The General Overseer of Sanctuary Evangelical Church International, Ibadan, Oyo State, Professor Gbade Ojo, has slammed the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, over his suggestion to convert church vigils to night shifts to increase productivity across Nigeria.
Obi, in a podcast, argued that Nigeria’s high poverty and low productivity were rooted in an excessive focus on church and politics.
He, therefore, suggested that those vigils be transformed into night shifts, stating that prioritising productivity over frequent church gatherings could help address Nigeria’s economic challenges.
Speaking with The Guardian in Ibadan on Obi’s suggestion, Prof. Ojo said countries without God’s consciousness could not make real progress.
The pastor lampooned Obi, stating that it was a lazy line of argument to close vigils for night shifts in factories.
The G.O. argued that religion did not stop production, using Israel as an example.
The pastor said: “I am not speaking as a pastor but a political scientist. Research has shown that Africans are deeply religious.
“What Peter Obi recommended is easier said than done. It is a lazy thought. Countries without God’s consciousness cannot make real progress. Israel, which is deeply religious but is still productive. We need a productive country where people love God.
“We cannot get a better society without churches and vigils. In countries that lack God’s consciousness, their children will acquire degrees and knowledge but become gays and lesbians where they will be sleeping with dogs.
“In America, students will go to schools with guns and kill teachers and students. It is an artificial society. It is the only religion that can bail out people from social issues.
“Religion is not our problem but bad leadership. Churches are founding universities for knowledge accumulation, acquisition, and distribution. That statement from Obi has become a bad advert for him. It is a lazy line of thoughts.”
On the flip side, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu said the proposition by Obi would make the country more productive.
Ladigbolu said: “If the factory can run, there is nothing wrong with that. But who will determine that? I believe that most factories are doing night shifts. We can be more productive. It will benefit our economy.”
