Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has called on the leadership of the country to face the challenges with optimism.

Ayokunle made the call at a thanksgiving service organised by CAN in his honour and CAN Vice-President, Elder Joseph Otubu, at the National Christian Centre in Abuja on Saturday.

He also called on Nigerians to embrace hard work as a way of meeting the demands of the nation’s current economic condition.

Ayokunle said that the current economic crisis was a global phenomenon, which should be addressed hopefully, not with frustration.

“The Church does not have political and economic power to address the current changes. What we have is the spiritual power.

“We have called for a national prayer; the other thing we can do is to urge government to buckle up.

“They are the last resort for Nigerians; they manage the national wealth so they should be courageous; tough times don’t last but tough people do.

“We know the pains you in the Church are going through; we see you everyday; we know that some of you have not received your salaries for the past seven months.

“Our theology of work must change; hard work is what will move this nation from the economic condition which we have found ourselves,’’ he said.

In his sermon, Archbishop Peter Akinola, a former CAN president, who was represented by Archbishop Emmanuel Egbunu, called on Ayokunle to lead Christians on the right direction regardless of the growing challenges.

“There has been a lot of blame game yet there is so much to be done.

‘’We have a lot of work to do as a nation that talks about change.

“Nigeria has been lying waste as a nation while so many things go wrong,’’ Akinola said.

He said the problems of the country required focus on what would work rather than what had failed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that past leaders of the association were all honoured for their contributions toward the growth of the association and Christianity in general.

NAN recalls that CAN elected a new leadership in June.

•Adapted from a NAN report. Photo shows CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle.

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