Last Sunday, August 27th, 2023, I sat for five hours at an Anglican Church watching the pomp and pageantry that accompanied what used to be a solemn ceremony in the days of yore. I wonder what those who originally passed the “Bishops in Foreign Countries Act of 1841” would feel about the service at Archbishop Vining Memorial Service. As an extension of indirect rule, (the Church system was a part of our colonisation, including of the mind), it was realized that consecrating “natives” as Bishops of the Anglican Church would be a good buy-in strategy. The British Parliament primarily focused the accommodating and supporting arm on its conquest on: ownership, and control of human and material resources of African lands it could grab. It was possible to get an erudite Ajayi Crowther as Bishop from that effort. He had been forcefully dragged into the other heinous crime committed against Africans – dehumanising slavery.
Archbishop Leslie Vining had died at sea on the day I was born. So, in our traditional philosophy, I can be said to be a reincarnation of the first Archbishop of West Africa. At the invitation of my boss, Prof. Chinedum Peace Babalola, the Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, I was sitting in a Cathedral named after Vining, in the Lagos West Diocese as The Most Reverend Henry C. Ndukuba, Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, presided over the consecration of four Bishops-Elect, the presentation of two Archbishops (Provinces of Lagos and Kaduna) & the Dean of the Church of Nigeria. The new Bishops are Right Reverend Collins Olufemi Babalola, Bishop Festus Uzorka Nwafili, Bishop Ifedola Senasu Okupevi, and Bishop Ebenezer O. Saiki. The Most Reverend Dr. Michael O. Fape was presented as the Archbishop of the Province of Lagos while The Most Reverend Dr. Timothy Yahaya, was presented as the Archbishop of Kaduna Province. The Most Reverend Dr. Blessing C. Enyindah, was also presented as the Dean of the Church of Nigeria. The Primate of the Church of Ghana was also in attendance. Mrs. Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Governor of Lagos State was in attendance. The Church pampering to politicians gave her an opportunity to say “Hello” and she took a chunk of time to introduce all politicians and their spouses attending the Church service before delivering a written address from the Governor.
I am glad I attended this beautiful ceremony and was enamoured with its fantastic rituals, a word not limited to the Iṣẹṣe practitioners, but, by the very – word which, the Iṣẹṣe people were demonised by as part of mind control strategy by the Church. The Church, in search of adherents, had to create a counter culture that saw most aspects of the lives of Africans as heathen practices. But it did not stop there. To control the mind is to control the person. Till date, we continue to struggle over who we are. Even advanced minds like that of late Prof. Sophie Oluwole found answers for how the Yoruba are the same with the Abrahamic religions over the issues of God and Satan as well as Heaven and Earth. On Satan in Yoruba, a counter effort is on in Brazil in trying to correct the translation error of Ajayi Crowther in suggesting that “Eṣu” is Satan. The Yoruba of Brazil are pointing to the true Yoruba position that “Eṣu” is another deity like “Ogun” etc. They definitely know better than young impressionistic Ajayi Crowther who could not have been as versed in the Yoruba culture that those in Brazil took with them and continued to hand down till date; generations to generations yet unborn.
There was a sea of Bishops, 161 of them, in their respective signature red cassocks. There was drumming, trumpeting, singing, including songs in Nigerian languages and dancing. Even the dancing to drop some naira for the Church as cheerful givers was fun. It was nice with so many beautiful women wriggling along with their respective curves in different colourful attires. At least, we have now gone beyond the thinking that you must dress like Europeans to come before God. I joined in the dancing, maybe as payback to my friend Prof. Venerable Olufemi Onabajo, who possessed, danced like ‘kokoro’, as the Yoruba would say. He had joined me in the dancing to the drum beats post my inaugural at Chrisland University, Abeokuta, on July 5, 2023. Hence my payback.
Most important for me, however, was the sermon by The Most Revd. Dr. Joseph Akinfenwa, the Bishop of Ibadan Diocese. He stated that every Church must prioritise soul-winning for Christ. I hasten to note that a retiring Archbishop in justifying why he must leave with a huge retirement package did not emphasise the souls he won but rather by how much he had expanded on the material wealth of the Church during his term of office. Bishop Akinfenwa delved into life practicalities when he pointed to an important role of Bishops and their wives: giving congregants shoulders to lean on and receive succour.
He asked if there was anyone in the Church who was not embarrassed by the level of corruption in Nigeria. I am, but know that many are not. If many are embarrassed by corruption, we would have stamped out corruption. He noted that the man who came to power to slay corruption so that corruption would not kill Nigeria was himself given a technical knockout to the extent that at the end of his eight years in office, corruption was humongous. He pointed out that we were offered hope from this disastrous situation. But when Nigerians examined the people in the Legislature, they screamed as the list gave no hope on countering corruption. The thought of hope arising from the cabinet of the present administration resulted in a fainting spell among the people as they could not believe that a new government asking for sacrifice would appoint 48 Ministers when America has 15. Definitely, the number is a lot.
Comparing with the United States may imply a faulty comparison though. This is because President Tinubu’s list contains Ministers of State who are really Assistant Ministers. The equivalents in America are many given the fact that they have Deputy and Assistant Secretaries of State that are not counted among the figure 15. Nonetheless, whatever the number the US has, they are working for a wealthier state as opposed to our own pauperised country from colossal thefts of the past by Ministers and their cohorts. More importantly though was the point made by the preacher that 41 out of the 48 Ministers are recycled from past thefts with cases before the different anti-corruption agencies. Nine of the 48 as pointed out by the Bishop of Ibadan are politicians who were past governors with F9 results in enriching the Nigerians who were entrusted to them. And this category is worse with the “iberiberism” in the Senate arm of the Nigerian legislature which has become the resting grounds for those with politically arranged dormancy of cases before Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies.
The erudite preacher wondered about why spend colossal amounts on elections that are normally accompanied by sorrows, wailing and cries as well as humongous expenditures in the judiciary processes that of necessity accompany our so-called democracy. Would it not be better to handpick from among our past so-called thieving leaders and we move on? Dr. Akinfenwa thundered aloud. Definitely, such a bold move being suggested by the preacher would save us from having the harrowing experiences from the deception that Nigerians are being subjected to: the Big Lie that we are a democratic nation. Elections, (I have severally written), is not democracy. Election is a mode for leadership selection. Even then, some form of elections for popular participation is one third of the popular definition of democracy: government of the people, by the people and for the people. In that one-third, modalities for elections vary from a vote of all in a referendum to votes among parties that are fractions of the same ideological orientation and competition among those of starkly different ideological orientations as well as leadership selection with a mass party like the Chinese Communist Party.
The preacher rightly stated that good people must be in the majority with respect to our leadership if we must move forward. He noted that the four Bishops being consecrated are assuming office during trying times for our country. As he enjoined them to fast and pray, he asked them to constantly speak up constructively against evil in our society. This call very much resonated with me. Our preacher was endorsing what is known as liberation theology, i.e., the freeing of our minds towards the pursuit of freedom. In such a case, signalling the need to ensure that fewer people would have to be seeking succour leaning on the shoulders of Bishops and their wives. In effect, the logical conclusion is that Nigerians must walk on two legs in the pursuit of a comfortable room in the hereafter: they must seek comfort here on earth by holding our mis-leaders to account here on earth.
The Bishops are in a position to do a lot. They should stop behaving like many of their Pentecostal brethren who extort at will and in the process, are accomplices to thefts even if they pretend not to see that the gifts being brought to Church in the form of planes/plane rides cum holidays abroad, luxurious vehicles like limousines, choicy materials for comfort, including foods and wines etc., are proceeds from crimes against Nigerians. To reject bribes in exchange for anticipated entry into the Heavenly Kingdom would be helpful in reducing the levels of corruption among Nigerians. If we start targeting thieves and their family members by refusing to conduct their burial services and marriage of their children and several creative ways, the Church will be helping the transformation of our land away from corruption and thereby enthroning the rule of law which further curbs corruption. Enthroning probity should be the way forward for the new Bishops who should be winning clean souls for Christ. We must arrest the latter-day normality being bestowed on corruption, including stealing. Boldly calling out thieves as our fore-fathers did would reduce the collective ills we are being subjected to. Many Imams are standing up and boldly saying the truth to power by chastising our thieving misleaders. Some Imams are even cursing them for the misery and squalour we are being subjected to. This is unlike the situation at the traditional Churches where the pastors are busy praying for thieves who have been imposed on us by the ‘shifting alliances of thieves’ we call political parties in Nigeria. Of course, a good number like the preacher are beautifully speaking up. I recounted in a published piece, the beautiful sermon of The Right Reverend Dr. Peter Oludipe, the Anglican Bishop of Ijebu diocese, at Imaka, on November 26, 2022, on this major issue that joins leadership deficit and unfriendly external dynamics, failure of institution building etc., to hold Nigeria back from progress.
However, there is no doubt that there is yet to emerge, a critical mass of dedicated voices speaking up as well as acting against corruption even if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria is, so far, avoiding the word like a plague. More importantly is the need for leadership in the larger society, beyond politicians, and including religious leaders who must lead organised efforts against corruption. We can only overcome if we dare to challenge the current subjugation of our people here on Earth. It is worth it to strive for a better life on Earth, without hurting the chances of eternal life in Heaven or Al Jannah or even in the reincarnation beliefs of the Iṣẹṣe practitioners.
There should be a collective mass of voices and actions against corruption amongst the adherents of all religions. Bishops and other religious leaders must extricate themselves from corruption and not continue to offer part time services at the vineyard of corrupt politicians, but continue to serve as sounding boards of probity and uprightness needed to make the world a better place.
Babafemi A. Badejo, is a former Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, a UN and an AU Consultant.
