Pastor Adeboye, The Church And Nigeria

[Dele Akinola]

“There’s no stopping me until I have put a church within five minutes of everyman’s reach.”

That powerful ministration was credited, in a newspaper interview (The SUN, March 04, 2012), to the immensely revered General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. It was in commemoration of his 70th birthday anniversary which recently made waves here in his native Nigeria and elsewhere on the globe.



Deservedly so! Pastor Adeboye is generally regarded within and outside the body of Christ as a true man of God, questioned only by a few. In a perverse world where many who are supposed to be Men of God have metamorphosed into gods of men, this is no mean accolade and credential. More significantly, he reserves the divine grace of heading perhaps the largest church in Nigeria and one of the fastest growing churches in the world.

On Sunday, April 22, 2012, according to media reports, he was, as well deservedly, hosted to a day*of tributes tagged “This Is Your Life” by inter-faith groups from Israel, Korea, Indonesia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States and Nigeria to mark the birthday anniversary in London. This, beyond doubt, highlighted the immense popularity, acceptability, religious aura and, most significantly, the spiritual influence he commands and the recognition of the unsurpassed successes he has accomplished.

However, in his determined race to put a church within five minutes of everyman’s reach, Pastor Adeboye inadvertently submitted he was not even aware of how much success, in conjunction with others, he had accomplished already in that respect. There are already as many as five churches within five minutes of everyman’s reach, especially in the southern part of the country. They may not all be RCCG parishes, but Daddy’s church stands out as the undisputed largest single contributor. On the shortest close in the neighborhood, there are only two dwelling houses but three churches. Along the longest road in the city, there are scores of churches but no libraries.

The PUNCH of Friday, April 20, 2012, in its back page photo story “Expression,” presented the nauseating sight of a dilapidated Eket Divisional Library serving 12 local government areas in Eket Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom State as taken the previous day. The number of churches in that same senatorial district alone, I suspect, would dwarf that in the entire entity of any of the most-developed economies of the world. Technologically super-advanced Japan and its people are not necessarily less spiritual than ultra-religious but corruption-riddled third fastest-groaning (fastest-growing?) economy in the world.

The major, or perhaps the only cause of the “weeping and wailing and mourning and gnashing of teeth,” as the old Reggae music group, Mighty Diamonds, chorused, of the largest black people on earth is not dearth of churches to sustain our romantic penchant for mere religious showmanship. It is, as the rest of the world rues, criminal Godlessness, manifesting, principally, in heart-rending corruption. The prowling canker, which Malam Nuhu Ribadu would describe as Nigeria ’s own terrorism, as a terminal disease, has now evolved from the HIV state and developed into full-blown AIDS with no cure in sight.

Little wonder our brutally raped and impoverished country exports to the world numerous “stinkingly rich (!)” swaggering rakes, most of whom are rampaging criminals masquerading as civil servants and public office holders. Much revered Pastor Adeboye, I believe, would be appalled by the mind-boggling revelations oozing out from the on-going fuel subsidy, pension fund and capital market probes. He would equally feel jolted by the considered submission that most of Nigeria ’s outnumbered Godly men of conscience are, like the late Dr. Tai Solarin, those who profess no faiths.

One comic newsmagazine columnist, several years ago, described the church or mosque as a place where people go to ask for God’s permission to commit more sins. A good number of those men and women in the evil cabal of ghost importers and brief case marketers running the system aground are deacons, deaconesses, leaders and elders in our numerous churches. Many members of the pension office cult group of blood-drenched multi-billionaire pen robbers also most probably are. Newspaper pages at times like these are usually steaming with stories about high-profile “unknown entities” rushing to churches, mounts and crusades in desperate attempts to assassinate justice.

Gitto Construzioni Generalli, the Italian construction firm working in the country which made headline news recently, knew the terrain pretty well. That’s why it would rather donate the renovation of a church in Otuoke, hometown of President Goodluck Jonathan, in the “discharge of its corporate social responsibility.” In its native Italy , it would have been a medical, educational or vocational facility, an employment-generating venture or an enterprise to boost the petty occupation of the local population. My no-nonsense mother would rise from her grave and whip me silly if it was discovered there was on functional library in Otuoke and its entire local government area. No wonder our teeming teenagers and their elder brothers could easily access five churches within five minutes of leaving home but could not conjure a mere pass in WAEC and NECO exams in five attempts.

Pastor Adeboye, at the London event, was reported to have proffered that religious leaders needed to come together to speak against global violence, including the use of religion to perpetrate evil, in order to achieve peace in the world. He also submitted that although God had assigned him to preach His word in all the nations, he believed “a bigger part of the assignment is beginning to surface.”

That bigger assignment, now, as Daddy himself deposed, is to speak against violence in, taking a cue from charity, his home nation, Nigeria . The deadliest national violence in the country today is the violence of earth-shaking corruption in high places, more dehumanizing and devastating than the violence of boko haram. Pastor is, beyond question, the biggest voice of God in our nation today. Even the president knelt down before him. As one who wields so much spiritual influence, our Big Daddy would render the biggest assignment to Nigerians if he became most ruthless in taking on the monstrous vampires stalling our nation’s progress and rubbishing the spiritual significance of the church. We would rather he remained unstoppable in such a determined race in order to put Godliness even within four years of the reach of the cabal, the cartel and our public office holders,

Daddy, now “this is your life.” Let somebody shout Hallelujah!

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[Bill Carson]

Daddy GO,

Biko, bring a job within 5 minutes of everyman's reach, no be church we go chop....

[First-lady]

Daddy GO,

Biko, bring a job within 5 minutes of everyman's reach, no be church we go chop....

He is fulfilling his calling
You and other business people should be providing the jobs

[Bill Carson]

He is fulfilling his calling
You and other business people should be providing the jobs

Madam FL,

Is it not you that castigated me for offering AfroCandy job?

Ikebe na ego

[Anioma777]

@FL

What calling is this? To 419 people spiritually!!!!!

I have seen more RCCG temples of Satan than I have seen Chicken Republic outlets.


@BC

At least your Ikebe na ego is exactly what it says on the tin as opposed to this well packaged type of Religious fraud called Christianity done in our beloved Nigeria. They are all mostly the same irrespective of denomination. Ah less we forget he seemed to turn a blind eye to the millions RCCG no doubt received from one of if not Nigeria's most corrupt politician who is now languishing in a UK jail at her Majesty's pleasure

[First-lady]

@FL

What calling is this? To 419 people spiritually!!!!!

I have seen more RCCG temples of Satan than I have seen Chicken Republic outlets.


@BC

At least your Ikebe na ego is exactly what it says on the tin as opposed to this well packaged type of Religious fraud called Christianity done in our beloved Nigeria. They are all mostly the same irrespective of denomination. Ah less we forget he seemed to turn a blind eye to the millions RCCG no doubt received from one of if not Nigeria's most corrupt politician who is now languishing in a UK jail at her Majesty's pleasure

Who says Ibori is a member of redeemed church
Biko people should stop peddling rumors and trying to tarnish the image of the Church

[Anioma777]

@FL

Relax no one said Ibori is a member but a "True man of God" will not be expected to take blood money with his left and be preaching with his right hand and then turning a blind eye to evil just to court favour ( money ) from them. Religious organisations in Nigeria and abroad are MOSTLY TARNISHED if we are honest with ourselves. Church is big business these days why else will any sane human being who is following the teachings of Jesus Christ make an absurd statement highlighted below. Those kind of statements are usually what a company like WALMART will say.

"There's no stopping me until I have put a church within five minutes of everyman's reach."

[Agidimolaja]

Adeboye is anotherNigeria's spectacular phenomenon.

He drove his car for two hundred miles on empty tank,at least, so he said with his own mouth.

With Phd degree inMathematics,the man is surely brilliant academicallybutunfortunately, he is religiously fraudulent and socially insensitive.

He boasted that nothingcan stop him until he bring churches within five minutes of every person.Good!

What must then stoppedAdeboye from bringing Schools and hospitals within five minutes of every Nigerian? Did the Missionaries of those days not bring schools and hospitals along with the churches they built?

In his hometown ofIfewara, I doubt it if his church can boast of a single hospital in the town or even in the entire Local Government area.

The only known University owned by Adeboye's so calledRCCG is among the most expensive institution of higher learning in Nigeria.Children of his rather poor members can therefore not send their children therein despite the fact that they are faithful payers of tithes and offerings that paid for Adeboye's Jet Aircraft.

During his monthly Holy Ghost parade along Ibadan/Lagos Express Road, words of mouth are rather inadequate with which toexplain the hardship forced upon other citizens of this nation through bottle neck traffic holdup.

While Adeboye is quite aware of the fate he make innocent people to suffer monthly, , the "man of God" is rather unconcerned.

Poor GO!

[SANTOMA]

I am waiting for the day alter calls will be made for "anyone who has ever engaged in any form of corrupt enrichment" to come forward for confession and repentance. Until then, to me, Nigerian religion, like war is politics by another means. who gets what, when and how.