While religious leaders may not hold strict political powers, they nevertheless wield influence over millions of adherents that make up the electorate. With general elections over, they tell CHRIS IREKAMBA, ISAAC TAIWO and GBENGA AKINFENWA their expectations from the incoming administration and what needs to be done to move the nation forward. A New Nigeria Where Churches Will No Longer Be Burnt At The Flimsiest Excuses (Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion)I WISH to use this medium therefore to congratulate all elects. I wish to plead with all winners to show restraint and humility in victory. I wish to appeal to all who lost elections to take it in the spirit of sportsmanship and hope for another opportunity to try next time. We call upon all winners and losers as well as the generality of Nigerians to pray for a new dawn in our nation.I wish to say clearly that the recent killings, looting, burning, harassment of Nigerians in the north have no bearing with the largely peaceful, transparent and credible elections just conducted. It seems that the crisis had been planned to take place, irrespective of the credibility and integrity of the elections and their results. Hence I call on government not to gloss over the crisis, but to establish the root cause, the instigators, perpetrators and active participants and their motives and intensions, with a view to bringing down justice upon them.In the new dispensation, we look forward to a Nigeria: where it will not be possible for fellow countrymen to inflict on their neighbours, out of mere suspicion, unfounded allegations, such a devastating magnitude of destruction of lives, property and confidence in the Nigerian nation; where economic growth and prosperity, employment and prudent management of resources will become second nature of all Nigerians; where peace will no longer mean just the absence of conflict, but full ACCEPTANCE, though tribe and religion may differ.Where Churches will no longer be burnt at the flimsiest excuses; where peoples economic investment, with heavy bank loans hanging on their heads, will no longer be looted with impunity and without consequences; where Government (the law) will be above all citizens, without some special breed dedicated to causing us pain and grief, unless they are indulged with what they want at all cost; where infrastructure will function effectively.Where orderliness will overcome social chaos and insanity; where our youth will be proud to wear a T-shirt with a bold inscription NIGERIA and not USA. Roads Contract Should Be Given To Dependable Companies (Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop, Metropolitan See of Lagos)THEY must be patriotic because a good number of them are not patriotic at all. And that is why we have all these embezzlement and siphoning of funds.For Mr. President, I think the first thing he has to handle is the issue of security in the country. A nation where you have armed robbery and kidnapping being the order of the day, coupled with people who can maim and kill their fellow human beings at will is not a nation at all.Secondly, this problem of energy has to be tackled once and for all without further delay. For example, now as I am talking here, I am using an inverter, and once it runs out, that is the end. And of course, we know that any nation that lacks energy is far from economic boom and investors would not come to that nation.Though we are experiencing a remarkable change, it hasThird is education. We have to take it in that order. There are lots of people who are not educated in the country, and that has given birth to unemployment. There are good numbers of people who are unemployed. We must start to solve the problem of employment in this nation.Any minister, commissioner, member of Houses of Assembly or senator who refuses to work or live up to standard or expectation would meet the people at the next election when they would certainly vote them out.The crop of new leaders should also begin to explore avenues to create jobs for the people. They should go back to agriculture, especially those in the rural areas.Then another issue is that a lot of food is being wasted because of lack of transportation to bring them to where they are needed, occasioned by bad roads.So, federal and local roads should be rehabilitated. For example, the Benin-Ore road is terrible, and others, not mentioned. When contracts for these roads are to be awarded, this should be given to dependable companies like Julius Berger because most of Nigerian contractors would end up using half of the money to heap unto themselves assorted cars and enjoy themselves, and at the end of the day they spend the remaining doing a haphazard job. They must stop being selfish. Those of them who went in through their parties should remember to pay their dues to their respective parties to keep them going.Finally, most governors are complaining that they cannot pay the minimum wage of N18,000.00 on the premise that if the federal government really wants them to pay, then the jumbo pay being selfishly and inconsiderably enjoyed by members of the Assembly and Senate without having the rest of Nigerians who voted them to power in mind, should be reversed with immediate effect.It is inhuman and absolutely out of reason for some people to be feeding fat on the revenue of the nation meant for every Nigerian and would not even think of those who cannot afford a meal, a day. As long as they are comfortable with their immediate families, they care less what happens to any other person.Then on the issue of allocation, the federal government has to re-address this to ensure every state gets equal allocation. Not where some are getting billions of naira and others are being given millions or thousands which account for the reason why some States cannot meet up with the payment of the N18,000.00 minimum wage.Though it is understood that consideration is being given to oil producing states that can easily afford the payment, I am of the opinion the special treatment should be obliterated, since we are in the same country.Slash Jumbo Pay Of Federal Legislators (His Eminence, Sunday Ola Makinde, Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria)I SEIZE this opportunity to congratulate the President and governors-elect on their victory.The electorate, based on electioneering and political education received, has voted for individuals and not parties that could not be said to have manifestos or clear-cut plans for the people of Nigeria. Apparently, successful candidates won on self-merit.Demands are high on the new leaders who are expected to render services to those who voted for them. It is not a hidden fact that Nigerians are suffering in the midst of plenty. They should therefore not get there and begin to fend for themselves and their families alone, forgetting that they and their families alone did not get them into these respective offices.They would also be expected to tackle the problem of power Nigerians suffer. These new leaders should also, as a matter of urgency, look into the problem of employment. One of the reasons we have mayhem recurring in the North could be traced to unemployment. As long as we continue to shy away from this reality, we should know that a bloody revolution is inevitable. These new leaders should think of how many graduates the nations universities have turned out who have nothing doing.Another vital area is the issue of security. Lip service to this problem is nothing but indication of absence of value for life on the part of government. Imagine the pain suffered by parents of members of the National Youth Service Corps that lost their lives in the North while serving the fatherland, as the government would want us to believe. Negligence on the part of government, bordering on inability to have been pro-active enough to have adequate security on ground, no doubt led to this.It is very important that jumbo pay being enjoyed by Members of the Senate and Assembly at the expense of Nigerians should be cut. The N18,000.00 minimum wage is ridiculous and not ideal for Nigerian workers.I also criticize increment in the national budget, which I see as a crime against this country.I would want governors-elect to go to Lagos and Akwa-Ibom States to see wonders and emulate them. Akwa-Ibom State has its own independent power supply. I would also want to tell members of the House of Assembly to expedite action on FOI Bill.Finally, I would want to advise that the sharing formula for allocations should be reviewed. Power is too much concentrated at the centre and much is going there at the expense of state and local governments that are closer to the people, and from where dividends of democracy can be reaped. More money should therefore flow to these areas, so that enough fund will be available to embark on power generation.End To Irregular Power Supply (Dr. Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA))I THANK God for the peaceful conduct of the elections and its successful outcome. As we rejoice with President Jonathan for his emphatic endorsement by all Nigerians, we call on him to rule with the fear of God and see himself as president of all Nigerians.He would need to seriously address the poverty question by creating jobs and embarking on economic empowerment of ordinary Nigerians. In this regard, special attention should be given to Agriculture, both at the subsistence level and production for export. A determined policy should be pursued for large scale farming through mechanisation. Qualitative education should also be provided at all levels for young Nigerians.The call for regular supply of electricity in the country may have been over-flogged in recent times but governments response has not been as encouraging as it should. Mr President should stick out his neck for a dramatic change, aimed at putting an end to darkness in the land.Dormant industries should be revived and a conducive environment created to attract foreign direct investment. Infrastructure should be up-graded nation-wide with the roads made smooth and free of potholes.Corruption should be tackled, not by mere lip service. There should be visible evidence of exposure and prosecution of corrupt past and present officials with transparent seizure of their ill-gotten assets and imprisonment of guilty ones.Security of life and property is key. The President should accord special attention to this area.Fulfilment Of Electioneering Promises (His Grace, Most Rev. Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, Primate of the African Church Nigeria and Overseas)I THANK God for the smooth, free and fair elections. It was not by the power, wisdom or knowledge of men. It was done through the grace and plan of God. Blessed be the name of the Lord because He answered the prayers of believers.To all the newly elected leaders, I want you to know that expectations of people are so high and should not be cut off. The citizenry displayed their trust to vote for you, believing that you can discharge your duties well.Great leaders do not spend vast amount of time doing nothing, merely enjoying life or wasting resources; instead, they deepen their abilities and do their best. Our leaders should wisely follow this principle by focusing on what they can do best for this country.They should maintain a humble heart that demonstrates the grace of God, submit to Gods values and allow God to control the destiny of our land. They should stay faithful to God and to the promises they made to the electorate, during their campaigns. They should be honest and forthright with the people, propagate peace, create peaceful atmosphere for the people and live peaceful with one another, especially in the political arena. They should say no to corruption, insincerity, terrorism and killing of innocent souls.The spirit of teamwork should be displayed by our leaders. There should be no discrimination or segregation, but a display of one nation in true federalism. They should remain committed to the work, which the Lord has given. Without strong commitment, leaders cannot achieve their goals for the nation. On this note, I advise them to see that the welfare of the citizenry is their priority. They should give electricity and education prominence. More roads should be constructed, especially access roads to reduce traffic congestion in some of our cities.The three levels of government should implement the new minimum wage. At the state and government council levels, more youth employment programmes should be organised in order to keep the youths busy and minimise restiveness.The welfare of widows should be encouraged, especially those whose husbands have served this country selflessly.In addition, security of lives and property should be deeply looked into, and also foreign investors should be encouraged to come into the country.I want to sympathise with families of NYSC members that lost their lives during the post-election violence, in the northern parts of Nigeria. The federal government should compensate their family members adequately.I pray that God will endow the president-elect, governors-elect, National Assembly members and so on, with the wisdom to lead this nation with the fear of God.Grassroots Development (Pastor Godwin Amodu, General Overseer of Gods Mercies Christian Church, (G.M.C.C, The Burden Bearer, Surulere, Lagos)AS SOON as the new dispensation of leaders, get settled, I would like them to focus on development and power. When I say development, what that means is that they should not forget Agriculture. I believe if they focus on these areas, they will be able to achieve success within a very short time.Already, I understand they want to focus on technology, in their agenda; they want to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel complex. If they are doing that without agriculture to back it up, there will be problem of food in future. So, I would like the government to focus on power, agriculture and infrastructural development.The president-elect must not fail Nigerians. He must be focused when it comes to developing the youths. There is a lot of unemployment in the country. At the federal and state levels, they must create job opportunities for our youths. State governors should look inward and see how they can generate jobs. If there is no employment, you find people, especially youths doing all kinds of things Internet fraud, armed robbery etc. They should be able to support those who have one skill or the other to earn a living.For the new National Assembly members, I would like the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark to continue. Honestly, when you look at the leadership of Senator Mark, I wish he continued, as a person. He has the leadership qualities Nigerians need. They should not just focus on amendments, but do something meaningful that will affect lives of the populace. They should make laws that will help the grassroots. The grassroots must be touched or else their being there is of no value at all to the people.When they make laws, they should have monitoring teams, saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that these laws are implemented.Reduction Of Poverty(Pastor Faith Charis, Senior Pastor, Special Treasure Covenant Church, Lagos)I WOULD be very glad to see poverty wiped off. People are undergoing so much stress and I know its due to poverty. Many families have fallen apart because they dont have anything to do. People are being retrenched, jobs are not being created; the whole nation is in chaos.Only those who have opportunity are standing to say this nation must change. Where do we start from I pray they will go to the grassroots and begin to feel what the poor people feel. Students who are leaving the universities dont have jobs to do. Imagine a situation where poor parents send children to school and the children return to be fed by the same parents. When will they rub off this face of poverty The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. They should brainstorm. They should create jobs, and maybe give people the opportunity to work on farms.They should not go there to steal money. Public schools are not being developed. The rich are sending their children abroad. The enormity of poverty in this land scares me. If a family cannot boast of one meal per day then, its dangerous. Whatever they need to do to make sure poverty is reduced to the barest, they should do. They should go to the grassroots, and start development from there. The roads are bad; I dont know how many times I work on my car in one year. In many areas in Lagos, there is no provision of good water. When you go to the hinterland what do you seepoverty, sickness.Things are not getting better. In my days, we lived better than this. Go to the hospitals, they are empty. While I was growing up, I had access to good healthcare, I had access to good food and I was living well. Some of these things are no longer there again. At that time, those who were in government catered for the poor and the middle class people, and only very few were rich. But now, the story is different. Those in power dont think about those they rule.I pray that President Jonathan will be able to work, now that hes been elected. When he came in, he was pushed; he was manipulated. It was one man that invited him not the nation. Now, that the nation has been able to put him there, through an election that was free and fair, let him go to the drawing board and touch lives.If he really meant what he has been saying in his campaign that he never went to school in shoes, he had nothing, but he was able to make it today, let him carry the responsibilities of the poor masses.Tackle Power Failure And Everything Will Be Successful (Bishop Francis Wale Oke, General Overseer, The Sword of The Spirit Ministries Worldwide)I CONGRATULATE all the newly elected leaders. May the Lord give them success in all their endeavours.I want to pledge that we will continue to pray for them and we will not stop. I want to advise that they do everything they want to do in the fear of God. When the fear of God guides them everything will be all right.They should serve the electorate; not make the electorate serve them. Serve faithfully and they will re-elect you again. There are one or two governors that the people clamoured for and wanted them to come back again. The others they voted out. Dont forget you are still coming to face same people in the future. If you serve them well now, then, they will support you in the future. So, serve them.In the area of infrastructure and social amenities, I know, we still have a long way to go, as it is said, Rome wasnt built in a day. That is why I said: let them serve the people well. Part of serving the people is providing good roads, education, healthcare and transportation, particularly the railway.They should get these things done. But topmost on the agenda should be supply of power; power failure has become the bane of this nation. It has become the reproach of the nation. And this administration should tackle it, once and for all.The administration that tackles power failure successfully will never be forgotten in the history of this nation. Therefore, tackle power and everything will be successful.
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