The Archbishop and Bishop of the Archdiocese and Diocese of Ibadan, Methodist Church Nigeria (MCN), The Most Revd Olumuyiwa Odejayi, has urged Nigerians to give due attention to their relationship with God.

Odejayi gave this charge while welcoming delegates to the 57th Annual Synod of the Diocese at MCN, Odo-Ona, on Friday.

According to the archbishop, one would fulfil God’s purpose for one’s life and the church when one has a steady and unalloyed obedience to God’s injunction in all ramifications.

Speaking on the theme, Obedience to God – Better than Sacrifice, taken from 1 Samuel 15:22, he noted that there were rules and principles that guide our spiritual affairs.

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“Obedience or otherwise to these principles has underscored the extent of this relationship even from the time of Adam,” he added.

Odejayi urged  Christians not to commit an affront to God but to obey God completely and refuse to rationalise away our disobedience.

Speaking on the current challenges facing the country, he urged the government to combat incessant kidnapping, robbery attacks, killings, rape of the under-aged, increasing rate of suicide cases, economic challenges, ASUU strike, educational sector and political issues”.

The cleric noted that some unscrupulous elements in have taken kidnapping, robbery and ritual killings  as lucrative business to the detriment of many helpless and innocent citizens.

He, urged the government to improve the apparatus of security agents in order to help them stamp out these people.

On the killings in  Kaduna, Taraba, Benue, Plateau and Zamfara State, Odejayi advocated the preventive measures to  forestall such occurrence while religious and traditional leaders should preach peace, tolerance and sanctity of human life to their subjects.

Also, the clergy said 80 per cent of rape of the under-aged are done by people close to them – uncles, teachers, neighbours, etc.  He recommended weighty punishments for the offence to serve as deterrent to others.

Odejayi enjoined Nigerians to trust in God and be more caring to people around them as a way of putting an end to suicidal cases while the government should roll out policies and programmes that would promote local and foreign investment and thus, enhance our economic fortunes.

On education Nigeria, he noted that 20 per cent of the current salaries of political holders could be used to revamp the already decayed educational sector.

He urged the government to note that teaching might not earn billions of dollars like oil, but it is no less important than other professions.

“As long as we continue to look down  on teaching and treat it as second rate, we gradually destroy our future both as a nation and as a people. Then, we will arrive into the future and find that building people, and not oil reserves, is the most important task.”he said.

Professor Sam Olofin, Director, Centre for Econometric and Allied Research, University of Ibadan, Ibadan while declaring the synod open, advised Christians to stand for the Lord as Christianity is currently under siege and Christians are going through the most difficult time in Nigeria.

The Diocesan Lay-President, Dr AdemolaIdowu, in his response to the archbishop’s charge, noted that God truly and definitely requires and rewards obedience while biblical obedience to God means to hear, trust, submit and surrender to God and His Word”.

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