Bishop David Oyedepo
Visit to Yar’Adua is personal –Oyedepo
By Ademola Oni, Abeokuta,
The Presiding Bishop, Living Faith World Outreach Ministries, Dr. David Oyedepo, has said his visit to ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua on Monday is a personal issue that is not meant for public consumption.
Oyedepo, who spoke at the thanksgiving service for the 54th birthday anniversary of Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, in Abeokuta on Tuesday, denied giving details of the visit, insisting that it was a personal one.
Unlike the Islamic clerics, who visited the President last week and confirmed shaking hands with Yar’Adua twice, Oyedepo declined to confirm to newsmen whether the four-man Christian delegation saw the President.
Asked whether the team, reportedly led by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, saw Yar’Adua, Oyedepo said, “Yes, it is true (visit). The visit was personal, but I don’t owe any public explanation on the visit.”
Delivering a sermon during the birthday thanksgiving ceremony, the renowned cleric submitted that Nigeria lacked men of integrity in all spheres of human endeavour.
Oyedepo added that many men and women were occupying leadership positions in the country which they were not qualified for, pointing out that until Nigerians began to improve on their values, they were not likely to get desired results.
The bishop said, “Our foundation as a nation and people needs to be re-examined. Men and women of integrity are lacking in Nigeria. Nigeria is integrity sick at all levels, from the family to governmental levels.”
He posited that the nation’s founding fathers were men of integrity, who had great intelligence without high sounding education qualifications, saying that education qualifications had ironically enhanced corruption in Nigeria.
“Our forefathers were not ruffians; they are men of integrity. In most cases, qualifications enhance corruption. Our forefathers were men of character and integrity. They were very intelligent, that was why they could maintain their territorial integrity,” the cleric said.
Oyedepo noted that Nigeria had unlimited potential, wondering why at 50, the nation was still not among the developed nations in the world.
He said, “Nigeria has lost virtues and credit which must be recovered. Nigeria has unlimited potential. Why are we still crawling while we are supposed to be flying? Our problem in this country is largely based on our inability to test or prove who our leaders should be. We operate a leadership system without a formula.”
Dignitaries at the occasion included the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Chief Folake Marcus-Bello; National Coordinator, Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams; former Military Governor of Lagos State, Brig.-Gen. Raji Rasaki; and former Sole Administrator, Ekiti State, Maj-Gen. Tunji Olurin.
Source: www.punchng.com
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