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| Pastor T.D. Asokeji |
By Boluwatife Oparinde
The Special Assistant to the President, Christ Apostolic Church, Nigeria and Overseas, Pastor T.D. Asokeji, has identified the various purported lies about politics relayed and believed by many, countering them with truths about politics.
Challenging the youths on active association, unionism and political participation, Pastor Asokeji described the biblicality of politics with examplary Biblical characters.
Speaking on politics at the ongoing 2022 Ikeji II Youth Conference holding at Babalola Memorial International Miracle Camp Ground, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, on Thursday, 1st September, 2022, the Special Assistant defined politics as the ability to handle resources, adding that politics is everywhere.
Reading 1 Samuel 17:1ff, the clergyman highlighted the qualities of allocation of resources, citing David, Joseph, Moses and Daniel as men who were not pastors of synagogues and churches, but administrative officers.
Explaining that David was a keeper of his father's sheep, Joseph, an administrator in the house of pharaoh, and Daniel, a President in Babylon, the cleric rhetorized that "how long will we keep on praying?" when "many of us do not have our Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs).
According to Pastor Asokeji, the many lies people have come to believe about politics include, that politics is a dirty game; that when a Christian gets into politics, he will backslide; that every politician is corrupt; that every politician is diabolic; that if you want to survive in politics, you must be diabolic; and that a righteous man, when he joins politics will be diabolic.
The cleric countered the purportions about politics with truths about politics, stating that, truth is that politics is everywhere; politics is amoral; Christians can participate in politics; there is always a David that can face Goliath; and that being a youth is not a disadvantage.
Pastor Asokeji urged the youths to belong to as many associations they can belong to, ranging from students' unionism, departmental associations and professional unions.
"We must be a factor to determine who are leaders would be," said Pastor Asokeji.