…says Nigerians now turn to God to do for them what government should have ordinarily done for them.
The iNews Times reports that the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has expressed worry over growing poor participation of Nigerians in electoral processes.
Executive Director, Bukola Idowu who stated this in Awka, Anambra state at Naija Elections Awka DemTalks Youth Outreach Program, described governance as critical in view of its role in shaping policies and programmes.
He said an average Nigerian had turned religious as a result of absence of basic infrastructure occasioned by poor governance and citizens’ inability to participate in political processes.
According to him, Nigerians would pray less and serve God better if they chose to fully involved in politics, including voting for responsible leaders capable of providing those necessities of life dragging them to religious houses.
He said, “What makes religion thrive faster in Nigeria is not because of what religion intends to solve, but failure of government. Citizens now turn to God to do for them what government should have ordinarily done for them.
“The number of hours we spend in churches and mosques praying for roads, light, security and better economy would be irrelevant if they were provided by government.
“God will not play the role of government, but will do his role which is purely spiritual. We’ll have more time and peace of mind to serve God better If we have responsible government.
“That’s the difference between us and the western world where virtually everything is working. Governance must work, and if it works, we pray less for those things we should not be praying for.”
Declaring the event open, State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Edozie Ajaegbu regretted huge gap between registered voters and total number of valid voters in the last general elections.
He attributed the ugly development to voter’s apathy, which according to him needed to be addressed through electoral and democratic information.
Ajaegbu assured NOA’s willingness to collaborate with KDI to deepen the knowledge, attitude and practice of the AI powered tool for electoral and democratic information.
“As part of the mandates of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), civic/political education is a statutory responsibility of NOA in the areas of Mass Mobilization, Sensitization, and public enlightenment.
“This, therefore, informs the need for a synergy between NOA and KIMPACT Development Initiatives,” he added.
