The Federal Government has been urged to engage prominent Nigerian Christian leaders, including Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, Dr Paul Enenche and Pastor Korede Komaiya, to explore how their religious institutions could contribute to addressing the country’s development challenges.
The Convener of the Christian Youth Forum, James Paul Adama, made the call in an article titled, “Why the Nigerian Government Must Invite Bishop David Oyedepo and His Spiritual Sons Immediately.”
Adama argued that the institutions established by the clerics had developed structures and community-based initiatives that could provide useful lessons for national development.
He said their contributions to education, healthcare, transportation, employment generation, infrastructure and poverty reduction demonstrated how faith-based organisations could complement government efforts.
The article highlighted the free transportation services operated by some of the churches to convey worshippers to services and other programmes, describing the arrangements as examples of organised social support.
Adama also drew attention to investments by the religious organisations in primary and secondary education, as well as universities equipped with modern learning facilities.
He said the institutions combined academic development with character building to prepare young Nigerians for leadership and responsible citizenship.
On healthcare, he cited medical outreaches, financial assistance to patients, sponsorship of surgeries and support for Nigerians seeking specialised medical treatment abroad.
He added that scholarship programmes operated by the churches had helped young people from disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to education and professional qualifications.
The development advocate further identified investments in electricity generation, road construction, pedestrian bridges and water facilities as evidence of the institutions’ capacity to deliver infrastructure within their areas of operation.
On employment, Adama claimed that the four church organisations collectively provided jobs for more than 300,000 people.
He said their operations extended beyond religious activities to education, healthcare, administration, hospitality, logistics and other sectors of the economy.
The article also noted that large conventions and international conferences organised by the churches attracted participants from different parts of the world, creating business opportunities for hotels, transport operators, traders, food vendors and other service providers.
Beyond infrastructure and economic activities, Adama highlighted the role of the religious institutions in counselling, moral instruction, family development and entrepreneurship training.
He argued that their programmes could offer useful insights into addressing social challenges, strengthening families and promoting responsible citizenship.
He also identified resource management, institutional discipline and long-term planning as areas from which public administrators and development practitioners could learn.
Consequently, he proposed that the Federal Government establish a structured engagement with Oyedepo, Ibiyeomie, Enenche and Komaiya to examine their institutional experiences and identify initiatives that could be adapted to national development programmes.
Adama stressed that the proposed engagement should not be driven by political considerations or restricted to ceremonial recognition.
Rather, he said, discussions should focus on practical areas of collaboration, including education, healthcare delivery, employment, infrastructure, social welfare, entrepreneurship and community development.
He maintained that Nigeria could benefit from the experiences of successful non-governmental institutions, faith-based organisations and private-sector initiatives in complementing public development efforts.
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