The Chaplain of Oyo State-based Precious Cornerstone University, Dr. Sola Ajibulu has said it is only if God wants to punish Nigerians that he will allow a bad person to emerge as president in the next political dispensation.
He made the observation while delivering the university’s first chaplaincy seminar. The lecture was titled, Christians in Politics: God’s will or vain ambition” and was held on the university campus on February 21
Ajibulu whose lecture dwelt on the various reasons Christians shun politics said nobody can go against the will of God when it comes to the leadership of a nation.
Referring to the last eight years of President Mohammadu Buhari, he said, many people did not give him a chance. “Many said he was weak and all kinds of things. But he has survived in the last eight years. It was God that kept him. If he did not want him, he would not be there in the first place The fact is that no matter the state of a candidate, whether the person has structure or not the person will get there.
“But if God wants to punish us he won’t give us a good president. That is why we need to cry to God for mercy. We need his mercy so that a wrong person will not get to the place of power.”
Quoting Daniel 4v17, he said, “God rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest men. The King James Version says he gives it to the basest of men. People in government are considered ministers of God. They are not ordinary people, they are there to do the will of God.”
Earlier in his lecture, Ajibulu gave a clinical diagnosis of why Christians don’t want to go into politics and why those who go into it fail.
Why Nigeria’s system is not working
He said Nigeria needs a leader that can articulate its value system. “The system of a country works if the right individual is in power. But then, we need to define our value system first. If our value system is wrong, it will lead to systemic failure. We are experiencing systemic failure today in Nigeria because we have the wrong people in power.”
Ajibulu reasoned that there is no moral ground for Christians to stay away from politics. “How can we be alien to the way the society is run? Why should we be at the consuming end? It is so bad that some Christians will rather stay at home on election day and say they are voting for Jesus. Is Jesus contesting the election? If people want to vote for Jesus let them look for politicians who have the heart of Jesus and vote for them.”
He said further that “some people stay away because they believe the political atmosphere is corrupt. But the truth is that there is no place that is not corrupt. Almost all aspects of our life are corrupt. God expects us to go into politics and be light.”
Read also: Christopher Kolade gives clue on who to vote for in 2023: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/christopher-kolade-gives-clue-on-who-to-vote-for-in-2023/
Fears of Christian
On the fears of Christians, Ajibulu said, “Some don’t want to go into politics because they are afraid of compromising their faith. They are not courageous and resilient. They are afraid of being killed in the process. Some are afraid of failure and some actually lack the financial wherewithal.”
He said however that though the fears are genuine they are not insurmountable if the believer has been called by God to go into politics. “The trouble again for some believers is that they are waiting for a Christian party to emerge under which they can contest.
“That will not happen as long as we are in a secular state. Christians who go into politics must know how to build bridges across religious and tribal divides. No party can survive with a dominant religious view in a secular state.”
He explained that Jesus did not take a political position while on earth because that was not his calling. “Jesus’ goal was to rule in the hearts of all men. His kingdom was to dominate the hearts of men and not a physical domain and thereby become a local champion “
Politicians who excel
Ajibulu said only a natural people manager can excel in politics. “Politicians are people managers by nature. Any believer who wants to go into politics must learn how to handle people. There are certain political wisdom needed in the political terrain.”
He stressed also that any believer who wants to go into politics must have a definite call from God. “Politics is a calling. God picks people to rule in a country in the interest of the majority. God called Moses, He chose Joseph. If the call of God is not there, politics may not be for you.”
Politicians according to him must have organisational skills. “There is a way to organise people. If that skill is absent the politician may have a problem. We must learn how to tolerate opposing views.” he said.
Stressing on the three elements of leadership, capacity, character, and competence, Ajibulu said, “The tragedy of Nigeria is that when we want to employ people to head our companies and other organisations, we ask for the highest qualifications. But when it comes to the person that will lead us as a nation, the requirements are nothing to write about.”