A Cleric, Dan Ukpabi, on Friday urged his counterparts in other churches and in Islam to live by what they preached.
Ukpabi, who is the President, Green Archive Outreach, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that inconsistency by clerics was affecting the religious commitments of their followers.
NAN reports that the Green Archive Outreach is a religious organisation that helps to provide tools for guidance, mentorship and clarifications on life’s issues.
Ukpabi noted that some sermons preached in many churches and mosques were polluted and deliberately altered to achieve specific objectives suit the purpose of the preacher.
He said that the disparity between what clerics what they preached and what they practised, made it difficult for their messages to penetrate into the hearts of youths and yield positive result.
“Messages from altars in Nigeria have lost their value.
“The pulpit has been polluted and people are tired of the Bible, Quran and even religion as whole, because what people preach from the pulpit is not what they do.
“If we teach the gospel or the Quran and our lives do not reflect what we say, then there is a divide and it will be difficult to convince the youths of today.
“People want to see the workability and practicability of what we say.”
Ukpabi said that it was disappointing to note that many clerics had become materialistic and worldly.
He advised youths not to be discouraged but to be committed to God and not to any place of worship.
The cleric advised youths to take charge of the situation in Nigeria, adding that the nation’s problem was not the government but the people.
“The problem with Nigeria is not the government but the people. We need to take charge and be mindful of our choices.
“I see the youths being empowered; I see them taking over and taking charge of valuable information that will improve our nation,’’ Ukpabi said. (NAN)