The Regional President, Organization of African Instituted Churches, Elder Israel Akinadewo, has faulted the National Assembly on the controversy over the National Anthem to adopt for the country.
The Church leader said the controversy generated by reversal to the old national anthem was a distraction from the real problems facing the country.
Akinadewo spoke on Thursday during the 2024 OAIC Regional Retreat held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
He maintained that the issue of the national anthem to adopt is not the problem of Nigeria but how to put food on the table for the citizens, stressing that what should be paramount in the mind of our leaders should be how to recover the lost social, economic and political glories of the country, make adequate plans to guarantee the future of the country by strengthening security and the nation’s economy.
He observed that the major part of the present economic hardship emanated from the failure of the present administration in the country to put adequate plans on ground before the fuel subsidy removal.
Akinadewo said: “My belief is that whether the old or the new Anthem, none of it is of much importance.
“What I believe is that we need to look at our past, what the leaders have done as the country is currently undergoing what I describe as political rearrangement and redefining.”
On the rising hunger in the land, Akinadewo emphasised that all citizens, not only leaders should be blamed, adding that It requires collective action to end.
He added: “There is no way we can say that successive governments have not been complicit in bringing hunger to the country, especially when you send farmers to the farm, there is insecurity.
“So, on the issue of hunger in the land, a lot of factors are responsible, but the truth of the matter is this: we, ourselves can reduce the pressure, the level of this hunger.
“We as individuals can farm; what is called domestic farming in our homes, and since we want to eat as families, we can try it out before we come to the area of larger picture of farming.
“But just like I have said, when issues come to this level, every citizen is guilty, one way or the other.
“All of us should go into local production and stop depending on imported goods.”
Speaking on issues concerning the Church, the OAIC regional leader commended the national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria under Archbishop Daniel Okoh for the maturity in handling the affairs of the CAN in Nigeria.
Akinadewo also reiterated the absolute confidence of OAIC in the leadership of CAN in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria, under Reverend Scamb Chinedum Nwokolo.
He emphasized that the body does not recognize any other leadership in the state, than that which is under the shoulders of Nwokolo and his team, adding that the Christian body in Nigeria knows those who are hers.
He cautioned Christians to focus on their main goal of preaching Christ rather than antagonizing each other.
Akinadewo, obviously referring to a splinter group which came up to attack the CAN chairman recently in the state, called on those bringing divisions and dissention in the body of Christ to repent.
He said: “Adam knew his own children, Eve also knew her children.
“Just now, the leadership of CAN in Ebonyi came to greet the national leadership of OAIC, and we recognized them according to blocs.
“Anybody that is still having a contrary say, may be looking for other things, and what they are looking for, I will give it to them: that is, they need to repent because there’s no division in the body of Christ in Ebonyi State.
“Nwokolo is the only chairman in Ebonyi that attends meetings at the national, so, which one is their own?
“The only thing like I said before is that they need repentance.”
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The Organisation of African Instituted Churches is an association of African Independent, instituted and /or African Founded Churches.
The OAIC Nigeria as a region was inaugurated on 3rd June, 1986 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The theme for her 2024 Regional Retreat is: “Sustaining Relevance in National Ecumenism.”
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