By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The three tiers of governments in Nigeria, particularly the Federal Government, have been charged to rise up to their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, and providing good governance based on integrity, accountability, and transparency.

Pastors of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), South-West and Patigi Zones, made the call in a Communique issued at the end of their three-day Conference held at the ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The Communique condemned the insecurity in the land stressing the need to deal ruthlessly with anyone responsible for these wicked acts.

“The Conference frowned at the high and frightening levels of insecurity in Nigeria through banditry, kidnappings for ransom and ritual killings, incessant killings of innocent citizens by unknown gunmen, terrorism by especially religious fundamentalists, and destruction of lives and property with impunity by these undeserved elements who are ravaging and forcefully occupying lands in the nation, with the inability of the government at various levels to successfully tackle the menace,” added the communique.

The Communique, signed by the Chairman, South-West/Patigi Consultative Forum, Reverend Dr. Frank Paul Oluwatimihin and Secretary, Reverend Timothy O. Ajibola, identified with the good people of Nigeria on the hardship that has befallen the Nation since the removal of fuel subsidy and its attendant effects on inflation and food prices.

The third edition of the Conference, which had as its Theme, ‘REPOSITIONING FOR GOD’S SERVICE, called on the Federal Government to do more, and expeditiously, in order to bridge the gap between its plans and actions for the betterment of the life of the average Nigerian.

The Conference, while also agreeing that protests are within the civic rights of Nigerians, kicked against any action that can lead to looting, arson, and anarchy and therefore called on all ECWA members to be careful and watchful while staying away from unauthorised gatherings.

The Conference, which comprised the 17 Districts that make up the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Edo and Lagos States, is a biennial conference which aims at developing capacity and upscaling the pastoral ministry to meet the current demands of church ministry in conformity to technological innovations and improved ministerial ethical principles.

The Conference of Pastors also enjoined all members of the Church in the Zones to play their civic roles as good citizens by registering for elections and going out to vote, cautioning its Pastors in line with ECWA guidelines on politics not to openly endorse any political party.

The Conference also called on the State Governments in the Zones to ensure a just distribution of political appointments in their states and not neglect the Christian communities, which are about 50% of the populations of the states, especially in Kwara and Kogi States.

The participants at the retreat resolved to further strengthen the bond of brotherliness among Pastors and their families across all divides by building Strong Inter-Personal Relationships Among Pastors and should be done through as many avenues available as possible.

“Pastors and Churches were encouraged to leverage the proper use of technology to advance the course of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the light of the emerging global landscape. The use of Social Media, Artificial Intelligence and other micro-blogging platforms for church services, meetings and gospel contents was encouraged and emphasized as the new system of promoting the gospel and churches should not be left behind” it added.

The sessions exposed the participants to the the need to develop spiritual capacity as it served as a wake-up call for ministers to take advantage of technological innovations in advancing church ministry.

The South-West Cum Patigi Pastors Conference, held from 12th-15th Aug, 2024, ended with dedicated prayers for the ECWA Denomination and the entire country for the peace and prosperity of its people.