Election not a priority for Nigeria — Femi Emmanuel

Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, said the elections; Muslim/Muslim ticket and other controversies are not priorities for Nigeria now as a country, but how to revamp it.

He noted that what the country needs right now is a good, God-sent leader who understands government, politics and traditions and who could save the people from slavery.

Emmanuel, who is also the Director of the Policy and Governance Branch of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, spoke in Ibadan during the Femi Emmanuel 2022 Lecture Series held at the Dominion City Event Center, Aduloju Bus Stop, Ibadan.

The theme of the conference was "Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria: The Role of Christians in Politics".

While accusing Christians of actively participating in politics, he said that “the unbalanced teachings and doctrines over the years that have totally taken the church community out of the political space are what we suffer from now.”

He pointed out that Christians had failed to understand their responsibility and the fact that they have a role to play in realizing their dream nation, saying "you can never change a system in which you don't. 're not involved, but it was the impression we all grew up with."

“We have prayed long enough and God answered our prayers long ago, but our failure to understand the key role we have to play in politics has brought us to this level,” he added.

He said that the NFP gave him the mandate to coordinate the inclusion of Christians in the political space, adding that "by the grace of God, the Church will wake up".

Speaking on the theme of the conference, "Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria: The Role of Christians in Politics", Senior Pastor of Trinity House Church, Lagos, Rev. Ituah Ighodalo, noted that good governance is constructive cooperation between different sectors, where the result is the efficient use of resources, the responsible use of power and the effective and sustainable delivery of services.

He said good governance emerges when stakeholders engage and participate with each other in an inclusive, transparent and accountable manner to accomplish better service that is free from corruption and abuse and in the respect for the rule of law.

Ighodalo, who lamented the state of the nation, said that "democracy and good governance should naturally go hand in hand; unfortunately, that is not what we have experienced in Nigeria, especially since 1960, when we became our own government.

"We have not been able to effectively achieve the kind of good governance that we would have liked and appreciated."

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He said: "Nigeria was designed to fail, but Nigeria will not fail. What is happening to Nigeria is not a mistake. It was pre-designed, pre-meditated, pre-arranged and pre-arranged by the British colonialists so that it will not survive, but Nigeria will be great again."

He, however, urged Nigerians to stand up and decide what kind of country and leader they want.

He said the leader must be spiritual, God-fearing, disciplined, visionary, strong, capable, healthy, determined, energetic, focused, honest and sincere.

While Ighodalo praised the efforts of the organizer, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, for his courage and determination to defend the course of Christians' active participation in politics, he also charged Christians in the body of Christ to join them in bringing about change.

In his contribution to a panel discussion at the event, Director of Policy and Governance Directorate, PFN, Oyo State, Dr. Joshua Obasa called on the country's faith fathers to bury their differences and come together to chart a new course for the nation.

At the event, political aspirants from all parties and those interested in politics were invited.