By Ayodele Oni
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has charged the Church to participate actively in politics as another election year draws nearer.
He was delivering the Convocation Lecture titled ‘The Church, Politics and Future Elections’ at the Good Shepard Major Seminary Graduation Ceremony in Kaduna.
Dr Fayemi, who is the Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) pointed out that he expected the Church to take part in the electoral processes as observers and social orientation agents.
“The Church must use its enormous platform to preach peace, tolerance, and consensus among the political class.
“The Christian community in Nigeria needs to develop a template for appraising socio-economic and political issues.
“There should be a reservoir of knowledge about science, technology and the future of the Church, and the position that the Church will want to promote in her own interest.
“Knowledge is key in national conversation, it is not enough to speak with passion, it is better to speak convincingly and authoritatively. I expect therefore that our own priests will demonstrate concern for the quality of governance in the society.
“So far, the church has been above board, given the nature of its history. However, today’s priests must read the history of their country, understand the cultures and gain in-depth knowledge of its socio-economic circumstances.
“It is with this knowledge that they can become relevant partners and leaders with moral authority. They must criticize when things seem to be going wrong, but leave a window for dialogue, guidance, and collaboration with constituted authority.
“The Church must try not to be seen to be aligned to any political party. It must see all political actors as sons and daughters open to correction and discipline.
“As we go to 2023, we must acknowledge the role of our Church in speaking truth to power, which inspired us in our struggle against military dictatorship and continue to help in our current quest for better governance and public accountability.
“But it is also time to go beyond that. It is time to take advantage of our well regarded structure, history, culture, and universalism and use these in a strategic and deliberate manner to mobilise already existing constituencies such as the Laity, Youth, Women, and other associations of which we are unique as we approach 2023.
“While it is nice to see one of us being the president in 2023, it is important to look beyond the religious profession of the gladiators or even their ethnic or geopolitical origin.
“The Church should develop a charter of concerns which must be as inclusive as possible and engage the candidates in direct conversations and debates. I will want to see the Church and its affiliates and perhaps, in association with other faiths, organize debates for candidates that address fundamental issues around freedom of religion, conscience, association and other areas of interest.”
