’Tunji Ajibade; tunjioa@yahoo.com 08036683657
it is the last Friday of the month when I turn to happenings on TV stations. In the course of its network news on July 17, 2018, the Nigerian Television Authority aired a report about Katsina State. It had to do with the visit by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to areas affected by flood in that state. The flooding as well as the loss of lives was an unfortunate incident. It was shocking that there was such a sizeable number of victims in spite of the warnings regarding flooding issued by relevant government agencies. Still, I’m concerned about a part of the reportage that has to do with the Vice President’s comments.
The current administration has been in power for over three years. In that period, I have watched Osinbajo closely each time he paid condolence visits, and I listened attentively to the words he uttered.
I wanted to know whether he would pray for the dead or those they left behind. Why is this important? Christians aren’t supposed to pray for the dead. The Holy Bible specifically states that Christians shouldn’t, because the work of the hand of the dead would follow them.
It’s also stated that it’s appointed for man to die once, and thereafter judgment follows. No amount of prayer can change the work of the hand of the dead.
I noticed that on the occasions that I watched Osinbajo, a servant of God in a Pentecostal denomination, he never prayed for the dead. Rather, he prayed for the living. For instance, Channels TV showed him on May 25, 2017, as he prayed at 12:14pm, saying, “May God grant comfort to his family and those he leaves behind.” It was on the occasion of the death of Channels TV’s State House reporter, Chukwuma
Onukwusi. So, I was surprised when an NTA reporter, at exactly 9:11pm on July 17, 2018, said Osinbajo prayed that God should grant rest to the soul of the victims of a flood. The VP wasn’t shown saying so.
I want to assume that the VP prayed for the relatives of the victims that God should comfort them over the loss, but the reporter reported it in the manner he found convenient. If what the reporter said was truly what Osinbajo said, I would be surprised. I would consider it a ‘political prayer’ because Osinbajo’s religious belief doesn’t support it. If my colleague at the NTA was the one who put words in the mouth of the VP, then I advise caution. The reason is that, that time, I wouldn’t have been the only person that took note of a Pentecostal pastor praying for the dead. There might have been, for instance, Osinbajo’s spiritual leader as well as his own spiritual children in Nigeria and across the world. There are also other Pentecostal Christians who look up to Osinbajo. They would have received such an anti-doctrinal utterance with mixed feelings. In the event, the image of this gentleman is needlessly cast in the wrong light. More than this, it’s not the best that anything that’s not accurate is reported about a public figure of the calibre of the VP. The consequences could be far more serious.
Meanwhile, on July 14, 2018, I watched on TV for the first time as a secular group sang the praise of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State. For several months before then, the state’s choir had been singing the praise of the same governor over his supposed sterling performance in office. The first day I watched the choir, I had wondered why a choir set up to sing the praise of the God of heaven became the praise singer of a politician. Personally, I couldn’t make the link, and for a host of reasons that I shall state.
I suppose a Christian choir is exclusively an instrument set aside to the glory of the most High God. Abia State’s choir is the first I’ve ever seen singing the praise of a man, not God’s. Something is not right here. Now, I have no issues regarding the performance or otherwise of Ikpeazu. I like Abia State. I had stayed in the state capital, Umuahia, for weeks at the time when I covered events surrounding the initial defection of former Governor Theodore Orji to APGA in 2010. I think Abia is a cool, refreshing state. I liked the regular rain, and I particularly enjoyed fresh fruits that were readily available in markets in Umuahia which were brought in from the surrounding villages. I visited places outside the state capital too, being taken around on an inspection tour of projects, and I liked the peaceful environment which a writer like myself would find conducive.
In this matter, it’s God’s choir that praises a man I have issues with. I think the state choir is being politicised. The danger is that whenever another politician who doesn’t like the face of Ikpeazu comes to office, he might take steps against the choir. He might see it as an arm of Ikpeazu’s party and as such one praise instrument of a political opponent that should be silenced. If it happens that the choir isn’t disbanded, it would naturally feel compelled to sing the praise of the new governor too. Also, if the current government sprays them with money for singing the praise of Ikpeazu, I wonder if the yeast of discord hasn’t been placed among the choir members over who gets what amount. In all, less attention is paid to the God of all flesh who’s the choir’s primary purpose, and the slide continues.
A good initiative is destroyed because those in power now fail to be circumspect.
I’ve always been surprised at the extent of thoughtlessness as well as lack of circumspect that key institutions in our nation put on display. They make moves that make one wonder if they take time to think things through. I see it among traditional rulers and Christian leaders. Is it because they’re seeking relevance, money, or honour?
For instance, traditional rulers who have subjects in different political parties openly declare support for a particular party.
Nothing is more thoughtless than this, and I see it mostly in the south of Nigeria. In the north, wise traditional leaders more often than not quietly watch their subjects as they engage in battle on the political turf, openly praying for, but never publicly committing to any political party. One day, I shall relate a story about how a senior member of an Emirate Council, (based on the decision of the Council to avoid contact with politics), wisely postponed the execution of a project we had together as it was obvious politicians might use it to their advantage in a campaign season.
There’re also Christian leaders who throw their hats in the ring on the side of politicians. These are leaders who have members of congregation that belong to different political parties. There’s absence of circumspect in that too. Some things just can’t happen if those involved give thought to the full and possible repercussion of their actions. For instance, early this year, the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria and his members in one of the North-East states went to the Government House. There, he publicly declared that the governor was worthy and he should contest the Presidency in 2019. The impression given on that occasion was that all Christians in the state supported the governor’s presidential ambition. But the opposition party held its own public event a few weeks later. I took note that a Christian (from the CAN Chairman’s Christian-dominated part of the state) was one of the leaders that the opposition party pointedly selected to speak to reporters. On behalf of the party, this Christian implored President Muhammadu Buhari to seek re-election in 2019.
It’s fine when support groups across religions and tribes declare for the party they want. But there’s something rather thoughtless when the leaders of people in a religion or in a town/tribe become openly partisan. In Abia State, a choir should be the last group to sing the praise of a politician. Why have Christian leaders in that state allowed this to happen? Secular praise singers should be allowed to do what they are configured to do best.
END
Be the first to comment