BY VICTORIA OJEME & CALEB AYANSINA

ABUJA— Bishop John Praise of the Dominion Chapel International, Abuja, has challenged President Goodluck Jonathan to be a man of his words and ignore those who always associate themselves with the government in power just for their selfish interest at the expense of the masses.

This came as the Assemblies of God Church admonished  the President not to wait until the treasury was looted before taking action against corrupt people.

Bishop Praise made the call while speaking with newsmen, after the commissioning of a one kilometre tarred road constructed by the Church at Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

He noted that some people had been with each government that came to power, claiming to be working for the people, advising the President to be bold enough to ignore them.

Wondering why people should be made refugees in their father land as a result of crisis, the Bishop called for commensurate punishment under the law to be meted out on anybody indicted in the post-election crisis in some parts of the country.

Referring to a statement credited to Congress of Progressive Change, CPC, which justified the post- election violence, the cleric noted that “anybody with unguarded statement should be behind the bar, this country is bigger than individual.

“The issue of security has been very worrisome, it is the only thing that is of great concern that we, the clergy, keep praying that God will make things better in this country.

“We saw in the papers that CPC justified the reason for the violence, I said nobody has any reason for killing innocent souls, whether as a Christian or Muslim.”

Also, the General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Church Nigeria, Rev. Paul Emeka, admonished the President not to wait until the treasury was  looted before putting in place structures and institutions that could automatically check corruption in Nigeria.

He said the President would not be able to make meaningful impact in the country, if he paid lip service to the war against corruption.

The cleric also urged other elected leaders to take proactive measures that would  bring dividends of democracy to the masses.

His words: “To put in place institution that will automatically check corruption is not to wait until corrupt men have stolen money before you begin to prosecute them, how much is really recovered? “So, Nigeria should act proactively by putting in place structures that will check corruption so that the masses will enjoy”.