Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a former vice president, has urged Nigerian churches to emphasize the value of peace, productivity, and community development rather than riches and wealth accumulation.

At the weekend's 68th Anniversary and 58th Annual Convention of The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Osinbajo expressed this viewpoint during a lecture. Speaking on the topic of the lecture entitled "The Christian Faith in the Political Struggles: A Case Study of Nigeria," the former vice president contended that a sizable section of the populace, especially the youth, has become alienated from religious leaders. They are looking for more profound and influential messages from the pulpit because they are obsessed with wealth and opulent lifestyles. He pointed out that churches have been engrossed in the chase of worldly gain and personal prosperity for far too long, ignoring the gospel's genuine mission of fostering harmony, peace, and the general well-being of society.

He said that church leaders need to go back to their roots and teach hard work, compassion, and community service if they love this country and want it to rise again. "For far too long, our churches have neglected the true calling of the gospel to promote peace, unity, and the holistic development of our society in favor of the pursuit of personal prosperity and material wealth," the speaker stated.

The church needs to go back to its roots and preach communal service, hard effort, and compassion if we are to see Nigeria rise again and realize its enormous potential. "Only by changing our perspective can we encourage our people to act as catalysts for positive transformation instead of just being recipients of the prosperity gospel." Osinbajo issued a warning, saying that when preachers prioritize incentives and perks, especially for Christians in positions of power and government, it taints people's minds and prevents them from acting morally.

He claimed that although many wealthy countries lack natural resources, poverty lurks in many others with abundant national endowments because people there do not follow the standards of productivity and hard labor. Osinbajo continued, saying that many of the European and American nations that the United States aspired to emulate prospered because of the real gospel of Jesus Christ, which was proclaimed from the pulpit, along with other virtues like diligence, production, integrity, and poverty protection, among others. According to him, a lot of preachers prefer to dismiss concerns about their followers' financial situation and instead credit miracles for nearly all unexplained money and riches.

"Propagating the correct version of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the major responsibility of Christians and the church, and it is that correct version of the gospel that has transformed other nations of the world," continued Osinbajo. "The gospel of Jesus Christ and the virtues of hard work, productivity, integrity, and protection of the poor preached from the pulpit transfer this nation," the statement reads. "The nations that we copy, the nations we want to emulate, the nations whose developments we have seen, the nations in Europe, the nations in America."

He emphasized that for Christians and the Church to have a significant impact on their countries, we must be careful about the lessons we teach. These lessons should uphold the values of honesty, diligence, and production while also showing compassion for the less fortunate and needy in our community.