ON PASTOR ADEBOYE AND 3KM BY 3KM AUDITORIUM
Right of Reply: NO! PASTOR ADEBOYE, YOUR APPROACH IS WRONG SIR….
By Soji Adeola
Last week was the 61st Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of
God (RCCG). Though I do not worship at RCCG, I had planned to attend
the Holy ghost Service on Friday, but changed my mind at the last
minute. I assumed that the place would be jammed due to the holiday
and I checked online to know the status of things at the RCCG Camp.
Immediately, I realized that my premonition was right based on the
online report that there was traffic even right inside the RCCG Camp!
So I decided against going for the Holy Ghost Service.
By Sunday evening, I heard about the ambitious project of building a
new 3Km by 3Km auditorium, by Pastor Adeboye, and shortly afterwards,
there was a barrage of criticism of the project and the man of God
several on social media.
A particular article written by one Peniel Plus is worth reading.
Amongst several issues raised, a comparison was made between building
a worship auditorium and investing in research to conquer problems
such as AIDs, Malaria etc which are major issues in Africa.
First off, while we accept that the church has a responsibility to its
congregation and the entire nation at large, the church cannot, and
must not be blamed or held responsible for the irresponsibility of
government.
I am a firm believer in constructive criticism. However, when we
criticize, we must never forget to look at a situation holistically,
rather than through a single perspective. The Danger of A Single Story
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adochie is an apt description of this scenario
because many times the criticism is only one part of the entire story.
Many have argued that the amount being raised (N20Billion) would be
more beneficial if such amount was committed to other developmental
projects, rather than building a church auditorium. While this
argument appears logical, it is only one part of the story. I will
attempt to look at other associated issues related to what the RCCG
and Pastor Adeboye have done so far, and the upcoming project that is
generating so much controversy.
A little over twenty years ago, RCCG under a rather unknown man at the
time by the name Enoch Adeboye purchased a massive piece of
uninhabited forest land located on the outskirts of Lagos, a haven of
highway / armed robbers and kidnappers with a great company of pythons
and wild animals. Adeboye moved his family to this "wilderness"
christened the Redemption Camp, constructed a large auditorium and
began to hold the Holy Ghost Services there (http://eaadeboye.com/).
Anyone who lives or has lived in Lagos will agree with me that the
entire area from Arepo (journalist estate), Magboro, Mowe, Ibafo, RCCG
Camp and the other villages now inhabited and fast developing, was
nothing more than a thick forest two decades ago. This was the time
when this man, Daddy GO as he is fondly called, based on divine
instruction from God moved his family to this "igbo irunmole" , at the
mercy of wild animals and armed robbers.
Today, based on this obedience to divine instruction, the entire area
has not only developed tremendously, it has become home and resting
place to many young and old families simply because of the massive
construction and development of the RCCG camp. The corollary is to
imagine that there is no RCCG Camp today. I will admit that we would
still have the likes of estates that have sprung up in places like
Arepo and Mowe. I am however positive that the development these areas
have experienced which has offered succor to many, would be nowhere
near what it is today.
Today, there are banks within the camp employing Nigerians, providing
services and engaging several contractors. There are schools
(pre-school, primary and secondary) around the entire area providing
education to Nigerian children, a means of livelihood to owners, while
at the same time offering employment opportunities to staff of
different categories. Today, there are construction companies doing
legitimate business, employing Nigerians and paying tax to the
national coffers. These are just some of the associated benefits of
the RCCG Camp among many. Humm, all because of the obedience of one
man.
It is also important to state that RCCG has opened many roads making
this area more comfortable for the residents. A major road was opened
from the Camp that leads straight to Ikorodu. I remember government
has been talking about building the fourth mainland bridge to connect
Ikorodu. While this project (4th mainland bridge) is still a mirage, a
church has successfully opened a major road connecting the people of
Ikorodu to Lagos – Ibadan Expressway.
Can we really quantify the massive impact of the RCCG Camp to the
development that has occurred on this axis? Can we really quantify the
impact that the road connecting Ikorodu with the Ibadan expressway
(built by RCCG), has on the conventional Ikorodu Road, and the
residents of Ikorodu who now have an alternative route connecting
their homes with other parts of Lagos? I thought somebody should be
celebrated here!
RCCG now wants to build another camp. I would like to use this medium
to appeal to anyone who knows the location of the proposed camp to
kindly let me know where it is. I honestly would love to buy some
acres now because I am sure of atleast 500% increase within a period
of five years minimum.
Speaking seriously, building another camp will only mean one thing –
and that is more development. This implies more construction. And we
must not forget that construction companies will be involved, homes
and other associated employment generating activities will be
rejuvenated, which would have a positive impact on the economy.
It has also been argued that churches build universities that most of
their members cannot afford for their children. This is also true, but
again the danger of a single story comes into play because the fee
charged by the schools is only one part of the story.
Looking at the entire story, there is nowhere in the world where good
qualitative education comes cheap. Has anyone asked why ASUU is
constantly on strike as they are currently on now?
A while back, the Head of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC)
made a shocking revelation that the amount of money Nigerians spend on
University Education in Ghana yearly is much more than what the
Federal Government allocates to education. This is a food for thought
considering the fact that we are not even talking about how much
Nigerians spend in the UK, US, Canada and other Western and
surprisingly Asian countries. The reality is that the problem is a lot
deeper than that, and we may not be doing justice, if we simply accuse
Christian schools of charging exorbitant fees.
Renowned legal luminary, Afe Babalola offered an insight into what it
takes to run a university in a report in 2011. As Pro-Chancellor of
Unilag, a research was done and it was discovered that about
N4.5million would be required to train a university undergraduate
properly even in a government funded school. Today, Afe Babalola
University, as an example, runs on seven generators, each with a
capacity of 500KVA providing 24hour power supply. I can imagine how
much private university spend on power alone, not to talk about
attracting qualified professors
(http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/you-will-need-not-less-than-n4-5m-to-train-any-student-in-varsity-—-afe-babalola/).
Yet we expect education to be cheap, and accuse churches.
In my view, this problem is much deeper.
This is a problem much deeper than we admit, and everyone needs to
proffer solutions that can lead to a drop in the cost of quality
education in our country.
At this risk of making this write up an epistle, I will stop here. But
I will be doing an injustice to Pastor Adeboye if I fail to talk about
the unique qualities and achievement of this great man. Pastor Adeboye
has received honorary citizenship and keys to three cities in the US
including Cambridge Massachusetts, Dallas Texas and Baltimore
Maryland. Pastor Adeboye led the Pre-Summit Prayers at the 64th
General Assembly of the United Nations, Headquarters, New York. Pastor
Adeboye was named one of 'The World's Fifty Most Powerful People' by
Newsweek Magazine (USA) in 2009. Amongst several unannounced
philanthropic endeavors', Pastor Adeboye actively supports the
development of table tennis in Nigeria with the yearly E.A Adeboye
Table Tennis championship culminating in a National Sports Honour and
Award in 2010, as the Spritual Pillar of Nigeriam Sports. All this is
in addition to being the spiritual adviser and guide to many heads of
governments across the world.
Singlehandedly, Daddy GO has succeeded where government has failed
even when appraised on the physical perspective. Yet rather than being
celebrated, the revered man of God is being vilified. I am however
happy, that even though many in Nigeria do not honour this Prophet of
God, the whole world acknowledges that Daddy GO is a man whose God is
Jehovah Almighty.
Peace.
By Soji Adeola
By Soji Adeola
Last week was the 61st Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of
God (RCCG). Though I do not worship at RCCG, I had planned to attend
the Holy ghost Service on Friday, but changed my mind at the last
minute. I assumed that the place would be jammed due to the holiday
and I checked online to know the status of things at the RCCG Camp.
Immediately, I realized that my premonition was right based on the
online report that there was traffic even right inside the RCCG Camp!
So I decided against going for the Holy Ghost Service.
By Sunday evening, I heard about the ambitious project of building a
new 3Km by 3Km auditorium, by Pastor Adeboye, and shortly afterwards,
there was a barrage of criticism of the project and the man of God
several on social media.
A particular article written by one Peniel Plus is worth reading.
Amongst several issues raised, a comparison was made between building
a worship auditorium and investing in research to conquer problems
such as AIDs, Malaria etc which are major issues in Africa.
First off, while we accept that the church has a responsibility to its
congregation and the entire nation at large, the church cannot, and
must not be blamed or held responsible for the irresponsibility of
government.
I am a firm believer in constructive criticism. However, when we
criticize, we must never forget to look at a situation holistically,
rather than through a single perspective. The Danger of A Single Story
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adochie is an apt description of this scenario
because many times the criticism is only one part of the entire story.
Many have argued that the amount being raised (N20Billion) would be
more beneficial if such amount was committed to other developmental
projects, rather than building a church auditorium. While this
argument appears logical, it is only one part of the story. I will
attempt to look at other associated issues related to what the RCCG
and Pastor Adeboye have done so far, and the upcoming project that is
generating so much controversy.
A little over twenty years ago, RCCG under a rather unknown man at the
time by the name Enoch Adeboye purchased a massive piece of
uninhabited forest land located on the outskirts of Lagos, a haven of
highway / armed robbers and kidnappers with a great company of pythons
and wild animals. Adeboye moved his family to this "wilderness"
christened the Redemption Camp, constructed a large auditorium and
began to hold the Holy Ghost Services there (http://eaadeboye.com/).
Anyone who lives or has lived in Lagos will agree with me that the
entire area from Arepo (journalist estate), Magboro, Mowe, Ibafo, RCCG
Camp and the other villages now inhabited and fast developing, was
nothing more than a thick forest two decades ago. This was the time
when this man, Daddy GO as he is fondly called, based on divine
instruction from God moved his family to this "igbo irunmole" , at the
mercy of wild animals and armed robbers.
Today, based on this obedience to divine instruction, the entire area
has not only developed tremendously, it has become home and resting
place to many young and old families simply because of the massive
construction and development of the RCCG camp. The corollary is to
imagine that there is no RCCG Camp today. I will admit that we would
still have the likes of estates that have sprung up in places like
Arepo and Mowe. I am however positive that the development these areas
have experienced which has offered succor to many, would be nowhere
near what it is today.
Today, there are banks within the camp employing Nigerians, providing
services and engaging several contractors. There are schools
(pre-school, primary and secondary) around the entire area providing
education to Nigerian children, a means of livelihood to owners, while
at the same time offering employment opportunities to staff of
different categories. Today, there are construction companies doing
legitimate business, employing Nigerians and paying tax to the
national coffers. These are just some of the associated benefits of
the RCCG Camp among many. Humm, all because of the obedience of one
man.
It is also important to state that RCCG has opened many roads making
this area more comfortable for the residents. A major road was opened
from the Camp that leads straight to Ikorodu. I remember government
has been talking about building the fourth mainland bridge to connect
Ikorodu. While this project (4th mainland bridge) is still a mirage, a
church has successfully opened a major road connecting the people of
Ikorodu to Lagos – Ibadan Expressway.
Can we really quantify the massive impact of the RCCG Camp to the
development that has occurred on this axis? Can we really quantify the
impact that the road connecting Ikorodu with the Ibadan expressway
(built by RCCG), has on the conventional Ikorodu Road, and the
residents of Ikorodu who now have an alternative route connecting
their homes with other parts of Lagos? I thought somebody should be
celebrated here!
RCCG now wants to build another camp. I would like to use this medium
to appeal to anyone who knows the location of the proposed camp to
kindly let me know where it is. I honestly would love to buy some
acres now because I am sure of atleast 500% increase within a period
of five years minimum.
Speaking seriously, building another camp will only mean one thing –
and that is more development. This implies more construction. And we
must not forget that construction companies will be involved, homes
and other associated employment generating activities will be
rejuvenated, which would have a positive impact on the economy.
It has also been argued that churches build universities that most of
their members cannot afford for their children. This is also true, but
again the danger of a single story comes into play because the fee
charged by the schools is only one part of the story.
Looking at the entire story, there is nowhere in the world where good
qualitative education comes cheap. Has anyone asked why ASUU is
constantly on strike as they are currently on now?
A while back, the Head of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC)
made a shocking revelation that the amount of money Nigerians spend on
University Education in Ghana yearly is much more than what the
Federal Government allocates to education. This is a food for thought
considering the fact that we are not even talking about how much
Nigerians spend in the UK, US, Canada and other Western and
surprisingly Asian countries. The reality is that the problem is a lot
deeper than that, and we may not be doing justice, if we simply accuse
Christian schools of charging exorbitant fees.
Renowned legal luminary, Afe Babalola offered an insight into what it
takes to run a university in a report in 2011. As Pro-Chancellor of
Unilag, a research was done and it was discovered that about
N4.5million would be required to train a university undergraduate
properly even in a government funded school. Today, Afe Babalola
University, as an example, runs on seven generators, each with a
capacity of 500KVA providing 24hour power supply. I can imagine how
much private university spend on power alone, not to talk about
attracting qualified professors
(http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/you-will-need-not-less-than-n4-5m-to-train-any-student-in-varsity-—-afe-babalola/).
Yet we expect education to be cheap, and accuse churches.
In my view, this problem is much deeper.
This is a problem much deeper than we admit, and everyone needs to
proffer solutions that can lead to a drop in the cost of quality
education in our country.
At this risk of making this write up an epistle, I will stop here. But
I will be doing an injustice to Pastor Adeboye if I fail to talk about
the unique qualities and achievement of this great man. Pastor Adeboye
has received honorary citizenship and keys to three cities in the US
including Cambridge Massachusetts, Dallas Texas and Baltimore
Maryland. Pastor Adeboye led the Pre-Summit Prayers at the 64th
General Assembly of the United Nations, Headquarters, New York. Pastor
Adeboye was named one of 'The World's Fifty Most Powerful People' by
Newsweek Magazine (USA) in 2009. Amongst several unannounced
philanthropic endeavors', Pastor Adeboye actively supports the
development of table tennis in Nigeria with the yearly E.A Adeboye
Table Tennis championship culminating in a National Sports Honour and
Award in 2010, as the Spritual Pillar of Nigeriam Sports. All this is
in addition to being the spiritual adviser and guide to many heads of
governments across the world.
Singlehandedly, Daddy GO has succeeded where government has failed
even when appraised on the physical perspective. Yet rather than being
celebrated, the revered man of God is being vilified. I am however
happy, that even though many in Nigeria do not honour this Prophet of
God, the whole world acknowledges that Daddy GO is a man whose God is
Jehovah Almighty.
Peace.
By Soji Adeola
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