The Nigerian – London Axis of Later Day Christianity.  What A Crock!

By Michael Egbejumi-David

The immediate past Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, is among the band of allege thieving ex-governors that have been formally charged to court by the resurgent Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  Nyame was charged with allegedly stealing some N1.6 billion between 1999 and 2007.  Part of the 41 charges preferred against him also included counts for bribery.  The reason his case stands out for me is because Jolly Nyame is a gentleman of the cloth.  To be precise, he is a Reverend of the Christian faith and has been so for a long time.  So, it would seem the Reverend gentleman had been stealing big time.  Also found stealing a while ago was a now departed former INEC Director of Finance and Supplies from 1996 to 2005, Timothy Akanni.  He stole even more; some N7 billion (outright stealing and bribes from Nigerian politicians).  He had two wives – both unknown to each other, and was a Pentecostal Church pastor.  Femi Fani-Kayode, Obasanjo’s former garrulous human shield was recently in the news as well.  It was reported that his girlfriend was nabbed at the Murtala Mohammed airport with some $240, 000 belonging to our ex-aviation minister.  Fani-Kayode, I understand, is a Deacon somewhere.

Ordinarily, these are not the sort of people you’d expect to pilfer, give, or take bribes from anybody if we are to go by the tenets of most religions – especially Christianity.   But there you have it.  And close on their heels, singing the same muddied hallelujah are the likes of Mbadinuju, the former governor of Anambra State who was noted for his weekly church crusades and prayer meetings. He too was alleged to have stolen a lot for himself and his erstwhile godfather.  He was even accused of some involvement in the gruesome murder of a lawyer and his pregnant wife in that State.  Nnamani, the ex-governor of Enugu State and, by the grace of the PDP, a newly minted Senator of the Federal Republic has been accused of stealing in the region of N5.6 billion.  He made the phrase “to God be the glory” his personal and Enugu State’s by-line.  Yet we know that God is not mocked.  Alamieyeseigha, who is currently being forced to loose some weight in EFCC’s custody because of so much stealing and bail jumping, sole recorded “achievement” in Bayelsa State in about 6 years in office is the building of a church in government house in Yenegoa.  There, he had a customised and well padded seat in the front row.  I suppose he always needed to expiate his conscience after so much looting; so he chose to sit as close to the pulpit as possible. Remember OBJ and all his perfidy?  The breadth and stench of his corruption is only beginning to come to light and offend the senses.  Yet, he is another self-acclaimed born again Christian.

But the inversion of Christianity and out-and-out deceit is far more prevalent in the wider Nigerian society.   Christianity has truly become the preferred tool for the emotional blackmail of the improvised populace in the hands of bold charlatans.  They understand too well that as Karl Marx said, religion is the opium of the masses.  If you add to that, wretched poverty and hopelessness, you’ve painted in the main, the Nigeria of today and the tremendous growth of modern day Pentecostal churches.  Intrepid men and women have deduced that in these economically hard-up days their interest is best served if they manage to head a church.  Men in pursuit of wealth and power now know enough to set up churches – even in their living rooms!  It is not uncommon to see members of churches addressing their pastor as Daddy and his wife as Mummy.  Just being in their presence, the church member kneels down or adopts some other fawning gesture.  I understand that there are quite a few pastors back home who own their own private jets.  Every now and again, it is announced that the church members are so pleased and grateful to their pastor, they have decided to reward him with the latest model of a jeep or Mercedes Benz cars.   (I have never heard of a church giving any of its laity a vehicle unless it is through a raffle scheme in which case the money for the vehicle is recouped many times over anyway.)  Largely and lately, this is what has become of Christianity.  Predictably, this is the main reason for the proliferation of churches in Nigeria and Nigerian communities abroad.

Because of the avaricious nature of our political leaders, the link and close association between church leaders and politicians was only a matter of time.  It is now a common sight to see some pastors hanging around the seat of political power.  They are always there to pray for, or to “guide” the leader of the moment.  Those that are not so privileged but none the less are looking for some form of recognition have resorted to lapsing into periodical “vision” or “message” delivery about national issues.  ‘God revealed to me that the next president is one-armed or light in complexion’ are the kind of drivel they are likely to come-up with.  One time pop singer, Chris Okotie was one of those Nigerians that was sufficiently astute to read the signs early enough and set-up his own church.  To confirm the strong link between the Nigerian brand of politics and religion, he has – it now seem – been forever running for the position of the President of the country.  In 2003 when he started, he hollered that God had told him categorically that he (Okotie) will be the next Nigerian president.  The 2003 elections came and went, and Pastor Okotie is still behind the pulpit.  The amazing thing though is that there are some people on the other side of that pulpit still listening to him.  What does it take?  Again, we know God is not mocked.

Furthermore, as with Nigerian politicians, a very large percentage of our modern-day church pastors now have the title Doctor (Dr) prefixing their names.  I understand that in nearly all cases, this is done without the benefit of the rigours of a Doctoral programme’s research or input.  There are even a few “Babalawos” here in London, and yes, you guessed it, they call themselves Doctors too.

The airwaves back home is literarily polluted by churches and their leaders.  You’d be lucky if you get any sleep at all on Fridays and Sundays.  Every ramshackle church has got a state-of-the-art public address system that is designed to inflict maximum pain on neighbourhood residents and passers-by.  It is not enough to preach to the attendees, the entire neighbourhood become forced partakers.  I have often wondered why some Christian churches pray as loudly as they do.  What is the motivation?  God only hears the loudest man?  I am a parent, if any of my children approach me for something and talk or ask me in an indecent or loud manner, I will send that child away and take no notice of the request.  God is omniscient and omnipresent; such superfluous drama is just unnecessary.  You encounter any of these people at work on Monday and they demand a bribe from you as a matter of course.  I saw a televised church programme in Nigeria last year where the pastor who was weighed down by a very magnificent agbada kept praying that his church members would partake of the 2006/07 national budget.  You have never heard amen shouted so loudly – even through the television set!   There was another pastor I saw also on TV who told his congregation that the smallest denomination he was willing to accept was N50.  In fact, he asked his worshipers to hold aloft their money before the specially designed and wonderfully deep collection pouches gets to them.

I don’t know of any church that actually do for its members.  It’s usually the other way round.  The congregation is always bamboozled with scriptures that reinforces the doctrine of giving.  This message can be delivered in a hopeful way, but often, it is conveyed in a guilt ridden manner.  The audience is reminded of the “widow’s mite” and told that it is unwise to “owe” God.   Generally, the pastor and his wife glows.  Whilst the pastor looks towards his flock for the maintenance of his above average lifestyle, the flock looks towards the Lord.

Here in the UK, there are two main types of Nigerian Christian assemblage:  The white garment crowd and the fire-fire American-style Pentecostal churches.  The white garment folks are more or less “illiterate” gatherings.  How they manage to have any members at all is beyond me.  Their practices and beliefs are still largely rooted in Moses’ Old Testament.  They only give a reluctant and grudging nodding acknowledgement to the straight forward teachings of Jesus Christ and the New Testament about having a more direct relationship with God.  The less said about them the better.  Suffice it to say that these people would rather light candles, splash around some harsh smelling perfume, break a coconut or two, strategically place an egg somewhere, put a blue or red sash cloth under the mattress, etc, rather than read the bible or just pray.  If there is no “sure banker” vision giver in that church, they quickly move on to another parish.  It is not an exaggeration to state that the pastor might give any active alhaji a good contest when it comes to the acquisition of wives and concubines.  To this day - and even in the winter months – most of them stomp barefoot all over the place.  If you ask why they do this, they are unable to offer any cogent reason.  Unbelievably, some of their women folk think themselves unclean during their menstrual period and would therefore refuse to go to church.  This rule is, strangely enough, broken at “harvest” times and other festivities!  I guess they must pray hard that the coming of the Lord don’t fall within their menstrual cycle.  Generally, a sacrifice here or there is taken quite nicely in their stride also.   The initial investigation of the case of “Boy Adam” whom a couple of years ago was found in the Thames river with his head and limbs removed was said to have commenced from a white garment joint here in London to South Western Nigeria.

If the truth be told, here in the UK, the modern-day Pentecostal churches’ pastors are largely dominated by frustrated professionals who are or were unable to secure employment in their chosen field.   There is a social phenomenon which affects Nigerians (and other immigrant groups) that reside in Western countries that I should quickly explain here.  Living and working abroad is not easy really – especially after a certain age.  Somehow, most of us manage to make a good enough living in terms of money and comfort but that is not the whole picture.  There is an aspect of our lives that is glaringly incomplete.  That is the sense of belonging.  You leave home early and return late; if not late, the weather doesn’t offer you much to do even if you can find the energy. You work very hard, live in a great neighbourhood but still something is not quite there.  What is not quite there is that feeling you get when your flight lands at Murtala Mohammed airport.  You just know you’re home and that you belong.  Abroad, most Nigerians try to replicate this “homeness” and communal feeling by going to Nigerian churches (or town meetings).  In these gatherings, you can be yourself, tell and laugh at jokes that are customary and understandable to you and those around you.  No one is there judging you by their own cultural standards.  You can have your own role that is worth playing.  You can have your own celebrations, gossips, petty quarrels, etc, etc, but that is alright.  You can even meet your future spouse or whatever there.

In most cases, the later day born again pastor now comes and exploits this to his own advantage.  In that little community described above, they are quite eager to play President or Daddy.  For these pastors, it is all about wealth.  The after-life will take care of itself.  Nearly all their sermons lead to the same end:  give to God (in the shape of the pastor or that church) if you want personal progress.  The audience is repeatedly told that God is not a poor God and by implication if you are a child of God, you cannot be poor.  Poverty has become a sin y’all!   Of course to prove this, the pastor and his spouse dresses in the sharpest suits African money and taste can buy.  Their vehicles, needless to say, are the best ones in the parking area.  Their bank balance is awesome.  Meanwhile, woe betides the member whose tithing is not on point.  I don’t know if this is true, but someone told me that one of these churches here in London actually has a bank cash machine on its premises.  What ingenuity!

Worse still, some of these pastors have tried to copy their American role models wholesale.  Of course, this lack of originality makes their display often something of a tragicomedy.  What passes for sermon often times is severely sub par (maybe because they talk about the same thing – giving money – in various forms).  The delivery is even worse.  Not a few of them struggle to put their sentences together.  At least the white garment churches play it safe and conduct their affairs in Yoruba.  Often, the pastor resorts to shouting and frightening the members with dire scenarios to keep them.  The congregation is told that “home” enemies or other evil people around them are responsible for their “lack of progress”.  These are people that were not even aware they had enemies in the first place.  So people that have struggled to make their way abroad and are busy trying to make a decent life for themselves and family here and back at home have time to be someone’s enemy and spend all their energies and resources doing evil to other people?  It is for this reason they have travelled oversees?  This is laughable.  But that is what some of our educated pastors tell their audiences.

I have seen on TV a few broadcast of UK based Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) churches.  Always, always, the designer-label clad and heavily bleached male pastor picks a teenage girl from the crowd and proceed to “cast the demon out” of the bewildered poor girl.  It is a most shocking performance.  Of course, her people are told that she gets to spend at least the night in the church alone.  Sometimes, the female guardians of such hapless girls (whose parents are usually back in Africa) make it easier for the pastor by voluntarily dragging these girls to the church in the first place because they had come to a sudden and bizarre realisation that their lack of social and material progress is due to the presence of these girls in their lives.  The pastor of course concurs and does his thing while the collection plate is gently passed around.

Obviously, not all churches or pastors are as depicted above, but a great majority of them surely are.  Unconscionable people have become too bold and too uncaring; and think nothing of exploiting other people.  The later day American style Pentecostal churches are the most guilty.  If in their high jinks they manage to win a soul or two for God, that is fair enough but I suspect it is purely a pleasant by-product.  It is certainly not the main intended consequence. The motivation is always the same: money and power.  The more traditional churches such as the Baptist and Anglican are more serene and seem much more conducive to establishing and maintaining a purer relationship with God if one must fellowship.  Even the Catholic Church with its contemporary history of racism would seem preferable; although all that difficult to understand Latin prayers and prayers to the Virgin Mary doesn’t help.  But certainly, the emphasis on money is far less.

Robot  Villager

# 1 The reason Jolly Nyame's case stands out for me is because he is a Reverend of the Christia...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 30.07.2007 13:38

overdryv  Villager

# 2 I have decided to add my voice to this topic because I see religion as being central to black man's emancipation. The picture one gets from Nigerian religious movements in the UK is that of a choking one. It is becoming increasingly difficult to say what religion stands for these days. It is also not easy to say what motivates people to flock to churches. But from the evidence on the ground, miracle seeking is the chief reason. Majority of Nigerians in Uk have one problem or the other, with immigration problem topping the list. The practice of religion has become a mockery of God, in the absence of an alternative. Every Sunday, active credit card fraudsters, 419ers, prostitutes, social security cheats flock to the church. Commonsense dictates that one could only seek penance and forgiveness after parting with evil ways. But our brothers and sisters are planning their next operation after a Sunday's service. Back home, every imaginable atrocity has been committed by pastors. We have 419 pastors, armed robber pastors, rapist pastors and the rest. Despite all the known atrocities being perpetrated by pastors, there has never been a case where God struck any of them down. Christians would say God is not quick to anger. Every year, there are pastors who make predictions they claim they get from God. One even mentioned that Obasanjo would not hand over. Like the author mentioned, pastors Okotie actually mentioned that God revealed to him he would win the 2003 presidential election. When he was outrigged by the PDP, he said his presidential ambition would be actualized by 2007. Now that he failed again, it means his god is not as powerful as the PDP. It could be he will succeed by 2011. But why God wants pastor Okotie to rule Nigeria by all means remains a mystery. Is not high time we Africans examine our position vis-a-vis foreign religions. The only basis Christians claim that their religion is real is the bible. But should we as Africans buy this idea? How could we be blind to the fact that accepting Christianity means giving a tacit approval to colonialism. Without the coming of the white man, we were doomed to hell fire. It is means the thousands or millions of years we existed before the arrival of the white man, was under the Rulership of Satan. Its true I am not an expert in this matter but commonsense tells me one doesn't need to be literate to know God. Despite all the claims to the contrary, one must be fairly educated to be a good Christian if there is anything like that. Up till now, theologians cannot agree on the correct interpretations of the bible. At an early age, I developed a serious aversion for the church when I saw how the church was being run. Mass was always said in Latin and we didn't understand a word of it. At the time we had a reverend father who was sleeping with girls in the church. When the scandal blew open, he left and joined the army as a military chaplain. My own assessment of religion is that it was founded on fraud. Like every other thing that was not anchored on true foundation, its only a question of time before these religions (also Islam) die out. Already this is happening in Europe. Churches are now being sold out as people no longer patronize them. The religious fervor is being sustained by black immigrants here who are taking over empty churches abandoned by whites. Back home again, actions of politicians show religion is one empty joke. Politicians engage in ritual practice, murder opponents, rig elections and go to the church to give testimony. There was a celebrated case of Chris Ngige who went to his Bishop before going to Okija shrine to take an oath of allegiance with his godfather. Religion has really become something else. Posted by overdryv| 30.07.2007 17:28

oluye  Villager

# 3 Hmmm....! Dr. Michael Egbejumi-David and Overdryv, your words are indisputable. The ultimate image laundering tool has become the church. That is only possible because God is good, and all those who want to look good will associate with Him. One aspect that I find really troubling is that Jesus said if you give to the poor and needy you have given to Him but our pastors only hammer on the tithe and giving to the minister. There is nothing better than a personal relationship with God, we shall all be judged individually. It is not just a Nigerian thing, when we were colonised, the bible went before, the flag followed behind, everyone is out to use God and then dump Him. Till today the state declares separation of state and church but the state uses the church for its own end. God gives and He is never exhausted but He judges in His own time and way. There is nothing that you have pointed out that Jesus did not forewarn predict. You have said it all, God is not mocked! http://blogtheword.wordpres... Posted by oluye| 30.07.2007 22:28

Idi-ogi  Villager

# 4 I totally agree with the fact that Christianity, as practised by the majority today, is repugnant. But we need to exercise caution as we attempt to draw conclusions based on what we think is happening. I would not regard the Christian faith as colonialism or as completely devoid of the truth based on some of its exploiters. The same way I would not condemn western education and recommend illiteracy because some of our lecturers and professors have double beds in their offices and routinely exchange good grades for sexual favors. In every sphere of human life, there will always be miscreants and rotten eggs who spoil the show for everyone else. My faith has enabled me to be a better husband, father, friend, relative, and citizen. It is the reason I work conscientiously according to the rules, serving mankind with my time, talents and treasure without window dressing because my God is with me at all times and I aim to please Him. I do not behave condescendingly to poor illiterate clients, nor do I cheat on my taxes and spouse. Although acquired at great cost to me, I offer my skills for free on a regular basis to those who cannot afford to pay. I send materials home at personal cost to help the underpriviledged. Why, as a flawed being, have I been able to do all this? The ONLY reference I have for this lifestyle is my faith, the same faith that is pouted, abused, exploited, disgraced, misinterpreted and maligned by others. Others have been able to do much more as atheists with a different point of reference. But my Christian faith is my anchor, my refuge, my opiate. I shall not be influenced by wolves in pastor's clothing, unarmed bandits who have let themselves loose on innocent but gullible people. We must resist the temptation to use the paintbrush of these hungry hyenas to paint everyone who professes faith. Posted by Idi-ogi| 30.07.2007 23:03

overdryv  Villager

# 5 Idi-Ogi, Its refreshing to read how you have been making selfless service to help the needy and the poor and how you don't cheat on your spouse. But all that has nothing to do with your faith. It is rather anchored on your good nature and your desire not to inflict pain on others. What has religion got to do with being a good parent? In the days when there was no bible, our parents always make sure we were brought up with high moral standards. Cases of infidelity either from the husband or wife were virtually unknown. To insinuate that one could only be a good husband or parent through instrumentality of the bible is to do a great harm to our cultural values. On your philanthropic undertakings, let me remind you that Bill Gates who is by far the world's greatest philanthropist, never associates himself with any religion, at least not to my knowledge. In my assessment of christianity, I find out the adherents tend to be narrow-minded when they try to see the greater picture. I personally form my opinions from the reality I find on the ground. For instance, how could one rationalize the fact that China which has atheism as her official doctrine, is progressive in all aspects? China has nearly 100% employment. Does it mean China with more than 1.2 billion people and several billion moslems are all destined for hell? Christians talk of the end time in their sermons, when will these people of other faiths be taught the gospel? In Nigeria where everybody in the south profess to be a christian, crime rate has sky-rocketed to the extent that people have to give thanks when they survive each passing day. I recently visited Nigeria and saw a clear evidence that religion has become a curse on Nigerians. The extent of religious pollution is alarming. You find three or more churches on each street and there are cases when you have three different churches on a three storey building. You can imagine the confusion when they beat their drums with different rhythms. Its true that we have reached a stage in globalization where there is no going back but that doesn't mean we should have accepted western education. Western education is out of tone with our value systems. Take the law profession for instance. A lawyer would go ahead to defend a client who has confessed to him that he murdered someone. Then the lawyer would capitalize on technicalities to free him. For me, accepting everything western shows that we are really the scum of the earth. The white man said he came to reform savage Africans. No matter how zealous black christians are, the death of religion is sure and eminent. I watch a news the other day, where it was mentioned that some parishes in Germany are no longer getting youths interested in taking over from ageing priests. That means obviously the end of such parishes when the priests pass on. For us, Africans, christianity is an imposed religion that has gone out of control. Posted by overdryv| 31.07.2007 02:37

pappilo  Villager

# 6 @ overdryv You have said it all. The problem is when it comes to religion (xtianity especially), people take of their thinking caps and choose not to reason at all. When you ask them why, they say 'just have (blind)faith and dont question God'. It is a pity that there are so many people out there that are happy to be fooled continuously all in the name of their 'god' Pappilo Posted by pappilo| 31.07.2007 03:50

Godwin  Villager

# 7 =overdryv;196071>I have decided to add my voice to this topic because I see religion as being central to black man's emancipation. Religion cannot be central to black man's emancipation but If I get the flow of your message right, the lack of religion can be central to black man's emancipation. The belief in Magic/Witchcraft as against Scientific/Critical thinking was used by the colonizers to subjugate the black man and our faith in miracles and the supernatural continues unabated to this very day. The proliferation of inventors/explorers/scientists among the black people will surely lead us to redemption. Posted by Godwin| 31.07.2007 07:36

Tunde meee  Villager

# 8 My own assessment of religion is that it was founded on fraud. Like every other thing that was not anchored on true foundation, its only a question of time before these religions (also Islam) die out. Already this is happening in Europe. Churches are now being sold out as people no longer patronize them. The religious fervor is being sustained by black immigrants here who are taking over empty churches abandoned by whites. @ Overdryv The writer of the piece you reacted to is quite aware of his facts and he did not try to dabble into area he was not sure of. But you seem to have included Islam in your blanket for whatever reason. It may interest you to know that none of the facts mentioned in the article applies to Islam. It is naturally impossible for anyone to build a mosque with the intention to milking people. It may interest you to know that there is actually no obligation to anyone to part with a dime after worshipping in a mosque. You may out of your own free will help the building or maintenance of a mosque but this is adequately accounted for as the Imam is not even responsible for such of money. Instances abounds in Nigeria where you have individuals building mosques e.g, Onilegogoro mosque in ****ta was named after Wahab Folawiyo due to his contribution to building it, Abiola (of blesed memmory) helped in building many of such etc. Such a contributor has got nothing to gain from it as he is aware that such a give out is only to God. If building a house of God is seen as business then I will reliably inform you that building a mosque is a bad business as it is unlikely to yield anything. As for religions dying out, It may also interest you to know that Allah in his infinite mercy in the Holy Quran has decreed that " He was the one who sent His messenger with the righteous path and the religion of truth, to subsume every other religion no matter how unblievers or Idol worshippers feel about it" (Quaran Chapter 62). This is why Islam has been the beneficiary to the selling of those churches you talked about and the same reason why Islam has been growing faster in US and UK after 9/11 than before that dastardly act. Posted by Tunde meee| 31.07.2007 07:38

Oluiwa  Villager

# 9 =Godwin;196192>Religion cannot be central to black man's emancipation but If I get the flow of your message right, the lack of religion can be central to black man's emancipation. <U>The belief in Magic/Witchcraft as against Scientific/Critical Our people contrary to what many belieive , did not have a beilief in "magic/witchcraft" Because the europeans failed to fully understand our traditional practices, purposely distorted the truth about African religions in general. Fact is Our African earth/cosmological based philosophies are too advanced for the europeans to understand so they tried to destory our traditions of peacefull co existence with nature, which was in contrast to the europeans idealogy of war,exploitation and pollution. @Overdryv I feel your pain too, If its any consolidation our traditions are still full alive, even though its being discouraged by "christian pastors" but the more self confident Nigeians who are better enlightened are still very close to the philosophy of our ancestors the likse of Soyinka are a shinning example. Also progressive African Americans, who are fortunate to come across our philosophies like the Yoruba cosmology are going to Nigeria in groups to get accustomed to the ways ways of our people, so much so a African/Yoruba town has been founded in S. Carolina called "OyoTunji" (Oyo town is reborn). look out for it on the net. thinking was used by the colonizers to subjugate the black man and our faith in miracles and the supernatural continues unabated to this very day. The proliferation of inventors/explorers/scientists among the black people will surely lead us to redemption. True! aslo true though is that european variant or application of science (harnessing the power of nature) has been imperialistic,exploitative and in the long run unsustainable as well as destructive. ( deductive thinkers where are you O) Further more hundreds of modern day appliances like the traffic lights, vacum cleaner etc were invented by black slaves (captives) in the developing years of American industry. Posted by Oluiwa| 31.07.2007 08:59

ula-lisa  Villager

# 10 Bash on, bash christianity...that is your prerogative...enjoy When next you get into that air turbulence, call on the devil for help... One moment after death...you shall know, too late... Guys: The churches are numerous and various (and there are all kinds...including 'Church of Satan')...Jesus does not ask you to join an earthly institution but a spiritual one. He gave you the Bible if you all want to know the truth, read it and practice what he says...and if you are looking to worship with others, He will lead you to one that worships in spirit and in truth. God will judge his pastors if they do wrong. As a person, you are also responsible for your self first before you take on others in religious matters. Repent ye and believe the gospel is Jesus' admonition to all (Mark 1:15). Have you obeyed that? Posted by ula-lisa| 31.07.2007 09:16

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