The National Director of the Directorate of Politics and Governance, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev Femi Emmanuel, emphasised the importance of the good people of Nigeria, especially genuine Christians, playing active roles in the country’s political affairs and not abandoning political governance to “moneybags” and “old-time politicians.”
Speaking at a two-day train-the-trainer summit titled ‘Raising a New Generation of Political Leaders,’ the cleric told participants that politics was not evil, nor was governance dirty.
The training, held in partnership with PFN as a global initiative dedicated to inspiring and equipping world-class Christian political leaders for transformative change and good governance, took place at the international headquarters of GOFAMINT along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
In a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, the cleric stated that “good people should be involved in politics, not just Christians, but also other good Nigerians from other faiths.”
He expressed concern that individuals with good intentions to better society and improve the lives of the general populace are often distant from the corridors of political governance where decisions are made.
He lamented that partisan politics is often left to the same group of people who have controlled the country’s resources for years, with only a few benefiting.
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Emmanuel called for grassroots involvement in Nigerian politics to present credible candidates for the public to vote for during general elections.
He urged churches to be more proactive, stating that “the church should wake up… There must be light to dispel darkness.
The whole body of Christ should wake up and be involved in matters that affect the destiny of the generality of people and the country itself.”
He further explained that the Directorate of Politics and Governance (DPG) was a PFN project aimed at including Christians in Nigeria’s political equation. According to him, Christians should be involved in selecting and electing who will govern the country, as it is long overdue for Nigerians to actively participate in how the country is run and ruled.
Similarly, Pastor Adekunle Abdul, the Senior Special Advisor to the State Chairman, Apostle David Yotaro, reiterated the importance of the training, stating that it is meant to equip the Christian community with the right knowledge of why they must be involved in political governance at all levels and not be detached from partisan politics. He emphasized that preparation is essential, quoting the Bible which says that leaders must prepare people for the work of the ministry, including politics and governance.
The guest speaker at the conference, Mr. Kehinde Shogunle, rhetorically asked where people with the right orientation and mindset to move the country forward can be found other than in churches. He noted that churches have proven over the past 20 to 30 years that they are capable of doing great things, citing the exponential growth of Pentecostal churches in a very short time.