Fr George Barde
The continuous deterioration of conditions of life in our life and livelihood in our country is the direct result of criminal indifference of the various authorities to the worrying situation. The plight of the most vulnerable victims has failed to hit the right ears nor land on appropriate tables. Vital office files continue to treat selfish and private matters to the detriment of the well being of all especially those consigned to live in the margins of society.
Already the church, media, traditional institutions and civil servants are all if not more complicit than politicians for what our country has become. We take our own cut and abandon our people to the wolves and locusts.
To be sure, the Church in her role as prophet, have been in the forefront of demanding equity and justice in our society through prayer and solidarity voices with the poor. This prayer has been answered. Every time God decides to answer prayers he raises a man and gives him a scepter. He raised Abaraham. He raised Joseph. He raised Moses. He raised Joshua. He raised Samson. He raised Gideon. He raised Esther. He raised Prophets and Kings. He raised Jesus. He raised Apostle Paul and has continued to raise men and women fit for purpose to rescue his people till date. Indeed God follows his own principle which is “Faith without works is dead.” An ancient Saint and mystic has been famously quoted to have said “to work is to pray.”
The church has prayed for a long time for the liberation of this country. Catholics for instance have prayed and have not stopped praying an official prayer mandate from their Bishops through their conference. Those of us who are in our late thirties know that it was during the General Sani Abacha regime that a “Prayer for Nigeria In Distress” was decreed. We have prayed this prayer since then that for me of us we now pray it off heart. Families and church sodalities have also taken initiates to continue to pray for our country. Many other Christian traditions and indeed Muslims have made a point of duty to intercede with God for the nation at various fora. Politicians who are key players and ordinarily not spiritually inclined except for the usual purpose of optics have never failed to asked for prayers.
Finally God has answered this prayer. He has raised a man. The answer of this prayer are twofold: the Electoral Act 2022 and the Presidential Candidacy of Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Nobody can explain his emergence; not even he himself can explain his acceptability and unassailable candidacy. Nothing like what we are seeing with him has ever happened in the history of our country. My church members who ordinarily don’t even have money for basic things including school fee and good feeding paid for their transportation and bought party regalia to go and see him when he came to Jos. I am sure this is the story across the country.
No scientist or politician can explain the rise of Mr Peter Obi. Not even he himself nor our many political spiritualists and prophets. God has shut our mouth but we are too compromised to accept the verdict. He is not the most experienced. It is not his turn. He is not the most intelligent; he is a trader, even though a Philosopher Trader. He is not the richest, and as a matter of fact he doesn’t share money to induce or win hearts and minds but gives only for verified purposes.
Mr Peter Obi is not a saint but he is too good and clean to be truly a proper Nigerian politician. He is the cynosure of the long suffering citizens while expectedly being at the same time the subject of vile hatred from the system politicians. How can a former Nigerian Governor or any officials that served under him not have a case at the EFCC eight years after leaving office? Show me one? While his former Governor colleagues are fighting their successors for share of dubious pensions and wicked entitlements even after stealing while in office and now outside office, he has moved on with his life receiving no pension by whatsoever guise. How can a Nigerian politician be so polite and peaceful? How can a Nigerian politician not have partners in crime fronting and sponsoring him for state capture? Politicians are asking who is behind him? He has said publicly nobody has given him money and they cannot put a lie to that or anything else he is saying. In summary the man is not your average Nigerian politician. He is too clean to be soiled. It is unbelievable.
For the first time in Nigerian electioneering, politicians are talking about data, statistics, indices, savings and plans instead of eating corn, frying akara, mimicking banana hawkers or even joining street saloons plaiting for the cameras. They have lost their birthright of lies and deceit because they are now fact checked. Our political discussion has been elevated beyond mediocre statements and pious pretensions. All thanks to this candidate holding the scepter. The man said we should hold him responsible if things don’t work out not join him to blame previous Government.
It is Advent again in the church’s calendar. The Catholics and Anglican Church traditions use this four weeks to prepare the faithful for a the coming no of Christ at Christmas. This preparation should also include preparing the people to harvest the mercies of God which has finally come at this coming Nigeria general election 2023. All the political human and divine ingredients have conspired to favor us this time. Let us take our luck with both hands or we perish forever.
I commend all the reception that Mr Peter Obi has received across our churches and programms. The church must come out clean and clear to stand behind the people because the people now have a chance to be alive and see the goodness of God in answered prayer. The church cannot pretend to only pray while been afraid to take action. The church must put her heart where her treasure is. Jesus was only afraid of scandal not controversy. Our fear must be that of scandal which apparently often times we downplay. The church and her pastors must not be afraid of controversy because it is part and parcel of the Christian identity. We are a people whose Lord and Savior remains a controversy. We cannot run away from our identity because it is more convenient and safe. Jesus did not waste a minute to stand for the right cause even at the detriment of his reputation and life. We are too aloof and too careful. At this rate na die we dey.
It is time walk the talk. We cannot continue to preach and advocate good governance but play the Ostrich when it is time to put in the work required of our prayer. Our people have been abused and bastardized and humiliated for far too long because we chicken out when it matters most, hiding under neutrality or non alignment. The gospel of Jesus is not neutral. The Christian Faith is nit neutral. The book of Revelations 3:15- 16 frowns against neutrality. God does not stand it. It will be a tragedy if we cannot yet see that we are at a precipice and don’t have the luxury of the usual detached pastorship. We must and should be involved without fear or favor, shame or reluctance because very soon they sheep will be no more and we ourselves gone with them.
Before the people desert the shepherd and mother, we must show them direction in such critical times. The Lord Jesus himself has taught us that we are salt and light. And that a lamp is not lighted and hidden under the table but put on a stand to shine wider. The church has the social capital that can liberate this country and make it what God intends it to be. The church must join the people to take back power from the jackals and the hyenas that have defleshed them enough. Once again, the Apostle James 2:14ff has warned us that faith without works is dead. Let us be guided. May the Lord’s name be praised always.
