The presiding bishop of Conquerors Global Assembly, David Abioye, has called on political leaders to take responsibility for citizens’ welfare.

Speaking during the church’s first anniversary held in Abuja on Friday, with the theme centred on grace, Mr Abioye said true leadership was sacrifice and selflessness.

He said that while many Nigerians struggled with hunger, unemployment and inability to access education, some leaders continued to live in comfort and luxury.

“Leadership is responsibility. Leaders should not sleep when citizens cannot sleep. Leadership should identify with the suffering of the people,” he said.

The cleric called on Christians to participate actively in governance and nation-building, urging believers to support credible leaders with proven performance and integrity.

“The church must rise to accept responsibility for the people around us. Christians should get fully involved in governance at all levels and promote righteousness, integrity and accountability,” he said.

While encouraging Nigerians, and Christians in particular, not to lose hope, the cleric said that Christians were spiritually positioned for divine supply despite prevailing challenges.

“The economy of Nigeria is not the same as the economy of the kingdom of God. Geography is not the same as location.

“We are located in heavenly places, and God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory,” he said.

Mr Abioye encouraged Nigerians to remain thankful for life, work diligently and trust God for supernatural provision.

“For children of God, we should thank God for being alive. We shall work because the hand that works will not beg. We should trust in God, who makes supplies beyond all human effort,” he added.

On the theme of the event, the cleric said the grace of God was sufficient to sustain believers even at difficult moments.

The cleric said that genuine Christians understand that everything they have and have achieved is by divine grace, not by human effort.

According to him, salvation is a product of grace, emphasising that believers enjoy God’s blessings only because of His mercy and grace.

“We would not have qualified to receive anything from God by ourselves. Grace is our credit card. Mercy took us out of destruction, while grace brought us into what we were not qualified for,” he stated.

The bishop, who took his sermon from Bible verses including the book of second Peter, chapter one, verse two, explained that grace made all things available to believers, while mercy erased the consequences that should have existed in their lives.

On the first anniversary celebration of the church, the cleric said, “What will I not be grateful to him for?

“We are grateful to God for everything because He is our all-sufficiency. No man can do anything outside him.”

Also speaking, the bishop’s wife, Mary Abioye, attributed the church’s success entirely to God’s grace, saying the journey had been far beyond human expectations.

According to her, the anniversary celebration was overwhelming evidence of God’s faithfulness and goodness to the ministry.

She said, “Honestly, I will just say it is grace. Grace is our success, nothing more than grace.

“What we have seen today, honestly, we are overwhelmed beyond measure with what the Lord has done.

“He has done marvellously well for us. We never expected to get to this point, but God has taken us beyond what we were even thinking.” 

Commenting on women’s participation in politics, Mrs Abioye observed that Nigerian women were still struggling to gain a stronger footing in the political space.

She said women needed more preparation, learning and collaboration rather than unhealthy competition.

“When it comes to politics in Nigeria, we are not there yet; we are still trying to get there.

“Women are struggling in politics because the right things have not been fully done. You have to lead yourself before you can lead others.

“For women in politics, I think we need to sit down and understand those already in the system, not for competition but for complementing one another,” she said.

On his part, Ray Oguego, chairman of the organising committee for the anniversary, said the church had continued to demonstrate what dedication, grace, and proper execution could achieve.

He urged that the same standard be applied to national development projects across the country.

According to him, many government projects in Nigeria are either abandoned or poorly executed, unlike church projects, which are often completed with excellence and attract global attention.

Several ministers of the gospel from within and outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, delivered goodwill messages at the event.

(NAN)