By Gift Samuel, The Sight News
Abuja-Nigerians have been charged to tackle the problem of distorted sense of values by embracing the higher values of love and integrity in order to enjoy national development and stability.
The General Overseer of All Christians Fellowship Mission(ACFM)Rev.Dr. William Okoye who gave the charge at the Church’s Mid-Year Thanksgiving Service on Sunday in Abuja, said that Nigeria’s greatest problem is not corruption but distorted sense of value which has swept across the length and breadth of the Nation.
He opined that for development to take place in Nigeria, the country must go from just meeting the basic needs of people which are food, shelter and clothing, to living by higher values of life.
According to him; “Our greatest problem is not corruption but our distorted sense of value where people can sell their parents, do anything for money; the reason for the economic melt down is due to the activities of dubious and unfaithful people that lack integrity and as long as we don’t have these values of love and integrity and run our nation based on them, we are going no where”.
The Reverend however likened most Nigerians and the leaders to Esau who sold his birthright for a plate of food, adding that they have left service to the people and have sold out for peanuts.
He said, “Just as Esau did not mind selling his birthright for a single meal, there are so many people who claim to be Christians in our country today who don’t mind if you take their Bible from them, spit on the face of Christ, slaughter his children and practice all manner of injustice, so far as you give them food, money or political appointments.
“But there are things in life that should be more important than physical life itself if we have the right sense of value. The reason for this message is to promote those values that will help our nation develop and our people move forward” He added.
Speaking further on the ethnic agitations rocking the country, he noted that it is as a result of injustice being meted out to the people, stressing that there is need for the government to promote fairness, create level play ground, discourage mediocrity and give positions to the qualified People despite their region.
Rev. Okoye however took a swipe at the Nigerian elders, lamenting that they have corrupted the youths, “Our elders have destroyed our past, they are destroying our present, they have poisoned the youths. There are people behind the youth, corrupting their minds to cause the confusion they are causing so we are doing this to launch a new orientation program to help our young people to live by the higher values for a change” he said.
While challenging Christians to take up leadership positions so as to change the present dishonest system of leadership facing the country, he called on Nigerians to as a matter of urgency, return to sound values and live by them to attain development, stressing that money is not everything and should not be prioritized over integrity and love.
