By Eben Enasco Kingsley, Benin City
Front line gubernatorial aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has admonished God fearing people to go into politics in order to sanitize politics and make it truly serve the interest of the public.
Speaking Thursday in Lagos at an interactive media briefing with news men Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu lamented that God-fearing people in Nigeria are in a difficult situation politically because only few of them are in politics.
He stressed that if politics was a dirty or dark game, God fearing people must be encouraged to go into it to cleanse it and lighten it because of the light of God that is in them.
He explained that when God fearing people fail to go into politics, allowing unbelievers to take leadership positions, the place is doomed adding that politics affect everyone even the right of God-fearing people to preach or own churches is determined by politics and they ought to participate in politics otherwise unbelievers would take over power and subject them and good people to difficulty in practicing their religion or in advancing themselves in their chosen career.
Answering questions on how he was able to manage his Christian principles as a pastor against the obvious compromises in politics, the PDP aspirant explained that his deep conviction as a Christian, and an active pastor of flocks, helped him to maneuver the murky waters of politics and helped him keep his faith even stronger.
“When I took a position as Chief of Staff in 1999 some of my fellow pastors in Redeemed advised against it that I would backslide.” He said.
“Some advised me to take it. But as time goes on these pastors who earlier advised me not to take the position also came to me for one favour or the other. I intervened. They realized that my office had become a good thing to many who would not have understood what pastors in politics could do. They saw in me that God-fearing people must be encouraged to go into politics. Many see politics as dirty and dark and that is why I encourage God-fearing people to go into it to cleanse it. If Christians don’t get involved the place is doomed. I must confess that it could be a lonely place, because fewer Christians are in politics. Hence I am encouraging other Christians to join. The reason that I didn’t resign is that if I had resigned I would have been sending wrong signal to others. I preach regularly on Sundays and everyone knows. Although it has not been easy experience, I have been able to use my office to mentor many to go into decent politics.”
When pressed further on whether he has been put in a position where he has had situations competing with his faith, his response was quite instructive.
“Even though I don’t play with my religion, I am not a fanatic. I do not drink for example. At some point, some people were not coming to my house again. When I inquired to know why this was so, they complained that it is because I do not drink and would not let them drink in my house. This was a difficult situation for me. But now I offer them drink when they need to drink so that I could convert them. I am a firm believer in what I believe but I will follow superior reasoning, but there are fundamental principles I do not compromise. In governance I would be very reasonable, and bow to superior argument but I would not be part of compromise to massage the ego of selfish people or to go against God or the people who elected me.”he quipped.
