Religion is the strongest tool on earth. It can be used for wonderful actions that touch lives--Azuka Onwuka on "Why FRC should not allow its new law thwarted", The Punch(11-01-2017)
Last week Saturday, the General overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor E.A Adeboye, a revered man of God, a father to many, daddy G.O as he is fondly called by his church faithful’s made a shocking announcement at the annual RCCG ministers conference that took place on Saturday at the newly completed 3 by 3 km ultramodern worship centre in Shimawa,Ogun state, annual ministers thanksgiving is a program that takes place every first Saturday of the year, its a day set apart in the RCCG calendar to thank God for his unflinching mercies over the people of God, the monthly programs held, the yearly programs held, the leaders, ministers of God, workers, et al.
On this gracious day, ministers of God who for 52 Sundays have been wearing suit, T-shirt and tie will be seen wearing their various tribal wears like agbada, lace, babariga, atiku, etc as RCCG is a church with various ethnic groups, suffice to say anyone who is seen wearing an English dress on that day might be punished by the authorities of the church.
Daddy G.O as he is fondly called had gave out the watchword of the year as a year of “pleasant surprises” nobody in their imaginations would have had an inkling of what was going to happen, but at this shocking moment everywhere was silent like the graveyard as Baba announced he would be stepping aside, thereby handling over the affairs of the church to an Assistant General Overseer(Finance),Pastor J.O Obayemi, a man he said was "appointed by God".
After he made the resignation, he gave reasons for his actions citing the Financial Reporting Council stipulations called the corporate governance code which was signed into law in 2011, compelling all religious organisation heads to hand over the affairs of their various organisation at a compulsory age of 70 years or must have served for 20 years or pay tax.
The FRC is a unified independent regulatory body for accounting, auditing, actuarial, valuation and corporate governance. As such, compliance monitoring in these areas will hence be addressed from the platform of professionalism and legislation.
Quoting the law that forced Pastor E.A Adeboye to resign inter alia: “The founder or leader shall cease to occupy these three governance positions simultaneously. This is to ensure the separation of powers and avoid possible concentration of powers in one individual.
“The founder or leader may however choose – subject to the agreement of the organisation’s apex authority as expressed in the annual general assembly, annual meeting, annual stakeholder engagement, annual conference, annual synod, annual fellowship assembly or their equivalents – only one of these three governance positions subject to his current tenure. This is to ensure a clear division of responsibilities at the head of the organisation between the running of the governing body and the executive responsibility for the management and fulfilment of the organisation’s mission.
“Where the founder or leader has occupied all or any of these three governance positions for more than 20 years, or is aged 70 years or above, the choice in the section above should only relate to the board of trustees as in section below, except the constitution of the organisation otherwise provides.’’
In response to the new law and in response to the resignation of Pastor E.A Adeboye resignation, various Pentecostal churches have all risen up to say, we are not accountable to the government, why should they dictate the number of years we are to use as leaders of our churches to us, we are only accountable to God, but wait a second didn't Jesus said give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar? Jesus himself at a time when the roman emperor asked him for tax, he dutifully complied , when this men of God go about in an attempt to launder huge amount of money to purchase goodies, whose approval was taken? Is it God's approval? Is it not men's approval, when they go about building private universities their members can't afford whose approval was taken?, isn't that religious hypocrisy of the highest order, we have been blindfolded by religion, pastors will go about doing things that are not meant to be done, shouldn't there be an organization created to checkmate this excesses?, in the USA an inventory is taken into the account of every churches so why should our churches be different is, a country that wants to progress will look beyond religiosity and embrace accountability.
The law came at the right timing as it is obvious and palpable everyday as shocking revelations are tripping in about how this not-for-profit-organisations have digressed from their core values and what they they stand for, they are now known to be self-seeking all in the name of God, money has now become their main interest not the people who they are meant to lead, welfarism of members has become what they least cherish, as leaders of this organisations are now seen flying around in private jets at the expense of their member who still wear slippers to church, money meant to be spent on awarding scholarships to brilliant but indigent members are being used in building schools that their parents can't afford.
In my own view, I believe the government can't do everything, there is a need for an helping hands from the religious organisation thereby making the number of poverty decimate, citizens would not really feel the heat of governments inactions if religious organizations can make sure they provide foods to members at least in one of their worship days, there should be day set aside for welfarism, that day should be a day of giving back to the members afterwards the members have been the one contributing.
Suddenly after 72 hours of the resignation of Pastor E.A Adeboye, the enforcer-in-chief of the bill Mr Jim Osayande Obazee, FCA was sacked in what came as a shocking news to me as I could not fathom a tangible reason why a presidency whose sole aim as clearly stipulated at various times is to make sure corruption is totally eradicated from the country.
According to the mainstream media, the case of the law being dropped was agitated by the church and it was taken to court but the FRC won the case, knowing that Buhari still went on to sack the CEO of FRC, isn't that cluelessness?
This administration is clueless as I have always said, inside his kitchen cabinet are SGF Babachir Lawal who used 270 million naira to cut grass in IDP camps, Aisha Buhari and Abba Kyari who are currently in connivance with the high commissioner of Nigeria in UK lavishing our common patrimony on pleasurable things at the expense of an average Nigerian who has not eaten for some days and Rotimi Amaechi who is allegedly reported to have bribed a judge are still seen holding up to their jobs, people who should have automatically resigned.
Why has Buhari not ordered the immediate removal of this people aforementioned even with glaring evidences of clear incompetence and corruption? Is he (Buhari ) such in a hurry to react to religious matters(that has to do with Christians) in a way of getting there votes in 2019?
This is a clear case of chasing rats when one house is on fire, at a point when recession is biting harder, hardship has not even gone away, poverty is still stretching its harms and gripping citizens of this country but issues which have least interest are the ones this clueless administration is looking at, issues that need serious attentions like that of the Chibok girls, the ethno religious killings happening at southern Kaduna, what he only knows to do is to sign on the dotted lines of sack letters.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
God Bless Nigeria