The National President of Men’s Missionary Union of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Dr. Soye Peniel Asawo, has charged governments at all levels to intensify efforts in the fight against corruption and be seen fighting corruption as it is the only way they could restore confidence into the system and move the nation forward.
Dr. Asawo gave this charge while briefing journalists at the ongoing 44th National Congress of the Nigerian Baptist Convention Men’s Missionary Union (MMU), and 3rd Leadership Summit at the secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Asaba.
According to him, government must work round-the-clock to fight against corruption that has bedeviled the nation and has eaten deep into the nation.
He said “our political leaders who should lead by example have not demonstrated the same sacrifice they expect Nigerians to pay which they themselves are unwilling to pay.”
He noted that the cost of governance and the level of wastage in the country is second to non globally and except those in power begin to trim down and make the sacrifice they expect the common Nigerians to make there won’t be any headway and the situation will remain unchanged.
The MMU president commended the Tinubu -led government for the steps towards the autonomy of the local government which he said has been dragging for a while as there has not been the political will to implement it over the years.
He hoped that by the Supreme Court’s judgement the implementation process will begin and it will be surely implemented.
He also enjoined those at the grassroots, including the council leaders to take their destinies in their hands in terms of binding infrastructure and other programmes of public interest.
Dr. Asawo decried the economic situation of the country noting that it is at the lowest point and ordinary Nigerians are at the receiving end of the economic mess.
He admonished government to do something urgently to mitigate the situation of the economy particularly the naira devaluation.
He said innovative ideas and whatever policies government needed to initiate to ensure that the value of the naira is enhanced will be a welcome development.
In his words: “We don’t want to go into specifics of whether fuel subsidy or no subsidy. At the end of the day what Nigerians want is that they should be able to use their money to buy what they need.
“Otherwise, even the adjusted salary with the new minimum wage will definitely not take people home if the value of the Naira does not improve. So, whereas government is working out to attend to these issues we expect them to do more.
“So, we are calling on government to fight corruption and be seen to be fighting corruption as well as its twin, insecurity.
“These have remained a major challenge as farmers in many places cannot go to their farms. This has resulted to food scarcity and all other effects of travelling within unsafe zones. All these are major challenges and we expect government to fight all of these issues head on.”
Responding to questions about miracles, Dr. Asawo noted that as a church, Baptists believe in the Bible but stressed that the God that the God he serves is a God of miracles.
“We also believe that the greatest miracle is the transformation of the life of an individual. Though we sometimes devalue that miracle, however, as a nation, that is the miracle we need the most.
“By the way, the leaders we produce in this nation are the reflection of the country. We do not import our leaders, our leaders are elected from amongst us and you can not give what you don’t have.
“Thus, the greatest miracle that we need is the miracle of a transformed life. If we have transformed lives, we will have transformed leaders and Nigeria will move in the right direction.
The MMU president urged Nigerians to be part of positive and peaceful engagement as single individuals cannot find solution to their problems.
He said in the midst of chaos, there cannot be progress, noting that there are many countries that have done a lot of chaos in the name of fighting bad governance but are now licking their wounds.
He said chaos may have temporary relief wherein the government may do a few things but most times those things are not deeply suited as they are only but splashes in the pan.
He added that “if we need lasting solutions as a nation then citizenship engagements should be taken seriously and we must be able to deal with the issue of compromise.”
Dr. Asawo insisted that it will be difficult for leaders to follow the part of corruption if they do not have people cooperating with them.
He said someone who is not a public office holder cannot steal public funds if the treasurer and director in the ministry do not cooperate with him.
He added that Nigerians do worst than what they accused the politicians of doing to their citizens.
He urged all parties to behave better and ensure they are not compromising in the spaces that God has put them to share the light wherever they are placed particularly to Christians.
According to him, if you go out on Sundays every corner of the street is a church and then Monday to Friday you begin to wonder where are the Christiabs?
He said the situation has gone bad that there is an urgent need for all to sit up and take morallity seriously as a people and the need to positively engage the people.
He added that churches should not only be about spirituality but should take up responsibility.
The Men’s Missionary Union (MMU), is the ministry arm of the Baptist Church that takes care of the men and boys ministry.
The National Congress is an annual event that comprises over 30 conferences across the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
The National Congress is is an annual event organized by the Baptist Church of Nigeria.
The National Congress of the Nigerian Baptist Convention Men’s Missionary Union (MMU) and 3rd Leadership Summit which commenced from Tuesday August 20th to end Friday August 23rd 2024 had emphasis on introducing the wonder working powers of God to humanity.
