Post by Ibadan Watch (@Ibadanwatch)
Odumeje Says Clerics Should Speak Out Against Bad Governance.
Days after the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, said President Bola Tinubu was “doing his best” to address Nigeria’s security challenges, popular Onitsha-based cleric Chukwuemeka “Odumeje” Ohanaemere has offered a contrasting view on the role of religious leaders in holding government accountable.
The founder of the Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention and Deliverance Ministry, known for his outspoken sermons on politics and governance, said pastors have a biblical responsibility to rebuke bad governments rather than seek to benefit from those in power.
Speaking during a recent sermon, Odumeje mentioned Mr Adeboye by name before urging religious leaders to speak the truth, insisting that elected officials are accountable to the people, not the other way round.
He said, “I don’t want to talk to Adeboye; I don’t want to talk to that man. Do you know what they call a pastor? Go to the Bible, a pastor must rebuke a bad government. They shouldn’t look to benefit from it. We are fathers in the Lord. It is God who makes my voice heard in the world.
“It’s not because of you. It is for me to tell people the truth of what is happening, not for you. You don’t know me from anywhere. Any time you try to fight for the truth, or speak against the evil government of Nigeria, they will pursue you.”
“STOP PRAISING POLITICIANS”
The Anambra-born warned Nigerians to stop praising government executives, adding that the government belongs to all Nigerians.
He stressed that Nigerians must know their rights and wake up from their slumber.
“People are managing our resources and lavishing our resources, and we are praising them for managing resources that we sent them to look after for us. Governors, senators, presidents, or whatever you want to call them, they are there as your representatives. They are not there for you to serve them. They are there to serve every citizen of Nigeria, and they owe you accountability for the job you sent them to do, to serve you as a governor, a senator, or a president.
“We don’t know our rights in this country. That is why you see people celebrating ordinary roads: many countries built theirs long ago and have already forgotten about them, yet here we are celebrating them. The road you build is not your money. As a governor, it’s not your money. As a senator, it’s not your money. As a president, it’s not your money. It’s the money of all of us, the citizens of Nigeria,” he said.
NOTHING FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
Odumeje insisted that Nigerians cannot stay silent on important national issues.
He argued that politicians do not understand what national development actually means.
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