Clerics of all faiths have been admonished to desist from cursing President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria from the pulpit of places of worship.
The advice was given on Saturday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, while declaring open the 12th synod of Diocese of Nyanya, of the Methodist Church of Nigeria.
The synod, with the theme – ‘Prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ’ – was hosted by the Bishop of Christ Methodist Cathedral, Nyanya, Rt. Rev. Kehinde Adeyemi.
Mr. Adesina, himself a pastor of the Foursquare Church, pointed out that while it could be denied that the nation is going through some challenges, exaggerating the situation has become a norm that has seeped through to worship houses and heard from exalted pulpits.
According to him, “it is bad enough for one person to be killed, but numbers are often exaggerated. And I hear this even from the pulpit. Our clerics are well respected and need to be cautious with their words.
“Curses against the President and your own country are like seeds planted in the hearts, that can manifest negatively in time to come. We need to counsel our clerics. Let our words be seasoned with grace.”
Stating that Nigeria is not the only country with security challenges, the presidential spokesman stressed that the nation would survive its current difficulties just like it survived the civil war, because “it is not by our might but by the grace of God”.
He further charged clerics not to be demonizing one ethnic group or religion against another as no one group is the enemy of the other, adding that “we can learn to accommodate everyone in this country”.
Adesina stated that Buhari had equally been accommodating and would certainly have no problem handing over to a Christian successor in 2023, even as he noted that many Christian politicians are in the race for the presidency and other elective positions.
On a scriptural note, he preached on the topic – Friendship with Jesus – inspired by the Bible book of John 15: vs 12-15, while noting that a friend is “a person whom one knows, and one is fond of”, a definition that should define a Christian’s relationship with Jesus.
Adesina noted seven qualities/principles of such friendship to include steadfast support, undying bond, understanding, loyalty, forgiveness, trust and access.
In his address to the synod, host Bishop Adeyemi amidst highlighting the modest strides recorded by the church since its last synod, lamented the state of the nation, as he noted that Nigeria, now the poverty capital of the world, is also bleeding and shedding the blood of innocent citizens daily.
“It is really sad that at this day and age, Nigeria cannot boast of national security for its citizens”, he said while lamenting high unemployment rate, inflation and the greed of politicians, and charged Christians to participate actively in politics and help change the trend.
Bishop Adeyemi said: “We have been so docile for a long time but now we have learnt from our mistakes. Believers should take up the challenge of exceeding their civic responsibility by helping to install a crop of leaders that would stop the incessant killings in our land, reverse the downward economic trend, and reunite the various ethnic groups in the country”.
