Bishop of the Diocese of Yewa, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Right Reverend Michael Oluwarohunbi, in an interaction with Rita Okonoboh, shares his assessment of the present administration, his thoughts on youth participation in ministry, and what the Federal Government must do to address the herdsmen situation.
There have been reports of attacks by herdsmen in Ogun State. Has your diocese had any issue with herdsmen in recent times?
In Ogun State, we have heard reports of pockets of such incidents. Also, we have got reports from some of our members, whose farms have been destroyed, and in some cases, they have received threats.
How would you advise the government on handling the issue of attacks by herdsmen?
I don’t know how else we can advise government. We have cried to the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, yet nothing has been done. I wouldn’t know why the president seems not very forthcoming on addressing the situation. We cannot continue like this. The president is for the country, not a section of the country, so he has to be fair to everyone. There is need for intervention. And if the Federal Government does not act, I hope it would not lead to people trying to defend themselves, and you know what that means.
Last week, the present administration clocked its third year in office. What is your assessment of their performance so far?
Generally, this administration has performed below expectation. The administration was voted on Buhari’s personal merit and his values. However, events have proved that people didn’t analyse the situation very well, and it is a pity that although he started well, the performance has been generally quite low. I also hope there is no hidden agenda behind it.
Recently, the Anglican Communion conducted examination for those who wanted to join the ministry, and it turned out that many of them wanted to come into the ministry because they couldn’t secure regular jobs. How would you react to this?
That is a fallout of the problem of unemployment and people are looking for every means to have a source of livelihood. However, contrary to the notion that the church is open to everyone in terms of joining the ministry, it is not so. You must be genuinely called into the ministry. With respect to the church, there are so many other areas youths can be engaged in, and that is where I want them to use their gifts to serve the Lord. They can also be actively involved in evangelism and mission outreaches.
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Christian leaders have been at the forefront of campaigning for the active participation of their members in politics. What is your advice for Christians who will run for political positions?
We shall continue to call upon our people to embrace politics. We need God-fearing people in politics. I would advise them not to compromise. They should be politicians, who would use their positions to glorify God and stand out, so that people can see that indeed, they are Christians.
Activities for the synod
The theme for this year’s synod is Serve Ye the Lord. We have chosen that theme considering so many things that are competing with the position of God in our lives as individuals, in the life of the church, and in the nation. We felt that we need to bring ourselves back to the basis; to come back to the very purpose of our creation, and that is to serve the Lord, to worship Him and to fear Him. The theme is a wake-up call to Christians.
The synod will start on June 7 with an opening service at Holy Trinity Church, Ibooro, Yewa North Archdeaconry, Ogun State, at 4pm with Bishop James Popoola of Osun Diocese as the preacher; the bishop’s charge will be delivered on Friday, and at the closing service on Sunday, June 10, 2018, Bishop Johnson Onuoha of Arochukwu/Ohafia Diocese will preach the sermon. Before then, we will have a pre-synod revival, which will begin today, and will be rounded off with a vigil on Wednesday.
Considering the theme of the synod, Nigeria has a pastor as vice-president, a Christian as the speaker of the House of Reps. Would you say the performance of Christians in top government positions has been satisfactory?
The Bible makes it clear that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom of the Lord. That is to say that not everyone who is a Christian by name is really a Christian. It’s a pity and that is the problem we have among public office holders. Some of them get carried away by the pressure of the office and they miss the way. We will continue to pray to God to help us bring back our nation back to the right track.