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COVID-19: Stop exhibition of reckless confidence, FG tells churches

By Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze
05 July 2020   |   6:15 pm
The chairman of Nigeria's Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has warned the churches to stop the "exhibition of reckless confidence" over the coronavirus disease Mustapha advised churches to advise their members on how to stay safe for themselves, their families and for the body of…

Boss Mustapha

The chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has warned the churches to stop the “exhibition of reckless confidence” over the coronavirus disease

Mustapha advised churches to advise their members on how to stay safe for themselves, their families and for the body of Christ.

Speaking at an interdenominational church service organised by the Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC) on Sunday in Abuja, the SGF observed that the coronavirus came with all forms of unpredictabilities and all over the world, there hasn’t been an established protocol for treatment and only the non-pharmaceutical interventions remain the most effective fighting opportunity to overcome the pandemic.

“You can see that this virus has confounded and confused the entire world,” Mustapha said.

“It has brought the democracies and economies that existed for the last 300 years to their knees. It has overwhelmed them and what makes you think that it cannot overwhelm us? The Church should stop the exhibition of reckless confidence and tell their congregations to do the proper thing which stays safe for themselves, their families and the body of Christ.

“If you have no business going out, stay at home and it is scriptural Proverbs 14:16 says “A wise man sees danger and cautiously avoids evil, but the fool rageth, and is confident.

“I see a lot of Christians exhibiting reckless confidence and the Bible describes them as fools. Stay at home if you have no business leaving your house, that is the safest place you have but if you have a genuine reason to go out. Wear a face mask and wear it properly.

Speaking earlier, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama lamented that the numbers of infections are on the rise and casualties are growing adding that Nigeria and the world need is to ask for God’s intervention

The cleric, who likened COVID-19 pandemic to famines, wars and plagues in other times in history, however, noted that none of these had so effectively brought the entire world to so nearly complete a standstill.

Kaigama said: “In the face of famines, wars and plagues throughout history, the Church has regularly exhorted Christians to repentance and prayer as we are doing today, believing that if we repent, God will hear us (cf. Mk 1:15), and as 2 Chronicles 7:14 assures us, if we humble ourselves, pray and seek His presence and turn from our wicked ways, He will listen from heaven and forgive our sins and restore our country and our world.”

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