Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party SDP and the party campaign train on Thursday met with the Isoko church pastors forum in Isoko South local government area to educate them on the importance of the role of pastors in the politics of Delta state.
The meeting was held at the Diocese of Oleh (Anglican Communion)
Cathedral of St Paul Oleh.
Present at the meeting was Rt Reverend John Usiwoma Aruakpor, vice president and legal adviser of the body, Arch Bishop Barrister Ajaigho, Secretary, Bishop Ben E. Treasurer, Bishop Sam O. and other executives of the Isoko church leaders forum.
In his speech, Gbagi said: “a bad government affects the church more than any other body and the recipient of bad government is the church because, in the church you have market women, vulcanizers, tailors, and preachers.
“Everyone congregates in the church.
Because of bad government, if the church has 200 people attending the church every Sunday, what you have now is about 100 and the reason is that they don’t have means of transportation to come to church.
“They cannot eat well, so even if they come to church, they cannot pay tithes and offering. So, the effect of a bad government wires the church more than an ordinary man in the society. In Delta the church has about 94% of the population as churchgoers.
“If I don’t emerge as governor, it means the church has failed me because I don’t have any other power”.
Gbagi hinted on tackling poverty in the state by establishing rice mills in Isoko area, and eradicating insecurity by engaging the youths and paying each documented youth 30 thousand naira monthly until the companies that would be established will mop them all off the streets.
The spokesperson for the council bemoaned the exorbitant increase in transportation which is as a result of the fuel scarcity and the nonchalance of the government to the plight of the people.
He declared that “The partnership between SDP candidate Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi and the church is a commendable one and because of this partnership, success is sure”.