The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Enenche has warned Nigeria never to repeat the mistake of voting in a bad government ahead of the February 25 presidential election.
According to him, two of the major presidential candidates in the forthcoming election were part of the problems currently facing the nation.
Addressing his congregation on Sunday, the cleric said the 2023 presidential election presents Nigeria the opportunity to vote into power a man of integrity, honesty and humility.
He said, ‘In life, result is a basis of reward. Result is a ground for respect. People are respected based on the result they generate.
‘Sowing determines reaping. The question; is what has been the result and the input of those seeking the leadership of our nation?
‘There are many presidential aspirants for the forthcoming elections.
‘There are three major ones in the forefront. Two of the three are of the two big political parties, whose highest and most important achievement so far was the formation of the coalition that brought this administration into power. They formed it.’
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‘One out of the two actually prides himself as the one who was solely responsible for the arrival of this administration into office.
‘Now, what is the result or the impact of their collective input in our nation? One. Inflation: Inflation rate was between 7.79% and 8.5% then. Now, it is 21.83%, the highest in 26 years.
‘Unemployment: The unemployment rate was 8.1% in 2015, it has risen to 33.3%, the highest in 13 years and the second highest unemployment rate in the whole world.
‘Poverty rate: That is 83 million people today live below the poverty line. Between 2013 and 2012, it was 33%.
‘Value of naira: It was N197 naira to a dollar before 2015. It is now more than N750 naira to $1 today: Debt profile. According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s debt profile as at June 2015, was 12 trillion naira but at 31st March 2022, it became 41.6 trillion.
‘Borrowing: A newspaper reported that the current administration borrowed three times the combined amount that has been borrowed in the past three administrations since 1999. What three administrations since 1999 have borrowed multiplied by three in one administration.
‘Insecurity: Insecurity moved from being a regional challenge. It was more of northeast, to a national disaster from major herdsmen and terrorists challenges, now to banditry, to kidnapping, to ritual killing on a national scale.
‘Corruption: On the Global Corruption Index from 136 least corrupt countries in 2016, Nigeria moved to 149 in 2020, that is, Nigeria shifted into corruption by 13 positions. Some snakes and monkeys in some offices that were part of those who ate the money.
‘The price of 50kg of rice was between N7000 to N10000 in 2014. Today is N48,000 to N59,000 depending on the type. The price of bread was around N250 to N300 was between 1000 to 1200.
‘Price of petrol was 87 in 2014. Now it is 195 naira and in some places above 200 and even 400 naira.
‘Price of a litre diesel was around 111 in 2014 now it is 817.86. Now, many people want to blame everything on the nation’s president. Not necessarily. You don’t blame the failure of a team just on the captain of the team.
‘The burden of the failure and the reproach thereof is collectively shared by every member of the team. In our nation today, every member of the coalition that brought us into this season, as well as every member of the cabinet, they are collectively responsible for the disaster of our nation today.
‘The question; is do we give authority to those who gave us calamity?
‘Do we reward with authority, those who release to us calamity. Do we give leadership to those who give us hardship? They released to us hardship and we want to release leadership to them. No!
‘We must change our approach,if we must end our reproach. We must depart from the old order if we must embrace new wonders. We must reject antiquated, anachronistic ways if we must experience exciting and progressive things.
‘Aside from all the challenges we explained before now, the presidential aspirants of the two big political parties are part of the problem of the country. The problem the country is in this time by the collective action of bringing us into this leadership that we are in now. They are a part of the problem. They can be part of the solution this time.
‘We are left with the only viable, credible, reasonable, reliable option left. Vote value, what credibility, what viability. Vote, Authenticity. Vote, honesty. Vote, integrity. Vote. Humility for simplicity.’
Africa Today News, New York reports that Eneche is believed to be one of the silent supporters of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.