“The future will have no pity for those men who possess the exceptional privileges of being able to speak the word of truth…... but have taken attitude of passivity, mute indifference and sometimes of cold complicity”.

Frantz Fannon

In almost seven years, the online editions of Nigerian newspapers like Tribune, Guardian, ThisDay, Punch, Nation, and Vanguard among others have become my main source of news about our dear motherland. Beyond reading the news contents, I also enjoy reading the brilliantly written opinions and features contents of these newspapers. Saturday March 21^st 2009 was no exception; after I had read the news headlines and decided to start by taking a peek at the features section of the ThisDay newspaper to browse the articles written by the syndicated columnists like Yusuph Olaniyonu, Chidi Amuta, Dele Momodu (Bob Dee) and Kolawole Olaniyan among others.  Being a Redeemed Christian Church God (RCCG) member, Dele Momodu’s article entitled “The Hoopla over Pastor Adeboye’s” Jet was the first to catch my attention. The first thing that came to mind was why he would (Dele Momodu DELETE)go into this issue. Reading through the piece, I realized that all Bob Dee was trying to do, was to put up a defense or rationalization for Pastor Adeboye and the RCCG need for the jet. Such a defense or rationalization in my mind was unnecessary because the RCCG and Pastor Adeboye have become an institution in Nigeria and very capable of defending her actions or inactions. I am sure the teeming millions of Redeemers worldwide would have loved this so-called ‘brouhaha’ to be over and forgotten, so the church can continue to concentrate on the global evangelization project.

In writing the article, it was very obvious that Bob Dee was very angry at Africans “who quarrel over every little thing, behave like babies” and most especially Nigerians who in his opinion are petty, suspicious, bitter, and dangerous. Of course, His uncharacteristic description of Nigerians as a people “suffering from poverty mentality” who tend to vent their anger of personal failures on others is also in my mind uncalled for and unwarranted.

Like Bob Dee who is “a great admirer of this wonderful man of God who has spread the words of evangelism, from Africa to the world, more than any soul I know in the 20th and 21st Centuries”. Every Nigerian (Muslims, Christians and Indigenous Believers) are all very proud of the fact that our own dear Pastor E. A. Adeboye “Daddy GO”, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God has been so blessed and that he is taking evangelism of Christ to the whole world. Unlike Mr. Momodu, who based his conclusions on a news report by one Chinedu Eze published in the ThisDay newspaper on March 10^th, 2009 and that the anonymous Nigerians quoted in the report and indeed so-called critics of RCCG are out to discredit the good works of this very fine gentleman from Ifewara in Osun State of Nigeria. I would think these anonymous individuals are all voicing genuine concerns and also expressing their right to free speech, which is a fundamental guarantee in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria. I hope Mr. Momodu is not attempting to tell these individuals to forgo their right to free speech because RCCG’s jet is being discussed. Besides, the comments and opinions of these anonymous individuals does not in any way discredit the person of Daddy GO, our RCCG and indeed any members of the church. Therefore, to conclude, that these anonymous individuals and many faceless critics are out to “rubbished” him “over a mere toy called private jet” is to say the least disingenuous on the part of Mr. Momodu.

Meanwhile, I hasten to say that I appreciate Mr. Momodu’s position in his piece, however, Daddy GO being a democrat and liberal will not want to wish any voice to be silenced on the account of issues relating to him, his family or even the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Infact, Daddy GO always admonish us (members of the church) to live the Christian life so other people can emulate us in the larger society. This must have been why Church members have been somewhat restrained from reacting to what Mr. Momodu termed ‘hoopla’ over a mere toy called private jet.

According to Bob Dee in his article: Pastor Adeboye’s attention is needed all over the world by those who believe in his anointing. …. In fairness to those who have voiced concerns, none of their concerns were targeted at the person of Pastor Adeboye, I dare to say that those comments were neither unfriendly nor bitter in any way and are not meant to assail Pastor Adeboye or RCCG. If I were Bob Dee, I would have patiently read the views of these so-called “attackers” based on the merits and demerits of it (if any), before jumping to conclusion that some frustrated people who “are worse than Judas Iscariot, and more lethal than fake drugs” are out to denigrate the eminent man of God. Of course, I agree with Mr. Momodu that Pastor Adeboye’s attention is required all over the world; hence, such attention would sometimes require extensive air travel. But these extensive travels is not enough a reason for the Church to purchase a jet. However, I do not doubt that the decision to purchase a jet must have been well thought by the Church Board.

Contrary to Mr. Momodu, I don’t think any of the views or comments which trailed the purchase of the Church jet suggested in any way that  a private jet is too much a luxury for a pastor to enjoy in Africa. …. The huge cost … is a waste in a continent ravaged by poverty and diseases.” Rather, I view those comments and opinions as representing honest positions of those individuals who love Pastor Adeboye genuinely considering his meekness and simple philosophy, which makes him an exemplar for many across the planet. Therefore, it could be that these individuals find it very difficult to come to grips with contradictions of Pastor Adeboye, wearing his trademark simple adire shirt, trouser and a pair of sandals in a multimillion dollar jet. To be candid, it will come strange for those of us who love this great man of God’s simply life.

Beyond this, looking at the economic cost of owing a jet for the RCCG, one wonders if the jet is really necessary, given that the actual cost of the jet is not depreciated over time as it is with the commercial jet. This is to say in real economic terms, the cost of the jet is going to be more than the cost price of $28M price tag. This understanding will of course, boggle any sane mind. Further, as noted by Mr. Momodu in his write-up “the impression that they create is that it is possible to wipe off poverty from the surface of our universe”. On the contrary and unlike Mr. Momodu who believed that it is impossible to wipe off poverty from the surface of our universe, I hold a different view and I am also convinced that it is possible to wipe out poverty and diseases in our dear motherland Nigeria, if not from the entire planet. This strong belief of mine is anchored on massive investment in both education and health. Education is a key factor in human development and social transformation and the colonial days missionaries understood this fact hence the massive investment in western education through the building of many church schools across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Imagine how many primary and/or secondary schools RCCG can build with $28million dollars or N4billion.

On a rough scale, this huge amount of money would have built at least a primary and/or secondary school in almost every major city, town or village across Nigeria. Doing this, the board of the RCCG would have accorded many young kids (referenced in Mr. Momodu’s earlier article entitled “The future of our kids 1&2” and published recently in ThisDay newspaper) who today are yearning for affordable, accessible, good quality education, and moral training, the same opportunity afforded to Mr. Momodu and I, by the missionaries who founded and built St. John’s Grammar School, Ile Ife and Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan as part of their evangelization work in the country. A study of missionary education in Nigeria under British rule revealed that education was an essential part of their evangelization mission because it was a way of winning converts, training Nigerian workers and catechists, and creating a Nigerian middle class. If the missionaries could do it in colonial Nigeria, our indigenous missionary can too in post colonial Nigeria. Especially now that education sector is grossly underfunded and in need of support from other sectors.

No doubt, over a long time, these schools would have benefitted millions of Nigerian children whose parents cannot afford to send them to the costly private primary and secondary schools in the country. Besides, education of this million of children would not only secure their future, it would set the nation on the path to breaking pact with poverty. Anyone who doubts this assertion should ask the gentlemen and women who benefitted from Chief Obafemi Awolowo Free Universal Education in the old Western Region in the 50s and in the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) controlled LOOBO (Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Bendel and Oyo) states between 1979 and 1983.

Additionally, let us even assume that the multi millions were invested into Redeemers University, $28 million dollars would have made the university the richest in Nigeria and one of the best in Africa. Such an amount will among others guarantee high quality education for Nigerians who are desirous of university education, provide financial support for the students such that no student will be refused university education on the grounds of finance (like it’s the practice at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, York, Howard, Universities of Toronto, and California to name a few). In addition this amount would have also provided for the hiring of world class faculty members, endowed chairs in research across fields of study. Further, spending $28 million dollars on Redeemers University would have guarantee and secure the university’s place among the Top 50 universities in the world while also helping to reverse brain drain currently prevalent in Nigerian universities.

Now, assuming the money was solely spent on the health sector, that is, building of primary health centre to be known as Redeemers Heath Care Centre, $28 million dollars would have provided standard Health Dispensaries in every local government area in Nigeria. If the old sayings “Health is wealth” and “Prevention is better than cure” are correct, then Mr. Momodu would agree with me, that it is a sound business sense to provide preventive care than curative medicine to ensure that diseases and avoidable deaths can be a thing of the past across our Nigeria. In all, the cumulative gains of this type of evangelisation would have won more souls than any crusades or trips on a church jet, since the impact of the touches would go beyond Christians to other faiths.

Finally, to drive his argument home Mr. Momodu concluded “Small boys and girls are busy flying private jets all over the globe for holding microphones and singing a cacophony of pop and rock. Some of the showbiz personalities are even paraded on the billionaires’ lists, and are more famous than world presidents. Oprah Winfrey has her private jets and luxury yachts at her beck and call. She sits pretty on the cover of her own magazine every month, and the world is at her feet. It is the reward for her hard-work”. Why then isn’t Pastor Adeboye spared of the noise that has trailed the purchase of the church jet. The difference here is that Pastor Adeboye unlike Oprah Winfrey or any of the Hip-pop artistes referenced by Mr. Momodu, is the head of A not for profit organization “The Church” while these other people are into different forms of for profit businesses as such it may be adequately argued that ownership of jet by these individuals are justified for their businesses and can be seen as part of their public relations beyond pleasure and convenience.

Dr. Anthony Kola-Olusanya is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Studies, Queens University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Robot  # 1 | 07.04.2009 22:05

Beyond this, looking at the economic cost of owing a jet for the RCCG, one wonders if the jet is really necessary, given that the actual cost of the jet is not depreciated over time as it is with the commercial jet.This is to say in real economic terms, the cost of the jet is going to be more than the cost price of $28M price tag....Read the full article.

eleniyan  # 2 | 07.04.2009 23:20

nice pointers jare... who in their right mind takes DELE MOMODU seriously anyway...he is the crudest most uncouth journalist (if he's one) i have ever seen...he is also dumb, yes I said it, dumb! I painstakingly read his article and could not stop shaking my head...beside the murdering of the language in the piece, he argued like a primary 6 pupil...he's better off sticking to his yeye OVATION mag....

ikechukwu  # 3 | 08.04.2009 06:15

In a country ravaged with poverty, in a country where the average pay per day for an ordinary Nigerian is less than US$1. It is not only sad reading this issue about plane being bought for ' world wide evangelization'. I wonder the kind of evangelization a Nigerian is going to the UK to tell her people, a UK where they have a government elected and prodded by the UK citizens. However, the same pastor is a solid supporter of OBj who made sure that the same privilege of the citizens of the UK is never enjoyed by Nigerians. Evangelization indeed! A man who called OBJ a Joshua, a man who openly celebrated cutting of cake of the heist call called 2003 elections in Nigeria (I would understand if this is denied now)is now being bought a new #4 billion naira plane and some people are rationalizing it. This is really a strange country. This open display of wealth by some of these 'so called men of God' is despicable to say the least. They even assail our collective intelligence by telling us that 'their God is not a poor God' with their spin masters echoing such inanities. As if the missionaries that brought Christianity to Africa in conjunction with opening their missionary schools and clinics had a different Jesus in mind that the kind of Jesus they are propounding to us. The idea that people should not just talk in this issue by those who support this nonsense is just within the context of the manner in which ‘Nigerians who think they have arrived' hold their ordinary folks. Ordinary Nigerians can go to blazes for all they care. I saw this mindset late last year when some 13 Nigerians died on a church activity somewhere in Abia state, many of these guys were more interested in the fact that deeper life denied the membership of this people and were further interested in preserving and protecting the church than actually requiring the police to find out the truth about who was right and wrong, that is whether these people were actual deeper life members and whether there was any criminal activity that occurred in this instance. No body was interested in their case; many people I disagreed with were just trying to understand with deeper life, they were very reluctant in asking for proper investigation by the relevant authorities. This is Christianity made in Nigeria! We are in a cocoon ruled and manipulated by some people who called themselves "Men of God". They collect all the money (tithes, offerings, donations, what have you) no accounting, no auditing, no taxes, nothing! infact they are living in a different world. They block your roads, they take over industrial estates, they are in a world where they are lords. Yet they come around and fool everyone that Nigeria is where God lives, of course in their own instance I agree, but for the Generality of Nigerians you only need to go out and see things for yourself. I do know someone would want to talk about Government here, They only need to ask for the video recordings of when Obj was cutting the cake of his shamelessly rigged election in 2003 to find out that this business men called modern day 'pastors' have suddenly found their way into power. May God save us!

Anioma777  # 4 | 08.04.2009 18:18

@Ikechukwu Nwanem your username on NVS befits you:clap:. Quite frankly let most Nigerians in Nigeria and abroad keep deceiving themselves, afterall God has given us all a free will and foretold about fake 419 pastors and all these new age churches. If not for my strong belief in the very little I know about God I would be anti Christians by now especially in Nigeria. The interesting thing about most of these so called "self anointed" pastors and their fanciful sounding church names is that they are all founded on a similar pattern world wide. Two years ago I stopped over at Manilla for 2 days and there is a similar movement to RCCG called INC and to be honest if I was a blind man with severe hearing troubles I would have thought I was in Nigeria. People literally worship this pastors but somehow are too SPIRITUALLY BACKWARD,NEVER BELIEVE MOST OF THEIR TROUBLES ARE SELF CREATED,SOMETHINGS JUST HAPPEN IN LIFE AND IF THEY CANNOT EXPLAIN IT, THEN SOMEONE MUST HAVE A HAND IN IT.I pity them but at them same time they are a source of amusement for me when I get bored.:D As for Dele Momodu he is so predictable sometimes you dont know whether to cry or laugh at his "stating the obvious" articles in thisday newspapers. Infact after I read his article the writer mentioned, I told a friend I am 100% sure Dele Momodu's next article will be on "oh how Nigeria is a failed state, things are really bad, how long will this go on for blah blah". Dele did not disappoint me in his next article. He is a showbiz mosquito always looking for fresh blood to keep his amala head spinning.

BiafranPrincess  # 5 | 08.04.2009 21:32

=eleniyan;344238>nice pointers jare... who in their right mind takes DELE MOMODU seriously anyway...he is the crudest most uncouth journalist (if he's one) i have ever seen...he is also dumb, yes I said it, dumb! I painstakingly read his article and could not stop shaking my head...beside the murdering of the language in the piece, he argued like a primary 6 pupil...he's better off sticking to his yeye OVATION mag.... Thank u so much o! I thought I was the only one with that opinion...I read his article on the RCCG jet purchase and I was filled with sadness cos he was clearly displaying a clear case of 'poverty of the mind'....educated but not enlightened or transformed....sad, sad sad! I still think our penchant for accumulating wealth for wealth's sake and our ostentatious display of the said wealth, is also at the root of our present sorry state as a people. LET'S KEEP TALKING...one day na one day!

soso  # 6 | 14.04.2009 00:17

We should stop misbehaving, I mean we Nigerians Pastor Adeboye bought a PRIVATE JET and there is fum everywhere? When Mary used the alabaster box or the sweet perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus Christ, Judas was very quick to rebuke her, that the perfume could be sold and used to the poor, what was the response of our dear Jesus Christ, that poor wil always be among them, it was nt because Judas had a heart for the poor, it was because he loved money. All thesse people saying the Jet money should have been used to build schools, do this do that, they are just pretenders, how many people have they raised in schools. A private Jet is needed for an anointed man like Adeboye, that man is the most humble Pastor that lives quote me! I am not a member of his church, but I understand the principles. Long live God's servant E A Adeboye And let me say this, Journalists should be careful on how they write about Pastors, or Churches, they should be very very careful, cos I think they are means the Devil uses to disrupt the spread of the gospel.

Anioma777  # 7 | 15.04.2009 06:18

@soso We should stop misbehaving, I mean we Nigerians Pastor Adeboye bought a PRIVATE JET and there is fum everywhere? When Mary used the alabaster box or the sweet perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus Christ, Judas was very quick to rebuke her, that the perfume could be sold and used to the poor, what was the response of our dear Jesus Christ, that poor wil always be among them, it was nt because Judas had a heart for the poor, it was because he loved money. All thesse people saying the Jet money should have been used to build schools, do this do that, they are just pretenders, how many people have they raised in schools. A private Jet is needed for an anointed man like Adeboye, that man is the most humble Pastor that lives quote me! I am not a member of his church, but I understand the principles. Long live God's servant E A Adeboye And let me say this, Journalists should be careful on how they write about Pastors, or Churches, they should be very very careful, cos I think they are means the Devil uses to disrupt the spread of the gospel. So your comparing a millions of today's USD with a jar or anointed oil that maybe back then was not even worth $20 today. If we follow your logic then why did Jesus react angrily and violently ( and rightly so ) in smashing the market stalls and other nefarious business activities in God temple. Also I dont recall Adeboye dying and rising on the third day or Jesus riding around in an expensive chariot or horse. Pastor Adeboye to the best of my knowledge is doing nothing new in spreading the word, but what does he need a private jet for.The RCCG is a 419 church like other churches that spring up world wide using God to make money. I will rather take my chances with the Devil and his so called journalists that dare to question why "so called men of God" like Adeboye justify such a huge expense. As for you saying if we have helped build schools or other charity work. Maybe you should direct that question to Adeboye and his fortune 500 hundred conglomerate called RCCG.:D Plaese let me know when they float on the stock market so I can purchase shares...mumu:D

peterosa  # 8 | 15.04.2009 08:23

You people are just too funny at times,instead of us debating or puting nigeria problem on religious leader why not us focus on the real people that are the problem of nigeria or the courses of nigeria problems{THE POLITICIANS}.