There is always someone or something to care about back home in Nigeria. It doesn’t matter if you are struggling or jobless; the important thing is that you live abroad. You must have money at all times. My parents have aged considerably and it is one more reason that my heartbeat paced up whenever the phone rings revealing numbers from Bongo.

I was completely wrong this time. I spoke to my friend for about 20 minutes and it must be one of the lengthiest times I’ve spent on the line to Lagos. In a non-chronological manner, he told me about a serious scandal that had broken out in my local church in Festac Town. The leader of the church, shepherd Ademola had put 25 year old Kemi in the family way.

The problems here are that Ademola is soon going to be 70 and he had been in and out of marriages /relationships on not less than 4 occasions. Additional crises arose from the fact that the youth in the church became so enraged with the ugly development that in a recent church service, they were going to lay their hands on him, in a violent approach that is.

The entire story will be difficult to tell because it is quite a long one. Historically, Ademola is well loved and revered in the church. He had been at the helm for more than 30 years long before Kemi was born or planned. During these 3 decades and more, the church had supported him (not financially as Ademola is self-made and an accomplished accountant). When his (probably) second marriage broke down and his wife sold their lovely house, he found succor and solace in the members’ faithfulness. What luck that he had completed a new house at that time! He simply moved out of one and into another. At other times, he had consistently found favour and support among church members.

With a woman as beautiful as Yemi, Ademola found love again and the church was there for him one more time. It is quite acceptable that religious leaders are humans and must be readily forgiven by the congregation when they make mistakes. The belief is that one could incur the wrath of God speaking against anointed persons. But when Yemi left permanently to Dublin taking their two children with her, one could obviously not neglect the fact that the inadequacies of Ademola carry serious questions and weighty moral burden. People always let go for as long as prayers are working and spiritual enrichments are soaring. In a church, we are taught to focus on God.

The recent scandal rocking Ademola and the church (now a magnificent edifice) may be the last straw for Ademola. All the rumors and allegations of sexual misconducts that have been covered over the years are now re-surfacing and from my conversation with this friend of mine, the list grows by the day of the female members that Ademola had courted and known carnally. Alaroye had reported this news and more newspapers/gossip tabloids are on the queue. We are now been told of one atrocity after the other including how Yemi was twisted from a church member’s anticipated possession to become the shepherd’s young wife.

I doubt if Ademola will be allowed to carry on at the spiritual leader of this church. He shouldn’t. The other elders, if they are not accomplices, should speak with one voice against this unacceptable act. Indeed, a 25 year old is matured enough to know the implication of sleeping with her shepherd but the outcry against the revelation shows the unpopularity of the concept. Did she do it for money or love? Was she willing or the shepherd mis-used his position as the head of the congregation? Was she also twisted? What has happened to the relationships that the shepherd indulges in after Yemi left him?

I don’t know the answers to all these questions but I am spellbound that my ex-high school student became a willing or forced tool in the hands of our common shepherd. I taught Kemi at Festac Grammar School and she came across as a responsible girl. She sings in the choir and had been a student at the Lagos State University. I am left wondering whether Kemi's mother gave her consent to this unholy flirt with Ademola or perhaps it had been a secret until now.

In Nigeria, issues like this one are not necessarily a big deal. In our respective families, we have moral and societal issues that weigh us down. I have a sister who is a single parent and I am sure other people have their own personal stories. However, when it comes to men of God and their hypocrisies, the problems take a totally different dimension.

Many of the men (and women sometimes) who profess to teach us the way of Christ have shown in their attitudes that they are complete swindlers and liars. The famous Reverend King and his likes come to mind. Religion has been used to sow deceit in Nigeria. It has indirectly been used to spread ignorance and poverty. With all the nonsense that have been incorporated into The Church worldwide, it has failed mankind as a corrective or tutoring institution of uprightness.

Indeed in my personal experience, I have come to know people of extremely high moral standards who don’t believe in the existence of God. They have good and working marriages and their children are raised with the same level of moral uprightness. From where I am drawing my example, this category (of people) is not in the minority. Their concept of church is basically traditional-attending baptism, wedding, advent and special song services on invitation. Their ceremonious involvement in church is not a confession of their belief in God. After that, they live in peace with all people and seek zealously the progress of their families, friends and country.

Back to Nigeria, the moral and societal decadence is high and directly proportional to the number of churches and mosques put together. Simply, the more churches and mosques that are in Nigeria, the more the spread of hopelessness, fear, sorrow, deceits, crime and general atrocities. The increase in the religious bodies in Nigeria and the activities going on in them are revealing more and more of the absence of God.

Though we are still not allowed to condemn our religious leaders, I think Ademola should know that he had exhausted his cards of goodwill in this parish. The congregation will never again be able to praise God sincerely in his presence. The options are crystal clear, he must decide if he wants to lead people to God or away from Him. The worst scenario is the emergence of anarchy in the church and the intervention of the untrustworthy headquarters. Who will save our souls?

Thy Glory O’ Nigeria…!

Robot  # 1 | 29.01.2008 14:36

var sbtitle1324=encodeURIComponent(In the abse...Read the full article.

SILOJE  # 2 | 30.01.2008 06:12

My dear brother, Thanks for a nice piece. I have been in the system long enough to know that everything is wrong with the church, not only in Nigeria, but everywhere in the world. I have struggled these past years not to lose sight of the reason I am in church - to serve God and contribute my little quota to humanity. In various ways, men have failed me. And I believe that is the story of many who genuinely want to seek God. Honestly, I know the church needs serious cleansing. But God does not seem to be in a hurry to do that. I guess the only thing to do for now is to be personally convinced that hanging on is worth it. And if you ask me, I believe it is. Those who are taking God for granted will answer for their sins at the appropriate time.

Oghre  # 3 | 30.01.2008 08:33

Adeola Aderounmu / SILOJESILOJE, Ala Dogmatism.................what fear of hell fire and irrelevance after death can do to people!!! What if God only exists in your mind and is nothing more than a figment of your imagination (and those of the colonialist-white thieves who brought it to your ancestors)? It is about time we do away with these gregariously-zany ideas passed down from generation to the next We have identified that God and religion and our blind passion for these institutions (used to exploit us till date), are still a big hindrance to our development and progress. Why do we still blindly follow in the footstep of the deceiver and abusers? Get it into your thick black skulls; there is no heaven or hell, humans think they are more important than rats and dogs because they have more “upmarket” brain activity, but in reality we will all die, rot and disappear like all other animals. You get one shot, use it well and leave a legacy of humanity and stop wasting time on fictitious omnipotent omniscience conspiracy theories told you by some capitalist pastor and by wicked imperialist neo-cons.

MsWoman  # 4 | 30.01.2008 12:58

You say it as if the church sef is something to write home about. No be Celestial Church of Christ???!!! Please in my book, CCC is a juju-practicing church. Why? Because we used to attend that church when I was young and those people are satan themselves. I mean, I was how old (veerrry young), but knew that the practices therein were very occultic. If you weren’t bathing (naked, mind you) in some derelict stream (a.k.a odo omi to nsan) where God forbid the stream was at the base of a footbridge, some perverts nonchalantly perched and took in 3-D views of your entire anatomy, you were told to carry one ebo (sacrifice) into the forest. Please, thank God, my parents did not enforce anything after a while. Thank God they themselves saw through the whole silly crap and left! All those elders, shepherd, flock nonsense is under a guise. The devil is already reigning in the church anyway, so Ademola impregnating someone is not against their doctrine, it’s simply a follow-up of what they practice and condone. The parish members in my opinion should use this opportunity to determine that there can’t be God in their midst especially if the parish keeps covering up for him and leave! Yes, leave jare! All these churches sef all in the name of trying to save face with the so-called rich condone all kinds of atrocities. I wonder what he would do if one 60+ year old somebody impregnated his own daughter at that age. Shame! Shame!! I know your NAME! Fast forward to even the pentecostal churches where the head pastors are beating their wives....hmmm nkan mbeee (things dey happen)! And preach every Sunday about husbands loving their wives. :eek:(Liar). Or the churches that second and third wives go and pray diligently meanwhile they are making the "husband" not accountable to his poor first wife and children (yes, the ones that suffered with him when there was nothing) at home because of their daleru-daleru (homewrecker) techniques. Which kain prayer does a homewrecker pray gan sef? In fact that prayer should catch fire midstream and perish the homewrecker immediately and effectively! Woh! Me I believe in God well, well oh and will continue to do so, but na God wey know they person wey dey worship am. I just pray that God will mete out judgement accordingly when the time comes.

K_Station  # 5 | 30.01.2008 13:04

Thanks AA for this nice piece. Your story reminded me of a similar experience during my days at Great Ife. I was attending a local church outside campus where one day we found out the Shepherd had impregnated the Church secretary's baby sister. Our Shepherd was married and living with his wife and two kids at the time! This crisis was so outrageous that myself and a few youths were instigated by other church elders to 'lay hands' (if you know what I mean) on the Shepherd during Sunday service. We sent him packing but the church never really survived the crisis. I am not under any illusion about the church these days as it is simply an extension of the society. Our expectations that 'church people' be different from 'society people' are not realistic as we (society people) are the ones who go to (and administer) churches on Sundays! However, I still am a Christian and I still believe in God. I think though that our knowledge and perceptions of God has been negatively constrained and narrowed by organized religion.

Eja  # 6 | 30.01.2008 13:42

Meeeen! Rod na Rod, God na God. Rod go do rodically even as de owner dey struggle to comot him eye from Sister Bountiful bouncing booby, ehn, na so Rod go dey rodiger as man dey try to remember psalm wey him don dey sing efery day for de las 50 years...:eek:. Brodas and Sisters, no be small ting O. Ah beg, make we begin accept say nature mus natural. Congrats to papa bomboy de 70 year old shepherd and him mighty staff...:D. After all, no be woman tortoise him give belle abi? Sebi na human woman? Ehn hen, make we congratulate o jare! Well done Reverend Daddy, well done!..:neutral:.

Oru-Ama  # 7 | 31.01.2008 07:13

My dear MsWoman, na waya. Your piece reminds me of my aunty's experience in that church and that experience was the reason for her leaving. According to her, it was a night vigil and serious praise and worship was going on and someon tapped her shoulder and told her the Sheperd was calling her. At that church, they had a boys' quarter where the Sheperd was leaving. My aunty left the church auditorium and went to answer God's Sheperd. She said as soon as she stepped into the sitting room of the Sheperd, her eyes went straight to a well laid mattress on the floor (of the sitting room) with pink bedsheet and a roll of tissue paper on top. To cut a long story short, God's Sheperd started telling my aunty how beautiful and reserved she is and how she has been making his blood boil. My aunty played along, telling God's Sheperd she fancied him too but that the timing of what he is trying to do is wrong. She reminded him he is supposed to be at the church auditorium as praise and worship is on, and begged him not to do anything that will make God punish the two of them. My aunty said the long white robe Sheperd was wearing was already swollen around the 'you know' before she got there. She simply pacified him and got away from his boy's quarter that night and away from that church for good.

MsWoman  # 8 | 31.01.2008 20:14

@Oru-Ama: You see what I mean? Those are the people that make you want to worship God in your parlor. I.e not comot from your house on Sundays anymore.