Moved by hardship in the country and cry for hunger across the land, Eze Ndigbo Ghana, HRM Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu, has appealed to religious leaders in Nigeria to invest in human and capital development of members by teaching them how to earn a living through farming and establishment of industries.
Drawing inspiration from a popular social media quote: “We build worship centres and wait for foreign investors to build industries for us.”The Royal Father urges religious leaders to invest millions of Naira contributed by their members through tithes to establish factories where members can work and earn a living.
In a statement made available from the revered Obiukwu Obieziokwu palace in Ghana, the Umuduruoha Amigbo Nwagele Imo state-born Royal Father
said religious leaders in mosques and churches should begin to build industries, and factories so that they can be able to employ their followers.
“In today’s world, more especially in Africa, Nigeria in particular, it’s either you are a Christian or Muslim. We have large mosques and churches with large followers. Some of these people work in government offices, some in business, and the majority are jobless. The same people come to churches, pay tithes and offerings go for altar calls, and make donations to mosques. Some will even go borrowing to pay. Some come to me, begging for money to fulfill their vows to religious organizations. I keep asking them, why would you make promises to church when you don’t work? That means they are not worshipping God with true faith.
“So if churches and mosques can start building industries, then they can employ their members. If they raise money from members to build 10 to 40,000-capacity places of worship, they should also be able to set up large farm plantations to provide food for their members. They should also be able to build factories that should give employment to 10 of thousands of their members. This measure if taken will not only create jobs, it will also reduce poverty in the land.
“So, I am calling on religious leaders to start investing in human and capital development. At the same time, I’m urging them to go into farming by leasing acres of land for agriculture and teaching their members how to farm, and also paying them salaries, this would encourage them to give their best.
“It is sad that people will close from church and start begging for transport fare. As they preach prosperity, let them also preach farming. this measure would help to roll back hunger from the land”, he said.
