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I never said churches should be dismantled -Peter Obi
By Gloria Ikibah
The Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has responded to what he described as a “mischievous distortion” of his recent statements on religion and productivity.
The clarification follows reactions to Obi’s recent interview, which some headlines falsely suggested called for the “dismantling of churches” in Nigeria.
According to a statement by the Spokesperson Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Ibrahim Umar, this misrepresentation “greatly overturned and grossly distorted” the true message Obi intended to convey.
Umar emphasized that Obi, known for his strong faith and respect for all religions, sought to address how Nigerians could make religion more effective in their daily lives. In the interview, Obi highlighted the biblical teaching that “faith without works is unhelpful,” referencing Apostle James’ words in the Bible (James 2:14 and James 2:24). His point, they said, was to encourage Nigerians to balance worship with productive work.
“When Obi said that he would turn night vigil into a production night, he was only stressing the importance of worshipping God through work,” the statement read.
Obi’s office explained that he meant night vigils should not replace productive effort, aligning with his message of turning Nigeria “from consumption to production.”
POMR cited more biblical references to support Obi’s view on the need for work, including Proverbs 14:23, which states, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” The statement added that in the Bible, Jesus chose his disciples from among working individuals, such as fishermen and tax collectors, rather than those who were idle.
Obi’s media team stated that his comment that “politics and church… have to be dismantled” was a call for change in worship practices that encourage a productive mindset while maintaining faith. His other statement, “We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive,” was intended to inspire Nigerians to see work as a form of worship.
Umar therefore urged the public to disregard the “mischievous” headlines and understand Obi’s message as one that seeks to build a productive society.
“OBI’S message should resonate properly away from the intention of mischief makers,” Umar stated, reinforcing Obi’s campaign promise to drive Nigeria towards a more production-focused future.
Defence Headquarters, Thursday, described as ‘laughable’, allegation by Chairman, Tantitta Security Services, Mr Government Ekpemuopolo, alias Tompolo, that the Nigerian Navy was sabotaging the fight against crude oil theft.
Noting that it cannot be seen to be joining issues with Tompolo, the DHQ, said the work of the Navy and its determined efforts to rid the Niger Delta of economic saboteurs and crude oil thieves which is reflecting on the nation’s crude production, was there for everybody to see.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba disclosed this while commenting on Tompolo’s allegation made on Monday.
He said: “What I will say is that such allegation is just laughable. We will not join issues with anybody. What we seek is cooperation not conflict. We don’t want all these back and forth. We don’t want all this blackmail. What we want is working to ensure increased production of crude oil.
“The efforts of our Navy is very obvious. It is there for everybody to see and we are seeing the increase in crude oil production. We are ready to work in collaboration with stakeholders to continue to increase oil production. That is what we want.”
Recall that Tompolo had on Monday accused Navy personnel of being a clog in Tantitta’s fight against oil theft in the Niger Delta, calling on Nigerians to join hands in the battle to save the country’s economy.
Also, Major General Buba disclosed that those (IPOB/ESN) members responsible for the killing of three soldiers at a checkpoint in Abia State would be tracked down and made to pay the price for their murderous act.
Urging innocent citizens of the area not to panic, he said: “Our troops were attacked on November 13, and we recorded three casualties in the South East. To those expressing fear that troops will come and start killing everybody, this is not true.
“We are a professional force with rules of engagement. We will not go about killing people, but there will be consequences for those responsible for the attack. Our target will be against the terrorists and we will get them and I will give you the good news.”
Nigerians to enjoy slightly lower prices for petrol following a crash in the landing cost of petroleum products.
From all indications based on the data from major marketers, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that landing cost crashed to ₦935.94 per litre from its last reported price of ₦977.
By implication, filling stations across the country are also expected to reduce the price per litre of petrol for sale to members of the public.
MEMAN in its report published on Tuesday, gave the ex-depot price for Lagos at ₦1,029 per litre for petrol, ₦1,120 per litre for diesel, ₦1,040 per litre for aviation fuel and ₦1,125 per litre for LPG.
The report put the price for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at between ₦230 per scm and ₦450.
Recent exchange rate stability is said to be responsible for the slight crash recorded in landing costs of petroleum products in Nigeria.
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