Recession: Govt will Take You and Cross the Red Sea, Says Osinbajo

• CAN: Solutions should not be limited to Buhari, FEC, APC

By Paul Obi in Abuja

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday charged Nigerians to remain resolute and committed to Nigeria notwithstanding the biting economic recession in the country.

The vice-president stated this at the inter-denominational service which took place at the National Christian Centre, Abuja to mark this year Independence Day slated for October 1, 2016.

He said: “The promise of God to our nation is that He is building a new Nigeria, a Nigeria where there will be peace from the North-east to the Niger Delta, a Nigeria where there will be our economy will experience abundance and prosperity, where there will be job for the jobless, a Nigeria led by honest and committed leadership, where Christian, Muslims, men of different faith and ethnic groups will live and work together in peace and harmony. We are on our way out of the wilderness to the land flowing with milk and honey

The vice-president further stated that   “Our massage to Nigerians is to be strong and of good courage, do not be dismayed. God is faithful, He has promised and will not fail. Every Nigeria will benefit from the new Nigeria.

You will also experience a great miracle. Be strong and of good courage, do not be dismayed.

“God Almighty saw our nation before he decided that he will put in place the present leadership, this leadership will take us across the Red Sea and take us to the new Nigeria,” Osinbajo maintained

“As Christians we have a duty to bring to pass the will of God for our nation.

“In understanding our role, we must remember how Israelites, after God has taken them out of Egypt and was taking them to the promised land and as soon as they experienced the first few problem, they began to grumble and complain and the wilderness journey that would have taken a few days went on for forty years.

“As children of God we must declare that nation will prosper and the it will be well with our nation. When the children of God were in a situation similar to ours, God asked them to be courageous and fear not and they later experienced the miraculous parting of the River Jordan for them to pass,” Osinbajo said.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Wisdom that Prevails over Economic Recession,’ the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Supo  Ayokunle, said economically, Nigeria’s story is that of an under-utilised God’s given potential and resources. A nation that is so endowed is gradually becoming one of the poorest nations of the world, God forbid, the tide will change for better.

He tasked the government to go beyond officials and party officials in seeking the answers to economic crisis.

“The solution is not in one man and not limited to the Federal Executive Council advised President Buhari to look beyond his political party and look for experts beyond Nigeria for brainstorming and be ready to receive advise.

“The counsel that will bring solution is not limited to a group of people, have listening earn even if the advise is coming from your enemy. You can learn,” he said.

“Nigeria not only have oil and gas, it has bitumen and over one thousand five hundred mineral resources and several thousand hectares of arable land, yet nigeria is like a hungry man who has yam in the barn but does not know how to eat tough and critical time.

“We have found ourselves in a state of economic recession, in a state where our currency has seen the worst depreciation in history and where price of crude oil has dropped by hundred percent and we do not have enough money to finance our budget in terms of payment of workers salaries and execution of developmental projects.

“At the same time, we are facing the of insurgency and the ferocious attacks by the Fulani herdsmen, kidnapping ritual killings, armed robbery and militancy in the Niger Delta region which has led to the drop in daily output in oil production.”

According to him, “We are all responsible for this problems, what we are passing through are self-imposed trouble, what is the mind of God? Is God so angry with us that He cannot be merciful again? Is there any hope? As call on God for wisdom to handle these matters, help will come form above and our economy will bounce back again.” CAN president added.

Ayokunle observed that “one of the things that led us to this situation was our inability to save for the rainy day at the time of oil boom, we were not wise like Pharaoh who gathered people together and sought for counsel on how to manage the resources instead of investing, our leaders squandered the national resources and started piling up wealth for themselves at the expense of the nation they were to serve.

“They bought houses within and abroad, sent their children to school abroad and paid exorbitant school fees there just helping developed nations to further develop, we behaved like prodigals without thinking about the future of our children.”

On reasons why the country has failed to diversify its economy, he said: “Oil money was an easy money to get, we killed agriculture which used to be a major revenue earner for the country.

“The Nigerian economy has suffered greatly due to mismanagement by corrupt leaders both military and civilian

Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem that was broken down out of his love for Jerusalem.

“Many walls are broken in Nigeria, the walls of our economy, our social system including security. All of us in the positions of leadership must join hands together to rebuild Nigeria.

“When wealth and riches came, we felt we no longer needed God and removed religious education and morning devotion in schools and we are now reaping cultism.”

The CAN president also cautioned ned against painting all Nigerians as corrupt persons, stating that,  “as you are dealing with corrupt ones, celebrate those who are good. Workers must receive their wages otherwise you will have liability on your neck. Promote the politics of love, devoid of all those who are in positions of leadership and must put God first in all that they do. We will come out of this precarious situation. We must never forget that righteousness exalts  a nation and sin is a reproach to any people,” he submitted.