Sam Adeyemi, senior pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, says it is insensitive to debate the semantics of Christian killings in Nigeria.
He also warned that military action in Nigeria by the United
States will further worsen the country’s security challenges.
The minister was reacting to the recent designation of
Nigeria as ‘a country of particular concern’ by US President Donald Trump over
the alleged persecution of Christians in the country and the threat of military
action.
Speaking during a news conference to mark the church’s 30th
anniversary on Thursday, Adeyemi said if the US intervenes in Nigeria’s
security challenges, the result could be “messy”.
The cleric noted that for Nigeria to develop and address its
security challenges, it needs an honest conversation about where the country
needs to go.
“It is open knowledge that some of the people that support
the killing of Christians are powerful,” Adeyemi said.
“Some of them are at the highest levels of government. And
some of them are wealthy. So, it is not something America will throw bombs on
the ground, and it will disappear.
“At the end of the
day, they will go and we will still have to sit down and have a discussion.
“It may seem like, oh, we are divided along tribal lines.
Those are not really issues in our country. The big issue is, do we want this
country to become a developed economy? The countries from which they brought
the religions have developed economies.”
Adeyemi stated that Nigerians have missed Trump’s message by
dwelling more on whether there is a Christian genocide or not, adding that it
is a question of semantics.
“It will not be contested, because the evidence is
everywhere,” he said.
“It is on the internet. The pictures are there. The numbers
are there. So, we should not argue over what should or should not be called a
genocide. It does not reduce the impact of the loss of life.
“Especially the members of the families of those who have
been killed. Some of them in very gruesome manners. We should not be so
insensitive as to be arguing over semantics.”
He argued that the US interest in the killing going on in
Nigeria stems from its belief in the sanctity of human life, adding that some
Nigerian victims of terror reported the issue to the American government.
“We should ask ourselves: do we value human life in our
country to the extent that we will now be arguing whether the English word we
used is correct or not?” he asked.
“We have left the main issues. What is the value of a life
in our country? Why should people be killed like that? That then gives us the
bigger picture.
“The fact is that people are being killed everyday in our
country for reasons for which they should not die.
“So, we cannot contest the fact that so many people who are
being killed are Christians.”
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, ELITE
The Daystar founder challenged those in government and the
elite to move beyond success and embrace significance.
This, he believes, will leave a lasting positive legacy that
will outlive them.
“Where do we want Nigeria to go? That is the challenge I
would throw to all Nigerians,” he said.
“To those in
government, especially the elite class, all of us need to agree that there is a
culture that does not value human life. A culture that does not believe in the
intrinsic value and the equality of human life.
“Our culture does not believe it. It is a culture where the
powerful are very powerful and the powerless are very powerless. And the life
of the powerful is more valuable than that of the powerless.
“And some of us in the elite class are making decisions that
are wasting human lives.
“I challenge those of us in the elite class. After we have
enjoyed all the power and the wealth, we will die. What is the legacy we want
to leave?
“In some parts of the world, they refer to people who have
gone ahead with pride. What will we say about you after you go? That you made
money? That you lived in good houses?
“We must move beyond success. We must move to significance.
We must move to legacy. Positive legacy.”
He insisted that Nigeria must be restructured in a way that
every citizen will have access to opportunity to dream and fulfil their
dreams.
Adeyemi challenged Nigerians to speak up and hold leaders
accountable across all walks of life.
“I call on the average Nigerian also. As long as you keep
silent, those who do not mean well will continue to be stronger in government,
and your children, your grandchildren, may have it even worse than we have it
now,” he advised.
“We should not all sit down and watch this country
disintegrate. Speak up and do the little bits that you can do. Hold leaders
accountable.
“They are not God. Hold us accountable and ask for
development, policies, infrastructure, and decisions that will make it possible
for this country to develop.
“And the biggest of them is love. And love, in my view, is
recognition of self-restraint. The value of a human being.
“Every human being is created in the image of God. Whatever
you would not give God, do not give to another human being. If you are going to
serve another human being, serve them with excellence.”
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