When Religion Fails the State
By: Deji Yesufu
The political crisis in Nigeria during her first republic was based fundamentally on differences in ideological makeup between the leading political figures in Nigeria. The greater divide existed between Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and leader of the Northern People’s Congress, and Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the Action Group. This difference was this: the Sarduana came from a feudalist system of thinking, while Awolowo had a socialist worldview. These differences were quite obvious even in their personal lives. For instance, Ahmadu Bello would prefer to pay his drivers, cooks, and other personal staff, whom the state had employed to serve him, himself, using state resources. He said it fostered a sense of loyalty to him; that if the people working for him discovered that it was the state paying them, they would not serve him in the manner he preferred. On the other hand, Awolowo operated such a system of equality in his life that he ensured that all the children of his drivers, cooks, and other personal staff, both employed by the state and those he would later bring to work for him when he was no longer in government, all went to the same school his children went to. His home was usually agog with children’s activities – because everyone had access to him. While the Sardauna had a mighty fence around his house, and a gate that required an anti-tank rocket propeller to pull down (during the January 1966 coup), Awolowo never had a fence around his house. The fence constructed around his home at Oke-Ado is a very recent development.
I introduce this essay this way because I am convinced that the feudalist mentality that many northerners operated in the first republic has crept into Nigerian churches and has made her unable to provide a voice to the socio-political and economic debate in Nigeria that could bring about a New Nigeria. I have promised that I would no longer speak on the subject of a grown man kneeling for David Oyedepo, but the matter keeps returning because I realize that many people just do not see what is plain wrong about the whole fiasco. They think it is normal for a grown man to kneel for long for another man – with flesh and blood. “What is the big deal…” they say; “You are jealous of Oyedepo because your ministry is not as successful as his…” others say. And, sincerely, it all looks like culture shock to me. I never knew that people could be so servile in their thinking. All of that changed, however, as I went to the bank yesterday.
I was at a Nigerian bank yesterday to revive a dormant account. The Customer Care lady explained to me that since my address had changed, it would require that one of the bank’s marketers follow me home and ascertain my new address. So, up we went. Now, I love people and the moment I have the opportunity to be alone with anyone, I want to know about them: their family, religious persuasions, and even economic state. It was not long before I began to probe this young man about his life. He is just newly employed at the bank. He earns very little – in fact, such a paltry amount that I dare not mention it here lest that bank is found out, and cast in a bad light. He is newly married and they are expecting their first child. But all that was written on his face was stress: how do I survive? I explained to him that from my calculation, his salary would barely take him home, given where he is transiting to and from work. He explained that he had little choice – it was better than sitting at home doing nothing. I showed him the post I crafted to Facebook while waiting for them to attend to me at the bank, where I lamented the bootlicking culture among Nigerians. I said I think I understand why many people kneel for others for a favour now: there is so much difficulty in the land, that most people owe their existence to the goodwill of some big man. The guy agreed. He told me that during my time (the way he said it, I felt so old), things were a lot better. He said right now, things are so difficult. People are doing anything to survive. So, all these people defending Oyedepo for allowing a man to kneel for him, are perhaps, themselves, living off the favour of others. They all freely kneel when the occasion appears for them to curry the favour of one big man somewhere. The Ahmadu Bello feudalist culture has fully returned to South-west Nigeria and pastors are the leading purveyors of the nonsense.
In my essay titled “David Oyedepo at 70” I made the point that the state of Nigeria should be blamed on her pastors and politicians. I provided the caveat that I would not include Imams, and other leaders of religions here. The reason is simple: at the core of the Islamic worldview is feudalism. A hierarchical system is already built in Islam – it is the reason why the Sardauna of Sokoto espoused the kind of political ideology he did. His people did not question him because they are taught daily at the Mosque that it is the will of God for some people to be born poor, and others to be born rich. And the faithful must adhere to the will of God. Of course, Muslims in the southern parts of Nigeria will put another bent to their interpretation – but generally, that was how feudalism reigned in northern Nigeria. In the South-west, however, due to exposure to Western education and Christianity, the Christian worldview of God creating all men equal; that within each man is a God-given ability to become all that God has destined him to be; and, that with hard work and perseverance, one can become anything one wishes to become, people here have no limitations – they understand that they can become anything they set their minds to be. They then employ the tool of education and rise through life. As they do this, they understand that whatever they are today is by the grace of God alone. They never lose sight of God’s mercies to them, and they understand that in sowing mercy to other people, they also will find mercy. The Christian worldview of love, hard work, social justice, and equity is ingrained in them. Unfortunately, all these are being eroded by a feudalist mentality that is taking over the churches in our nation.
When a state begins to adopt debilitating cultures, that demean men that God created, it is the Christian church that should remind us to do the right thing. Christian leaders should preach and live humility. The people under us tend to deify us; they tend to raise us to unhealthy heights that God has not placed us. It requires grace at heart for Christian leaders to caution their people against hero-worshipping them; reminding them that whatever they may have achieved is by God’s grace alone. While the churches will always have leaders, the spirit of equality and brotherhood must never leave a church. The churches must live the doctrine of equality of all men, and teach the nations the culture that all men are created by God, and all should have access to equal opportunities that the state provides. While socialism is not necessarily a Christian doctrine, there are elements in it that arose from the Bible. The book of Acts tells us that when the Holy Spirit was freshly poured out on the churches, everyone shared what they had equally. Is it a surprise that when the Holy Spirit is deprived in a church, a spirit of selfishness pervades the space; people trample on each other; the poor are despised; and the rich create classes in the gathering? When society begins to go down, it is the church that should remind her what the path of truth should be. Pastors should teach the political leadership what is right both by what they say and what they do. When this does not happen; when poverty, crime, corruption and all kinds of evil reign in society, it is usually because religion has failed the state – religious leaders have simply failed to show the culture the path of moral rectitude.
Deji Yesufu is the pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church Ibadan. He is the author of HUMANITY.
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