Our son can do no wrong

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The continuous bastardisation of the Nigerian psyche and our collective intellect really bothers me. We recently witnessed the return of a former governor of Delta state to his home town, after being incarcerated in the United Kingdom for robbing generations yet unborn of their future and possible access to healthcare, education, and other attributes of good governance. James Ibori was sentenced to jail in the United Kingdom for stealing over $250m while he was governor of Delta. One of the comments that startled me on social media, was by a young man who responded to a post where James Ibori was called a thief by saying, ‘is he your thief.’ The meaning that can be deduced from that statement is, since he is our son, even if he is a thief, he is our thief.

I remember the story of a man from a community ten kilometres from my home town, who several years ago was arrested in Netherlands, allegedly for drug trafficking offences. The people of his village went up in prayers to God for his release since according to them, he had at least used his ill-gotten wealthy to provide employment and educational opportunities for his own people. As far as they were concerned, ‘our son can do no wrong.’

As a young boy in secondary school, whenever I returned home from school with an item of clothing that was never purchased by my parents, my mum especially, will accost me, questioning me about where and how I got the item. I still bear on my back the marks of her whip for not being able to give proper account in some instances.

A Yoruba adage says, “omo yin o se agbafo on k’aso wa ile, ero’ju ole e o mu.” The interpretation in English is; you are not a dry cleaner and you keep bringing home all kinds of clothes, you must be a thief. I am thankful that I was raised by parents who taught me that, ‘our son can do wrong’ and when he does we must tell him, discipline him and correct him.

Our political landscape is replete with the ‘our son can do no wrong’ syndrome. Once we can identify a person as being from our own part of the country, we throw our sense of judgment away to defend them at all costs. We do all we can to protect our own, since ‘our son can do no wrong.’

I must say that many of those who have weakened the hands of the leadership of this country through the years are from their own part of the country. The constant play of the ethno-religious card, and the endless defence of wrong policies and programmes is the reason why Nigeria has struggled to become the giant of Africa since 1999.

It is recorded in history that the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius had a servant who followed him and whispered in his ear every time he received a compliment or achieved victory, “remember yourself mortal” you are just a man and not God” The purpose of this was to remind him of the great responsible he had to lead the people he was assigned over.

Is someone whispering into the ears of our leaders? From the churches to the mosques, from the Villa to the local government offices… Is someone saying, “You may be our son but you are doing wrong.” or are their ears blocked with ethno-religious chants of support.

The shouts and groans of this generation for good governance appears to be deafening today, probably because of the high cost of living and the huge discomfort Nigerians are experiencing at the moment. However once the situation changes and some ease sets in, most people will return to status-quo ante and the demands of good governance may take a back seat.

Sadly to most Nigerians, good governance is summed up by how much enters the belly of their son. No wonder no matter how much our son steals he can never do wrong and will always be our hero.

MONEY – The true test of Character

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MONEY- The true test of character.

We all know and quote the scripture from 1 Timothy 6:10, “…for the love of money is the root of all evil”. KJV. My father would often say to me, in narrating some of his experiences over the years, ‘Èsù ni owò’ (Yoruba) meaning “money is synonymous with the devil.” I know this isn’t accurate but I can clearly understand what he means

Having been around the circuit of life for a few years, I can say with all authority that the true test of a person’s character is how they respond to money. Money is like litmus paper that reveals the true character of an individual.

The story of Balaam in the book of Numbers 22 lends credence to this truth. Balaam was a prophet hired by Balak to curse the children of Israel. When the messengers of Balak came to Balaam, they had in their hands, the diviners’ fee. Balaam responded by saying that he would consult God to know Gods mind about the matter. Gods answer was clear, don’t go with them, you can’t curse what I have blessed. Even though Balaam communicated this to the messengers of Balak, they returned with more honourable men, princes and a promise of greater reward. Balaam went back to the Lord to ask if the Lord might have changed his mind. Obviously at this point the true character of Balaam was showing. He loved money and his prophetic gift became corrupted by his greed.

2 Peter 2:14 – They have gone off the road and become lost like Balaam, the son of Beor, who fell in love with the money he could make by doing wrong; 16 but Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey spoke to him with a human voice, scolding and rebuking him. TLB

I have had several relationships with people of all walks of life and until they pass the money test we cannot truly become covenant friends. I have seen promising business fall apart when the partnership began to thrive because the greed in one of the partners manifested. I often say that when people come together to pursue a common cause, their relationship is not tested until the company begins to make huge profits. In most cases, one partner begins to feel he is doing all the work and should be earning more and they fall apart.

Greed and the love of money has destroyed many families, relationships, businesses, friendships, churches etc.

Today’s Christianity sadly is littered with many who preach greed and not prosperity. Prosperity is what Gods Word promises but when your message has been reduced to the number of cars you own, your Salvatore Feragamo and Balenciaga shoes, the numbers of houses you have and the size of your wardrobe, then the spirit of Balaam has taken a hold of you and your message only will only stir up greed in the listeners. How did we get here?

Why must the performing of a miracle end with the collecting of offerings, if not that people are most likely to empty their purses when they see miraculous deeds.

Mobile phone number calling prophets are now manifesting everywhere giving out fake ‘words of knowledge’ that are actually ‘words from knowledge’. They simply send messengers ahead of their arrival at a conference to mingle with the people and extract information which they then use as ‘words of knowledge’

Why must people bring a “prophets offering” in order to access a man of God? Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the honour prescribed in scripture for those who minister the Word of God and serve as ministers of the New Testament, but such honour must be willing and not coerced if not it is no different from the “diviners fee” that was offered Balaam. How many needed to bring money in order to access Jesus? Let us not read our greed into his creed.

This is why the greatest asset for any Christian today is discernment. It may look, act and smell like church but that doesn’t mean it is the ekklesia that Christ is building.

Finally, there is a deafening silence amongst those who invested in the MMM scheme after the system froze. Social media was once agog with news about the profitability of the scheme followed by a massive defence even after CBN warnings. Amazingly those whose money have been lost in the system have become silenced. The reason is because they showed themselves to be people driven by greed even if they claimed it was need.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. NKJV

Never trust a person until they have passed the money test! Selah

EBOLA – My perspective!

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One thing I am certain about is that this ‘Ebola’ wind will eventually blow away like other viral infections that have appeared in recent times. It is however noteworthy that the level of fear that the Ebola incidence has injected into the hearts of Nigerians seems to have exceeded the fear of a terrorist attack by the dreaded ‘Boko Haram’. It is also clear to me that the attention Ebola has attracted is as a result of the constant local and global media emphasis. Take it off the airwaves and we will soon forget about its existence.
I guess what frightens most people about ‘Ebola’ is:
• There is no apparent cure for Ebola hemorrhagic fever. More than half of people infected in this outbreak have died.
• It’s a cruel end that comes within days. Patients grow feverish and weak, suffering through body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding, sometimes bleeding from the nose and ears.
• The damage can spiral far beyond the patients themselves.
• Outbreaks spark fear and panic.
(Source: World Health Organisation)

However here are some reasons why Ebola should NOT be feared:
• Ebola doesn’t spread easily, the way a cold virus or the flu does. It is only spread by direct contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat and urine.
• Family members have contracted it by caring for their relatives or handling an infected body as part of burial practices.
• People aren’t contagious until they show symptoms.
• Ebola has a mortality rate of about 55%.
(Source: World Health Organisation)

Ebola’s toll is minuscule compared to other diseases that kill millions of people. Malaria kills over 300,000 Nigerians per year according to a US report while HIV accounts for 215,000 deaths per year in Nigeria.
The most stupefying of all events surrounding the incidence of the Ebola virus is the emergence of a ‘SALT BATH DAY’ on Friday, 8th of August 2014. I woke up that morning to text messages and blackberry broadcasts prescribing salt baths and salt drinks as a cure for Ebola. The way this unfounded cure went viral was so alarming. What shocked me the most was the fact that educated and seemingly intelligent people also got into the frenzy of forwarding this information.
Someone might ask why Nigerians reacted with such fervency at this misinformation about Ebola. Here are the reasons why I believe this happened:
1. The fear of death.
So many us love life in spite of the levels of need and poverty that exist in our own spheres. We may be in need but we believe that with hope and faith, eventually everything is going to be alright. The idea or suggestion of death to the average Nigerian therefore often causes massive irrational behavior in a bid to preserve life.
2. Superstition.
The foundation of Nigerian/African culture is rooted in superstition, justifying the need for potions and charms, ceremonial washings and other such acts. It is believed for example that if your motor vehicle kills a duck while driving, you prevent death by putting a coin in its mouth. It is also believed in some quarters that yam peels should never be found in a home as it will bring an illness upon the entire household. The virgin cleansing myth in South Africa gained our attention a few years ago – A mistaken belief that having sex with a virgin girl cures a man of HIV, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted diseases. This myth is a potential factor in infant rape in South Africa.
Likewise the idea that a cure as accessible and affordable as bathing in salt water or drinking same is readily welcome. The placebo effect of such action can be soothing and calm the fear currently being entertained.
3. A religious system that has been infiltrated by superstition and African fetishism.
We currently have a new religion known as ‘christofetishism.’ which is practised in many churches. This is characterized by the drinking of Goya oil, popularly known as ‘anointing oil’. Others dip their fingers in milk and honey, taking daily licks because some ‘MOG’ instructed them that it will make their lives sweet and they will experience favor. Holy Water is now being sold for beguiled congregants to sprinkle and drink to evoke blessings, and salt is regularly sprinkled to sanitize homes and lands from evil spirits etc. Imagine Jesus Christ asking his twelve disciples to drink milk daily so that they will look like the land of milk and honey or become multi-millionaires. Even the suggestion of this is irritatingly absurd. This ‘christofetishism’ is simply a product of biblical illiteracy and the crafty tendencies of some who have appeared on the scene in a bid to acquire wealth. We have taken the shadows of the Old Testament and made them the reality of the New. Something Christ himself never did.
This same practise in the days of King Constantine who declared Christianity the official Roman religion solely for political gain in about AD313 is the reason why the church went into a season of apostasy known as “the dark ages”.
The question I ask in terminating these thoughts is; ‘Where is our faith in the God who is able to preserve us and keep sickness and disease away from our midst?’
To Ebola, I say; “Your days are numbered.”
To the numerous members of the body of Christ I ask; “Whose report will you believe?”