Opinion: Revd Father Mbaka, A Preacher On Political Podium

As the bell rang to usher in 2015, an Enugu-based Catholic priest,Fr. Ejike Mbaka, was more concerned about President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation than imbue his congregation with spiritual upliftment to navigate the new year.

“Judge not,that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you are judging, you will be judged.

And with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you-” Matt. 7:1-2, Sermon on the Mountain. The scripture succinctly captures the core essence of human existence. The Sermon on the Mountain was clear on how mere mortals should perceive one of their own.

From the above biblical injunction, it is obvious that Jesus Christ never encouraged us to pass judgement on one another.

But the firebrand Enugu-based Catholic priest and founder of the Adoration Ministry,Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, who should be in the position to teach his adherents the spirit and letters of the scripture, went haywire during his sermon at the cross-over mass at Adoration permanent site, Emene, Enugu.

Mbaka had endeared himself to the masses, especially the poor and illiterates, who have been impoverished by government policies.

His sermons hardly reflect doctrines of the Catholic faith. Rather than dwell on spiritual teachings, the fiery preacher has a tradition of delving into political murky waters.

During the new year eve mass, Mbaka lashed out at the Jonathan administration.

He alleged that the president surrounded himself with corrupt officials, hence millions of Nigerians suffer in abject poverty and insecurity.

“Jonathan has ruled for six years .We need change. PHCN is not working because of corruption. The privatization of public companies has not yielded any fruit because of corruption. Jonathan surrounded himself with very corrupt officials who advise him,”the Catholic priest said.

“Nigerians are sick and tired of wasting innocent lives without government doing enough to stop the destruction.”
His sermon was titled, “From good luck to bad luck”.

The radical priest said he and millions of other fellow compatriots were disappointed by the Jonathan’s administration which has failed to ensure the release of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

“Up till now, nobody knows the whereabouts of the innocent Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram and we say we have a government that cannot guarantee the welfare, safety and security of the citizens,” he told the congregation of over 30,000 worshippers.

The cleric said he resisted delivering the sermon which he said came from the Holy Ghost but God warned him to ensure the message was given to the nation not minding whose ox was gored. Mbaka also expressed surprise over the huge attendance.

Somersault

Meanwhile, political watchers are alleging somersault as Mbaka was said to have recently anointed Mrs. Patience Jonathan to continue as Nigerian First Lady in 2015. That was when the First Lady, alongside the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Nwanneka, worshipped at the Adoration Ministry where the First Lady admitted that she experienced “a spiritual rebirth”.

Mbaka, it was learnt, did something symbolic after anointing Mrs. Jonathan that day when he allegedly released some birds to go and fight for Jonathan.

The priest was quoted as saying on the new year eve sermon that Jonathan was going nowhere as far as the February presidential election was concerned, recalling that one of the birds he released during Mrs Jonathan’s visit to Adoration Ministry, which symbolized the President, refused to fly.

“All the other birds I released flew away but the healthiest of them, which was Jonathan’s bird, could not fly. I tried to make it fly but it could not,” he recalled to the congregation that cheered him on.

When Jonathan was aspiring to become Nigeria’s President, Mbaka said he was happy just like some other Nigerians but emphasized that the bad luck, which millions of the citizens had faced since he came into office, was quite disturbing , hence the masses wanted a change. “Nigerians are calling for change. We need a change,” he repeated. “We don’t want to move from bad luck to bad luck; Nigerians want to move from bad luck to good luck.”

Mbaka also lampooned his fellow men of God who, he alleged, visit the Presidential Villa and other Government Houses in the country to do “breakfast prayer” with the politicians only to collect fat envelopes of money rather than “tell the politicians the level of hardship the poor masses are suffering.”

He added: “The men of God only go there to dine and wine with the leaders for their own welfare without telling them the truth. But I’m happy that I, Father Mbaka, I’m not that type of priest. If you want money, I dash you money because the God I serve has blessed me abundantly.”

Commenting on the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Party, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, the priest, who said he was not being partisan, observed that Buhari cannot Islamise Nigeria as being rumoured.

He confessed that he had never met the general before but recalled that he fought corruption seriously as Head of State.
“I don’t know Buhari. I have never sat with him before. I am not being partisan, but I want total change in Nigeria.

Buhari cannot make Nigeria an Islamic country because we are in democracy. It was IBB government that dragged Nigeria into OIC. When Buhari fought corruption, people became careful about their actions. Anyone who says Buhari will islamise Nigeria is not being fair,” said Mbaka, who announced that he was not bothered whether the next President would be a northerner or Yoruba or Igbo so long the person fights corruption and means well for the citizens.

“If a northerner will rule the country and insecurity will stop, so be it. If a Yoruba man will rule Nigeria in 2015 and we have peace and stop the shedding of innocent blood, so be it. Nigerians are tired of wasting innocent lives,” he said.
Mbaka is not the only Christian cleric to mount the ‘political podium’.

Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election in which he was pitched against Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

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Article written by Francis Igata and culled from Vanguard

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