Anglican Bishop, Atere raises hope of better Nigeria

The Bishop of the Diocese of Awori (Anglican Communion), The Rt. Revd. (Dr) Johnson Akin Atere, has expressed confidence of a better Nigeria if every Nigerian could emulate Jesus Christ by always living in peace and harmony, even in the face of provocation as well as by always standing for the truth even at the point of death as reflected by the crucification and resurrection of Christ.
Atere made this remark last Sunday, during a sermon at a special service with the theme: “The risen Christ will come again” –Acts 1:10-11, 1 Cor. 15:51, which took place at the Cathedral of St. James, Ota, Ogun State to mark the Easter celebration.
The Bishop, who stressed that just like the risen Christ, the country will rise again as the ongoing insurgency across the nation will soon be a thing of the past, predicted a better Nigeria that will be an envy of other nations if only Nigerians could be tolerant of one another.
He stressed that to have peace, every Nigerian must be prepared to make sacrifices, pointing out that Jesus made peace through his blood on the cross ( COL. 1:20). “Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and all Christians must have the desires to witness to the value of life, love and peace, which Christ made through his blood on the cross to reconcile all things unto himself.”
The Cleric enjoined Nigerians to always stand for the truth, speak the truth, work for the truth and equally prepare to suffer for the truth, pointing out that the resurrection of Jesus Christ proved to the world that Christ was right in all he did as God vindicated him three days after his persecution, execution and death.
“Christ did not deserve to die but he was hated for speaking the truth and for the atonement of our sins, he presented himself as vicarious offerings, thereby bringing deliverance, salvation and eternal life to humanity”.
Atere, however, regretted that instead for the nation’s leaders to emulate Christ by showing love and care to everyone, they have allowed corruption to eat deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society while also turning themselves to promoters and sponsors of violence, kidnapping and killings instead of emulating Christ by living in peace.
The bishop appealed to both the leaders and the followers to allow God into their hearts and turn to Him today in faith for the country to overcome its ongoing challenges as God was prepared to intervene (REV. 3:20).
He advised the government, in the spirit of the death and resurrection of Christ, to find a way of securing the release of the abducted school girls in Borno State as well as making life more meaningful to Nigerians by improving their welfare through gainful employment and provision of social amenities.
Speaking further on the Easter celebration, Bishop Atere said we all need to thank God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, saying that the miraculous and mysterious resurrection of Jesus proved to us that the dead shall live.
Atere added that we should expect a new beginning in our lives as a nation, church and as individuals, stressing that if one was down, disappointed and traumatized because of the happenings in Nigeria and the world, he should be hopeful as God is ever ready to do a new thing in our lives.
The cleric, however, pointed out that the plan of God for Nigeria is in Jeremiah 29:11 which says thus: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope’. ‘God’s plans for Nigeria are plans for good and not for evil, they are plans for a future and a hope and our leaders should desist from working against God’s plans for the nation,’” concluded Bishop Atere.