The Senior Pastor, City of Refuge Ministries International, Bishop Oscar Ossai, has said Christian participation in politics is key to transforming Nigeria.
Ossai noted that the church’s participation in politics is not forbidden by God and is essential to cleansing ‘dirty’ party politics and reviving the economy.
Ossai, who spoke in Lagos yesterday, urged Christians to emulate French Theologian John Calvin, who “brought a turnaround in Switzerland.”
He said: “It is not enough to be a Christian and remain in the confines of your home or work. Be involved in politics so that we can all do away with corruption and move the country forward. It is an abomination for leaders to do evil, because righteousness establishes a throne. Therefore, Nigerian political leaders must pursue righteousness.
“Calvin gave us the platform for discussing democracy in the church based on Isaiah 33:22. ‘God is our Judge, He is our Lawgiver, He is our King.’ Those were the three cardinal legs of a democracy: legislature, executive and judiciary. There is a leadership lacuna in the country.
Ossai added: “It is my belief that the political elite have failed Nigeria. They have failed in the sense of the demographics at our disposal. Nigeria is more than 65 per cent unemployed and of that number, 40 per cent is unemployable. This is a nation whose active population is the youth.”
The cleric warned that unless something is done, such as the formation of a “critical mass” of Christians to challenge the ‘failed’ old order, Nigeria could descend into chaos.