Stand by what you Profess
- By solomon2day
- On 01/09/2020
- Comments (0)
- In Special Report
The rot in government has a lot to do with the factors of elected or appointed personalities, not doing their work accordingly in the area of responsibilities of the system running on the provisions of basic amenities to enable citizens to be meaningfully engaged to prevent restiveness for peace to reign.The poor attitude to work is equally a function of many factors that bother on incompetence, laziness, lack of focus, a lackadaisical attitude most especially towards government property and responsibilities. The factors of man in the area of management and administration, therefore, constitutes a societal menace as a clog in the wheel of progress and development.
This usually leads to the culture of moral decadence and institutional indiscipline. When such personalities are given admission or employment, the work ethic suffers because ab initio meri9t is los t in the whole process. The rot has extended into changing the supposed sacred heart of religious worship centers into profane houses of abuse and mere commercial centers. When governance lags behind in the provision of functional infrastructure, trade and entrepreneurship become stunted with very low energy to transform the system into a real industrial initiative. The consequence of this will reflect in the following characteristic factors of retardation and agitation. People will suffer from poverty and hunger and the majority will ever lack in the area of meeting up with Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs-physiological, safety and security, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs including meeting up with personal hopes and aspirations. The religious sphere through their leaders needs to be thoroughly overhauled to reform clerics in strategic sermon preaching/lecture delivery to suit the need of the nation using the scripture as right references to process the adherents spiritually, in order that they are able to meet up with the social changes of the civil service, Ministries, Departments and Agencies and governance activities, most especially on the issue of ethical practices. To be able to have a paradigm shift from self-centeredness to that of selfless service, and collective responsibility, by this, we would not be putting square pegs in round holes in our scheme of service.
The training must extend to the clerics' public appearances when in the media-by refraining from the anti-state act of hate speech to the value that would unite every citizen and reform the people to be patriotic towards national goals and values.
Teaching the scripture and living by it will not only help us restore institutional discipline but equa\lly raise our consciousness on the need to collectively uphold the culture of zero tolerance to corruption.
The Bible states in Tim.2: 16-17,'' All scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and showing people the things that are wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right using the Scripture(by intuition). The person who serves God will be ready and will have everything in it to do every good work.''
Quran 2: 185,'' The Holy Quran is a guide to mankind, it is also a clear sign for guidance and judgment between right and wrong.....''
Quran 61: 2-3,'' Oh ye who believe! Why say ye that which you do not? Grievously hateful is it in the sight of Allah that ye say that which ye do not.''
Our problem in Nigeria is that we do not live by what we profess, yet we claim to be educated-Western or Arabic. Is it not highly embarrassing that with the uncountable number of Churches and Mosques and other faith-based organizations, the multitude of schools and our experts in various fields of human endeavor and with all successive governments expected to bring about the much needed positive change for the restoration of institutional discipline and zero tolerance to corruption, we are up, till this moment, yet to have a breakthrough. Our been practical by living by what we profess will ever help Nigeria to develop a sustainable legacy of good citizenry and good governance to the next generation. Let us uphold the contents of Quran 59:18,'' Oh ye who believe! Fear Allah and let every soul look to what provision, He has sent forth for the morrow. Yea fear Allah: For Allah is well acquainted with all that you do.
Prof. Sabitu Olagoke
Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria
