Some years ago during one of the great gatherings at the Redemption Camp, headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, one of the officiating ministers declared that things are not working in Nigeria and that the nation needed change. With the help of the church’s endorsement, Pastor Professor Yemi Osinbajo was enthroned as the vice president of Nigeria. Little did the church know that their dreams of having their son on the throne will become a nightmare for Christians in Southern Kaduna and all over Nigeria. Today, with the introduction of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) that seek to have a say in the finances and expenditures in NGOs and religious organization for proper auditing, Christians who felt betrayed by the support APC and Buhari got from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, can happily say Karma is a bastard. A beast with no friend or foe. It will often come back like a boomerang. As sweet as this might seem for those who think Pastors and ministries need to be regulated, it is a bitter occurrence because nothing sweet can come out of Buhari’s government that is very pro-Islam. They are not thinking about Christians or worshippers who many unscrupulous pastors fleece with different types of gimmicks. Buhari’s administration does not mean well for Christian believers. They are not trying to protect churchgoers or members. And this policy was not masterminded by the law professor who has not been professing. This is another phase of Buhari’s RUGA onslaught. If you are a Christian and you feel that the excesses of clergymen need to be curtailed and Buhari and his infantry are the best people to implement it, think again.

As much as the church today needs reform and revival, we must all be careful about the reformist or revivalist. Some Christian ministers called Goodluck Jonathan all sorts of names and protested more than protestants like Pastor Tunde Bakare. Today, their criminal silence is very loud to Nigerians, but their gullible followers still see them as credible. I often wonder about the type of people that still listen to Tunde Bakare as a clergyman. This is a man who admitted he was not led by the Spirit of God to be Buhari’s running mate. Yet, he went ahead. This is a man who has never criticized Buhari or El Rufai after what is happening in Nigeria and Southern Kaduna, respectively. It is individuals like Tunde Bakare, Sunday Adelaja, and a host of others who were blinded by tribal sentiments and nepotism to support a proven dictator and coup plotter against a proven democrat. Nigerians are suffering daily from their collective attacks on Goodluck Jonathan and their collective support of Muhammadu Buhari. These and other ecclesiastical malfeasance have made some Christians to support CAMA. Again, I will cry it loud – Buhari’s agenda does not include making Christendom to be better. He prefers to send Boko Haram members to heaven than to send peaceful and patriotic Christians to heaven if he has the powers.

Talking about powers, Nigerians must rise and use their powers. The recent outcry to the Nigerian Bar Association to rescind Nasir El Rufai’s invitation to speak at their meeting is a welcome development. But we must not stop there. We must start another petition to the United Nations to indict and prosecute all those who have a hand in the genocide that is still going on in southern Kaduna. From the governor who is the chief security officer of the state that has in the past paid Fulani killers to mollify them, to the security personnel of the army and police. Nigerians must request for justice. We must start holding our so-called leaders responsible for their actions and inactions. We must also start taking detailed notes of our kinsmen who have been wining and dining with our oppressors. The likes of Niger Delta elders who would not criticize plunderers and even profit and participate in the plundering should be documented. The likes of Northern youths, elders, and professionals who support their plunderers should also be noted because a day of reckoning will come. When we will start to build a new Nigeria and exclude these men and women, including clergies who have aided and abetted our evil and unreasonable leaders.

Ata Ukuta, Editor  – www.towncryyers.com