…Come to think of it, who else but a president like Obasanjo could have opened our eyes to the do-or-die nature of our politics and, given our recent experience, be so deadly accurate? Who else but “Pastor Matthew”, a born-again Baptist who holds a Diploma in Theology from the National Open University of Nigeria could have taught us that the divine power of the Lord Jesus does not extend to the peaceful and orderly change of leadership in Nigeria? Who else could have earned the tag of “devil incarnate” from the normally unflappable Christian Association of Nigeria; and recommendation of deliverance from Bishops? Who else, but a man, who never found it necessary to deny sleeping with his daughter-in-law, could have recommended the Bishops themselves for deliverance – and for good measure, add ‘you journalists’?
If an Olusegun Obasanjo had not been born, the Nigerian media would have had to create him. We would have had to create him for one simple reason – he is such good copy! He has his own peculiar way of stirring things up. He is a combination of what you might call the good, the bad and the ugly – though it is hard to say in what proportion.
In his PUNCH column last Sunday, my friend, Tunde Fagbenle, had the unenviable task of defending himself against accusations, by a late friend’s brother, of hating OBJ. The hatred issue was the easiest part because, like Tunde himself said and I know it to be true, he is incapable of hating anybody. The difficult part was defining his feelings about the man. And it went something like, yes, he has some good parts, but well, the rest, you don’t want to know! Tunde shouldn’t have bothered – no real journalist ever hates a good “copy.” I personally wonder about this mule of a man, strong, stubborn and, sometimes …you know that other s-word that defines a mule.
Come to think of it, who else but a president like Obasanjo could have opened our eyes to the do-or-die nature of our politics and, given our recent experience, be so deadly accurate? Who else but “Pastor Matthew”, a born-again Baptist who holds a Diploma in Theology from the National Open University of Nigeria could have taught us that the divine power of the Lord Jesus does not extend to the peaceful and orderly change of leadership in Nigeria? Who else could have earned the tag of “devil incarnate” from the normally unflappable Christian Association of Nigeria; and recommendation of deliverance from Bishops? Who else, but a man, who never found it necessary to deny sleeping with his daughter-in-law, could have recommended the Bishops themselves for deliverance – and for good measure, add “you journalists”?
On this latter subject, look what tomes of brilliant copies have been born! One of them which turned out to be a two-part affair was by Casmir Igbokwe, Sunday Punch editor. who played an OBJ by pointing out who else needs deliverance in our land apart from OBJ, the Bishops and journalists, that is. He failed to include a certain set of people among those who need to see deliverance ministers, and thus drew the ire of one of our colleagues.
In the event, he received a salvo from Tayo Odunlami, Deputy Editor of TheNEWS magazine which reads: “Casmir, I read your piece in last Sunday’s edition and yes, a lot of people truly need deliverance. But I observed how you skirted round the issue of so-called men of God in dire need of deliverance, by mentioning only Muslim clerics; you were clearly being partisan, due obviously to your religion. You wouldn’t mention this crap about these mercantilist fraudsters parading as Christian men of God. I hope you are not already a victim of the criminal brain washing you spoke about. I am a Christian myself but as I always say to people, I am a thinking Christian rather than the mass of mere church-going, tithe-enslaved zombies that especially Pentecostal pastors have successfully created to suit their mad greed for money. Unfortunately, when they play God, many believe them. Those who sold the idea of taking some Christian clerics to Yar’Adua must have convinced the family these characters could actually give him life: and at what cost of our money? These men would collect money from the dead, as they do in the name of gifts, offerings and tithes from roughish bank chiefs and government officials and all sorts of criminals. They collect money from the poor to establish schools that only children of the rich can attend. No qualms, no conscience. Men of God? Casmir, let’s shout it loudly those who truly need deliverance, without fear.”
Of course, Casmir defended himself as best he could, but I wonder if Tayo read that piece over. The pastors who were invited are identifiable, the event is well known, the suggestion that they went to see the late Yar’Adua for money had therefore better be accurate or a certain kind of writ may be on its way! Even “thinking” Christians need to think things through; don’t you think?
And to think that all of these is because of a Thursday evening speech in faraway Washington DC in which a certain “thinking Christian” told his audience at the Leon H. Sullivan Dialogue on Nigeria held at the National Press Center, in the USA capital that: “with all due respect, if Jesus Christ could come to the world and be the chairman of INEC, any election he would conduct will be disputed!” He thoughtfully left out a name that could have earned him a “fatwa”! So much for bravado!
In all of these, I wonder if anybody has noticed that Jesus Christ has been conducting his own elections. By the time you read this, a man called Goodluck Jonathan would have been in office as substantive President, Federal Republic of Nigeria for about three weeks, a clear five years before he would have qualified to even try! A certain architect and state governor, Namadi Sambo, who was pushing the candidacy of some other politician colleagues for the office of Vice President would have settled in that office for five days. And to crown it all, Patrick Nakowa, technocrat turned politician, a man in the vanguard of urging his predominantly Southern Kaduna people to wait till 2015 before shooting for the governor’s seat has become Kaduna State substantive Governor in May 2010.
Obasanjo and people like him may not see it; they may in fact delude themselves that it was their fancy political foot-work that has brought all of these about. But I know differently. I know that power has slipped out of their hands; not snatched by more powerful political opponents, but by the One who truly owns it – God the Almighty, whose foremost Son, Jesus Christ is alive and well in the affairs of Nigeria.
Interestingly, part of Professor Wole Soyinka’s statement on the death of the late President Yar’Adua comes in very apt in concluding this piece. Wrote the Nobel laureate: …. One can only hope that, while mouthing sanctimonious platitudes such as “power belongs to God,” they have now learnt that the politics of Do-or-Die cannot guarantee who does and who dies. They must stop playing God…”
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