By Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi
Dear fellow citizens, I would like to add my voice to those of others on the matter of the geographical area our next president should come from. In doing this,
I would like to add my voice to those who are convinced that our next president should come from the southeast political zone of our country. My reason for this is more than political and human philosophy. It is because of divine will.
The God who created heaven and earth has a number of attributes. The most important of the attributes are divinity, holiness, righteousness, justice, love, mercy, peace and prosperity. The most relevant of these attributes to our topic of where our next president should come from is justice. God is God of justice. He wills, or desires that everyone of the people He created should have his or her share of what He has given to all His people. Therefore, God certainly wills that every part of our country Nigeria should have the joy of seeing one of them serving as President of our country. The one and only geopolitical area of our country that has not enjoyed this gift of God is the southeast geographical zone.
The Yorubas say it’s the food shared by all in a party that’s sweet: “ ajoje ni undun”. They also say you eat and I eat makes the food palatable: “ je ki unje n’dun”. Another Yoruba saying is that a well fed dog cannot play as a friend with a hungry one: “Aja ti o yo kii ba eyi ti ko yo sere”. So, we see that the Yorubas carry the will of God their Creator in their culture and tradition. I am sure that the other tribes or nations of Nigeria also do.
I appeal to you my fellow Nigerians, whatever is your profession or occupation: teachers, farmers, civil servants, politicians or others to please reflect the attributes of God. Politicians in particular must copy God’s attribute of justise. God is the God of justice. He is just in all His relationship with human beings, and God expects you as a politician to practice justice in all your relationships with other people. Justice is the prerogative of peace. It means without justice there can be no peace, and without peace there can be no prosperity. So let us practise justice in every facet of our political lives. The same is true in all other areas of our national life.
Bishop Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonig sent this statement from Akure.