Weep Not for the Chaplain!
Ven.Taiwo of Chapel of Christ the Light, should have been sacked not only for not giving Bola Ambode the prefential treatment to jump queue and receive her anoiting sharp, sharp, but also he should have been sacked for anointing a whole Lagos State Governor’s wife, Bolanle Baby, with the same anointing oil he used for others.
After all, in many Nigerian churches men of power & their families are not equal before God.
Sorry o Chaplain, you should have learnt from other Super Pastors of Mega Churches on how they idolize powerful men and women. Or at least, he should have read George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
When God bows before Men!
(Episode Bolanle Baby)
Have we forgotten that Obasanjo, as President of Nigeria, once seized the Church’s microphone after the Bishop’ s sermon to respond rudely to the Bishop at Adenuga’s mum funeral service in Ijebu Ode?
The Bishop’s sin was to have reprimanded the Almighty Obasanjo for coming late to church, and also to have the courage to tell him to his face that his economic policies and programmes were impoverishing Nigerians.
The Anglican Bishop heard “Dende Oro” as ‘Supereme Bishop’ Obasanjo mounted the pulpit after the Bishop to respond and lecture him on economics and governance short of calling the man of God a stark illiterate to the consternation of helpless Angels and the Congregation.
So, Episode Bolanle (Baby) Ambode and the sacked Chaplain is just a continuation of the absurd national drama when God bows to Men and Women of Power in Nigeria.
Has Ambode Eaten the Forbidden Fruit? (Episode Bolanle Baby continues)
‘Removal of Chaplain: Ambode relocates 50th thanksgiving service to State House’ – Vanguard
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Please don’t blame Ambode, he has the right, as the Executive Governor of Lagos State to choose which Pastor he and his wife, Bolanle ‘Baby’ will like to hear and see on the Pulpit, which scriptural message will be good music to their ears and conscience, and of cause, in which place he wants to host God and His Angels at his convenience.
Having learnt from a bitter experience that there is contempt in executive humility with the ‘un-protocol’ way an ordinarily Chaplain Taiwo treated his golden wife by not according Her Excellency, the First Lady of the richest State in Nigeria, A Mega City of inexhaustible mega resources than Bethlehem, the First Anointing before lesser beings, then His Excellency must have learnt his lesson!
As the governor and his jewel of inestimable value continue to enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms of association, of worship, and un-worship, freedom to shop for a pliable Pastor and his message and freedom to decide which arena to host God, let’s pray that our darling Ambode has not eaten the Forbidden Fruit that comes with Executive Absolute Power as daily menu.
Dolapo Osinbajo (Mrs). Beautiful, humble & respectful with elegant carriage. ‘Bibire ko se fowora’.
When I learnt she is a grand daughter of Obefemi Awolowo, I said: ‘No wonder!’
Am I taking a risk? Yes, it is a risk worth taking at times because I do not think she will storm out of church in anger because an ‘ordinary Chaplain’ did not accord her the privilege of ‘First Lady, First Anointing’ before anointing the commoners.
Will Bolanle Baby learn from Dolapo, a paragon of beauty and humility? Time will tell.
Speaking Truth to Power
By Adeola Soetan In those glorious days of religious practice according to scriptural dictates and ethics before the invasion of the league of ‘Sowambe, Tuale, All Correct Sir’ Pastors, Imams, Sheiks etc, worship places were sacred and sanctified places of scorching redemptive sermons no matter whose ox is gored.
I give an example to buttress that there were religions really before the collapse.
1. Bishop Akintayo. the no nonsense, erudite and courageous Bishop of Egba-Egbado Diocese once openly reproached Gov. Olabisi Onabanjo of Ogun State in his sermon during an Independence Day Anniversaty service held at St. John Anglican Church, Igbehin, Abeokuta.
It was an event I will not forget because I covered it and captured the angry expression of Onabanjo as NTA Abeokuta Cameraman.
It was during the crisis between the State/ Gov & UPN and Awujale of Ijebu Land when it was obvious that the government was desperate to depose the Awujale for his NPN partisanship and other allegations.
Hear the Bishop from the Pulpit talking directly to the best governor that ever ruled Ogun State:
‘Gomina wa, Olorun ti gbeyin ga, e ti wa ni ipo gomina ni oni. Ki’nse agbara yin, agbara Olorun ni. Eniyan kogbodo ru Erin sori tan ki o ma fi ese wa era kakiri. Eniyan ko le je gomina ko tun je Oba pelu e, ko sese. E je ki oro yi tan sibe nitori Olorun loni agbara..’
Literally translated: ‘Our governor, God has promoted you to become governor. It is not by your power but God. A man cannot carry elephant on his head and be using his leg to search for ants to catch. One cannot be governor and a king at same time, it’s not possible. Let this crisis ends because all power belongs to God’
After the church service and the governor, his deputy, Chief Sesan Soluade and other government officials were departing, it was obvious from their countenance that they had a raw deal from the Pulpit which they didn’t bargain for.
The congregants were happy and not surprised because they knew their hard talking fearless Bishop whose trademark was to chastise even the church with powerful sermon and talked straight to power. A lost attribute of many ‘Jeun Soke’ religious merchants and political jobbers shamelessly parading themselves as Pastors, Sheiks, Imams, Evangelists …
My last encounter with the highly respected Bishop Akintayo was when he turned down our (NTA Abeokuta) crew because we cane late for appointed interview.
We arrived about one hour late for a scheduled interview with him at the Bishop’s Court, Onikolobo, Abeokuta.
Come and see ‘wahala’ o!
We took five minutes of lecture & hard talk on punctuality & discipline as part of ingredients that made a Nation great.
We left without the interview that day.
On the second appointment, we were too punctual to arrive at the Bishop’s Court, lol
That was the sterling characteristic of the clergy in those days that earned them respect but not billions of money, jets and fleet of exotic cars anyway.
War in the Cathedral!
So, Bolanle Baby is even a Pastor in Redeemed Church & Ven.Taiwo’s car parked in govt’s premises once got burnt by 2am? (Perhaps by Holy Ghost Fire)
Pastor Bolanle Ambode has even bluntly refused to meet with the African Church Leaders who seconded Taiwo to the government’s Church as Presiding Chaplain?
Na real battle in the Cathedral
Allau Akbir!
