Former President Goodluck Jonathan said in Benin on Sunday that he never believed in the use of temporary political office to punish people.

“My belief, particularly when I joined politics is not to use a temporary privilege, a temporary position God has given to me to punish people,’’ Mr Jonathan said while delivering an address at the 50th birthday celebration of Apostle Charles Osazuwa, President of the Rock of Ages Christian Assembly in Benin on Sunday.

Mr Jonathan stressed that people would always be remembered for legacies they left behind.

“Some of the things I did while in office to which people still make reference were based on the conviction not to use my position to cause the death of anybody.

“Any position I have occupied by divine providence should not be used to create hardship for other people,’’ he said.

“Just at 50 years, you have impacted significantly on many lives,’’ he told the cleric.

In his own address, Edo governor Godwin Obaseki lauded Mr Osazuwa for using the word of God to address current realities and challenges facing the country.

“What singles you (Apostle Osazuwa) out is your ability and capacity to use and link the challenges we are having today as a country with the scriptures and to use the same to give hope to the people particularly the youths.

“Apostle Osazuwa understands the role of God and the role of scripture in our modern society; nobody, in my view, has been able to explain things the way he does.

“Government helps to organise us and when the government fails to help us to express ourselves, it’s the church and men of God like you that help us to pick up the pieces; the government will always be grateful to people like you,’’ he said.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, who was also in attendance, commended Mr Osazuwa for using the church to impact on the lives of the people.

Mr Okowa said that the Church was in a position to proffer solutions to challenges facing the nation and urged its ministers to continue to speak truth to power.

Earlier, the cleric enjoined politicians to make life easier for the masses.

“King David used his position to make things easier for the children of Israel. I encourage our governors and all politicians not to use their positions to cause pain in the lives of the people,’’ he said.

(NAN)