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Archbishop Urges Nigerians to Create Conducive Environment for God’s Providence

Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of Nigeria's Lagos Archdiocese. Credit: Lagos Archdiocese

By Silas Isenjia

Lagos, 14 March, 2024 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).

The Archbishop of Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Lagos has urged Nigerians to be open to God’s abundant blessings by ending insecurity, ethnicity and corruption.

Speaking on the theme, “God’s Promise of Freedom and Abundance to His People”, drawn from the book of Isaiah during his Wednesday, March 13 Lenten reflection, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins urged Nigerians to trust in God for they are not alone.

“God promises abundance to His people, we have an assurance that the promise of the Lord will be fulfilled in our lives and our own country if we create the environment that is necessary to cooperate with God,” Archbishop Adewale said in his reflection.

The Archbishop highlighted election malpractices, embezzling public funds, ethnic-based decisions, environmental pollution, and giving unnecessary incentives as some of the ills that block abundance in the county.

“All these have led to poverty and criminal activities like banditry, kidnapping, and so on,” Archbishop Adewale said in his reflection.

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To create a conducive environment for God’s promises of abundance in the West African nation, the Archbishop said that the government must give the “necessary incentives for agriculture.”

He said insecurity must also be addressed to ensure that Nigeria’s forests and the farmlands are safe for the farmers to go back to their farms without facing hostilities from bandits and terrorists.

Archbishop Adewale said that Nigerians need to recognize that “every little parcel of land that they have can be used to plant whatever is possible as a little contribution to helping to fulfill God’s message of abundance for His people, the people of Nigeria.”

The Local Ordinary of Lagos also underscored the need to preserve Mother Earth to address food insecurity caused by climate change.

“The Lord is also reminding us to take whatever step we can to ensure that we preserve the earth, our common home for the coming generations,” Archbishop Adewale said in the March 13 reflection.

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The Archbishop cautioned that “if governments do not make policies and regulations to guide the way we treat the environment and if we do not make efforts to use non-biodegradable materials, then God will not bear the blame for climate change.”

He said that climate change will remain a challenge “if we continue carrying on with our habits of abusing the environment.”

He further advised corporations to seek new and sustainable materials for their production and packaging their products, and to find better ways to dispose of their waste.

The 64-year-old Catholic Church leader who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 1998 as Bishop of Nigeria’s Abeokuta Diocese said that despite the challenges in the country emanating from insecurity and climate change, the Prophet Isaiah assures the people of God’s providence.

“The assurance that God is with us is simply to tell us that we shall not be alone in dealing with our issues. It is not to make us complacent leaving everything in the hands of God,” Archbishop Adewale said.

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The Archbishop who has been at the helm of the Archdiocese since August 2012 challenged Nigerians to act towards making the country better, saying, “God will not do for us what He has empowered us to do for ourselves.”

 “If we act with sincerity and fear of the Lord, doing our little best and acting for the common good, in our little corners and areas of influence, then there is redemption and restoration that God has promised to be realized before our very eyes,” he said.

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.