Just two days after the formal sector of the workforce in Lagos State endorsed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term in office, the entire Bishops of the Methodist Church Nigeria have followed suit.
The Bishops, who commended the performance of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration on the score of good governance and service to humanity, said Lagosians should grant the Governor another term of fours years to complete the “enviable projects he has started and others in the pipeline”.
On Workers’ Day last Sunday, workers in the state under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress announced their backing for Sanwo-Olu in next year’s Governorship poll.
The Bishops, on their part, used the opportunity of the 39th Bishops’ Council of Methodist Church Nigeria held at the Methodist Church of the Trinity, Tinubu, Lagos to declare support for the Governor.
Speaking on behalf of the Bishops, the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Samuel Uche said Sanwo-Olu deserved a second term having distinguished himself amongst his peers as one of the best in governance.
“You (Governor Sanwo-Olu) are among the best in governance we currently have in Nigeria. For this reason, I urge that you be allowed to go for a second term in office so as to complete the enviable projects that you started and others that are in the pipeline. All the Bishops in Lagos will mobilise our members; our votes must go to Sanwo-Olu.
“Though I am not a card-carrying member of any political party, neither am I partisan, yet I value people for who they are and not their political affiliation. I believe people like you are the ones we should replicate all over the world. The Bishops’ Council will pray for you and other government functionaries so that we continue to have a very progressive and development-oriented Lagos State”, he said.
While speaking on the state of the nation, Prelate Uche urged the government at the federal level to address issues of hunger, inflation and insecurity, saying no nation could prosper in the midst of these three challenges.
He also implored Nigeria to practice true federalism and regional governments.
In his address, Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the Methodist Church Bishops for endorsing him for a second term and assured Lagos residents of the greatest good for the greatest number.
“I humbly acknowledge and thank you for your quiet endorsement of my second term. We cannot afford to fail. We cannot afford to give excuses. We cannot afford to give reasons, untenable reasons why we cannot take our country forward.
“I stand before you and I have said this over and over, with every fabric in my body, I will continue to serve the people of Lagos. We will serve them without fear or favour, ensuring that the greatest good is for the greatest number”.
The Governor also announced that his government would pay compensation for missionary schools that had been handed back to missionaries, saying they are partners in government, considering their contribution to the education sector in the state.
Sanwo-Olu also charged all Nigerians to continue to trust God for miraculous interventions in their lives, the state and the country, saying: “Our individual and collective challenges are by no means beyond us. Our faith in the Almighty God is able to move mountains. That unshakable faith must be extended into our daily lives.
“We must maintain faith that our country can and will triumph over all its challenges and cement itself onto the path of everlasting progress. For with God, nothing shall be impossible”.
The Governor said he believed that the 39th Bishops’ Council would come out with resolutions that would move the Church forward, and prepare people for the Second Coming of Christ in line with twitCouncil’s theme “Prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ”.
