The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has urged Nigerians not to despair following the current economic difficulties as the nation would achieve greatness under President Muhammadu Buhari.
He spoke on Friday in Abuja during a reception in honour of “Quintessential Public Servants in Nigeria’’ organised by the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI).
“Frankly, I am completely confident that we are in God’s purpose and that these times have been ordained by God and that we will achieve what God has set for us to achieve by His grace alone.
“This is our season, this is our time; It is not a time for us to begin to grumble,’’ he said.
According to the vice president, all Nigerians will benefit and see the new times that God is bringing about in this land.
He said that the success of the Buhari administration would depend on how those working in the administration allowed God to work in their lives.
“Our success will depend on what God wants to do with us and how we bend to His will and how we allow His will to work in our lives.’’
The vice president said he was completely unperturbed by the situation the country was facing “because I know that it is from God.
“Where we are going is a large place, a great place and a place of abundance.
“The most important thing is for us to keep steady, pray, be sure that only God brought this about.
“Neither I nor President Buhari has any business being where we are.
“Neither of us has any money, neither of us put our resources to get into where we are and neither of us I can assure you is in the control of any man.
“If anybody says that President Buhari is being controlled by any man it is a lie,’’ he declared.
Osinbajo said that Christians were meant to be salts of the earth and the lights of the world regardless of whether they held any kind of office or not.
According to him, the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to transform nations in politics, education and business.
“I have no doubt that God brought me to be an agent of transformation,’’ the vice president said.
He said that when a preacher answers God’s call it was not only meant for him/her to preach the gospel, but to transform the nation in business, politics, education and other spheres.
The vice president noted that the easiest thing to do was to criticise leadership, but added that the Christian is called to “disciple through the nations.’’
“It is our duty to lead our nation in the right direction in every aspect of life; we are called to deal with questions of poverty, deal with question of the economy.
“We are called to do all those things whether we are in leadership or not because the scripture says that you and I have been called.’’
Osinbajo said the greatest hypocrisy that a Christian could possibly lay upon himself was to assume that leadership had been left to those elected into office alone.
Accordingly, he said that Christians and Christian leaders “must stand against corruption in any form beginning with ourselves; it is not enough to point accusing fingers.’’
Earlier, the National President of FGMBFI, Mr Ifeanyi Odedo, said that in spite of the challenges faced by those in public office, God has destined that they should lead and urged that they lead with the fear of God.
He said it was not by accident that they were called to service at this time when governance and public service were bedeviled with multi-dimensional challenges ,with corresponding barrage of criticisms and disillusionment by citizens.
He said that the group had chosen not to join in criticism but to stand with the public officers in counsel and prayer until God’s purpose was fulfilled.
The cleric said: “Your performance shall be rated by the choice that you make today, the problems that you will solve, the values that you will add to the system and how much of divine purpose you will fulfill.
“Nigeria is one of the greatest nations on earth, with unparalleled potential which if properly harnessed and deployed could outclass even the foremost of developed nations of the world to become the envy of our contemporaries.’’
Odedo added that the emancipation of the country lay in the provision of selfless service devoid of greed and corruption by the leaders, adding that the nation looked up to them as God’s ambassadors.
He prayed that God should equip the leaders with the supernatural ability to excel above their contemporaries.
“You will surely become the resource base for the technical, economic, political and spiritual strategies that will re-engineer the real change Nigerian are yearning for,’’ he declared.
(NAN)
