Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The Anglican Bishop of Oji River Diocese in Enugu State, Rt. Rev. Joseph Egbuonu, has described Nigeria a disorganised country with no direction, identity and purpose.
The Bishop who spoke to journalists in Awka, Anambra State capital, during weekend, said the country must go back to the drawing board and strengthen the foundation if it wants to make any meaningful progress in the future.
He said: “Nigeria as a nation seems to be going upside down. For me now, I do not think there is a country called Nigeria. For now, we have a disorganised entity nicknamed Nigeria.
“We are not the only country with more than one language or ethnic group. Some other nations of the world like Switzerland have three different languages but they are able to manage themselves. In Germany, every state is independent yet, they are able to manage themselves as one nation.
“So, Nigeria is not making progress as others because we have not found who we are. We need to sit down and lay a new foundation so that Nigeria can stand. “
Speaking further, the cleric dismissed assertions that church failures have contributed to the problems of the country.
“Most of the time, I have seen people express their madness at the church as if the church is the problem of Nigeria. The fact remains that in every country, every institution has its own duty. The duty of the church is spiritual guidance and education, nurturing people for eternity and giving them moral strength to live in the society.
“On the other hand, it is the duty of the government to provide jobs and amenities for its citizenry. If all these things are done, then a nation will progress.”
He said however that while the church has contributed and delivered on its duties, the government has failed to do their part. He emphasised that the church can never leave its core duty to do the work the government is supposed to do.
“The church is performing its own duty, progressing and prospering but the nation is quarreling with the church hoping that we will turn our churches into factories.
“It is understandable that institutions have defined roles they play. The church has a role which is not to build factories. Already churches build schools and if you notice, most of the schools in Nigeria are owned by churches. We are there to educate and strengthen the moral foundation of a nation and we are doing that excellently,” he said.
