Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta
National President of Association of Christian Theologians (ACT), Prof. Olakunle Macaulay, friday descended hard on some Christian clerics in Nigeria, saying they had compromised standard, all for the love of money.
Speaking during his 82nd birthday at the United Bible University (UBU), Yakoyo, in Ifo local council of Ogun State, Macaulay said he was pained as a Christian scholar, at the horrible drift in Christian religious practice in Nigeria, which now tends to celebrate moral decadence in the society, rather than rebuke it.
Macaulay, who is also the Director of Studies at the UBU, said, “Some pastors without respect or dignity, encourage the rulers to steal the nation’s money and even accept the stolen money as a gift to the church, not minding how a ruler can make such a huge amount of money while the ruled are without the basic needs of life.
“So, everybody can see why our nation is falling into pieces, experiencing breakdown and confusion in all aspects of its national life; as there is no one area that is right.”
The octogenarian also berated the nation’s rulers for giving vent to what he described as “isolationism”, in which “Nigeria is a republic without federalism; a society whose universities cannot produce experts that can affect the economy of the nation, and whose students, professors and lecturers…are now more interested in political affairs than academy and acquisition of professional skills.”
He lamented further that, “The education system has collapsed; the judiciary, which is the last hope of any common man, cannot be trusted; and the legislature is not only selfish but also consuming the greater part of the nation’s income.
“The presidency is also very unreliable. What has been the benefit enjoyed by the citizens of this great nation? Almost all major industries have either broken down or closed shop; medical facilities are not made available for ordinary citizens, while ‘the rulers’ fly out of the country for medical treatment in the United Kingdom, the United States of America or any of the European countries, at the slightest sign of ordinary minor illness, even at the expense of the nation.
“The security of life and property cannot be guaranteed; a nation like Nigeria cannot provide necessary basic needs of the people like water and electricity. So what Nigerians are experiencing today is the effect of isolationism.”
Exhorting Christian leaders on the way to go under the circumstance, Macaulay said, “Christianity is not about success and prosperity as proclaimed by the Christian church and their leaders in Nigeria.
“The Bible tells us that joy is not limited to success, wealth and prosperity. We are called to teach the undiluted Word of God and this we should be determined to do; whether dying or living, whatever happens will be in Christ.
He also enjoined government functionaries in the country to promote love and oneness among Nigerians, “as against the increasing drift to ethnicity and mutual hate”.
