mandate of Jesus Christ; CAN must constitute itself into a platform for furnishing future politicians with Christian values that can transform the society.
“We must do more to encourage our Christian politicians to be accountable for the names they bear. This should be possible because voters are the pivotal force behind every election. If voters can be educated to align behind democratic values that can transform our country and society, then the die is cast for mischievous politicians.
“Even politicians who are betrothed to money and abuse of power cannot ignore the power of number united behind common values or purposes in a democratic setting. There is a lot which a responsible electorate can do for the future of a country like Nigeria.”
