Bishop Ighele tasks leaders, citizens on righteousness

As Nigerians step into the new year, General Superintendent of the Holy Spirit Mission (also known as Happy Family Centre) in Lagos, Bishop Charles Ighele has called on citizens and leaders alike to return to what he described as God’s timeless message to humanity — righteousness.

Speaking on the divine focus for the New Year, the cleric said God’s plan for mankind has remained unchanged since creation: that people should live according to His righteousness, not their own.

“From the Garden of Eden till today, God’s message has been the same — that men should live their lives in the righteousness of God,” Ighele said, citing 2 Corinthians 5:21, which affirms that Christ became sin so that believers might become the righteousness of God in Him.

According to him, the tragedy of humanity began when man chose self-defined righteousness over God’s standard, a mistake he said modern society continues to repeat.

“The early church in Acts 4:32 lived as one heart, one soul and one mind because they were discipled into the righteousness of God, not into culture, tribe or the charisma of any pastor,” he explained.

Ighele lamented that Nigeria, particularly its elite class across all sectors, has drifted from the path of righteousness. He warned that this departure is at the heart of many of the nation’s challenges.

“Righteousness exalts a nation,” he said. “Even in countries where people are not born again, when they do what is right in governance, God honours such systems. God wants governments to lift the quality of human life.”

He stressed that man is the central purpose of creation, urging leaders to place human welfare above religious, political or ethnic divides.

“Whether Christian or Muslim is not the issue now. Let leaders bring in righteousness and see how people will live better lives this year and beyond,” he added.

On the country’s economic direction, the bishop expressed concern about the new tax regime expected to take effect, noting that excessive taxation may worsen hardship rather than solve it.

“Poor nations do not grow by heavy taxation. They grow by encouraging productivity,” he said. “Overtaxing companies discourages productivity, and when productivity drops, everyone suffers.”

He argued that governments should focus on strengthening the four factors of production — labour, capital, land and entrepreneurship — by improving access to quality education, affordable loans, land ownership, and business support.

“How can people build businesses when interest rates are 20 to 70 per cent? No company survives that,” he queried. “Access to capital must be made easier, and education must be improved to make our labour force competitive globally.”

Ighele also lamented what he described as declining educational standards, citing examples of students who are unfamiliar with key historical milestones.

“We cannot build a productive nation when our young people don’t even know their history,” he said.

While acknowledging that government officials have admitted that citizens are experiencing hardship, he urged leaders to move beyond apologies and take decisive steps that would genuinely improve living conditions.

“Policies must reflect God’s mind about development and the dignity of the human person,” he said.