Posted by The country’s Christians have been urged not to waste their votes in the upcoming general elections in 2023 by former House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who claims that the adoption of the same-faith presidential and vice-presidential ticket by the current government, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is incompatible with Nigeria’s efforts to build its nation.
On Tuesday, Dogara stated that every Christian is aware that God does not tolerate waste and as a result, it is unchristian for the church to waste anything given to them from above. The summit was dubbed “Meet the Church” and was organized by the Nigerian National Christians Coalition (NNCC) with the theme, “The role of the Church in Nation Building.”
He claimed that the APC disregarded warnings issued by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Catholic Secretariat, the ECWA church, and numerous other Christian organizations and adopted the same faith ticket in a way that undermined the foundational elements of nation-building, such as a shared identity, values, and vision.
“In a country that has never achieved nationhood, the APC chose the same religious ticket.
The APC presidential candidate strangely believes that he can create a strong, secure, and viable nation-state without first creating a shared identity, vision, and values for our people.
This would allow us to transition from being citizens of a country into a nation of people with strong shared identity and values. These warnings were not only disregarded but also dismissed in one fell swoop.
We don’t need a prophet to warn us that such an endeavor is certain to end in spectacular failure since they have prioritized state-building over nation-building in their muddled posturing. This is a mission that has never been accomplished in history. Civilizations have never been created by divided people.
“To show that the church is correct, note that others have also condemned the same religion ticket. The same sentiment has been expressed by other well-known Muslim leaders and clergy of the Islamic faith. The fact that prominent Christians and Muslims are both concerned about this issue is encouraging.
“As a result, it will be simple to create the crucial elite consensus for nation-building. Elite consensus creates all nations, but elite complacency destroys all nations that struggle to become independent.
Although Christians and Muslims will always have differences on some topics, there are many topics on which we can agree. It is sufficient to move forward with the process of building a nation based on those shared concerns. It should be remembered that Christians alone cannot create a nation out of Nigeria, just as Muslims cannot. Together, we must work on “nation formations.”
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Dogara praised the church in the nation for speaking out against policies taken by some political platforms that will impede nation-building and shaking off the beast of previous complacency.