Patrick Akongwale|23 August 2017
AND HE FAILED ME AGAIN!
2003 general election was one of the most violent in the history of Nigeria. Olusegun Obasengo basically asked his PDP goons to consider the election as a do-or-die affairs, states like Kano and Lagos were able to resist the Maurice Iwu’s enabled rigging environment while the bulk of the states in the southern part of the country moved into the PDP-umbrella. Lives and properties were lost for Obasanjo and his crew to get their mandates. By the end of these atrocities, OBJ and his clique looked for someone to come and give some legitimacy to their blood spillage; Pastor Enoch Adeboye did the job by praying for Obasanjo during the inauguration. I was raised a Catholic and have a brother that is a clergy, my understanding of a man of God prior to that day was that you must understand when Politicians are trying to launder their battered image by taking advantage of your legitimate popularity.
To understand what Obasanjo was doing, one have to study Julius Caesar’s visit to the shrine after crossing the Rubicon —Caesar bribed the Priest to get a fair hearing days earlier, white doves were smuggled into the foyer and released as a sign that the god’s supported his crime of leading Roman Soldiers into the City something no Roman General has ever done. Obasanjo knew what he’s doing and Papa G.O as Adeboye is fondly called should have seek the inspiration of Papa G.O.D before honouring that invitation in 2003. I picked this event up and argued for hours with friends that Adeboye should have turn down the invite; some told me that probably Adeboye didn’t know that the election was rigged; some claimed he wasn’t aware of the violence in the Northern Part of the country that reshaped the demography in cities like Kaduna and Kano; some claimed Adeboye as a man of God must not take side in Political issues and must play a fatherly figure; some told me that Adeboye is too holy for a sinful guy like me to Judge; some claimed I was doing this because I am a catholic (I was still a wonderful church-goer back then). I realized that by my upbringing; I was in minority and there was no need bickering over something that is considered normal in our society.
Pastor Adeboye made two moves in the last twelve months that drove me towards writing this piece; his stage-managed resignation and the visit to President Buhari in London last week. On both occasions he stood on the side of the oppressors against the common man including those that attend his church. His resignation was a farce, planned to apply pressure on the Federal Government. Some days after the announcement, Papa G.O addressed his Church members again and asked them to go and get their PVCs. Now, the Governing APC understood what Adeboye was saying better than the church members because a problem with the Redeem Church coupled with their poor performance while in office will cost them their stronghold in the Southwest. Buhari and APC made their moves by sacking Jim Obazee for applying a government regulation —a very important legislation that I am sure most of us are yet to go through it. The Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) and the National assembly were trying to introduced Corporate Governance into our religious establishments just like Emir Lamido Sanusi did during his first years as CBN Governor; three bank MDs had done over 10years as head of their respective banks and this was not consistent with global standards —Sanusi asked them to go despite the fact that some of them were the highest shareholders in their respective Banks. The role of the legislation that Mr. Obazee was trying to enforce was in the area of insecurity as the law applied to Islamic foundations and groups as well —in fact, national security influenced that piece of legislation more than Religion. Saudi Arabia/Sunni Wahhabism (The Grandfather of Boko Haram & Al-Qaeda), were our main targets when the Bill that Jim Obazee was applying was passed by the 7th Assembly. So, in a way to satisfy Pastor Adeboye, Federal Government sabotage our war on terrorism and a government official lost his job. During this controversy, the likes of Femi Fani Kayode and a host of other fifth columnist framed the issue as a war on Christians, which wasn’t the case here. PMB & APC bowed to pressure from Adeboye and his acolytes. By sacking Jim Obazee, Pastor Adeboye got ”His Church” back, something Bank owners like Tony Elumelu, Jim Ovia & Akinfemiwa couldn’t achieved since Bank Customers are not loyal like Christian Followers.
Last week was pay-back time; Pastor Adeboye went to London to see President Buhari and give legitimacy to his continued absence from home. Don’t get me wrong; that the President is sick is not his fault; but a President that feels his countrymen don’t deserve to know what is wrong with him, shouldn’t be visited by a decent man, talk of Nigeria’s finest Minister. Pastor Adeboye cannot tell me that he’s not aware of the treatment that Nigerian Police & rented hoodlums gave to those that were protesting against President Buhari’s continue stay in London before embarking on his visit to London; he cannot tell me that he didn’t notice the violence that spread across the country and the bloodbath that got Obasanjo reelected in 2003 —including his Church members that were displaced from states across the North; He cannot tell me that he’s not aware of the systematic attempt to clampdown on freedom of speech by President Buhari and his team in the guise of ”Anti-Hate Speech Bill”; he cannot tell me that he’s not aware that President Buhari failed to comment when RCCG member & wife of a Pastor, Mrs Eunice Elisha was murdered in cold blood by Muslim Youths in Kubwa, Abuja for preaching in public.
Truth is, Adeboye and PMB probably don’t understand how society works. Adeboye complains on how morally loose we are becoming; but, seeing him with elements like OBJ & PMB is the reason why a lot of youths are running away from the Gospel. Religion and Christianity thrives when there is consistency on the side of leaders.
Clergies in America will not stay mum if Trump asked Police to beat Anti-White Supremacy Protesters neither would they visit a sick America President that is not ready to have a honest conversation with citizens about his health challenges.
Just like Martin Luther King Jr, our religious leaders must be told that their position on social issues and their ability to consistently apply their influence when injustice comes up will determine how their message is received by a group of youths that are learning best practices from other climes. Julius Caesar got a ”favourable show” from the Priests when he visited the temple; but they couldn’t help him on a certain ”Ides of March” when Brutus and his gang struck; our religious leaders must be careful when hanging around Politicians- because, their fates might not be different the day the plebs decide to go after our ruling dubious elites.
Patrick Akongwale
Is a Social Commentator
