THE CHURCH AND THE STATE OF THE NATION

Archbishop Nicholas Okoh

“Our unrighteousness is why God is allowing the church to be so attacked and lives of Christians are being lost. While we are examining the national aspect of it, we need to look inward to see whether our hands are dirty. If our hands are dirty, then we should repent so that God can have mercy on us and take away the reproach upon us.”


The Primate of Anglican Communion, Rev. Nicholas Okoh, was last week reported to have attributed the recent successful attacks on churches by the militant group, Boko Haram, to the unrighteousness of many Christians. He therefore said there was need for Christians to repent and seek divine assistance.

According to media reports, the Primate spoke at the Anglican Communion Cathedral Church of the Advent while receiving a Nigerian Red Cross delegation on a visit to the church.

He told his visitors: “Our unrighteousness is why God is allowing the church to be so attacked and lives of Christians are being lost. While we are examining the national aspect of it, we need to look inward to see whether our hands are dirty. If our hands are dirty, then we should repent so that God can have mercy on us and take away the reproach upon us.”

He wasn’t alone in this line of thought. Also last week, Sunday Tribune carried a piece headlined, “Church Leader Blames Insecurity jn Nigeria on Sinful Leaders.”  Written by Shola Adekola, the report quoted one Apostle Victor Ajayi, of Ona Iwa Mimo, Cherubim and Seraphim, Nigeria and Overseas, in a district of the church in Ipaja, Lagos, as saying that “the spate of insecurity ravaging the unity of the country has been attributed to the grievous sins committed by leaders in Nigeria”.

Positing that “all the crises presently affecting Nigeria are signs of end time as revealed by the word of God, he said, “it has been revealed that when the end is approaching, there would be many tribulations that are caused by our sins as we are witnessing through the activities of Boko Haram, kidnapping and armed robbery among others…All these are caused by our sins but God loves Nigeria. There are many sinners in our society that is why we are witnessing all these ungodly acts.”

Into the mix came a threat, (or is it a promise?), from the Southeast Zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria to close down unregistered churches.

The Nation newspaper attributed the story to zonal chairman and Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma. His words, (as reported by Chris Orji): “We are worried about the activities of churches that are springing up in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, but are committing all forms of atrocities and soiling the image of Christianity…In the Southeast, we will shut any church that is not registered with CAN. Some of them have become the hideouts of robbers, kidnappers and other criminals.”  CAN plans to enlist the services of security agencies in effecting the shut-downs.

Do these reports signify a change of focus in addressing the National Question? Is a new awareness of the poor state of the hearts of Nigerian Christians, clerics, government and corporate leaders as well as the led (mostly men), going to begin to receive the required attention? Please let’s look at it together next time.