Author: The Nation

• By Oluwole Ogundele

Prophesying is an important component of religions especially Christianity and Islam. Although these two world religious systems continue to undergo several transformations in Nigeria as elsewhere around the globe, the very existence and omnipotence of God can never be challenged. However, there are several complexities to grapple with, in order to advance our knowledge of this time-tested phenomenon.

Nigerian pastors need to understand more than hitherto, that the above world religions cannot be analysed and interpreted within the confines of parochialism, often centred on unbridled politicisation of issues. Narrow perspective in this context, is a manifestation of the smallness of the mental capacities of humans in relation to the subject of spirituality. There is a vast, unseen but real world which cannot be mathematised, despite the numerous theologies devised by humans with the passage of time.

Although the management of our everyday challenges, sensitivities and expectations, is one of the major concerns of all religions and religious leaders, we are still light years away with respect to the understanding and knowledge of the nature of God. The nature of God is located in the domain of unknowability, in spite of the various religious doctrines, political philosophies and scientific theories. Do pastors actually understand the hidden forces behind human events among other things?

The Nigerian pastors or ‘prophets’ must necessarily become much more ‘unselfed’. But unfortunately, there is an absence of the spirit of ‘otherness,’ capable of taking us nearer to divinity. Consequently, smooth communication with divine providence proves elusive in the extreme. This is not unconnected with excessive materialism-an encumbrance to healthy spiritual growth/angelhood. We cannot have our cake and eat it. The showmanship of most pastors and to a limited extent, Muslim clerics is not tantamount to robust Christianity and/or Islam. It is basically about opportunism. Humility and openness are of the essence. Indeed, God is beyond human comprehension despite our numerous degrees and diplomas in divinity and related subjects.

This is just about using our common sense as members of the Homo sapiens group. Every human being has his own talent(s) that is/are often poorly managed or used. Therefore, we should be trying hard to grow into angelhood even in the face of many challenges and temptations.

Given the above analysis, Nigerian pastors have to stop trivialising the subject of prophesying. The citizens are tired of their (pastors) expensive mockery. Political permutations are a world away from prophecies. The whole world is laughing at their jokes. I’m not yet aware of any segment of the global village where caution is cast to the winds like we do in Nigeria. Gift of prophecy is not for every pastor. It is not a birthday cake.

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In Jeremiah, chapter 23, verses 21 to 22, we are told not to be misled by fake prophets/pastors.  God reminds us in Hebrew, chapter 6, verse 18, that He is not a liar. By this token, every prophecy from God must finally come into fruition. The Bible emphatically tells us to disregard most (if not all) of the prophecies because God did not send these pastors. Religious freedom guaranteed by Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, should not be abused.   All of us have to try to work assiduously for national unity, peace, and progress. We must avoid drug-induced prophecies. Nigeria is currently too crisis-ridden to cope with more fake/bogus prophecies with all their debilitating consequences. I think our pastors need to be much more vocal than hitherto in the criticism of monumental corruption going on especially in the oil and gas sub-sector of the Nigerian economy. This is one way by which the Church can successfully interface with society. Indeed, gangster-religious activism is a threat to national cohesion. Enough is enough. It is on record, that in 2003, a Nigerian pastor boldly claimed that God had told him to contest for the presidential position. He went further to build castles in the air by saying that he would win at all costs. As far as this pastor was concerned, he was on a par with God. This day dream or fake prophecy never came to pass. What a huge joke! It is very laughable but equally irritating, that almost everyone engages in prophesying in Nigeria. Surprisingly, these guys hardly learn from the past. Regular and social media spaces are usually awash with all kinds of nauseating prophecies, as if there are no pastors in other parts of the world.

The recently held electioneering campaigns in Nigeria were very frightening until their successful conclusion. This scenario was largely due to ‘prophecies’ or ugly political permutations/calculations embedded in ethnicity and/or religion. Some pastors emphatically claimed that they had been told by divine providence that the February 25 presidential election would not take place. But this prophecy never came into fruition. Certain pastors also said that the Atiku/Okowa group would win the presidential election, and subsequently become our central political leaders. Others talked about the victory of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima. They (the pastors) claimed that BAT/KS would poll well, even though there would be no inauguration on May 29. This scenario reminds me of a popular Yoruba adage that goes thus: ‘rain falls despite the position of the Ifa diviner to the contrary.’ That is to say, that the supreme God had proven the divination expert wrong.   Therefore, were these pastors referring to the supreme God (known among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria as Olodumare) or some petty deities? This immutable, supreme God (Tamuno among the Ijaw of the south-south region of the country), can do and undo at any point in time and space. The mightiness of this mega force of all ages cannot be captured, even through the lens of rigorous mathematisation including sophisticated scientific explorations. Olodumare tells us in Jeremiah chapter 23, verse 23 as follows:

‘I’m the God who is everywhere and not in one place only. No one can hide where I cannot see him.’ Therefore, why all this tomfoolery?

I’m seizing this opportunity to humbly appeal to the Nigerian pastors to prayerfully support any elected political leadership in order to move the country forward. Again, the leadership of each religious organisation cannot afford to fold its arms, as some members continue to throw caution to the winds, under the guise of spiritual service to humanity. It is time to end the dramatics, in the interest of the common good. There is no doubt that Nigeria would remain in the dark or state of underdevelopment, so long as the religious and political leadership is tied to the apron strings of partisanship, lies, and deception on a gargantuan scale. Such a poor scenario paves the way for posterity to condemn this generation, for promoting a mundane existence at the expense of sustainable development.  More and more Nigerians are agonising in spite of our huge, enviable natural resources and world-class human capital. This is largely traceable to a gross lack of readiness of most citizens, to hold our leaders across the board accountable for their unpardonable, monumental corruption and poor governance.

•Prof Ogundele is of Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.