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of God:
11 January 2011
A Plea To Seven Ministers of God:
To:
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Pastor Tunde Bakare
Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Pastor D.K. Olukoya
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
Bishop David Oyedepo,
Grace, mercy and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the aftermath of the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1957, Martin Luther
King, Jr invited 60 other black ministers to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to
discuss the formation of an organization to address the injustices melted upon
members of the African-American community. The organization, which was named
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), was formed to draw on the
unity of the churches to fight for racial justice through nonviolent resistance.
In explaining the purpose of the organization, Martin Luther King stated that “This
conference is called because we have no moral choice, before God, but to delve
deeper into the struggle—and to do so with greater reliance on non-violence and with
greater unity, coordination, sharing, and Christian understanding’’.
Consequently, the average Nigerian has become tired of being tired, frustrated of
being frustrated and sick of being sick. Unlike the Civil Rights era in the USA where
a strong majority oppressed a weak minority, in today’s Nigeria, a strong minority is
oppressing a weak majority. Similarly, while a number of African-Americans were
lynched and hung on trees or buildings, many Nigerians have met their untimely
deaths on the nooses of inadequate health facilities and poor roads; while African-
Americans experienced racial segregation, many Nigerians experience class
segregation whereby the 'have’s not' are denied access to justice, quality education
and healthcare.
You may wonder, why I have chosen to select and write to you out of the numerous
church leaders in the country. I have done so for two reasons. First, I want to direct
the letter to a target audience as this could make it more personal than the general
nature of my previous letter titled An Open Letter To the Nigerian Church, which
was addressed to over 500 ministers.
(See http://zangodare.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/nigerianchurch/)
Second, you happen to be either at the vanguard in the fight for social justice or you
shepherd some of the fastest growing churches in the country and your congregation
cuts across a varied segment of the Nigerian society.
Another reason why a NCLC is needed is because of the significant role the church
plays in the Nigerian society. The church is one of the major pillars of Nigerian
society and plays an important role as one of the moral guardians of the community.
Every Sunday, millions of Nigerians gather at various churches around the country to
worship God. As a result, the church leadership as well respected members of the
community can play an important role in mobilizing the congregation towards
demanding social justice from the ruling class.
Moreover, as shepherds to their congregation, the church leadership cannot afford to
remain silent when government policies and actions negatively impact their flock.
Afterall, who is better positioned to articulate the concerns and aspiration of the
people more than the church leadership?
Finally, a broad based organization like the proposed NCLC could help to effectively
amplify the Christians cry against injustice, oppression and classism. Currently only a
few Christian leaders are vocal and active on issues relating to social justice; as a
result, the cry of these lone voices standing in the wilderness of concern have been
drowned by the silence of the majority of Christian leaders sitting on the mountain of
apathy.
Structure of NCLC
What form should the NCLC take? What issues should it address? How should it be
structured?
As the name suggests, the NCLC could be formed by a coalition of leaders from the
various churches in Nigeria. An elected Board comprising of representatives from the
various church leadership and representatives from the laity could govern the NCLC.
For the NCLC to be successful, membership should comprise of individuals who are
committed to eradicating oppression, injustice and classism in Nigeria. Membership
could also be open to non-Christians.
The objective of the NCLC would be to use Christian principles to confront all forms
of oppression, injustice, tribalism and classism in Nigeria.
The NCLC would begin by engaging with policy-makers to ensure that government
policies and actions protect the people at the margin of society.
The second task of the NCLC would be to highlight and attempt to address the
poverty and income inequality that is prevalent in Nigeria.
The third task would be to engage with leaders in the Muslim community with a view
to promoting and encouraging harmony between Christians and Muslims.
Like the SCLC, the fourth crucial task of the NCLC would be to frame the struggle of
the millions of oppressed Nigerians in moral terms. Where actions of the privileged
class impede the economic, political or social rights of the masses, the NCLC should
be at the vanguard of resisting the oppressors. The NCLC should not be afraid to
challenge corrupt politicians, unscrupulous bankers, greedy oligarchs and uncivilized
civil servants.
The NCLC could use various strategies to achieve these tasks including advocacy,
sermons, dialogue and mobilization of its large congregational base to carry out non-
violent peaceful mass protests. However, in carrying out its tasks, the NCLC should
always have as its foundation the principle of love as instructed by our Master and
Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Nigeria currently faces a lot of challenges, but I have faith that God will see us
through the shadow of the valley of despair. However, all hands must be on deck to
secure a brighter future for our great country. The formation of a NCLC or a similar
organization by the Nigerian church leadership should be a step in the right direction.
I strongly believe that the church leadership must be ready to face the moral challenge
of the day and stand up and be counted. Failure to do so will have the pages of history
record that that there was once a generation of church leaders in Nigeria who had an
opportunity to lead the fight against oppression, exploitation and classism, but due to
their complacency, apathy and indifference; the oppression continued in the land.
I will conclude by rephrasing what Martin Luther King wrote a couple of decades ago
while in prison for leading a mass protest against injustice:
If the Nigerian church leadership does not recapture the social justice spirit of the
early prophets and apostles, they will lose their authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of
millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant bunch of Disc Jockeys (DJs) with no
meaning for the twenty first century.
God bless.
PS: If you would like to discuss the issues raised in this letter with me, feel free to
contact me using the email detailed above. Also feel free to forward this letter to other
church leaders.