Restructuring not solution to Nigeria’s problems, say clerics

A cleric, Christopher Abika has described as needless and unnecessary the increasing calls for restructuring of Nigeria, stressing that the solutions to the country woes lies in the citizenry having a shift of mind-set toward skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.

This was just as Abika charged churches in the country to live up to it responsibilities and nurture the citizenry to be responsible, adding that the church could do more in stemming the bad attitude among Nigerian leaders.

“The church are trying but they could do more, they have to strengthen the faith of Nigerians, but they have to do more to nurture Nigerians to be good citizens,” he said, urging Nigerian leaders to have the fear of God, and be accountable to the people they led.

Abika said this while delivering his sermon as the guest pastor at a special services of the Living Waters Unlimited Church, Isolo, Lagos State, with the theme: “How the Western World used the Bible to transform their World.”

According to the man of God, what the developed countries did to transform their societies was to tailor the education system towards skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and creativity, saying it was through this that they witnessed wealth creation and societal transformation.

Abika, who is the founder and pastor of Kingdom House of God Ministries International, Sweden, noted that most of the problems facing Nigeria were self-inflicted because of the mind-set of the citizenry and lack of patriotic leaders.

He charged that there had to be a change of focus on the part of the citizens if the country was to attain its potentials.

“The problem with Nigeria is not about restructuring the country, it is about our leaders being patriotic, being ready to service the people without having the mind set to loot.

“We are very religions people in Nigeria, but the true is, our people are not been tailored with right mind set. There has to be a mental shift among Nigerians toward skill acquisition, entrepreneurship. Creativity rules the world that is the way modern societies were transformed.

“Nigerian are missing the picture because of their way of life, we should use what we have to open our environment,” Abika said.

Also speaking the pastor of the church, Prosper Kanayo, also dismissed call for restructuring of the country, stressing that what Nigeria must do to be transformed was to undertake investment in vocational education as well as engage shift in orientation among the citizenry, just as he attributed problem of under development in the country to high level corruption.

“Restructuring is not the solution to Nigeria problems. There has to be a change of mind set among Nigerians toward entrepreneurship that is the way forward.

“They want to give the states more money, what have they done with the one given to them? Look at the Niger- Delta regions, very under develop, in spite of the high derivation funds the region is getting,” Kanaya queried.