We shouldn’t overdramatise Buhari’s health status —Bishop Oluwarohunbi

Bishop of Yewa Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Ogun State, The Right Reverend Michael Adebayo Oluwarohunbi, speaks on the significance of Christians in politics, how the church can tackle famine, and the forthcoming synod of the diocese, in an interaction with Rita Okonoboh. Excerpts:

How would you say recession has affected the Anglican Diocese of Yewa?

It has been biting very hard. However, we thank God for He has never ceased to meet us at the point of our needs. From all indications, we are coming out of recession, and soonest, God will bring to pass the good times ahead of us.

Following the recent crisis that affected the church, with this synod, what is your message to the people at this time?

My message is that we need to put behind us those things that do not promote unity, and things that will hinder the spread of the gospel. We must all join hands to ensure the spread of the gospel. We call on all members to come together to move the diocese forward, so that the gospel can be preached in, and beyond, the nooks and crannies of Yewaland. And God is already doing it because we are taking the gospel far into the Republic of Benin.

Activities for the forthcoming synod

As you are aware, the synod comes up once a year. This one is a very special one. Firstly, a synod has a lifespan of three years and the one scheduled to hold this year is the beginning of the 10th synod of the diocese. So, this is the first session of the 10th synod of our diocese. It is also very significant that this synod is taking place at the cathedral. The Cathedral Church of Christ, Ona-Nla, Ilaro, Ogun State, is coming out in a very big way to host the synod after the moment of crisis and we want to showcase that the cathedral has bounced back and the work of God is progressing steadily in this diocese – the cathedral being the head church of the churches in the diocese. We will start with a pre-synod revival which will spiritually equip and prepare us for the synod. This will begin today and will run till June 7. On Wednesday, there will be an all night programme to seek the face of God for the synod. The synod will take place between June 8 and 11, 2017 with the theme, Be the Light. Archbishop of Kaduna Anglican Province, The Most Reverend Edmund E. Akanya, will preach at the opening and closing services of the synod.

What informed the choice of the theme: Be the Light?

It’s a flow from what we started with in 2014. In 2014, the theme was Obedience to Heavenly Vision; in 2015, the theme was Come, Let Us Build; in 2016, the theme was We Are Well Able. For us to make impact, there is the minimum requirement God expects of every individual who wants to serve God – you must be the light. You cannot be in darkness and say you want to partner with God to achieve greatness.

There have been calls for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation, following challenges with his health. What would be your take on this?

With the situation we have found ourselves, I wouldn’t want us to overdramatise the matter. It’s a pity he is passing through what he is passing through. Nobody wished him that. So, we are praying for him and we believe very strongly that God, our Healer, will still do the miracle. The Bible states that ‘All things are possible with God,’ so, we will keep praying for him. It is now left for the president and his family members to weigh the matter before them and take the decision that will be in the interest of the country and the family.

The World Council of Churches has declared Nigeria one of the countries faced with famine. What ways do you think the church can remedy the situation?

The church is not folding its hands. With respect to our diocese, after interaction with members, we discovered that farming is one of the major occupations of the people here, albeit done in a subsistence manner. So, we applied to the Ogun State government for land for an agricultural purposes. The government has given us approval for 50 acres of farmland for an agricultural project. As we do that, our members will be introduced to mordernised ways of farming, so that we can ensure food security, increased income for the people.

We have a lot of Christians in politics, yet many have expressed concerns that the impact of Christians is not felt across the politics of the country. Do you think we don’t have many Christians in politics?

That is why our theme is Be the Light. We are not happy with what is happening in the political arena. Beyond politics, we have an increase in the number of churches, yet it would seem thick darkness is over the land and that puts some kind of question on the credibility of our Christianity. Yes, we have Christians in politics, but many of these Christians are just Christians by name; they’re not serious for Jesus. If they were serious about their faith, even if they are in the minority, they will make major impact positively. We still have not attained the quality of Christians in politics as we would desire. We want Christians who would profess their faith in thought, deed and action. The light in them can never be hidden. It has to shine so that people will see the difference. We will continue to pray for them and speak to them, so that they would know that there is something missing in their lives and as they respond to that, we believe the light of Jesus will start to reflect and shine through them and our country will be better off for it.

This synod, considering its significance, will also mark a kind of new beginning for Yewa Diocese. What does the future hold for the diocese?

God is taking us unto greater heights. In the area of evangelism, the Lord is really empowering the church to move to places where the impact of the gospel is not yet felt. It has been testimonies upon testimonies of the great things God is doing for us in the diocese. I see Yewaland being taken over by the light of Jesus and every form of darkness will be gone by the grace of God.

How would you assess the Buhari administration’s performance so far in the past two years?

I want to believe that all things being equal, because of his health challenges, President Buhari has not been able to fully settle down for the work. To a large extent, he has done some things. However, it would seem some people around him want to cash in on the challenge he is facing and so, there are still challenges even with security and corruption where he has made some impact. He has tried, but there remains more to be done. He needs strong political will and development to drive true development.