Nigeria’s development has not matched its great possibilities —Kumuyi

•Osinbajo prays for nation, Dogara absent

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

The General Superintendent, Deeper Life Bible Church, Worldwide, Pastor William Kumuyi, on Sunday regretted that Nigeria’s development has not been able to match its great possibilities.

Kumuyi said this in a sermon he delivered at an interdenominational church service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja to commemorate Nigeria’s 58th independence.

The theme of the service was ‘Harnessing our diversity for national development.’

Taking the text of his sermon from 1 Corinthians 12:14-27, the clergyman likened Nigeria to the Corinthian church, which he described as one of the most gifted churches in the New Testament but failed to utilise its diversified gifts for collective greatness.

He said, “No doubt, our nation, like the Corinthian Church, is endowed with highly resourceful citizens by the Almighty God.

“Selfless and committed to our national development, we could easily become the envy of many nations.

“But our national development has not matched our great possibilities like Corinth.”

Kumuyi added, “We (Nigerians) are obsessed with strife and personality cult. We are blinded by selfish ingratitude. We take pride in harmful dissipations.

“Crimes against our fellow men are taking too much toll on our national life. Our families are under siege. We seem to be losing conscience in the nation.

“Selfless sacrifice for the good of others is waning. We are toeing the path of previous nations that destroyed themselves.

“Our lack of discernment is weakening the church and the nation. Our reactionary individualism may deprive us of personal and national greatness.”

For the ways out of the many national problems, Kumuyi asked Nigerians to be ready to rethink national priorities, repent, reconcile for peaceful partnership, reconnect for purposeful pursuit, recommit to positive principles, redirect national plans and projects as well as renew the passion for progress.

He said once these were done, the nation would move forward.

God deserves our praises, Osinbajo says

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on his part, said Nigerians should be thankful to God for sparing their lives to witness the nation’s 58th independence.

Osinbajo assured all stakeholders that the celebration would mark the beginning of good things for the country.

He urged them to seize the opportunity of the celebration to bless the country and its citizens.

The Vice President, who is a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, thereafter, led the congregation in a prayer session to bless Nigeria and Nigerians.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, expressed delight that the country could celebrate its independence in a big way.

He recalled that activities of members of the Boko Haram sect had in the past few years stalled such celebration.

Mustapha expressed the conviction that Nigeria would continue to get better.

Dogara absent at church service

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, was on Sunday conspicuously absent at the service.

According to the programme of the event, Dogara had earlier been picked to read the service’s second lesson from 1 Corinthians 12:4-18 while the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was meant to read the first lesson from Exodus 13:8-13.

Shortly after Onnoghen read the first lesson, however, the master of ceremony announced that a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), would take the second lesson as a mark of honour for the former military leader.

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