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.
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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.
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“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.
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“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.
He noted, “I have always said this: let us not forget that there has never been anything the government has done for this country. There is no development. Nothing is happening. I have said it all along, to every Nigerian: we can never keep quiet. These are people who don’t know what the development of a country means. The only thing they know how to do is embezzle and share money. We are no longer boys; we are now fathers.
“Ojukwu was 31 years old when he realised that what these people call the government of Nigeria was a deceit against the Igbo people. And this young man, at the age of 31, started fighting for the rights of everybody, a whole nation, the people of Igbo land. What an intelligent man. I will always appreciate this man, the hero of our time. This is my forefather. This is what led to the battle (civil war). There was even a time when every Igbo person looked to him.”
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Resources
Odumeje also said people shouldn’t praise anyone simply for having served as a governor, senator, or president.
He said they should judge them by whether they deliver on their promises.
“Their children are overseas, attending international schools. But the citizens of Nigeria, who own the resources, have no good schools for their own children. This government is lying. That’s why everything is turning upside down. And that is the problem Nnamdi Kanu faces, too. If they know what these people are saying, why are they rejecting them? Why is there so much conflict in the northern region?
“It’s because there are a lot of resources, such as mining, gold, that you yourself may not even know about. That is why they are chasing many villages away. The villages being chased away are the ones with resources. Nigeria doesn’t know what is really going on. So the people doing business with this mining are now fighting a fake country, with fake leaders. I’m disappointed. My age feels like a failure. Ojukwu was 31 years old before he knew what was right.”
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