Bishop to clerics: Preach to save people from depression, loss of hope

The Archbishop of Ibadan Province, Dr Williams Aladekugbe over the weekend tasked clerics  and ministers of God to save people from depression, loss of hope and suicide.

Most Rev Aledekugbe gave the task while delivering the 1st Distinguished Alumni Lecture of the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

The Archbishop of Ibadan Province in the lecture entitled “The faith once delivered to the saints in the context of contemporary socio-economic challenges”, charged that lectures, sermons and teachings should be intensified to keep the faith of the Christians alive so that they can triumph over the current economic hardship which he said would be for a short period.

“The clergy and the ministers of God have more to do at a time like this to save people from depression, loss of hope and probably from suicide. Lectures, sermons and teachings should be intensified to keep the faith of the Christians alive so that they can triumph over this period which is believed would be for a short period,” he said 

Most Rev Aledekugbe added, “It has been observed that the present situation has become unbearable for the citizen of Nigeria. People in different locations of the country are lamenting and discussing the future of Nigeria political structure as a result of present economic woes on social media, in the streets, in club houses voices are being heard that the faith of a common man has been affected. Some people are saying “God, where are you?”

According to the Bishop, the current debate in the society is the issue of the economic situation and how it may affect the people’s response to future elections and political matters because people have been disappointed by the political class many times.

“In the Nigeria society of today, the people religious lives are characterised with fear of the enemies, fear of tomorrow, fear of the unknown, fear of poverty and fear of what has not happened but been imagined, all these seem unsolvable to the people because of the absence of faith,” he said.