After Daddy G.O. visited Uncle Buhari last week and did not talk to the press about the purpose of his visit, speculations and assumptions filled the blogosphere. I am super careful about assumptions because there is always a reasonable percentage of them being wrong or far from reality. But we are humans and assumptions play a major role in our decision-making process. Also, Daddy G.O. is a mathematician and mathematicians often use assumptions and assign values to numbers. This is a good and accepted scientific way of finding solutions to problems ranging from algebra to calculus. So, I permit myself to make some assumptions about the motive behind Daddy G.O.’s visit. If you are good with just Arithmetic, you can easily come to the conclusion that Daddy G.O. did not visit Muhammadu Buhari because of the Christian heroine, Leah Sharibu that has been forgotten by her own daddies and mommies in the Lord. If you are not afraid of Mathematics you can also arrive at the conclusion that Daddy G.O.’s visit is not because of the killings of Christians in Southern Kaduna or elsewhere in Nigeria. If you are good in Additional Mathematics, then you can venture into the unknown and differentiate this visit with integration using various permutations that reduces the uncertainty of your conclusions to an insignificant figure. And your answer will most likely be CAMA. Even Daddy G.O. will be impressed with your mathematical skills.

So, if the purpose of the visit is CAMA. What does that tell us about the Church of God in Nigeria? It tells me many things. Firstly, it tells me the church does not play at all with their finances. It is a no-go area. This reminds me of the reason behind the proliferation of churches. A good percentage of churches are formed from disagreements that started because of money. Many Pastors in the Redeemed Christian Church of God are constrained to manipulate figures because of the church remittance regime. In other denominations like Christ Embassy, some members have been found to have stolen from their employers to meet their financial commitments to the church. Many other denominations use various schemes to coax members into making pledges that are like Chinese loans which are difficult to redeem and subsequently put members in trouble with God because of their inability to redeem their pledges. Secondly, if the visit was because of CAMA, it also points to the ungodly disregard for Christian lives. The murder of the RCCG Pastor who went for early morning evangelism in Abuja years ago and the continuous genocide in Southern Kaduna Christians was not enough to elicit a request to see Buhari. Thirdly, this visit also speaks volumes about how powerless the Church of God in Nigeria has become. A declaration from the pulpit or Holy Ghost Services is no longer potent enough to make presidents act.

If you are more concerned about what I am writing concerning Daddy G.O. and you are not concerned about or see what is happening to the church of God in Nigeria, then you need to evaluate your Christianity and where your allegiance lies; to God or men of God? The Church of God is bigger than any minister or ministry no matter their status. And no one is beyond correction. Solomon the wisest failed God. Samson the strongest failed. And Moses the only mortal that saw God escaped by the whiskers. We must not elevate men of God to the point where they start seeing themselves as God of men. We must draw their attention to the malfeasance in their ministry, their actions, and inactions that are detrimental to the Body of Christ. The continued silence of the Nigerian clergy about Leah Sharibu is nothing short of disgraceful.

Their renewed extroversion because of CAMA is very hypocritical and points to the fact that they care more about revenue generation than the new generation of Nigerians who Buhari’s leadership is sending into poverty and generational debts. Not long ago the clergy in Nigeria was focusing their sermons on generational curses, making members to focus on sowing financial seeds to provoke God’s mercy, while nations like Germany, China, and Japan who committed genocidal acts years ago were busy electing governments that implemented policies that moved millions out of poverty and minted thousands of dollar millionaires. These nations enjoy the promised earthly blessing from God than the open heavens promised by Nigerian clergymen. If the clergy does not retrace their steps and start caring for members and the fate of the nation, what is happening to Christianity in Europe might start happening in Nigeria. God Forbid! But they must repent, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and feed the flock of Christ, instead of themselves and their empire.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com