The Presiding Pastor of Sanctuary of Christ Evangelical Church, Ibadan, Pastor Gbade Ojo, has condemned the Japa syndrome (migration abroad), especially among young people in the country, saying it is not good for the image of the country. Ojo, who stated this at the 25th anniversary of the church in Ibadan, described the Japa phenomenon as a modern slavery in foreign lands.

Hedecried the challenges of food security; inflation and insecurity in the country, saying these inadequacies compound the nation’sproblems.
“ Many idle hands have been pushed to the wall and venture into crime and immorality for survival without minding the consequences, while some other able-bodied young people take to modern day slavery in foreign lands as a result of the inclement situation occasioned by lack of meaningful citizen diplomacy on the part of our government,” he said.

Describing the current rate of unemployment and under-employment among young and educated youths as unfortunate, the cleric said: “It is amazing that banks are making bumper profits in the face of excruciating economic hardship. Their corporate social responsibility should be called to question with the alarming rate of unemployment.”

He condemned the rising cost of food items and hunger in the land and called on Nigerian leaders to be conscious of the fact that the ongoing starvation is precarious to Nigeria’s bid to sustain and eventually consolidateits nascent democracy, adding that hungry citizens might turn out to be angry mob.

He described the palliatives currently being given to citizens by the Federal Government as mere cosmetic, with no impact in terms of alleviating sufferings, adding that the poor that government claims to be protecting with subsidy removal cannot breathe anymore.

Ojo stressed the need for governors to take responsibility of the current nation’s economy by recruiting citizens into the critical sectors such as health, education and agriculture.

He said: “Local governments too should not be exempted. They have no reason not to do this with their monthly allocations that increased tremendously in the last one year as a result of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.”

Ojo, who is a professor of Political Science at University of Ilorin, urged the government to quickly resolve the issue of new minimum wage with labour and also pay outstanding salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to avert the looming industrial action by university lecturers.
The cleric, who noted that the country is currently sitting on a keg of gunpowder, called for restructuring in term of fiscal arrangement to avert the former USSR experience.
Highlight of the event was the ordination of some pastors, deacons and deaconesses in the church.