As a teenager, I believed the Church of God was exclusively manned by saints who helped in the reconciliation of sinners to God. As I grew more mature, I discovered many of those manning the church as shepherds were wolves in sheep clothing. This discovery shook my faith and even affected my commitment to the things of God. I equated the fallibility of men and women of God to the fallibility of the church. The pedophilia among Catholic Priests. The financial shenanigans of Pentecostal Pastors. And the occultism of spiritual churches almost killed my zeal for the Church of God. I was rescued from my backsliding ways when I realized that the failings of Church leaders are not the failure of the Church of God. The Church of God, to me now, is the Body of Christ – holy and acceptable to God and I decided that the actions or inactions of the clergy will not influence my dedication. From this point onwards, I did not allow the continuous stream of scandal from men of God to affect my devotion to the Body of Christ. Earlier, I was particularly disappointed by the role of the pastorate of the Redeemed Christian Church of God played in the emergence of Buhari as the president of Nigeria. My disappointment increased after 4 years of retrogression of Nigeria because of the corruption and ineptitude of the Buhari administration.

The infamous roles Pastor Yemi Osinbajo played in this retrogression decreased my belief in what the clergy can do to salvage Nigeria. Bishop David Oyedepo and Apostle Suleiman have done their bits and are becoming quiet. So, when Pastor E. A. Adeboye added his voice for the need to restructure Nigeria and that Nigeria could break up if restructuring is not done, I was impressed. My impression stems from the fact that any indictment of the Buhari administration is an indictment on the Redeemed Christian Church of God whose minister is the vice president. I was also impressed because of Pastor Adeboye’s opinion or comments on any issues get to the appropriate authority. The presidency has responded in their usual way of blame gaming everything. And making an enemy of anyone courageous enough to criticize them. This is not the time to relent in our efforts to make Nigeria a better-governed nation. We must continue to call the presidency and other arms of government including local selected and elected officials to account for their budgetary allocations. Traditional leaders must join forces with religious leaders to rid Nigeria of our present crop of leaders whose main motivation in seeking leadership is to loot. The support that Buhari, a former coup plotter and religious extremist got from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, significantly eroded Nigeria’s trust in the leadership of the church.

Pastor Adeboye’s recent remark is commendable though late. But he must not stop there. His long silence deserves a long rebuke for governmental malfeasance that is the order of the day in present-day Nigeria. Nigerians have in the past seen him as not just a minister of the Gospel but also an elder statesman who should call the government to action whenever the need arises. Martin Luther King Jr. and Desmond Tutu are renowned because they were respected ministers but most importantly because of their activism that yielded fruits that benefited the masses. Mother Theresa is not renowned for preaching the gospel. She is celebrated for reaching out to the poor. Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour went around doing good. Pastor Adeboye already has a great legacy. Nevertheless, the support Buhari got in the 2015 elections through Osinbajo will always be a spot that needs to be blotted out. Evangelical activism is much needed and there is no bigger voice than his voice in Nigeria.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com