Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has warned religious leaders against their involvement in politics, saying they should refrain from meddling in issues of governance of the state.
Speaking during a worship service in Uyo, the state capital, he reminded the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) not to meddle in government affairs as he does not do so in church affairs.
“When it comes to ecclesiastical functions I don’t interfere because it is delicate and important,” he said.
Acknowledging the role of the Christian leaders in repositioning the society, he underscored the importance of faithfulness as a necessary virtue required of subordinates for leadership to succeed.
He advised them on the need to uphold their role as partners in progress with government to realise its obligation of positively shaping the society.
The governor also congratulated the new CAN Chairman, Christian Nyong, on his election.
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“Don’t meddle in government affairs,” he said, noting that Nyong’s emergence came through a free and fair election without interference from government.
“This is a Christian community; this is a Christian state, so CAN is also a partner with government to shape society in what God wants us to do; we actually practise it.
“When you have the teaching on faithfulness, don’t forget that the subordinates need to be more faithful for leadership to function,” he said.
Emmanuel promised the new leadership of CAN his support and emphasised on the importance of the Christian community in the state.
In his homily, tagged ‘Faithfulness,’ the Cleric Iniobong Udoh, who took his text from Lk:16: 10-15, urged Christians to be faithful in whatsoever is committed to them, adding that faithfulness is synonymous with hard work, devotion, honesty, trustworthiness and dependability.
In recent past, a group of religious leaders known as fathers of father had been actively involved in the affairs of Akwa Ibom State to the extent of allegedly being part of the selection of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate.
