Cleric blames economic woes on ineptitude of leadership

The Founder and General Overseer of The Anointed Saviour’s Church International, Molete, Ibadan, Rev’d Samson Fapohunda, has blamed the nation’s economic woes on the aptitude of the leadership.

He submitted that until the right persons are appointed into positions of responsibility and the entire populace changes its mindset towards the economic growth of the country, the situation might remain the same.

He therefore appealed to all Nigerians, particularly those of the Christian faith, to eschew the habit of confessing negative things about the country, especially when things are rough and tough.

Describing such behaviour as the habit of “falling with the fall”, the cleric said when people speak and remain positive despite negative situations, their firm belief and positive confessions can turn around the situation of the country for good.

Rev’d Fapohunda stated this during a thanksgiving service held at his church to celebrate his 75th birthday of “God’s abundance, grace, mercy, and favour in his life.”

The cleric, who was full of thanks and praises to God for the feat, said he had learnt a great deal in his lifetime but had concluded that only God’s mercy can turn around any negative situation for the better.

He said, “I give glory to God Almighty who gave me opportunity from a humble background and turned around my life.

“I lost my father at the age of 10 years and things were really rough and tough, but I thank God for His grace. Since that time I lost my father till now, I have passed through all manner of things, but I always use my life as an example for many people because I didn’t fall with my fall.

“What I mean is that, for example, in this country and maybe in our individual lives, if things or situations fall, do not fall with them. If you don’t fall with the fall, then you may control the fall, and that was what happened in my life.

“If the country falls, let’s say something goes wrong, that is a fall, and the people are saying the country is bad or condemning the country because something has gone wrong — with that, we are falling with the fall. But if you stand up, stay positive and be optimistic even though things are rough and tough, then you are not falling with the fall. Things will turn around and we all will be better for it.

“So I use the example of King David. Before he became a king, God used him to kill Goliath. Everybody said he could not do it, nobody gave him a chance, even King Saul at the time did not support him. But the boy said, ‘I will go, for God will support me.’ So David did not fall with the fall, even though they said he could not make it.

“We are going to make it in this country. Even though there are already positive signs towards that, let us trust that God will make things work out well very soon. We should not give room for negativities.”

He enjoined the government and political office holders to shun nepotism and sycophancy at the expense of competence, so that things will turn around for good.

“Growing up, I went through a lot but thank God today. I lost my father at a very young age and all hope seemed lost at the time, and that’s why I thank God for late Chief Obafemi Awolowo for the free education scheme during his time.”

“That is why I urge those in government—if they can— to make education like it was in the past. If I had to pay for school the way it is today, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy any form of education back then,” he stressed.

Noting that today’s Christianity is not like it used to be, he urged church leaders to be cautious in putting financial burdens or stress on their members, saying many people who attend churches these days are in need of one form of help or another.

He added, “Christianity is no longer what it used to be. Christianity in the past is different from what we have now. In those days when we started, we wanted to stand with the people, not what obtains now. We wanted to work and serve our Master, and we even engaged in petty jobs to sustain ourselves.

“We were not looking for money, but now it’s not like that. Everybody wants to become a millionaire in this work. In my church, we don’t call people out for donations or financial support during programmes like we see churches do these days.

“That is why we don’t celebrate church anniversaries, among others. The categories of people that come to church these days are mostly those who have one challenge or the other—for instance, those who need healing, those seeking employment, or trusting God in one way or the other. And when you ask people to start donating, most times they get frustrated and discouraged because they don’t have the means.

“Churches back then asked people to give based on what they had, but these days things have changed. That’s why the church in those days is very different from what we have now.”

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