September 30, 2014.
NewsRescue
By: Olusegun Oyegbami
Dear Pastor E.A. Adeboye,
I write this open letter to you in the spirit of what I assume is our shared passion for the betterment of the Nigerian society under the rule of law and with palpable demonstration of progress on all indices of human behaviour.
We all crave for a country- Nigeria, where no one is oppressed and people are God-fearing, love one another without deceit, are honest and support the ethos of hardwork and self-respect.
In expressing the opinions contained herein, I base my observations mainly on the two (2) pages of your solicitation for Covenant Partners, which are herewith attached as the appendix to this write-up.
If for any reason the attached appendix did not emanate from you then I hereby tender my unreserved apologies for writing at all. This is because if you disown it, I would have been guilty of the rashness of assuming that you posted it on the RCCG website without taking further steps to check its source. But it does look authentic with your photograph and that of your dear wife on it such that anybody including me can be forgiven for believing that it originated from your goodself and you are indeed soliciting for our joint partnership with God.
Why do I feel the compulsion to write you? Hundreds of thousands of people may have seen this request and could have either decided to key into it according to how they are blessed or “blessed”. Many more could even have ignored, or passed snide comments, leaving it at that.
Sir, if the purpose of the Covenant Partnership being offered to us is to draw us nearer to God to partake of His manifold blessings under your request and guidance, then it apparently demonstrates your love for us to enjoy from your anointed, and relationship with God.
In order to reciprocate your love and concern, if there is the slightest shade of doubt that the man of God may be wrong, misled or otherwise needs counseling, one should not be chary of doing it. There is no gainsaying the fact that nobody has the monopoly of wisdom, no matter the quantum of anointing!
I find it interesting and assuming that an easy conversation has taken place between our God and your good self, such that the duration of the partnership was fixed between you and God at only three (3) years now, from the previous duration of ten (10) years.
On the issue of the procedure for signing up, I find it curious that we are enjoined to pray for the same man who is already close with our God.
The fasting is good. Even doctors advise occasional fasting to reset the digestive clock and get the system cleaned out. But after the prayer comes the payment of money into the partnership coffers. My twelve-year old daughter said: “Daddy the money is the main thing; asking us to pray and fast is just by the way. How will this man know that we fast and pray for him? Let us pray and fast for ourselves.” I am still weighing her insight and suggestions.
Prosperity is good, but Sir you would agree that it should be clean. I congratulate those who have partnered with you over the last ten years and have reaped bountifully; but it begs the question that what has Nigeria gained from you and the RCCG over the same time?
Nigeria has not prospered; rather we have slipped downwards more and more on the scale of what is decent and progressive. Despite the fact that many Nigerians and our leaders like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and current President Jonathan have come for prayers at your Camp on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, presumably kneeling before God and you; yet Nigeria is yet to get out of its hell-hole of societal implosion and imminent collapse into a failed state.
Sir, what is the real point and raison d’etre of Nigeria being so deeply-steeped in religion of which you and other high profile Pastors/Imams are the main propagators? Our politicians and government officials will always call pastors and imams for opening prayers at functions; yet massive corruption is an open secret in the running of government in Nigeria.
You regularly fast and pray, and despite all these, corruption has increased exponentially since the last ten years you started the Covenant Prayer and so has the numbers of churches and mosques spring up.
On the ten groups of contributors, what sticks out a mile is that the man of God loves all Nigerians as he is prepared to partner with all the strata of the society, starting with the unemployed, the pupils, students, young, old and indeed anybody who can read and heed the clarion call. No amount of money is too small to sow into God’s work. Unfortunately, nobody can really define and explain what is this “God’s work”.
Sir, you seem to profitably engage the rich because those in the 10th and highest category can pay in upwards of N2 million monthly. Anybody who feels moved to partner with God with, say N3 million monthly would have contributed N108 million over the period of three years. With that kind of money, one can solemnly say here that “Halleluyah the anointing breaks the bank!”
Show me twenty Nigerians who can pay this amount into God’s coffers, and I will show you twenty outright thieves or characters that are doing something illegal, immoral, illicit, fraudulent or any combination of the above.
For all of the categories of Covenant Partnership outlined and canvassed, there is no process or machinery to evaluate the source of the money. The flow and the quantum of the money is apparently the only thing that qualifies one for the Covenant Partnership with the Almighty.
Sir, can we jointly try to analyse the mindset of Nigerians who key into this partnership with our God, through you? One could probably discern at least three distinct groups; the first, being the truly ignorant and hopeless masses who are mesmerized by the power of the anointing and already at the bottom of the ladder have nothing to lose; the second category of participants are in mid-range, and constitute the endangered middle-class.
Here, one finds the educated folks mostly salary earners and small-scale entrepreneurs, all of whom are ambitious to get to the top of their professional ladders. Generally speaking all of them are looking for miracles or breakthroughs. With difficulty, they can squeeze out the money. Of course with this partnering with God, all means fair or foul could be employed to achieve their objectives. An employee who boot-licks, back-bites, embezzle, inflates contracts will assume that God is looking the other way.
People who put in upwards of N100,000 per month may fall into the third category of Nigerians who desire this Covenant Partnership with God and it is very important to focus more on this group because this where the bulk of the money will come from and also, as noted earlier, only one or two of them can bring in over N200 million Naira and God will be very pleased indeed.
These category of people are likely to be movers and shakers of society since they control the resources and can be very useful to the “work of God” in various other ways such as signing C of O, giving import duty waivers, employment for favoured church members and among others.
One other thing is they will draw huge crowds and bring their publicity value to the “God enterprise.” They are the elite or 1st class passengers in this covenant train.
In this way, Covenant Partnership may foster corruption because people are being mesmerized, induced or procured into “giving to the house of God”. The giver and receiver of bribe money are both guilty; and ignorance is not a defence under the law. Let us remember the Yoruba adage that goes thus: “It is not the man who tries to bring down the keg of palm oil from the rafter that is the real thief, but the one who aids him to ease it down”.
Sir, let us have some sober reflections on this matter please.
GOD’S WORK
We all know that Jesus Christ came to the world in furtherance of God’s plan to redeem humanity. He is forever our shining light. If in doubt about how to behave, or what to do in any circumstance; we only need to find out what Jesus said, did or would have done in the same situation.
There were rich men in the days of our Lord Jesus’ He did not ask them for favours in order to expound and expand God’s work. He warned specifically that we should build our treasures in heaven, and He disdained of earthly wealth, telling the rich man to go and sell his possessions and come back to follow Him.
This of course did not happen. We cannot expand the kingdom of God through amassing material possessions. Have we forgotten? “What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” What would we gain by building a three kilometer long auditorium when
our Lord Jesus pointedly said that, “When two or three are gathered together in my name I will be among them.”
“We want to plant a parish of RCCG within a walking distance from every household.” And so what? Does that improve the moral tone of the society? The growth of churches only produces more pastors who will invariably say the right things and do quite the opposite. What we find as reality on ground is that the more the churches expand, the more the level of corruption.
Sir, I would like to believe that irrationality, deceit and rabblerousing are the staple-food that Pentecostal Christianity is feeding the Nigerian populace today. Permit me to share with you a BB message that was sent to my phone a few days ago, titled:: “Ebola Stikes Stone Age” Africa.
The entire continent, comprised largely of backward thinking people is thrown into confusion. They were praying, calling on God as usual. God doesn’t drop vaccines or cures from heaven. I wonder why they can’t get that into their thick skulls.
Ebola hit Africa in the 70’s and the Americans took note. They developed a cure and locked it up in a wardrobe somewhere. America- thinking, practical and sensible society solved their problem in the lab and not in the church or mosque. They know the solution to problems is not by handing it over to God or casting it on Jesus or Mohammed.
They found a cure and locked it away, for a day it will be needed. We Africans were in church and mosques, praying. So Ebola hit West Africa, and the entire continent became jittery. Hundreds died, America kept quiet. Two Americans got infected; the Americans opened their wardrobe, flew the cure to Africa and saved their citizens. The drug worked within minutes! The two citizens were saved. Not by prayers but by common sense preparation.
God doesn’t help the praying Africans with vaccines or cures, they die in their hundreds. The Americans make money with their vaccines, which praying African have to buy because they won’t spend their time taking the hard route to solve their problems. They would rather gather in special prayer grounds and ask GOD to intervene, while the Pharmaceutical companies in America make their money. Such is the life of those who don’t think.
This Is A Must Read For Every Black African Especially Those In The Medical Field. We Should All Be Proactive.
The writer of the above piece could have had the leadership of RCCG in mind because a prayer session against Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD) was recently organized by it. Also, after more than 150 days of captivity, we are waiting for the advertised prayer session on the Chibok girls saga to produce the miracle of their release.
I believe we should seek and find rational workable solutions to our issues in Nigeria. If T B Joshua, a semi-illiterate could address the Ebola issue with the selling of holy water, and with a similar thing coming from a Ph.D. holder in Mathematics (foundation of logic and all sciences), it is tragic for the nation. Little wonder Aliko Dangote sees no better use for our Ph.D. holders than to offer them employment as senior truck drivers in his fleet of companies.
We have destroyed the Nigerian economy through the deliberate conversion of oil boom into oil doom, via corruption and outright thievery. We have enthroned kleptocracy and judicial connivance with fraud. In all these, our religious leaders have been complicit because they have compromised, lost their moral sinews through teaming up with the politicians to lust after money and material possessions.
However, it is never too late to return to the one true God of love, justice and fairness. For deeper insight into the above issues, I have some write-ups on “Why The Nigerian State is Comatose …. Dying 1 & 2 and The Discourse both of which are available to you and other interested parties, through the same source this piece may have got to you.
To Round Up
Sir, the opinions of the Nigerian Citizenry on Covenant Partnership ought to be measured, and finally a headcount of supporters and opposers of Covenant Partnership ought to be taken via a referendum. It would be interesting to have a healthy debate on it. One would like to know where our leaders such as Governor Fashola, President Goodluck Jonathan, and others stand on this issue.
If we fall well below the average, then the term Stupidity Quotient (SQ) should be coined and be made applicable to us. Judging from the lure of filthy lucre in four different currencies, this question will likely be met with the rebuff of fat chance!
But fat chance, thin chance or no chance at all, the God of truth will reveal Himself when we take our last flight at the scheduled time. To be sure sir, for this flight, nobody will board a private jet!
Olusegun O. Oyegbami (WOKEIST)
Ikeja, Lagos.
24th Sept. 2014.
Appendix Pg 1.
RCCG COVENANT PARTNERS FORUM
Ten years ago, I called for people who will be my covenant partners; and several people volunteered. I said it would be for ten years, the ten years are over now and many of them had asked, what’s happening, are we going to continue? I told them I will ask God.
When I asked God, He said there will be a new set and it will not be for ten years. He said “because those people were in covenant with you for ten years, I had no choice but to keep them alive for ten years”He said “You tied my hands”. And I remembered all the miracles that happened in the life of my partners, and I thank God for all the miracles,
I thank God for all my partners and I say, thank you for the past ten years.
Now, the Lord says to me, the new set of partners will be for only three years. He said after three years, we can review. So, if you want to be one of my partners, your duties will be as follows:
- You will pray for us every day, even if it’s only one minute; very simple prayer ‘Father, strengthen your son, don’t let his anointing run dry, don’t let him fail you, let him finish strong’. Four simple prayers: strengthen him, don’t let his anointing run dry, don’t let him fail you, and let him finish strong. That’s assignment one for my partners even if it’s only one minute a day, please, include us in your prayers.
- You’ll fast with us as we used to do; February, July and December. All you need to do is a day at a time but if you can fast day and night continuously then, fourteen days alone will be enough. So, you’ll pray for us, you’ll fast and then you’ll support the work we are doing financially.
The new group, your support will be every month instead of every year and there will be ten groups. So, you’ll be able to join at least one of the ten groups.
- 1. GROUP ONE: N100 a month. USD Equivalent $1.00
- 2. GROUP TWO: N500 a month. $5.00
- 3. GROUP THREE: N1,000 a month. $10.00
- 4. GROUP FOUR: N5,000 a month. $50.00
- 5. GROUP FIVE: N10,000 a month. $100.00
- 6. GROUP SIX: N50,000 a month. $500.00
- 7. GROUP SEVEN: N100,000 a month. $1,000.00
- 8. GROUP EIGHT: N500,000 a month. $5,000.00
- 9. GROUP NINE: N1,000,000 a month. $10,000.00
- 10. GROUP TEN: N2,000,000 and above a month. $20,000.00
Appendix Pg 2.
You can send your contributions in Dollars or Pounds. So you can pick whichever group you want to belong to. My advice is, come in at whatever level is convenient for you now, I trust my God that as He begins to bless you, you’ll keep on moving higher and there will be people who will enter in group two or three today before this time next year, they will already be in group ten. So please, take some one minute, you’ll write your name, your address, your phone number, and the group you want to belong to.
When you’re sending the money, when you put it in an envelope, write at the back ‘Covenant Partner’. Write it at the back of the envelope so we’ll know into which account we will direct the money. If you’re writing a cheque, please write it in the name of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and then at the back, put ‘Covenant Partner’. Don’t write the cheque in Pastor E. A. Adeboye’s name. Any cheque written in my name will be used for what? (Response from the congregation: pounded yam) ah! Thank you, it will go for pounded yam straight.
So, write your cheque in the name of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and then at the back of the cheque write ‘Covenant Partner’.
My own duty is that I pray for my partners everyday; not once a month but everyday. And I promise you, my God who had been faithful to me all these years will be faithful to my partners also in Jesus’ name. He made a promise, He said all those who are lifting up my hands, He said as I rise, they will rise. So you will rise with me in Jesus’ name.
So, you’ll write your name, your address, your phone number and the group you want to belong to and
register to join any of the group here
Local Account information in Nigeria
| Local Office Pastor Olorunimbe RCCG Headquartes, 1 – 5, Redemption Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos – Nigeria. Ph. 234-01-470-0555 Fax. 234-01-288-1989 |
Pastor Odesola Redemption Camp International Office RCCG, Redemption City International Complex, Km 46/84 Lagos – Ibadan Expressway. Nigeria. Tel: 234 1 7747742 |