Leaders of this country have been charged to lead by good examples, intensify focus and focus attention on human development of a better Nigeria.
This call was contained in the communiqué of the first session of the ninth Synod of Ibadan South Diocese held at the Cathedral Church of St David, Kudeti Ibadan, presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese of Ibadan South, Rt. Reverend Akintunde Popoola, that ended on Sunday.
Stressing its call for focus on human development, the synod tasked government to engage the millions of able-bodied youths roaming the street in search of gainful employment to produce crops for both local consumption and export.
It noted this would shore up the nation’s production capacity, especially for export, thereby increase the value of the naira.
It stressed that the less we depend on foreign goods and services, the less the demand for foreign exchange the higher the value of the naira.
The synod called for a change in values from all Nigerians starting from the church and those in positions of authority.
The church emphasized the need for leaders to lead by good examples and intensify efforts to address the myriad of problems facing the nation.
With strike scheduled to commence on Monday, the synod called for caution to avoid an unsustainable increase in minimum wage that may lead to spiral inflation.
Though suspended, the church described the suspended Cybersecurity levy as a ploy to further extort the people. If introduced, the church posited that the cybersecurity levy should not apply to any transaction below N100,000.
The synod further asked any planned increase of Value Added Tax from 7.5 percent should be shelved for now as Nigerians presently face hard times.
While appreciating the President Bola Tinubu administration for the newly introduced education loan scheme, the synod cautioned government against pushing the burden of funding education solely to the parents or youths you are not sure of employment to pay back their loans.
Worried by the poor performance of students in the 2024 University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the synod urged government to see to a return of mission schools to those willing to take back.
This, it noted, will afford government to focus on managing the remaining ones and improving the standard of schools.
The church, however, described as worrisome the trend of students and teachers alike relying on ‘miracle centres to pass examination.
The synod expressed worry that fuel queues continued to be experienced despite the promised takeoff of the Danngote oil refinery.
On security, the synod tasked security agents to do more to tackle incidences of kidnapping, insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality.
The Bishop of Lagos Mainland Diocese, Rt. Reverend Akinpelu Johnson, in his sermon, said Nigerians must continue to rely on the word of God for a restoration of the nation to the path of prosperity.
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