Catholic Church Celebrates Peter Odili, Laments Christian Politicians’ Divorce From Faith

The Catholic Church has celebrated former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili on the occasion of his 70th birthday, describing him as a “paragon of democratic value” whose Christian life has never been in doubt.

Odili, according to Rev. Dr Pius Kii of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, CIWA Port Harcourt, remains one of the most selfless Nigerian politicians who believe in providence and never lets greed or self-interest supersede what he deems best for his people.

Kii said the Catholic Church is especially impressed by Odili’s ability to combine his Christian faith with secular leadership in a multi-cultural and religious society like that of Rivers state and Nigeria.

He said the state of Nigeria in 2017 missed the opportunity to elect a “courageous, selfless, far-sighted and dedicated” leader when former President Olusegun Obasanjo exhausted his second tenure in office, noting specifically that it was out of Odili’s belief in providence that he did not succeed Obasanjo, having faced “betrayals, false accusations, denial, abandonment calculated political manoeuvrings”

The cleric described Odili as a politician who offers a fascinating, broad and deep case study in modern history. He likened him to the reference made by Eliza Fulby that “the religious faith of leaders is not to be underestimated. It can drive some to war, others to peace, some left, others right. He is certainly not one of those who use Church appearance for political opportunism.”

Rev Kii contrasts this with what he calls “the appallingly messy divorce” between faith and political actions of most Christian politicians today.

Speaking in a homily delivered to mark Odili’s 70th birthday at Port Harcourt church, the cleric alleged that most of the social, political and economic problems facing Nigeria today are due to the fact that leaders no longer work with their faith.

He noted that the country today is not suffering from “too much Islam” but is rather suffering from “too little Christianity” as there appears to be a drain of true Christians in the country especially among politicians who deceitfully profess “Christian faith and self-identity as Christians.”

“Just imagine the countless number of people created in God’s image and likeness who sleep on our streets and road sides. Just imagine the very sick ones who are wheeled around in wheel barrows and countless orphans in private and reputable faith based charity home,” he said.

“For most, courting the support of the Church is mere cynicism. Many of them openly speak about their Christian faith and yet their actions in government show an appalling messy divorce between their Christian faith and their political actions. i.e. with the idea that Christianity and politics do not mix. For some others, you have to struggle to gather the evidence from the crumbs under the political table. For Dr Peter Odili, the cup of evidence runneth over as one of Nigeria’s serious and explicitly interwoven; one of the many reasons for our thanksgiving today. It is therefore important to take account of his faith when trying to understand his legacy as a politician.

“Today, we gather to celebrate the 70th birthday of a husband, father, grandfather, medical doctor, knight of Saint John International, Papal Commander Knight of St. Gregory of the great, one of the few accorded this degree of the Knighthood in our country, founder of PAMO hospital and clinic, and now PAMO Medical University, former governor of Rivers State from 1999-2007, the 13th governor of Rivers State and the 3rd Democratically elected governor. One who though was Governor of Rivers State, played a politics that was fundamentally nationalistic and is considered by many one of the most prominent political figures of Nigeria.

“We thank God today that Dr Odili, born on the same solemnity of Assumption, 15th August 1984, and specially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a politician who is convinced that political problems have spiritual roots. All his ideas about life, individual responsibility, looking after your neighbour, patriotism, honesty, self-discipline, hardwork, law and order are all anchored on his religious upbringing which tied together Christian decency and a religious calling to public service. These bequeathed to him the values of thrift, industry, self-reliance and probity that shaped and inspired his politics, making him a paragon of democratic virtue.”

The cleric also thanked God for the life of the former governor, especially for how the catholic teachings have shaped and reflected in his personal persona.

“Catholicism has not only offered him a political philosophy but also equipped him with standards to which political actions must, in the end, be referred. Therefore we thank God for the influence of Catholic social teachings on him, an influence so striving and pervasive that it is reflected in his personal persona,” he said.

Rev Kii extolled Odili’s virtues as a politician whose private life reckons with his public life. He also described the former governor as a man who attaches importance to his family and adores his wife.

He especially praised Odili’s commitment to humanity which derives from his Christian faith.

“Today, we offer thanks to God, his ecclesiastical upbringing at C.K.C Onitsha did leave him with the sense that the role of the State in Christian society is to encourage virtue, not usurp it. Consequently as Governor, he reintroduced moral education into the curriculum for schools and appointed chaplains from all Christian Churches to anchor it before other Catholic/ Christian governors in other states copied it; sponsored the most pilgrimages for Christians and Muslims to religious sites in the State of Israel; Rome, Portugal and France, Mecca and medina. It is on record that he remains the non-Muslim governor who sponsored more Muslim pilgrims for their Hajj than any Christian governor in Nigeria,” he said.

Rev Kii described Odili as a detribalised Nigerian whose vocabulary is bereft of words like “Hausa Nigerian, Fulani Nigerian or Igbo Nigerian”. He named the former governor among one of the highest donors to the construction of the National Ecumenical Centre Abuja, Veritas University, and the National Mosque.

Describing Odili’s commitment to humanity as “legendary”, the cleric described the former Rivers governor as one who “saw the governorship as a pastoral role” and whose style of politics “can be defined as the gospel in action”.

Kii said, “On the concrete road of politics, we thank God that under his watch, the economy of Rivers State boomed. International airlines flew into Port Harcourt, embassies established consular services in Port Harcourt, Oil companies moved their headquarters from Lagos to Port Harcourt; people relocated from Lagos to Port Harcourt. Today we remember the man who conceived and build the impressive government house, the phenomenal house of assembly complex, the ultra-modern judiciary complex among other state monuments. We remember a man whose ambition was to industrialize Rivers State and so embarked on Nigeria’s first independent power project Turbines at Omoku, Trans-Amadi and Eleme, generating even beyond the power needs of Rivers Stat, but which met the refusal of the federal government to honour earlier agreements to amend the constitution to allow not only to generate but to also distribute the power”