The Nigeria of today, how parents and churches can make a huge difference.

I took 30 minutes out of my busy time last week to review happenings in and around us because this country is one big theater in which just when you think that the event of yesterday would be the worst scene in the movie, something else mind blowing springs up that makes you lose your breath.

Where do i start from?!

Act 1, Scene 1
The following took place between 12.01am and 11.59pm; 29th September 2012
Four (4) students of the University of Maiduguri killed by unknown gunmen. Mourning mode was activated in the country. Just when we were about deactivating that mode;

Act 1, Scene 2
The following took place between 12.01am and 11.59pm; 1st October 2012
Thirty-three (33) students of Adamawa State Polytechnic, Mubi, sluttered. Our mourning days were automatically increased by the system. Just when we were rounding off, no sooner had we began to undress from the overall black attire into our party dresses then this stepped in;

Act 1, Scene 3
The following took place between 12.01am and 11.59pm; 5th October 2012
Four (4) students of University Of PortHarcourt humiliated, beaten blue-black, and roasted alive, not by aliens but by fellow humans. After I watched the horrifying clips online (Watch here) I said to myself, was the city of Sodom and Gomorra not better?!

These departed souls deserve more than just the ritual 1-minute silence. It is high time we shutdown this country for 1440-minutes, so that everyman can sit down in his hut and tell himself the basic truth, which is that; the Family-Structure which is breeding these set of young generation is fast failing, and secondly the church which should serve as a Moral-Check in the society has Failed.

I grew up in a strict-moral family where as a little child, bringing home from school the least item like a crayon, or pencil which was not bought for you would earn you the beatings of your life & marching order to return the same item immediately, under sun/rain.
We had a society where your friend’s mother would come right into your house to ask you if truly the N1 in her son’s school bag was from you. But today what do we find! children go to school without writing materials but come back home with items which an accumulated annual income of their parents cannot buy, yet such a child is celebrated.

Today a young man goes to Lagos with just a shirt and trouser, and comes back in 3 months with a Jeep, and he is honoured with chieftaincy title, ordained a deacon in the church. Ask yourself this; When last did you see any child being locked-out & is sitting outside of the house door-post because he/she exceeded the time period within which he/she must return from school or play outside? When last did any child come to beg you to please come and plead to his/her parents on their behalf because the parents have threatened to beat hell out of them for misconduct?

Fellow Nigerians, even if we had/have a ratio of one Policeman to one Citizen, crime and criminality will not abate so long as we continue to run a lose moral family up-bring as we currently have today. Parents despite the hard economic situations, must not be too busy with their jobs & businesses to the detriment of giving their children the proper parental up-bring.

Importantly, lets talk about the church as it relates to these sad happenings. I have often been criticized by people who say I am too hard on the church. Some call me anti-church. But what do they expect of me when if you look at most Pentecostal churches today during offering time, a man stands out at the altar and boldly announces to the congregation filled with poor, wretched, frustrated, confused, & unemployed, that it is written: Thou shall not appear before the Lord empty handed. Just imagine such a statement in a church where probably 80% of the youths cant afford two square meal daily and are equally heavily dependent on their parents/guardian for their day to day survival.

In those good old days, when a man is confused and filled with worries over the issue of life he runs to the church for comfort and is encouraged of a better tomorrow when he sees people of his kind there & the show of love and charity by the rich to the poor. But today most Pentecostal churches have turned out to be Ministry of finance- annex.

Today, Pastors are no longer examples of the humble and modest lifestyle of the one whom they claim to preach. If you become a Pastor today, next week you’ll drive a Mercedes Benz and in one month you should have a brand new Jeep packed for you.

If you become a Pastor today, in three months you no longer wear Nigeria-native materials, instead Suits which the US President cannot even afford becomes like pure-water to you.

If you become a Pastor today, to show that the Lord is good, you must wear Two-Gold Rings, One on each finger.

If you become a Pastor today, in three months, carrying the bible to the altar becomes old fashion, as Apple iPads and laptops will reign.

Wetin we no go see for this end-time. No thanks to the CBN Governor-Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, we now have E-Payments so the Church may as well go digital, be adopting E-Tithing and E-Offering.

As a matter of seriousness, the church holds the key to transforming moral lifestyle of her flocks. Nigeria is a very religious country. Both the Good, Bad, & Worse persons you can think of at one time or the other of the year attends a church service. So if the Men-Of-God will return back to the preaching of; Thou Shall Not Kill, Thou shall not steal, Thou shall not covert your neighbour’s property, then the better for us all.