Religious Leaders Urge Unity For Nigeria’s Economic Growth

The northern president of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Pastor Istifanus Isaya, has appealed to the federal government to ensure  unity in the country in order to have a progressive and economically developed  nation.

Isaya who spoke at the 10th anniversary celebration of the church’s North conference with the theme; ‘Ebenezer, thus far the Lord has helped us’,  said as the Lord brought Nigerians together,  there should be no segregation among her people or religions.

He said if Nigeria wants to grow and develop like other developed nations, Nigerians  should come together, because united they stand, divided they fall as a country.

The president further said if the bandits and terrorists killing people were addressed by religious names, it meant religious leaders are failing.

“If somebody will be called as a bandit or a kidnapper, and his name is Joseph, or Mohammed, it means the religious institutions are not doing their best. So I encourage all the imams and pastors to do their best and teach people the doctrines of the Lord in order to live in harmony,” he said.

Speaking on the vision of the church, he said its primary aim is preaching the gospel.

“When we look at the indices of what we have written here today, the conference began with about 6,000 members, and today we can count over 12,000 members.

“The mission here is going on, we celebrate the Lord, and we thank Him so much for His leadership. I want every one of us to go back or refocus still on the mission, because that is the reason why we exist as a church,” he said.

The guest speaker, Pastor Oyeleke Owolabi, while speaking on security of the nation, said government alone can never handle the security of Nigeria, saying it is a big mistake to think security is the responsibility of government alone.