Re: ‘Politics, Church must be dismantled’ – Peter Obi

Segun Adeyemi, a Senior reporter in Pulse Nigeria has it in a recent report that, “The former Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi on Sunday has called for reforms to Nigeria’s religious and political culture, suggesting that excessive church activities are hindering productivity.”

It was reported that, “Speaking on the snippet of the Honest Bunch podcast released on Saturday, November 2, 2024, Obi argued for shifting the focus from night vigils to night shifts, urging Nigerians to prioritise productivity. He said:

“It’s attractive, politics and church, but it has to be dismantled,” Obi stated. “We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.”

He stressed the need for a balance, acknowledging his own Christian faith while urging moderation in religious engagements.

In his perspective, he would prefer to redirect energy towards economic activities and societal advancement, paving the way for a more developed and balanced nation.

Obi expressed concern over the dominance of church-related signs and activities across the country. “If I go from here to my house, the only sign boards you see are those of churches,” he pointed out.

However, in the midst of an outrage by Nigerians on the statements, former presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in 2019, Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has also expressed a dissenting opinion saying to Obi, “This is an infringement on religious traditions.”

Adesanya-Davies knocks Peter Obi over the statements stating, with due respect sir, “This statement is quite provocative and annoying after how the Christian community supported you during the 2023 elections.

She further explains:
“A presidential candidate promising to turn church vigil into a night shift is quite an unusual contentious and embarrassing stance.

This statement raises several concerns regarding the candidate’s understanding of the separation of church and state, as well as their priorities for the nation.

Separation of Church and State: In a democratic society, the government should maintain neutrality regarding religious practices. Interfering with church activities could be seen as overstepping this boundary. The Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion, and the government should not dictate how churches operate.

Prioritizing National Issues: Furthermore, turning church vigil into a night shift seems unrelated to pressing national concerns like economic growth, healthcare, education, or security. A presidential candidate’s focus should be on addressing these critical issues to improve citizens’ lives.

Religious Freedom:
Additionally, dictating the schedule of religious activities undermines the principle of religious freedom. Individuals should be able to practice their faith without government interference.

Campaign Promises:
It’s essential to critically evaluate campaign promises and consider their feasibility, impact, and alignment with national priorities. Voters should seek candidates with realistic and beneficial plans for the country’s progress.

She concluded for the records, “It’s better for any government to provide job opportunities for citizens than to start counting the number of Church buildings on streets, while you have forced them to solely depend on praying at night vigils, depending on the Almightiness of God, as you are slacking in your responsibilities.”

In another report in, PUNCH by Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis, on Sunday, 4th November
Obi makes U-turn on his comment, says his position on church vigils was distorted and misrepresented.

Reacting via a statement issued by his media aide, Ibrahim Umar, in the wake of the outrage, the former presidential candidate said his account was twisted and blown out of proportion.

The statement partly reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a huge twist in his recent media interview, saying erroneously that he called for the dismantling of churches in Nigeria.

Obi’s comment on turning church vigils into night shifts
“By the headline given to the interview, the import of Obi’s message has been greatly overturned and grossly distorted to serve a mischievous end.

“The Labour Party leader is well known as a man of strong faith who has enormous respect and love for every religion and tried in the referenced interview to bring to Nigerians how religion can be more effective in their lives.

“Obi, in the interview, was merely underscoring what Apostle James said in ‘Faith without Works is unhelpful.’ When Obi said that he would turn night vigil into production night, he was only stressing the importance of worshipping God through work.

Main while, other commentators following an article titled, “You Used And Dumped The Church” – As Nigerians criticize Peter Obi writes:

@DanielRegha
Peter Obi is talking about politics & church, imagine the hypocrisy. Coming from the same person who was seen attending different churches during the campaign season? Why didn’t he talk about turning night vigils into night shifts back then, or the churches he attended don’t hold night vigils? Some things are better left unsaid, he made zero points.

@Bummiearo
We know Obi as an hypocrite. He used religion to his advantage during the election. He was the poster boy as the most holy candidate in Nigeria using the church.
He should keep deceiving himself and followers.

@SaintDeeCFC
Politicians have always been liars and hypocrites. Obi is a politician whose words hold no weight… Just lies and hypocrisy. He talks about development like he has never ruled a state before.

@Waspapping_
Peter Obi used and abandoned the Church, just as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu used and abandoned the Mosque. They’ll both go back in 2027 when the campaign season opens and it’s time to use religion as a tool to garner gullible Nigerian votes.

Peter Obi is indirectly implying that Christians are not productive and only attend night vigils. Even as a Muslim, I find this very insulting to the Christian faith.

@Manlike_ED
Peter Obi wouldn’t dare say Nigeria is unproductive because there are mosques everywhere, but here he is speaking against the same Church that gave him platform during the last election.

This political fraud turned 2023 campaign into religious war using the Church, now he is talking down on the same Church. Follow him at your own peril.

@Timi_The_Law
When obi was moving from church to church in 2023 he didn’t know there are too many vigils.

How many factories did he build in Anambra? The church will remind him this blabbing in 2027. That’s why Wole Soyinka called him Gbajue. A very deceitful and dishonest character.

Obi’s stance reflects his belief that rethinking Nigeria’s approach to religion and politics is crucial to building a more productive society, but his comments are currently resonating with both supporters and critics which he has tried to re-clarify.

While supporters view his remarks as a call for pragmatic reforms in pursuit of national progress, critics argue that faith is an essential part of Nigerian society which serves as life line support for both groups and individuals, and he should stay off it.

©CDA News