Church leaders call for caution over state of the nation

…Says the Church must be nation’s conscience

Some Church leaders have called for caution on the part of protesters and the government over the state of the nation that led to the #EndBadGovernance protests nationwide.

They also warned that the Church in Nigeria must not lose its place as the conscience of the nation.

Chidi Anthony, president, Pentecostal Ministers’ Forum (PMF), said that protest was not wrong in itself because it is a constitutional right of every citizen when they feel things are not working well in the country. He further said that the level of hunger in the country is high and that religious institutions would have to take up the challenge to drive behavioural change among the people.

“But the only problem we have here in Nigeria is that when protests are being carried on; before you know it, some hoodlums will hijack it, and it will affect the citizens because some infrastructures and other things in the country will be destroyed by these hoodlums,” he said.

Anthony, who is also the general overseer of Kings in Christ Power Ministries, said that the current situation of the country is very painful where political leaders ask the citizens to tighten their belts without taking corresponding actions.

“It’s very painful that the education system of Nigeria keeps going down every day, and the sons and daughters of the politicians are abroad schooling where they have good education.”

However, he called on the protesting youth to reconsider their position and give peace a chance by embracing dialogue so as not to throw the country into further hardship.

“The church has a very big work to do. Most of the big politicians we are talking about that embezzles the resources of the country are members of the churches; most of them are pastors in churches.”

He said that the Church has failed to speak truth to power. “Instead of preaching the message that will change them; we now change our message to suit them.

“I wish that when they go to the Mosque, they will tell them the truth. When they come to the Church, they tell them the truth – everywhere will be ungovernable for them, and they will have no alternative than to change,” he said.

Babatope Ilesanmi, chairman, PFN, Ikeja province, said the church should pray for peaceful protest, advise the government not to resist protest, and advise their members to participate. According to him, the Church and Christians by extension should pray that the protest will touch the hearts of those in government to do the needful.

Ilesanmi also urged the protesters not to be violent or destructive in their procession, and advised the police and other security forces to join the protest instead of attacking unarmed citizens.

“As Nigeria faces a critical test of its democracy, many are asking, ‘Where does the church stand?’ We recently addressed this question and more during an Ask Me Anything session at our Elevation NG staff meeting.

“The church must be the nation’s conscience, holding our leaders accountable by speaking truth to power. This role is crucial, especially now. We must evaluate our leaders’ actions against godly principles and expectations,” Godman Akinlabi, senior pastor, The Elevation Church (TEC) posted on his verified Facebook page.

According to him, the meeting also affirmed the right to peaceful protest, which is considered a fundamental aspect of democracy. “We encourage orderly and conscientious conduct. Beyond politics, we discussed relationships, marriage, and leadership.”

He further disclosed that a key takeaway from the meeting was that leaders should create space for their team members to ask questions and share concerns outside of their tasks. “Leadership shouldn’t always be top-down; be accessible, transparent, and inclusive.”