By Daud Olatunji
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Rev. Peter Odetoyinbo, has charged Nigerians to exercise their civic right to vote for credible leaders in the 2023 general election.
Odetoyinbo gave the charge on Thursday while speaking with newsmen during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, held at Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral, Itesi, Adatan, Abeokuta.
He prayed for a peaceful election that would transform the country into a better position.
His words, “We pray that the state of the country should be better. Electing the right person to the right position will make Nigeria better.
“I encourage our members to go out and exercise their civic duties and vote rightly according to their conscience for good leaders who will lead Nigeria better and give us what we desire and do the will of God.”
Delivering the message, the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev. Jude Arogundade, lamented the diversion of the believers from a healthy Christian life to pursue riches and prosperity.
Arogundade also attributed the current gridlock in the country to bad leadership, advising citizens to revive the dying nation by electing (people with) truth and integrity.
He stressed the need to be wary of the impending dangers posed by antichrists, saying, “there is a pressing need to remind ourselves about the dangers posed by the forces working against the true identity of Christianity in our time.
“The ongoing war to dominate and control the minds and hearts of our people must be fought with an abiding faith in God and by a sincere pursuit of righteousness.
“A generation of our people, both young and old, is becoming too impatient to follow the basic ethical and moral truth that must guide a healthy Christian life. Many of our youths have abandoned the church that preaches sacrifices, hard work and integrity to pitch their tents with those that promise prosperity and worldly glory.
“Those who continue to lure our youths away from the church have made material wealth their subject of attraction and their object of worship.
“Let our religiosity impact the quality of our lives. We all agree that the problem of our country is that of leadership. Our people must begin to look up to the finest and the most patriotic among us for leadership to run the country and provide the leadership that will correct the mistakes of the past decades.
“We must not stand by and watch this great nation destroys itself under the mediocre leadership that drifts from one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose. This we must sacrifice to change to win the freedom to worship God in an atmosphere of justice, love, and peace.”
Source: The Punch
