The Rt. Revd. Akinpelu Johnson, Bishop of the Lagos Mainland Diocese of the Anglican Communion, has called on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to shore up the nation’s security, education, and power sectors, among other pressing challenges.
Delivering his address at the first session of the diocese’s seventh synod, held on Friday at All Saints’ Church in Yaba, Bishop Johnson acknowledged that while the government has made efforts to better citizens’ lives, those initiatives have yet to yield transformative results. He lamented that the daily headlines are overwhelmingly negative, with “virtually no good news” to celebrate.
On the power sector, the Bishop criticized the recent consumer “banding” scheme—introduced purportedly to finance improvements—as ineffectual. “We were optimistic that categorizing users and raising funds would lead to more reliable supply,” he said, “but instead we still see erratic service and steep tariffs. It’s beginning to look like little more than a revenue-generation exercise.”
Turning to security, Bishop Johnson warned that attacks on innocent Nigerians persist unabated, fueling widespread fear—especially of road travel. “Kidnapping has become one of the country’s most lucrative enterprises,” he said, adding that when banditry and abduction are compounded by ideological or religious motives, they threaten to fracture the nation along ethnic and faith lines.
In response, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu—represented at the synod by Secretary to the State Government Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin—reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to creating an environment in which religious bodies can flourish. He also praised the Church’s long-standing partnership in education through missionary schools and urged continued collaboration in advancing the state’s development.
