By Prince Ejeh Josh
It is easier to become an atheist in Nigeria than be converted to one holding a religious belief.
Sometimes, we’re left to question why God allows certain things to happen. We’re even left to ask whether there’s God.
If there is; why are those faithful to him bereaved? Why does God allow them to go through certain tempest, and some even die miserably. And the question is: “God, why?”
This has been compounded by known men of God claiming to be speaking the mind of God, or that God was speaking through them. Every utterance from them is attributed to God or Holy Spirit. Agreed, I’m worldly person. Get me convinced.
In 2014/2015, Fr. Ejike Mbaka, a Catholic Priest, said God told him “Buhari was the messiah”. “We’ve seen the messiah”, said the Priest on the Altar. Mbaka said that without apologies. It was a flagrant audacity. So reassuring, so alluring.
Since Buhari was elected, it’s been agony, bloodbath, regrets, deaths, anguish, blames and confusion.
Now consider this: 6 years after, the same Mbaka whom God purportedly told Buhari was the alpha and omega is calling for his impeachment. Whence cometh another Caesar?
Pa Adeboye of the Redeem Christians Church of God once joined President Buhari in matching the street as a show of support. God, according to Adeboye, also revealed to him Buhari was going to make Nigeria great.
We elected him. 6 years after, Pastor Adeboye is now calling for prayer for God’s intervention in Nigeria. Adeboye is calling Nigerians to pray for the healing of Nigeria. In recent times, Pastor Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church joined the bandwagon. Buhari hosted him in Aso Rock. Many of us were expecting he would tell Buhari the truth. To our chagrin, the encomium showered on Buhari showed we’ve lost our path.
In a resonating prophetic conspiracy, many of these pastors and bishops prophesied in favour of Buhari’s presidency. Is there no prophet in Nigeria?
They told us “God said this and that…” If their God had said; why are those positive things turning negative and sour. Why are they not happening the way the prophesies came? Instead, what’s happening today is a direct opposite of their prophesies. There are distortions here and there. Their prophesies are at variant, yet, they all claimed God spoke through them. Confusion, right?
Under President Buhari, Nigeria bleeds and burns. Many governors are living in self-delusion and lies. They pay heavy sum of money to cover up security impasse under their watch. They claim their states are the most peaceful. Lies. One from the pit of hell. Now that their ability to respond to security challenges in their states by their usual cover up has been overstretched beyond limits, their lies are now embarrassingly exposed.
The game is now getting over. Gradually. They lied terrorism had been technically won. Yet, killings and bloodbath remain a watchword for Nigerians. They told us foreign herdsmen were responsible for the killings, yet when these “foreign terrorist herders” are killed, the federal government and its security apparatuses would reiterate.
Nigerians live in fears. Walking alone now a risk. Going to farm now forbidden. Waking up is seen as a matter of survival of the fittest. But these pastors told us it’s their prayers. Political office holders told us it’s their efforts. In all, they keep telling us to pray. The prayers are not working. Tell yourself the truth. The Muslim faithful, like the Christians, are praying themselves out for Nigeria. The prophets of Baal are there claiming they hear from God. Sadly but unknown to them, God has left Nigeria.
From Kaduna to Kastina, down to Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Niger, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue to other states, human blood is spilled in an act of savagery. Kidnappings, killings, rape, destructions, cult war, all depicting the gory threatre of war, are now the new normal. But they’ll tell us to go and pray.
Jokingly, as usual of everything in Nigeria, the country speedily took over as the Capital Poverty of the World. As if it was a script being acted upon, President Buhari, in his sluggish but fiendish style, made Nigeria ungovernable for himself, and bad for Nigerians. All thanks, Nigeria is now decorated with the laurel of the third worst governed country in the world. Congratulations!
The economy, choked of asphyxiation, and strangulated by the incompetent buffoons in Aso Rock, Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, and the unseen hands, euphemistically referred to as the “Cabal”, is now laid to rest in the grave of Dracula where its soul has since become restless and haunting.
However, these “God said” men of God have been holding closed door meetings with Buhari behind us. They frown to Aso Rock, and smile out. They tell us there’s hope if we pray for Nigeria.
Dear Nigerians, let us pray!
Today, those we elected have outsourced their responsibilities to God. In their failed adventures and heartless plundering and mismanagement of our commonwealth, they finger God as culpable. Let me note this: I didn’t vote for God because he didn’t approach me for vote.
Parties and INEC didn’t present him as candidate vying for any elective position. Neither was God appointed by any government as a Special Advisor nor did any elected public officer delegate power to him. The political actors stealthily came, pleaded and convinced us with their manifestoes and roadmaps to a greater and better Nigeria, God didn’t. How come they are now trying to smuggle God into their failed bid to shortchange Nigerians?
Interestingly, since most Nigerians have unquestionably submitted to religious gullibility, every time there’s an issue that could easily be solved by human ingenuity, or in the face of avoidable and preventable problem, the political actors, in a premeditated device with religious Pharisees, would tell Nigerians to go after the problems with fasting and prayers. Trust Nigerians: holier-than-thou. Speaking in tongues will not solve our collective problems.
The simple answer was given by Mbaka in his recent homily: politicians must wake up. Just like he told Enugu state government to wake up from the slumber of failure and underdevelopment. To paraphrase his message: Ebonyi state’s David Umahi attained uncommon heights in development not by prayer. Not by fasting. Not by religious slogan. Wake up! Buhari must wake up. Governors must wake up.
Religion in Nigeria has created confusion since it’s now an instrument of political exploitation. Most voices coming from the pulpits are politically motivated. They hear from man, and call it God. The political gods. Puppets on the pulpits. Stinking.
We can now see where religions have led us to in this country. The question is: how far have we faired with religions in Nigeria? Religions have remained a curse and Nigeria’s greatest nightmare. If Religion encourages growth, or scientifically proven to be one of the indices of growth and development, Nigeria could have assumed the status of the most developed country in the world. Religion has never helped Nigeria at any point in time.
Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist sect, will kill, spill blood, destroy life and property in the name of Allah. Many from the other side will cheer them as doing the will of Allah. Submission to the total will of Allah. Absolutely! Everything bad is attributed to an act of God, while men take glory of the good ones.
Political leaders have failed to take responsibility for their actions and inaction. They simply hurl every blame on God. When evils overrun the country due to human incompetence, sectarian and divisive wickedness, people say that is how God wanted it. Really? Let me ask: God, is that how you wanted it?
When Boko Haram slits the throats of Christians and Non-Christians; when terrorist Fulani herdsmen destroy farms, severe people’s heads with brutal ruthlessness; when bandits and unknown gunmen kidnap students, killing them in piecemeal, they say that is how God wanted it.
When some bishops, perhaps, members of CAN, and even the intellectual wing of Islamic terrorism in Nigeria, MURIC, stage a solidarity walk in support of the dreaded Minister of Communication; and when President Buhari keeps a terrorist as a Minister, they say that is how God wanted it. Which God? There’s something about their confused god they aren’t telling us.
