Lagos lawyer and human rights activist Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has called on the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to begin a process of rebranding its developmental projects for more impact in society, while also acknowledging the great work done by the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in impacting lives through the ministry.
He made his position known as the guest lecturer at the 12th Annual Pastor Adeboye Birthday Lecture, which took place on Saturday, February 28. He spoke on “leveraging the youth population for national growth and development.”
In the rather lengthy but impactful lecture, Adegboruwa, who is also a pastor in the RCCG showed how many professions took their inspiration from the Bible. He stated that early churches deployed biblical examples to create professionals and industries to develop Europe, America, and other regions where the gospel was preached.
While citing instances of how the Catholic Church in Nigeria has impacted the justice system, he noted that the “RCCG operates functional rehabilitation homes for drug addicts, the homeless, and single mothers.”
He observed further that the RCCG has embarked on many other projects, such as waste recycling and the construction of a medical village, while a “legal village” is currently in the offing. Agriculture is also being developed aggressively.
He opined that the concessionaires can be created for the church to leverage its population and growth. This, according to him, will enable the church to make a greater impact and expand its reach into other sectors of the economy.
Adegboruwa added that the Redemption City, as envisioned by Pastor Adeboye (who turned 84 on March 2), should further translate into an economic power hub for the teeming youth population. This can be achieved through the creation of specific districts to cater to the growing needs of all worshippers.
He suggested that a “New Professional District Area” should be created within the Redemption City to accommodate professionals such as accountants, architects, doctors, surveyors, engineers, and IT experts who can attend to the growing needs of the city’s dwellers.
”An industrial hub can also be created for factories and industries while ensuring quality control.” He stated.
According to him, “the vast size of the land owned by the RCCG in Mowe, Abuja, America, Canada, Australia, and other parts of the world may not solely be for church planting, dwelling, and residence; otherwise, we will keep creating a community of dwellers without capacity and empowerment.”
He expressed the belief that the church can create a work environment for the teeming population of Redemption City, as the location already boasts regular power supply, water, security, and technology.
Given the incidence of poor leadership in Nigeria, Adegboruwa noted that the church will continue to serve as an alternative government and a welfare center for the needy.
He urged the RCCG to begin the process of rebranding its developmental efforts to reach more people and impact more lives. “The global vision for youth empowerment and that of Pastor Adeboye must now be enlarged if we are to achieve proper leveraging of the youth by creating structured developments to consolidate on existing gains.”
Young people as asset
Earlier in his lecture, he noted that Nigeria has one of the most vibrant youth populations in the world, with a ratio of about 70:30 compared to adults.
”A young population becomes an asset only when the youth are educated, employed or employable, healthy, and have a stake in the system of national life. In the absence of these engagements,” the young population, according to him, “becomes a demographic liability, fueling unemployment, crime, and instability.”