By Abu Onyiani
There should be lobbying at all levels as Nigerian Christians must wield the power of the collectives to end the terrorism, displacement and slaughter of their brethren, once and for all. Nonetheless, the heartrending cries of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo have once again elicited satiric yawns and languorously weak utterances from Nigerian Christians, especially from the clergy and the overzealous and overdosed extremists who are self appointed to lambaste any who do not think like them.
The Prominent Plateau religious leader Dachomo, has lamented over the incessant violent attacks and killing of his church members in Barkin Ladi local government area of the state by murderers suspected to be Fulani militants. The clergy man said he has been compelled to burying his members every other day, and was shown in a video circulated on social media two days ago conducting a mass burial ceremony for fresh victims of the soulless cruel bloodletting.
While the argument of the Nigerian Christian genocide rages on, what has particularly caught my eye has been the lethargic body language of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), led by Daniel Okoh and Francis Wale Oke respectively. Furthermore, those who have made a life out of attacking dissenting voices, casting aspersions on people who accuse or sue religious leaders for civil and criminal liabilities, or shower vitriolic abuses on those who question the logic behind modern day Christian religious dogmas of prebendalism such as asking members, many of whom are illiterate and financially vulnerable to rush to the altar and drop money have been as quiet as mice in presence of dangerous cats.
The main issue in Nigeria Christianity is there is the condescending and nauseous feeling that some are more Christian than others, and therefore better. That is why you have Jehovah’s Witnesses calling the rest of Christianity “Christendom”, and the Pentecostal church leaders, notably among whom is Mr. Johnson Suleiman casting aspersions at the Holy Roman Church and the Most Eminent Lord Pope Francis.
Although it is common for religious people to have different denominations and doctrines, or claim they worship the only true God and lash out at the gods and beliefs of others, however, the humane thing to do is to draw the line and come together on issues where there is loss of lives through unrestrained bloodletting. The Pentecostal church’s PR machines must not be directed only at people who critic the actions of its leaders whose realities are far different from those of the 137 million Nigerians currently writhing in multi dimensional poverty. After all, the Pentecostal church came from the efforts of critics like Martin Luther the Reverend.
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