19 June 2008
Lagos — The spiritual head of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide, the Most Rev. Samuel Adefila Abidoye, has charged Nigerians to shun the get-rich quick syndrome and learn to work and live on their wages if the nation should move to the right direction.
Abidoye, who was speaking in Lagos recently at the inauguration of the St. Mary District of the Church at Oshodi and the installation of the chairman of the District, said those holding public offices must live above board and avoid ostentatious life styles.
"Corruption has eaten deep into every aspect of our national lives and virtually everybody today is corrupt. We are after money, there is show of money, people are displaying wealth and the get-rich-quick mentality has taken over, those holding public office must learn to live above board, Nigerians must learn to work and rely on their earnings rather than looking for quick money, it is the only way we can paddle the Nigerian ship to the right direction", the clergyman stated.
However, he was confident that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua will do well if those around him permits, stating that the Cherubim and Seraphim Church was established and tailored to provide answers to the problems of the black people.
Established in 1925, with headquarters in Kaduna, Abidoye, who was at the head of the United Kingdom branch of the church for over 45 years before he returned home to assume its spiritual headship worldwide at the demise of its last leader, said the church has been evolving new measures and ideas in order to keep its members and attract new followers in the face of the recent invasion by the Pentecostal Churches.
The follower ship of the church, he said, is mostly populated by the poor, explaining that the church does not only solve the problems of the poor, it is loved by them.
On the other hand, the chairman of the new St. Mary District, Pastor Timothy Jimmy Odedele, called on the Federal Government to provide jobs for the teaming unemployed youths in the country to stem the current crime wave.
"Government must seriously tackle the problem of unemployment in the country. Unless that is done, no amount of preaching in Churches and Mosques will help to dissuade people from crime. In fact, more people are getting involved in crime because they are unable to exercise patient anymore. Those, who cannot steal, embark on some other ways for survival", he said.
On proliferation of churches in the country, Odedele said there is nothing wrong with that, arguing that even with that, there were still unbelievers all over. In his words: "There is nothing wrong with the spread of churches everywhere, it is not for people to say which is good or bad. Out of nonsense, you get something good, if a church is of God, He will be there, if it is not, it will be exposed with time".
The St. Mary District, Oshodi, according to him, now has 14 branches spread across the country. The decision to upgrade the branch to a district, he said, was taken last year at the church's national conference in Abuja.
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