Bishop David Oyedepo
From Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta
The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Word Outreach (a.k.a. Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State lamented that Nigeria despite her greatness around the world lacks men of integrity. Oyedepo, who spoke during the thanksgiving service for the 54th birthday of the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel added that nevertheless, Nigeria was destined for greatness.
The bishop also confirmed that he and other select clerics visited the ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua on Monday, adding that the visit was personal. Yar’Adua has not been seen in the public since November when he left Nigeria for treatment in a Saudi Arabian hospital.
A similar visit to the ailing president was made by a group of Islamic leaders last Thursday sparking criticisms on why such a visit should be made without Christian clerics. “Yes, it’s true. I visited Yar’Adua, Oyedepo’’ told journalists who had requested to confirm whether he was among those Christian clerics who visited the president on Monday. When probed further to confirm whether he saw him one-on-one, the Winners’ Chapel bishop said: “It is personal, I don’t owe public explanation.”
He declined to comment on the condition he met the president, saying that it was a personal visit which he was not ready to share with anyone. Earlier, Oyedepo had at the sermon lamented that Nigeria lacked men and women of integrity in all spheres of human endeavours. He warned that until Nigerians begin to improve on their values, they might not get the desired results.
The Winners’ bishop also cautioned that people with lesser ideas and knowledge must not be allowed to lead the people and insisted that the foundation of the country needed to be re-examined.
According to Oyedepo, the nation’s forbearers were men of integrity and characters with great intelligence but without any qualifications. He observed that academic qualifications in most cases enhance corruption in the country.
“Our forefathers are not ruffians. They are men of integrity. In most cases, qualification enhances corruption. Our forefathers are men of characters and integrity. They are very intelligent, that is why they can maintain their territorial integrity,” the cleric added.
Speaking on Nigeria’s 50th anniversary, Bishop Oyedepo explained that Nigeria has unlimited potential wondering why at 50 the nation was still not among the developed nations in the world.
“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,” he said.
Apparently reacting to the recent mass failure in the National Examinaiton Council (NECO), Oyedepo said: “Many unqualified teachers teaching in our schools today are responsible for mass failure in West African School Certificate Examinations.”
To build future leaders with great qualities, Oyedepo called for the inculcation of values inherent in the nation’s forefathers to the younger generation.
He wondered why some people in government could not define budget and even government, saying novice should not be put in position of authority.
Source: www.sunnewsonline.com
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