AS– In his most recent column for Saturday Sun titled ‘Press Clips’, veteran Nigerian journalist Mike Awoyinfa chronicled Redeemed Pastor J.T. Kalejaiye’s explosive sermon last Sunday in which he appeared to be canvassing support for the APC Buhari-Osinbajo ticket come February 2015.
In his message, Pastor Adeboye’s close confidant and touted to be among the favourites to one day take over Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) predicted ‘there would be a pleasant surprise in 2015 elections’, telling congregants to ‘go and mark it’.
Sounding angry with the way Nigeria is going, Kalejaiye, the regional evangelist of RCCG fumed: “Of what use is my brother, my blood brother who is not going to move the nation forward? And you want me to vote for him because he is my brother? Don’t let us deceive ourselves.”
He continued, “We have to change our system… Who is a Christian? Who is a Muslim? When I was working somewhere, my boss was a Muslim. I enjoyed under him. My boss provoked me to study further. My boss was always after my welfare. It shall be well him wherever he is today. He is a Muslim. The soldier attached to me was with me for almost 15 years. I never knew he was a Muslim. The day he opened his mouth to say “Sir, I am Muslim,” I said “What? But you follow me to the camp. You do this, you do that.” He said that when it was time to pray he would pray.
“Brethren, wake up! Who is a Christian? That somebody goes to church doesn’t make him a Christian. That somebody bears Christian name doesn’t make him a Christian. You are a Christian yet there is no employment for our youths. People who should be feeding their parents are still being fed by their parents. How many youths can get married today without the support of their parents financially? During our own time, we did our wedding, we only called our parents to come and eat. Today, our children who are 35, we are still feeding them.
“What are we saying? Let’s call a spade a spade, brethren. Things cannot continue this way. Corruption is the order of the day. You can steal and nothing will follow. That’s all… Brethren, if you don’t do something, something will do you. Wake up!”
Pastor Kalejaiye’s veiled support for Buhari comes after he appointed Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, also a high ranking Redeemed Pastor, as his running mate for the February 2015 general elections under the banner of APC.
Below is an excerpt from Pastor Kalejaiye’s sermon:
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I went to Kirikiri Maximum Prison with my wife. Sorry, I went to Kirikiri to preach. And I went with 17 people. And they said: “Daddy, because you are the one, we would allow these people to follow you. But take these tags and help us give to your men. Daddy, the danger is that if anyone loses his tag, it is considered that the person is one of us here.”
So I begged them, saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your tags.” I put my own in my pocket. While I was preaching, I was checking to make sure the tag was still there. Brethren, the calibre of people I saw in Kirikiri there when it was time to praise God. My wife wept from the beginning to the ending of the programme. Look at the way people were clapping. Some of them have lost hope. They would just send for one of them: “Oya come!” which means a lot. That might be the last fellowship. The man on the keyboard. Oh, my God. They now sent me to the government. And by the grace of God, 15 of them were released. In prison, you have a lot of innocent people locked up for what they did not do. Take the case of the late Rewane. When Rewane died, some people who were working with him were arrested. Even after people knew how Rewane died, those innocent boys were still there, as at the time we visited. Innocent people! So, my brothers and sisters, what about stray bullets? Do you know the number of times they have mentioned your names, when you were sleeping? For your image to appear for them to strike. They tried it, instead of you appearing, Jesus appeared. Let somebody help me say glory be to God.
All of you here, you have shoes to wear. Glory be to God. There are people who have legs, who have no shoes. And there are people who would have loved to wear shoes, but they have no legs. All the time, always give God the glory.
There is a category of people who always give glory to man. They don’t take it, but they give it to man. Sometimes, they do it to flatter people. Beware of those who flatter you. When they leave you, they would slander you. Do you know that the relationship between King Saul and little David was very cordial, until the people began to sing the praise of David? That was what caused the problem. Some women gathered and they sang in praise of David, triggering jealousy on the part of Saul.
I used to tell people: If you appear too early before your time, when your time comes, you will expire. I hear what people have been saying. But you see, there are very few of us who are not after revenue. We are not many. We are very few in the Pentecostal. Brethren, go to any church account, you will never find my name there. I am not a signatory to any church account. When they say give, I over-give. Because I know rewards would follow. I am not after title, I go for mantle. Because when you get mantle, you control title. I am not after revenue, I go for revelation. When you have revelation, you will control revenue. I am not after the things from abroad, I am after the things from above. I left the church 18 years ago, I am in the Kingdom. In the Kingdom, we see ourselves as one. No class distinction. No racial discrimination. That is why we have to change our system.
Nigerians, the year 2015 election. There would be a pleasant surprise. Go and mark it. Of what use is my brother, my blood brother who is not going to move the nation forward? And you want me to vote for him because he is my brother? Don’t let us deceive ourselves. Who is a Christian? Who is a Muslim? When I was working somewhere, my boss was a Muslim. I enjoyed under him. My boss provoked me to study further. My boss was always after my welfare. It shall be well him wherever he is today. He is a Muslim. The soldier attached to me was with me for almost 15 years. I never knew he was a Muslim. The day he opened his mouth to say “Sir, I am Muslim,” I said “What? But you follow me to the camp. You do this, you do that.” He said that when it was time to pray he would pray.
Brethren, wake up! Who is a Christian? That somebody goes to church doesn’t make him a Christian. That somebody bears Christian name doesn’t make him a Christian. You are a Christian, yet there is no employment for our youths. People who should be feeding their parents, they are still being fed by their parents. How many youths can do marriage today without the support of their parents, financially? During our own time, we did our wedding, we only called our parents to come and eat. Today, our children who are 35, we are still feeding them. What are we saying? Let’s call a spade a spade, brethren. Things cannot continue this way. Corruption is the order of the day. You can steal and nothing will follow. That’s all.
I told the head of WAEC, “Look, don’t panic, I would stand by you. WAEC wrote that this place is not conducive for examination. They wrote and the governor or whatever said no problem. At the end of the day, the students were carried away up till today. And that governor is still sleeping in his house. Do you want the continuity of this?
I am not voting for anybody. Because I don’t have any candidate. No candidate yet. But what I am saying is that the truth must prevail. WAEC wrote: “We can’t do exams here, because…” And they said “no, no, no, no, there is no problem. Go ahead with your exam.” Then the students…Oh my God!…were taken away. Up till today. As I am talking to you now, they are still there. We don’t know the number of them who have died. And that governor who approved that, he is still sleeping in his house. Where do you think such a governor should be by now? He should be serving an everlasting jail. Life imprisonment. But he is still there.
Brethren, if you don’t do something, something will do you. Wake up!
Read more on Kalejaiye’s Sermon in the column Rolling Stone: www.expressng.com