The retired Bishop of Ibadan Diocese, Anglican Church, Most Rev Joseph Akinfenwa, has charged the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, to remain courageous in speaking truth to power, warning that the church must not become a “zombie” or be intimidated by those in authority.
Akinfenwa said church leaders had a prophetic responsibility to hold government accountable by telling those in authority when they were doing well and when they were doing wrong.
He also decried the worsening hardship, hunger, insecurity and unemployment in the country, urging the church not to ignore the suffering of Nigerians under the guise of merely praying for the nation.
The retired bishop stated this on Tuesday while speaking at the ongoing 15th General Synod of the Church of Nigeria and the consecration of four new bishops at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne Remo, Ogun State.
He urged the newly consecrated bishops to protect the dignity of the episcopate and ensure that their lives reflected the gospel and the responsibilities entrusted to them.
According to him, while prayer remained important, it should not be used as an excuse for the church to abandon its civic responsibility to speak against injustice, poor governance and other societal ills.
Akinfenwa said, “Beloved, the church must continue to pray for this great nation. Prayer does not mean abandoning our responsibility as citizens. The church must pray, the church must think, and when necessary, the church must speak truth to power.
“I was elated when our Primate voiced out about what was being done some months ago about a state where an election was to take place. I felt proud as an Anglican; our leader has spoken, he’s fearless.
“We must speak! In your various locations, speak against ills, call the attention of people to what they should be doing. Whatever happens, our democracy depends upon citizens who are willing to speak.
“Freedom of speech matters. Freedom of association matters. Freedom of religion matters. Freedom of thought matters.
“The church must not become zombie or be afraid. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
“We must be able to tell those in authority when they are doing well and when they are doing wrong. We must also be able to tell them when things are not what they should be.”
Describing this as part of the church’s prophetic calling, the cleric said the church must remain sensitive to the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
He said, “Nigeria is a nation of extraordinary resilience. We endure, we improvise, we survive, we keep moving. But resilience must never be used as an excuse to ignore suffering.
“There’s hardship in the land. There’s hunger in the land. There’s unemployment in the land, and talk about insecurity; there is so much in the land. There’s anxiety about the future.
“Many families are struggling to meet basic needs. When people tell us that they are suffering, we must not dismiss their testimony. The church must listen to the cry of the people, and the church must speak on behalf of the people.”
Akinfenwa further cautioned against reducing the church’s response to the challenges facing the country to prayers alone, saying faith must be accompanied by action.
“When the people cry, the church must not merely say, ‘Let us pray.’ Yes, let us pray, but after we pray, let us ask, ‘Lord, what do You want us to do?’
“Prayers must lead to action. Faith must produce works. That is why James says, ‘Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers alone.’
“Let us say this with respect to those who lead our nation, even at this time. Look, every leader needs people who will tell them the truth, not people who will tell them only what they want to hear, not people who will deny reality in order to protect their position.”
The retired bishop expressed concern that some political leaders might not be receiving or paying sufficient attention to reports of the hardship and challenges confronting Nigerians.
He said the media provided leaders with vital information about what was happening across the country, but expressed doubts about whether such information was reaching those in authority.
“And my mind tells me that it seems that with what is happening in our nation, most of our leaders may, or are not allowed to read the national dailies. For if they read it, they will be touched.
“Most of them, I believe, are not available—all electronic media is not available to them, they ignore it.
“The stories are there always every day, but how many of our leaders have time to listen to such things? In fact, those who surround them debar them from having such information.
“The truth may be uncomfortable, but knowing the truth gives leadership the opportunity to correct what needs to be corrected.
“Please, let us continue to pray for those in authority, that God will surround them not with merely loyalists, but with truth-tellers.”
Meanwhile, Akinfenwa urged the four newly consecrated bishops to see their elevation as a call to greater service and responsibility rather than a reward or status symbol.
The newly consecrated bishops are Ven Godwin Terso Yakela, Bishop of Makurdi Diocese; Ven Kingsley Ogbonda, Bishop of Uyo Diocese; Ven Julius Oyediran, Bishop of Ekiti-Oke Diocese; and Ven Oluyemi Fatusi, Bishop of Awori Diocese, Ogun State.
He congratulated the new bishops, saying their journey to the episcopate, which began with their election at the Episcopal Synod at the University of Port Harcourt in July, had culminated in their consecration.
“From today, dear brothers, you are no longer simply Archdeacons or members of the clergy. You are bishops of the Church of God.
“Consecration means that something has been set apart for God. You are not being consecrated for personal honour. You are not being consecrated for ecclesiastical status. You are not being consecrated so that people can add ‘My Lord’ to your name.
“You are being consecrated for the service of God and His church,” he said.
Quoting John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work,” Akinfenwa urged the bishops to remain focused on their responsibilities and the future of the church.
“Thank God for yesterday. We celebrate what God has done, but we must press forward into what God wants to do next. The church must march on with renewed vigour and enthusiasm,” he said.
