By Tunde Abatan,
tunde2013abatan@gmail.com 8165660217
Since the release of the memo by the Redeemed Christain Church of God,RCCG, creating an Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance for it’s members interested in participating in the various elective postitions or joining politics,a lot of hues and cries have dominated the social media.
Some by supposedly enlightened people and professed Christains like Dele Momodu and Farook Kperoogi,a social commentator and others not well informed have joined the bandwagon attributing and insinuating the memo as an attempt by RCCG to draw support for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,a pastor and member of the church.
Some have even gone to the ridiculous in saying that the harmless memo written in plain language is a plan to introduce religion or divide the country along religious line thereby causing what Momodu described as conflagration.
I make bold to say that this claim is purely hysterical and ill motivated.
Are they just knowing that Osinbajo is a member of the political ruling class by his position or that his occupying that position is as a result of his membership of the RCCG.
Are they just knowing that Osinbajo is a Pastor and member of the RCCG or that Senator Remi Tinubu,an assistant Pastor is also a member of the church.?
In what ways have the contribution of these fellows in government affected others who do not share same faith with them negatively or positively in the last seven years?.
To insinuate that regulating,educating or mobilising the RCCG members is against or in favour of such aforementioned personalities is rather too pedestrian moreso when no mention was made of their name in the memo.
Over the years, it has become the norm for Christians or other religious leaders to distance themselves from participating in or campaigning for political office claiming such positions is for the worldly forgetting that when bad leaders are in power they make laws or govern in such a way that affects the life of christains and non christains .Afterall,when rain falls it falls on everybody ,the good,the bad and the ugly.
It is not possible in any clime for religious organisations to be immuned from government actions and policies .
In fact,government determine whether you are a citizen of a country or not.
Two years ago, the federal government came out to make laws to regulate the various religious organisations and how they run their finances.
In essence, the Church and other organisations are also a sub- set of governance.
The Bible says that “When the righteous are in authority,the people rejoice,but when wicked men rules,the people groan”-Prov 29:2
As citizens affected by the misrule of the day, what is wrong if churches or other religious bodies come together or put in place rules to ensure that only genuine office seekers both within and without the Church or other religious institutions gets to power.
It is a universal rule that when good men keep quiet,bad people get to government and position of policy making,consequently their actions positively or otherwise affect the lives of the citizens.
What the RCCG has done is simply to put a rule in place to guide,guard and sensitize those of it’s members interested in seeking public office on how to do so without compromising their Christain ethics and positions. This mat not be stated in black and white but this definitely is the far reaching goal they set out to achieve.
Over the years,it is quite apparent that lack of fear of God and respect for the people they govern have always been the bane of politicians and those in position of authority in Nigeria.
And it goes without argument that this attitude has been responsible for the failure of governance at all levels in Nigeria.
It is also evident that with our experience in governance in the past 23 years of civilian rule in Nigeria, the ruling political elite have failed woefully to meet the aspirations of the citizenry who clamour for democratic rule.
What it means in essence is that both the military which have ruled Nigeria for longer period of time and the political class itself have failed.
If they have not failed the Church or any religious organization will not show interest in politics and the participation of it’s members.
That the RCCG has set up an office of Directorate of Politics and Governance is an evident that the Church is not content with sitting idle while men entrusted with power through their votes messed up the country.
If all institutions of state and government itself have failed, it goes to show that the Church or any other faith organisation like Mosque or traditional worship would consequently be the Hope of the citizenry.
This is a reaction to systemic failure and should not be viewed from the prism of political partisanship like some would want us to believe.
Critics have to be reminded that lack of Fear of God has been the principal source of misrule at all levels in the country.
Conscious efforts to ensure that wicked leaders and participants do not get to elective office should be welcome by all and sundry.
If the political parties and political class cannot draw up code of conduct for politicians and live by it as the RCCG is trying to do,then we might as well threw up our hands and allow the rot in our body politics to continue.
As things stand today,most of our political office holders are there to cater for their selfish needs and fulfill their personal aspirations.
The attempt of the Church should be seen for what it is ,social regulation of activities of christains interested in governance to reflect the cardinal principle of Christ which is anchored on Love truth and social justice .
What is missing in Nigeria today is apparent lack of Love and concern for the citizenry by political leaders who design policies to oppress the people.
If they imbibe the virtues of love,discipline and sound ethical conduct as it is in the various religions-Christains, Moslem, and Traditional worshippers alike, perhaps Nigeria will be a better place today.
Ironically,our political leaders and ruling elite only play up religious sentiments to get to power through the church and or other religions bodies to get to power only to jettison the strong ethics of religion in their governance.
We are only religious and not God fearing. And this is the essence of regulation the Church is out to inculcate in it’s members interested in politics including voters and aspiring public officers so they could use their creed to ensure justice,equity and fear of God in governance.
Our principal problem is the fact that when politicians get to office they threw away their spiritual calling and fill their pocket and commit all sorts of crimes to maintain hold on power for altruistic ends.
