Stop seeing politics as do-or-die affair, Villa Chapel chaplain tells politicians, Nigerians

The Chaplain of Aso Villa Chapel, Seyi Malomo, says it is high time politicians and Nigerians stopped seeing politics as a do-or-die affair.

Mr Malomo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after the 845-hour non-stop praise programme the church organized for the 2019 general elections.

The programme was organized in collaboration with other churches in Abuja and environs.

The pastor said people must realize that elections were mechanisms for selecting the leaders on a temporary basis.

“So, it shouldn’t be something that we kill ourselves, or we go all out as if it is a do-or-die affair.

“Those who were in position 30 or 20 years ago, people don’t even reckon with them. So, we should realize that it is a transient thing.

“Therefore, we must do all the needed modifications and adjustments in our political sphere. Lessons that must have been learnt from these mistakes by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), politicians and everybody,’’ he said.

The clergyman said he believed the future of the country was brighter and “we must all look inward to contribute our quota.’’

Every organization and individual, he said, should be able to ask where he can become better, adding he believed this will ensure all the killings, violence was a thing of the past.

‘’By the grace of God when God enables us to have all the various changes and improvements needed in our electoral processes, things will become better.

“It is good now, but it can be better because there is always room for improvement,’’ he said.

Mr Malomo urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the leaders at all levels in the country as another term of leadership administration begins.

According to him, the leaders are not an island, rather they need the power of God lead successfully.

“The Bible says ‘unless the Lord builds, they labour in vain.’ The fact that we have elected leaders does not mean we should go to sleep and allow them to go at it alone.

“We need to back them up. We have to pray for them for wisdom and the fear of God for them to be just.

”We have to pray that God almighty will take control of their minds,’’ he said.

The chaplain, who called on the media and the civil society organisations to also play their roles, said everyone must realize ‘’we have just one nation; we don’t have another nation.’’

“The leaders must know they are not going to be there forever, and so what legacy are they leaving against their names for the future?

“And those who are not there now must know that they must build the nation well so that when they get there, they will see improvement they can build on.

”So we all have to build this nation and shun violence, shun evil and anything that derogates or brings down the nation but that which upholds the territorial integrity of Nigeria,” he said.

NAN reports that the 35-day concert, which began February 3, ended March 10 at about 8 p.m. (NAN)