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By Gilbert Ekezie
The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) recently held its 13th founder’s day at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event, which was graced by BSN members, stakeholders, friends and well-wishers from in and outside Lagos State, served as an avenue to discuss the progress made by the body, challenges and way forward. Also, important national issues of security, peace, justice, economy and the general wellbeing of Nigerians were given attention.
In his address, chairman on the occasion, Rev. Sam Aboyeji, congratulated the BSN management, led by Pastor Samuel Sanusi, for the honour given him to chair the gathering, as well as the award he received.
He also appreciated BSN for the important role it has played in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ since it was established in 1966.
Aboyeji, general overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church, said his church and BSN have had good working relations even before he became general overseer of the church.
He commended those who have pooled resources to ensure that BSN made inroads in the translation, production and distribution of the Bible.
“I must commended the translation efforts of BSN. The team is doing well to feed the world with the word of God, which has really helped in changing many lives for the better,” he said.
Aboyeji also extolled the relevance of the Bible, saying Nigerians must live in line with biblical leadership and justice, if they must progress in all ramifications: “Also, there is need for justice in Nigeria. This is because, without that, there will be no progress as being expected.”
In his lecture, “Justice: Catalyst for a Progressive Nigeria,” Professor Yemi Akinseye George hammered on the importance of justice in every society, noting that, no matter the number of security personnel deployed and ammunition bought to quell crises, peace cannot be achieved without justice because injustice brings anger and hopelessness. He said: “Arms and ammunition alone do not stop insecurity, there is need for justice.”
He stated that justice was a intangible infrastructure, and every citizen must be given the equality of rights, according to the law. According to him, “justice is what binds the society together. Despite the multiplicity of laws and institutions, injustices continues to multiply.”
He said, “Nigeria has the lowest police-citizen ratio in the world. 85 million Nigerians live below the poverty line and five million children face hunger daily. In fact, the poverty rate in Nigeria is 71 per cent. Then, with this injustice, how do we expect peace to reign in the land?”
George urged the leadership in Nigeria to understand that justice is a directive from God which must be complied with.
“Leaders should ensure that there is justice in all spheres of life because God is always pleased with that.”
President and board chairman of BSN, Bishop Timothy Banwo, and general secretary/chief executive officer of BSN, Pastor Sanusi, expressed gratitude to God for taking the organization so far, at the point of living up to the expectations of Bible users across Nigeria and beyond.
He explained that BSN has done much to translate the Bible in so many languages to ensure that everyone has access to the Bible: “We have even translated Bible for the deaf and dumb. We have also done a lot to keep the society moving and are still doing more.”
He regretted that many Christians were not supporting the cause of BSN financially to achieve more of its objectives.
“It is unfortunate that, despite our efforts and contributions, many of those who are supposed to support us are not doing so. It is unbelievable to hear that we do not have our own office at the level we have gone. That is why we are pooling resources to have a befitting secretariat. So, we call on all stakeholders, friends and well-wishers to support us by donating for the building of the proposed Bible House project, which is expected to cost N2.2 billion,” he said.
The commissioner for women affairs and poverty alleviation, Lagos State, Mrs. Cecilia Dada, applauded the BSN for propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ by ensuring that the Bible is available for the people to read.
Dada, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also spoke on the need for social justice, saying the absence of social justice brings distrust, discontent, subjection, chaos and, eventually, breakdown of law and order.
She stated that the Lagos State government has been in the forefront of promoting the judiciary to ensure that justice prevails not only in the state, but at large.
“We have been sustaining the judicial sector that is transparent and efficient through various reforms and will continue to do so because social justice is the bedrock of peace in the society,” she said.
