By Bisi Oladele, Ibadan
The Ibadan Varsity Christian Union (IVCU) has urged members who graduated from the university in the last 60 years and other Christians to stop shunning party politics under the excuse that it is dirty.
The union, in a communique at its 60th anniversary celebration, said Christians should realise they are able to navigate through the dirty water of politics given their access to divine wisdom and empowerment by the Holy Spirit.
Signed by the union’s international President, Dr. Tunde Ajala, the communique emphasised Christians are perfect for political leadership as they will also be guided by God, adding that they will lead with compassion and love for the people.
Entitled ‘IVCU at 60: Our thoughts on the state of the nation and the way forward,’ the union said it was high time Christians took their rightful positions in political leadership in Nigeria because they are light that should not be hidden.
It said the light, which God has made them will be useless if they refuse to take hold of political leadership opportunities and demonstrate godly example of leadership to the suffering people of Nigeria.
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But it emphasised that they must seek God’s guidance first on the decision to participate.
It reads in part: “ It is critically important for all Christian leaders all over Nigeria to understand that ‘the Great Commission’, more importantly at this auspicious juncture of Nigeria’s national history, entails the mandate for Christians to step out, with the support of the church, into the arena of politics and public governance. Who is more qualified than well-trained and fully-supported Christians to take the reins of power, nationally and locally, and therewith reform public life with divine righteousness and competencies.
“To counter obvious threats to Nigeria’s priceless national unity and integrity, Christian leaders with ‘demographic’ authority must immediately receive divine wisdom to rightly vector their authority, after duly seeking and obtaining divine guidance, into organizing democratic access for heaven anointed believers into public power via the wise route of meaningful registered political parties. It is better late and determined, than never.
“Christian leaders must understand that the commitment to obey the political aspect of the Great Commission, is a long-term commitment which must be engaged with calculated godly caution using our best and brightest resources to lay out the engagement plan replete with Contingency and Redundancy Clauses; in full remembrance of the word of Christ to be “as gentle as doves, but as wise as serpents.”
“It is contrary to divine wisdom for us as Christians to have ‘democratic’ clout and refuse to use it in the fear that the public arena is too dirty for Christians. If the public arena was not too dirty for David and Daniel, it surely is not too dirty for us now in 21st Century Nigeria.
“By history and prophecy, the house of IVCU has a major role to play vis-avis Nigeria’s destiny. It is no coincidence that in 1960, as Nigeria broke the burden of Colonialism, embraced the path of Freedom and legally asserted its own Manifest Destiny as an Independent Nation in the comity of nations, the IVCU started in UI.
“It is no coincidence that today, IVCU Alumni members pervade every sphere of influence in Nigeria and beyond. The Lord has prepared us for this time.”
The IVCU also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to work harder in riding the country of terrorists and also heed the call for restructuring.
