By Adesegun Osibanjo
An Open Letter to Nigeria’s Christian Fathers-in-Faith
Dear Fathers,
History will remember your generation as one of the most consequential in the history of Christianity in Africa. Through decades of Evangelism, Discipleship, Missionary outreach and Spiritual leadership, millions encountered Christ, Churches multiplied across Continents, and Nigeria emerged as one of the World’s foremost centres of Christian faith.
Your influence extends far beyond Nigeria. In one of history’s remarkable reversals, the Gospel once brought to Africa by European missionaries is now being carried back to Europe and other parts of the world by African believers. At a time when many traditional centres of Christianity face declining religious participation, Nigerian and African ministries have become significant instruments of Evangelism, Church planting and Spiritual renewal. The Church in Africa has not merely preserved the faith it received; it has returned it to the World with conviction, vitality and authenticity.
For this achievement, honour is due.
Yet moments arise when gratitude must coexist with reflection. Nigeria’s persistent Security challenges invite such reflection—not only from Government and Security institutions, but also from the nation’s most influential moral, religious and civic voices.
The Unfinished Assignment
The question before the Nigerian Church is not whether it has grown. Its growth is evident. The more difficult question is whether that growth has translated into corresponding influence on the character of institutions, public Leadership and national culture.
Nigeria hosts some of the largest Churches, Ministries and Christian gatherings in the World. Yet the same nation continues to wrestle with insecurity, fragile institutions, leadership deficits and declining public confidence in governance. The contrast does not diminish the achievements of the Church; it simply raises questions about the relationship between Spiritual expansion and Societal transformation.
Genesis 1:26-28 speaks of stewardship and responsibility. Likewise, Christ’s instruction in Luke 19:13, “Occupy till I come,” has often been interpreted as a Call to faithful engagement rather than withdrawal from the affairs of Society. Against this backdrop, it is reasonable to ask whether Christian discourse has devoted equal attention to personal Salvation, institutional Stewardship, Citizenship and Leadership formation.
These are not questions of Doctrine but of emphasis. They concern how Faith communities understand their role within the broader life of a nation.
Nigeria’s Security Question
No reflection on national Stewardship can avoid the reality confronting Nigerians today.
Kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and violent criminality have become recurring features of national life. Communities across the Country live with varying degrees of fear and uncertainty. What once appeared geographically contained now affects virtually every region, touching farmers and traders, students and teachers, worshippers and families alike.
It is important to acknowledge that Insecurity did not begin under the present administration. The challenge predates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and has persisted through successive governments, suggesting that its roots extend beyond any single political cycle.
Yet the persistence of Insecurity continues to generate difficult questions. Are Nigerians confronting a Security problem alone, or does Insecurity reveal deeper weaknesses within Institutions, Governance structures and Political culture? Why has a challenge that has occupied national attention for well over a decade remained so resistant to resolution?
The Armed Forces of Nigeria have repeatedly demonstrated professionalism, sacrifice and operational capability. Public reports concerning Nigeria’s intervention in support of Constitutional order during the attempted Coup in the Republic of Benin, alongside successful operations in various parts of Nigeria, indicate that the Country possesses trained personnel, intelligence assets and significant Military capacity.
It is precisely because these capabilities exist that questions continue to arise. If intelligence exists, how effectively is it utilised? If criminal networks are known, what obstacles complicate disruption and prosecution? If existing strategies are achieving their objectives, how should progress be measured? If outcomes remain unsatisfactory, what factors account for the gap between capability and results?
Retired military and intelligence officers have publicly raised concerns regarding Intelligence utilisation, terrorist financing, sponsorship networks, prosecution of suspects and rehabilitation policies. Their conclusions remain subjects of public debate, but the questions themselves have become part of a broader national conversation.
The same applies to political leadership. At what point should the preservation of human life override every other consideration within public life? How should democratic societies balance political realities against the urgent responsibility to protect citizens from violence and fear?
These are difficult questions. Their significance lies not in providing immediate answers but in refusing to ignore them.
Faith, Responsibility and the Protection of Life
One of the enduring assumptions within parts of the Christian community is that spirituality and public responsibility occupy separate spheres. Scripture offers a more integrated perspective.
James 2:17 states that faith without works is dead. The verse does not diminish prayer; rather, it places action and responsibility alongside belief.
Prayer remains indispensable. Worship remains indispensable. Revival remains indispensable. Yet Scripture consistently presents faith as something that expresses itself through conduct, stewardship and service.
In this regard, it is appropriate to acknowledge Fathers-in-Faith who have publicly identified with the suffering of ordinary Nigerians during periods of national distress. Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, affectionately known to many as Daddy G.O and a few as Bàbá ÀkàndáẸ̀dáOlódùmarè, has repeatedly led public prayers for the safe return of abducted children, teachers and other victims of insecurity. Similar expressions of concern have come from respected Christian leaders across denominational lines who have spoken publicly about peace, justice and the protection of human life.
Such interventions remind the nation that spiritual Leadership is not exercised only from pulpits but also through solidarity with those who suffer.
The Security challenge also raises broader questions about preparedness, resilience and the preservation of life. While the primary responsibility for protecting Citizens rests with the State, Communities, Institutions and families increasingly find themselves reflecting on how best to safeguard vulnerable people within the limits of the law and the framework of Constitutional order.
The sanctity of life remains a moral principle shared across faith traditions. The protection of life therefore remains not only a security concern, but also an ethical one.
Raising Leaders, Not Just Congregations
Perhaps the most consequential reflection concerns Leadership.
Nigeria’s Churches have produced Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries and Theologians of global significance. The question often raised is whether comparable attention has been devoted to developing leaders for public Institutions, Governance, Diplomacy, Law, Security, Academia and Policy.
For decades, many Christians viewed Politics primarily through the lens of corruption and moral compromise. Yet Political decisions continued to influence Security, Education, Economic opportunity and national development. Whether one participates directly or not, Governance affects everyone.
In recent years, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria’s Directorate of Politics & Governance (DPG), under the leadership of Pastor Femi Emmanuel and other Christian leaders, sought to stimulate greater Christian engagement with questions of governance and public affairs. Whatever conclusions may be drawn about its outcomes, the initiative highlighted an important reality: Leadership formation within public life requires long-term investment, institutional commitment and broad participation.
The experience also exposed a larger question. The Church has demonstrated extraordinary capacity for Evangelism, Church planting and Organisational growth. Has it demonstrated the same level of collective commitment to building sustained pipelines of Leaders for Governance and Public service?
This question extends beyond any single organisation or denomination. It speaks to the broader relationship between Faith formation and Leadership formation within Nigerian society.
Proverbs 29:2 observes that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. The verse has often featured prominently in discussions about public leadership, governance and national wellbeing. It remains part of a larger conversation about how Societies cultivate leaders capable of serving the common good.
The Conversation Before Us
Fathers, this letter began with gratitude and ends with reflection.
History will rightly celebrate your contributions to evangelism and discipleship. Yet future generations may also ask whether the Church that successfully raised millions of believers helped shape enough Leaders capable of strengthening Institutions, protecting lives and advancing the common good.
Did the Church that filled Auditoriums also influence the systems through which societies are governed?
Did the Church that prepared people for eternity devote equal attention to preparing Citizens for stewardship in time?
The nation needs moral voices whose convictions are anchored not in Political expediency or popular sentiment, but in enduring principles of truth, justice, compassion and human dignity.
These reflections belong to no single institution. They belong to the Church, the State, the Security services, Political leaders, religious Communities and Citizens alike.
Every life lost to violence diminishes the nation. Every kidnapped child, murdered farmer, displaced family and grieving Community is a reminder that Security is not a statistic but a human reality.
The challenge before Nigeria is not merely Political, Military or Economic. It is also a question of stewardship, responsibility and leadership.
History will remember the extraordinary success of the Church in winning souls. Whether it will also remember the Church as a decisive influence in shaping institutions, cultivating Leaders and strengthening the foundations of national life remains part of an unfinished conversation.
That conversation now stands before all of us.
Evangelist Adesegun Olutayo Adeolu Osibanjo, BEng, MBA, is an Energy & Climate Strategist, Author, and Systems Transformation Architect operating at the Intersection of Energy Systems, Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Institutional Reform. He is a COREN-Registered Engineer in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.