Mr President, earlier in this letter, I quoted extensively from a serial written about three years ago making a number of suggestions for the then Onaiyekan-led executive of the association you head today. I shall proceed in this concluding paragraphs to quote a bit more from that serial which, incidentally, can be read in full at http://thegreatcompany.blogsopt.com or made available on request. Thereafter I shall draw your attention to what I consider wonderful new developments from elsewhere worthy of consideration for possible adaptation.
You may recall, sir, that we had made suggestions about the role of chaplains and how Churches should be interested in how they are appointed and how they perform in office. We have made a case for annual retreats for Christian politicians, the need for the establishment of structures for monitoring, liaison with and influencing of the activities of the three departments of governments at all levels, and well articulated Christian platform on issues of national interest including but not limited to a legislative agenda. We shall return to this particular issue presently.
Before that, Mr President, permit me to recall one more suggestion contained in the 2007 serial. And it is on the subject of how our brothers and sisters “find their way into office”. We wrote then:
“I believe this is a very crucial question which if examined critically should assist in addressing the character question among men and women, who in addition to whatever party flags they may fly, are also easily identified with the Christian faith. Look at it this way: a man or woman of God feels the call to serve God in the public or political arena. He tells members of his church family about it. What does he get? Apathy or outright discouragement and in many cases prayers! God answers prayers, but like James said in the Bible, faith without works is dead! A man or woman seeking election into office needs money to run his campaign. When he doesn’t get help from his brethren, he’ll try to get it from other sources. Enter the godfather, with all the consequences, as we saw in the case of Dr Chris Ngige, and his so-called estranged godfather in Anambra state, Chris Uba and; erstwhile Governor Rashidi Ladoja and (garrison commander), Lamidi Adedibu in Oyo State.
“Even where a solo financier is not involved there are usually a variety of sponsors and financiers each waiting in the wings for returns on their investments. That ties the office seeker’s hands long before they become office holders and also whittles, if not eliminate, whatever influences the church could have had upon such people. Arguably, a Christian, well grounded in the word should be able to resist evil wherever it raises its head, but it certainly does become more difficult where the righteous forsake their brothers and sisters to “find their way to office. The need to raise awareness among us about politics and governance is really pressing…”
Those were our words in 2007 and we humbly suggest that they still hold some relevance today and therefore urge you, like we did the Onaiyekan-led executive then, to give them some thought, no matter how idealistic they seem, at first glance. For, indeed, two years after our suggestions, developments outside our shores began to lend credence to the call to action.
As you most probably might have read, a number of Christian leaders in the United States widely recognised for their “public witness on behalf of justice, human rights, and the common good” came together in 2009 and subsequently came up with what has now become known as the Manhattan Declaration. Described as a “Call to Christian Conscience”, the declaration, in the words of one of its proponents, “speaks to the church just as much as it speaks to the larger culture”. Originally signed by about 150 prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars including Nigeria ’s Most Rev Peter Akinola, and released on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington , DC , its focus was on three issues that the enemy is using powerfully to destroy the Christian heritage of that country.
In the main, the signatories affirm in the 4700-word declaration: “The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.”
As we write this, well over 460,000 persons have signed on to the declaration. But that is not the story. The big deal is that it caught the eyes Christians in the United Kingdom , made so great an impression on them, that on the eve of the last General Elections, they launched the Westminster Declaration of Christian Conscience 2010. A former Archbishop Canterbury, Lord carey, was among 30 senior Christian Leaders, who signed and launched the declaration last Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010).
Both in timing and content, it was widely seen as the Christian Manifesto for the election; deftly designed to send a clear message to all parliamentary candidates that Christians will be supporting only those whose politics do not conflict with Christian beliefs and interfere with their right to live according to those beliefs. Towards this end, the declaration articulated those range of policies around which churches in the UK are united, including support for marriage, opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for the rights of children born and unborn, and support for all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt. In other words Christians were being galvanised not to vote for candidates whose previous records or current platforms conflict with these minimum.
Mr President, it is my view that CAN, under your leadership, ought to spearhead a Nigerian Christian Charter along these lines, articulating the Christian standpoint on issues such as corruption, violation of voters’ rights through election rigging, freedom of worship and etc with a view to guiding our brethren in the choice of political party to join and candidates to vote for. Thanks for your time, sir. (CONCLUDED)
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