Nigeria’s politicians have been charged to rise to the challenges of hardships confronting Nigerians at the moment with a view to ameliorating the sufferings occasioned by the general economic crunch of the nation.
His Most Eminence, Baba-Aladura, Elder ( Dr.) David Dabaye Lamjose Bob-Manuel , Moses Orimolade IX being interviewed at National Ecumenical Centre Abuja.
The Prelate of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, His Most Eminence, Dr David Bob-Manuel who issued the charge said that as leaders, politicians must preoccupy themselves with the task of making life more meaningful for the downtrodden.
To achieve this, the Baba Aladura and Moses Orimolade IX asked politicians to govern with fear of God rather than turning themselves to lords on the people.
Specifically, the cleric said that as elected leaders, politicians including President Bola Tinubu must be compassionate in the use of the country’s resources to make life more meaningful for those who put them in position of authority.
Addressing journalists on Sunday in Abuja on the occasion of celebration of 100 years of the church, Dr Bob-Manuel, also called on Nigerians not only to be cooperative with leaders but to support them with prayers in the act of governance.
At the media briefing held at the National Headquarters Annex of the church, the C&S leader warned that political leaders must not turn themselves to lords over the electorate but to strive to fulfill all the promises made to enhance the living standards of the downtrodden during electioneering campaigns.
According to him, as leaders freely elected by the people for the purpose of enhancing their welfares, political leaders must do everything within their powers to cushing hardship and reduce suffering of the people to the barest minimum.
The prelate charged Nigerian citizens to always be guided by God in choosing who to lead them, adding that when righteous people are put into offices everything would be well for the less privileged ones.
“When you are elected into position of authority, you are expected to lead with the fear of God. You have to know that those who elected you are human beings, when they are suffering, you suffer with them as done by Christ.
“Anybody who is in position must be compassionate, must show compassion to those who elected them into that office because they are human beings and you must care for them, think of them and not question of when you have succeeded, you now turn to a lord over them, you no longer care about the welfare of the people, that is not the way”.
On the part of the Church, the cleric said that though the leaders don’t take part in active politics, they are however allowed to pray for politicians seeking elective offices for God’s guidance.
Besides, Prelate Bob-Manuel said that individual church members are not forbidden from taking active part in politics, adding that the people rejoice when the righteous rule.
He noted that the church in the last hundred years had contributed tremendously to the educational, political and economic growth of the country through establishment of several schools across the length and breath of Nigeria.
The cleric recalled that the church had two weeks ago commissioned a modern hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, adding that similar one will also be commissioned soon in the Surulere area of Lagos State as part of efforts to make health facilities available to Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic and religious backgrounds.
The prelate assured that the church would continue to do its utmost best to the general development of the country and the well-being of its citizenry.