The Provost of the Christian Theological Seminary, Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr Tayo

Bamgbose has warned that lack of economic and spiritual empowerment will always lead to crisis and insecurity.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday, the cleric expressed dismay over the failure of some churches to empower their members economically. According to him, unemployment leads to crimes and other fraudulent activities.

While noting that as Christian Theological Seminary there was the need to look inwards, he said "when the brain is not occupied with something productive, it will go into something destructive. We need to empower the youth. "The seminary empowers the pastors to have entrepreneurship training so that they can be creative and productive to better the lives of Nigerians.

"If you preach to the people without empowerment, the sins you are telling not to go into immediately he leaves you, he will go back," he added.

To this end, he said the Seminary had gone into partnership with Performance Unique Resources with a view to train some Nigerians and empower them both spiritual and economic. He explained that the programme is for all Nigerians irrespective of their religion affiliations, saying "we are sent to the humanity and not a particular set of people."

Bamgbose disclosed that the organisation had entered into an agreement with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to ensure that 1000 people were trained from each state of the federation.

He said that there would be centre in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Jos and Ibadan where prospective candidates would be trained in engineering, general maintenance and repairs of equipment among others.

He said unemployed people would also be enlisted in the Sure-P programme of the Federal Government under the Graduate Intership Scheme with a view to empowering and gives them tools so that they would be able to stand on their own. The cleric added that there is also an agricultural programme where farmers would be given ecological fertilisers and other tools aimed at making farming attractive.

He added that the Seminary was collaborating with the Oyo, Ogun State governments, Farmers Development Union and the IAR$T, Moore Plaintation, Ibadan in this regard."We do not expect government to do everything for us, we have to look inwards," he added.