The Prelate and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, PCN His Eminence Ekpenyong N. Akpanika, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be focused and to exercise financial discipline in running the affairs of the country for the equitable distribution of wealth among the citizenry.
Akpanika stated this Sunday on the occasion of the Sanctuary Dedication/Silver Jubilee Anniversary of St. John’s Ibeku First Parish, Umuahia Ndume in Umuahia North LGA, stating that if he meets with President Tinubu, “I will tell the president to be focused and disciplined in terms of expending money. The truth is that there is a section of people who seem to be enjoying themselves to the detriment of the masses. There should be equality and justice among the citizens. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and so our prayer is that there should be equality in the distribution of wealth.
“A situation where you have a small percentage of people enjoying the wealth of the country is not good enough for the masses, where we are all living in penury and everything is skyrocketing from kerosene to petrol to ordinary bread. There is scarcity in the land, and yet there are few people that are living in affluence, and we are saying that there should be equality and justice in the distribution of wealth in the nation.”.
According to him, “I just want to encourage all of us that God is able and abundantly able. The idea of austerity or drought is not new. Even in biblical times, there were moments when the children of Israel had to face serious famine, but God always made a way for his people. I believe that in our time, God will not change. He will always do what he has promised.
“So, I want to encourage all of us that no matter how difficult the times may be, it is not peculiar to Nigeria; it is global, but our confidence is that God is able to see us through. He is our shepherd, and we shall lack nothing.”.
The Prelate therefore encouraged all to look into God, stating, “He is the author and finisher of life. We should not be worried. At the appointed time, God will fix the economy of Nigeria, and we will all be glad.”.
On the diminishing standard of education, Akpanika noted, “I want you to understand that education started with the mission schools in Nigeria. The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria pioneered the educational system in the south, including the famous Hope Waddell Training Institution. This was for the purpose of enlightening the people, but along the way, the government came and took over the schools, and from that moment on, you could see that the moral standard of society has fallen to the point that even now that they (the government) are trying to give back the mission schools, it is difficult to get to the standard that we started with.”
He said, “My advice is simply that the government should look into our educational system by funding it properly. When teachers and lecturers are happy, they will give quality lectures and teach well. However, you cannot force a hungry man to teach when he does not have money to pave his way to the school to lecture.
“So, it is the problem that we are having, hence the need for equal distribution of wealth among the people,” affirming that churches have business in establishing schools and therefore “can establish schools and minimise the school fees.”
In the proliferation of churches in the country, he said, “There are so many issues surrounding churches today because of hunger. A lot of people who are not called or who do not have any business with the church are now taking advantage of establishing churches.
“You see people who become bishops without mentors, people who are in church business purely for business, and that is the kind of people you see fighting themselves after church service, trying to see where the offering goes. But for the mainline churches, we may be slow, but we are steady and moving on, and our prayer is that God should help all of us.
Also speaking, the Bishop and Moderator of Umuahia East Presbytery of the church, Rt. Rev. Peter Nwoke described Akpanika, who is the Prelate of the church from Calabar extraction since the creation of the church in 1846, as “the best Prelate we have ever had and prayed to God for the Prelate to take the church to a greater height.”
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
