By Chijioke Okoronkwo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, says there is an urgent need to develop a software and create apps that can rapidly translate the Holy Bible into different Nigerian languages.
Osinbajo made this submission in his address at the Christian Leadership Summit organised by the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) on Thursday in Lagos.
The theme of the summit is the Holy Bible: Our Reliable Foundation for Maximising Personal and National Well-being.
The vice president said it had become imperative to collectively moblise resources for the translation, printing and distribution of the Bible.
“We must actively and aggressively find the resources for printing and distributing the word of God.
“Technology will be a great help; we can crowd-fund; I am sure in BSN website, we can get a page dedicated to those who want to contribute something or the other towards printing and translating the Bible.
“We can create an app; we can do a competition; we have a good number of young men and women today who are doing incredible software and all sorts of apps.
“They develop those apps in record time; if you were to tell them to translate the Bible into a particular language, today with artificial intelligence; machine learning among others; I am sure that we can do these translations in less than six years; I am sure we can do them in a year or even two years; there is so much out there our young people can do.
“So, I certainly look forward to partnership with the BSN and I hope that in the coming years, we will move much faster than we have moved in the past.’’
The vice president said, that being the wisdom of God, the gospel must sound contrarian.
According to him, the gospel tells one to do the opposite of what one’s flesh or human senses tell one to do; citing the injunction on love for one’s enemies on Matthew 5:44.
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.’’
He said that such understanding of the essence of the gospel is crucial, especially in a society where religion is often at the heart of division, and sometimes violent conflicts.
Osinbajo said that the word of God obliges Christians to fight hate with love, bearing in mind that their destination is not on earth but eternal life.
He commended the BSN for some of its incredible achievements since its inception in 1966 under the pioneering efforts of the late Dr Francis Akanu Ibiam, the first indigenous Governor of the defunct Eastern Region.
“The translation of the full Bible into 26 Nigerian languages with 10 ongoing translation projects, the New Testament has been translated into 60 local Languages, while some individual books of the bible have been translated into 98 languages.
“The BSN is the first Bible Society in Africa to build a deaf translation centre and you have already translated 145 stories of the Bible into Nigerian Sign language; you are the highest distributor of the English Bible in all the United Bible Societies.
“The translation of the Igala language Bible in 11 years accorded you the honor of being the fastest translation society among the United Bible Society but as we have heard, in 2021, you broke your own record on the Igala Bible translation by completing the Okun language Bible Translation in six years.
“But perhaps, most importantly, the BSN provides effective church support through the outreach programmes for the people in the hinterlands and Bible resource needed for evangelism,’’ he said.
In his opening speech, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the Chairman/Father of the Day, said that the theme of the summit had indepth representations.
He said it encompasses personal well-being, community well-being, family well-being, national well-being and even global well-being.
Obasanjo said that God revealed himself in a number ways but the most significant way was from the Holy Bible.
“There we learn more about God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit and the Church.
“The point is that the Bible made it categorically clear to us that it is only when we know the truth, that we will be free.
“And it is only when we are free, that we achieve personal well-being, community well-being, family well-being and of course, national and global well-being,’’ he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the BSN President, Bishop Timothy Banwo, said that the society has a divine mandate to ensure that every Nigerian has the Bible in their preferred Mother language.
A former Head of State and BSN Patron, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retired), and former President, Goodluck Jonathan, also sent in goodwill messages.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of Bible to the vice president as a birthday gift.
More so, the vice president, and his wife, Dolapo, who was not physically present at the summit, were presented special awards and decoration for outstanding services. (NAN)
