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Easter in Nigeria, blindfolded religious people and misguided worship of church cathedrals

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Easter in Nigeria, blindfolded religious people and misguided worship of church cathedrals

By: Bodunrin kayode

One of the most unreasonable question that bestrides christendom in Nigeria is the phenomenon of what Church does one attend. And i wish to describe such a judgemental phenomenon as belonging to misguided “churchism.” Where some Christians play church, transform themselves overnight to blinded pharisees and go to the building because today is sabbath day. Some denominations i will not name here do not care if their members come for the desire to worship their creator or wanting to be born again as John 3: 1-21 stipulates, they should just come and fill the spaces because its a commandment.Looking at the verses quoted above it would be worthless going to fill benches and go home without any connection with our creator. This is because the founder of our faith warns that our righteousness is like a filthy rag before His father in heaven.
Again, the response of Jesus Christ to Nicodemus in thecontext of John 3 was apt enough for him to know that without going through the process of beingborn again he was a mere religious man. And just being religious could not give him entrance into the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, with the burden of mere religion after the birth of Christ and still stealing billions of public funds for instance, does not make some of us better than the pharisees.

But why should the genre of church one attends be of importance to anyone except if one discovers that he or she is in the church of the anti Christ or the latest one they call Church of Satan? Why are the orthodox and African congregations so fixated about their traditions instead of salvation? Nigerians dropped orthodoxy for practical Christianity since the sixties and seventies when caricatures of judas was displayed and beaten in public for instance at times like this. We flew kites in the seventies as kids during Easter to celebrate the risen Christ but is that relevant today? The answer is no. Those who used the vehicle of Judaism like Elijah to drive to heaven lived by traditions and the law. But we don’t we live by his grace and shall drive to heaven by the vehicle of his salvation through Christianity. The message of salvation was all over the country by the early eighties. Why then should anyone be fixated about traditions and the celebration of cathedrals in the millennial age instead of praying to make heaven? There is some form of relativity in the Bible hermeneutics which talks about the difficulty of a Carmel passing through the eye of a needle but the sum total of the message is the same especially if our hearts do not become like that of little kids noted the founder of Christianity.

I agree that if one discovers that he is in the church of Satan, he should run away or as the good book describes it flee. The church of satan is already in Nigeria and young people who are not afraid of hell fire are already attending the place. Sadly some of them have read Rebecca Brown’s book “He came to set the captives free” yet are not afraid to experiment the dark kingdom because of the false gifts of the illuminati. They think those free gifts are really free. But does the devil really give anyone anything for free?

Mechanical church goers and their anti christ mentality

One feels sorry for such people when they ask funny questions as what church do you attend because they look at you in a judgemental way as if it is the Cathedral they attend that will take them to heaven. I was talking to some of their ilks, mostly young people in a platform recently and they asked me what was wrong in mixing their African spiritual traditions with their belief in christ. I said everything was wrong with that and they never liked my response. Because i let them understand that one cannot serve two masters and yet make it to the third heaven where the Ancient of Days live. We do not worship cathedrals because they do not have the power to take anyone to heaven. Neither should we worship “Sundays” because we are supposed to be above Saturday or Sunday with the ability to command Sunday to vomit our blessings as we do to other days every day we wake up from our sleep. The implication of this is that we are no longer tied to the Sunday Sunday tonic of going to church. A practicing Christian within or outside the congregation connects with his creator on a daily basis and shows love to all which is the summary of the Christian phenomenon that started in Antioch. That is what makes us slightly different from the Hindu, Bahai or over a thousand other religions in the world who have their own ways of reaching out to their gods. A practicing Christian asks how hot or cold you are and not what church do you go to or why did you not go to church this good Friday. No one can be in between, you are either hot or cold for the Lord. Those who do not want to be found in between sometimes abandon the cathedral completely and end up worse in the realm of apostasy.
Adherents of Islam in Nigeria however hardly ask such nonsensical questions about which mosque their neighbors attend before accepting them as brothers in Islam but will walk into any mosque and worship with their neighbors when it is time for prayers. What matters to them is brotherhood of their beliefs.

Sometimes I wonder why so called Christians display such gross ignorance when it comes to Christianity which should be a way of life other than a mere religion. Sadly, such practices are the exact opposite of what is expected from our Christian brethren who tend to “love religion” more than “Jesus Christ” who is supposed to be the author and finisher of our faith. Because someone was into spiritism during his life time in the church doesn’t mean he understood what Jesus said to Nicodemus about being born again. Such people when they transit from this world will love to be called religious people but they have their rewards for misleading many into the dark kingdom of masonry or the illuminati which has become the second largest religion in the contemporary Babylon.

People keep asking which church you go to such that they do not know that there is a generation of young people who now go to the latest anti christ Malian churches created by the evil one himself. So many questions cross my mind when i see Christians who go to church in a mechanical way like some of us used to in the 70’s when we were growing up in the orthodox traditions. In those days you are flogged if you do not go to church on Sunday as if Sunday was the only day meant to worship God. It was the orthodox phenomenon brought in by the white man who never knew anything about eternal salvation yet they were insisting that everyone must come to church on Sunday so that they hear from them and collect their tithes from their farm products.

In the sixties and seventies, Christianity was a mechanical machine movement. People went to church like zombies as Fela will call them without even knowing why they were going into the building. Sadly, some adherents still follow after that pattern in a dangerous and dogmatic way without knowing that practical Christianity has stopped being a religion with fixated traditions. What they fail to realize is that, traditions such as are spelt out in the Torah has nothing to do with salvation long ago. There is nothing wrong in going to church on Sunday but that is not the only day to worship God as far as practical Christianity is concerned. If Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith we must worship him daily and not one fixated day as ascribed in the Torah
for those who believe and practice Judaism till this day. A large chunk of jews do not believe in Jesus the Christ of Nazareth even though he came through their race but they will surely get to know what we know one day when the messiah returns to this earth. Some Church doctrines are so fixated that they are now reversing the thinking of their followers from Christianity to the
good old Judaism where only the laws matters above grace which is freely given by God. I mean from the city of Antioch back to the days of relying on the laws as stated by Moses in the Torah. Going to church is not what makes people Christian but practicing what christ stands for. When a young man of about the age of the late musician Majek Fashek begins to take drugs and follows after occult people then the church is loosing it already. And this should bother the Bishops and others with big titles. We should all try to dump too much emphasis on religion at this Easter period for practical Christianity which is a way of life. Let our way of life portray christ and let love, long suffering and all the good attributes outlined by the new testament guide us as we celebrate this Easter wherever we find ourselves. Happy Easter in advance to all of us.

Easter in Nigeria, blindfolded religious people and misguided worship of church cathedrals

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Crime

Notorious Bandit Leader Kachalla Ibrahim Gurgun Daji Killed in Gusau

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Notorious Bandit Leader Kachalla Ibrahim Gurgun Daji Killed in Gusau

By: Zagazola Makama

Kachalla Ibrahim Gurgun Daji, a notorious bandit leader, has been eliminated in Kwanar Nasiru, located east of Mada town in Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

Gurgun DAJI was reportedly suyanised by a rival faction on Sunday who left his body at the scene.

Zagazola Makama understands that Ibrahim Gurgun Daji was widely known for his criminal activities, including orchestrating violent attacks along the Kwatarkwashi-Mada road and other surrounding areas.

His base of operations was the Shangel village, situated east of Mada town. He was also notorious for purchasing kidnapped victims within Gusau, further entrenching his influence in the region’s criminal underworld.

In addition to his role in attacks, he was reported to have harbored other criminal figures, including Bello Taggoje, at his residence in Shangel village. Gurgun Daji was believed to have a large group of followers involved in various acts of banditry and terror across the area.

The death of Kachalla Ibrahim Gurgun Daji marks a significant development in the fight against banditry in Zamfara State, as he was considered a key figure in the region’s network of armed criminals.

Notorious Bandit Leader Kachalla Ibrahim Gurgun Daji Killed in Gusau

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Military

ENHANCING NAF COMBAT POWER: CAS LEADS TECHNICAL TEAM TO ITALY FOR M-346 JET, AW-109 TREKKER HELI PROCUREMENT

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ENHANCING NAF COMBAT POWER: CAS LEADS TECHNICAL TEAM TO ITALY FOR M-346 JET, AW-109 TREKKER HELI PROCUREMENT

By: Our Reporter

A team of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) experts, led by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, along with officials from the Ministries of Defence and Finance, recently participated in a Programme Management Review Meeting in Italy with Messrs Leonardo S.p.A.

The meeting aimed to finalise arrangements for the NAF’s acquisition of 24 M-346 Fighter Ground Attack (FGA) jets as well as an additional 10 AW-109 Trekker helicopters to the 2 already procured by the NAF.

While in Italy, the CAS made a strategic stopover at the Leonardo Headquarters in Rome, where he engaged with top executives to consolidate a long-term partnership between the NAF and the company. He also inspected the first batch of 6 M-346 jets, noting that 3 are nearing completion, and evaluated key support systems required to boost the NAF’s operational readiness.

In the Review Meeting, the CAS received updates on the delivery schedules, confirming that the first 3 units of 24 M-346 aircraft to be built for Nigeria are expected by early 2025, with subsequent deliveries running until mid-2026. Meanwhile, with 2 Trekkers already acquired, the additional 10 are expected by early 2026.

The CAS recommended the establishment of a Programme Management Office to oversee the collaboration and ensure smooth project implementation. He also stressed the need for a maintenance hub in Nigeria to provide long-term support, especially for the M-346 fleet.

As part of the visit, the Leonardo Aircraft Division put on an aerial display to showcase the performance of the M-346 and highlight its advanced features. Capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, the M-346 will significantly strengthen Nigeria’s air combat capabilities.

On its part, the AW-109 will bolster combat support roles such as Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), tactical airlift and Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) amongst others.

The M-346 and Trekker acquisitions are key steps towards fleet renewal, in consonance with the CAS Command Philosophy to transform the NAF for greater agility and resilience, with emphasis on the optimization of force structure and establishment for enhanced operational effectiveness.
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Statement from Dr Christos CHRISTOU, MSF International President

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Statement from Dr Christos CHRISTOU, MSF International President

By: Our Reporter

When I heard about the flooding that hit Maiduguri, on the top of the extreme challenges people in the region have faced for decades, I wanted to shed light on the challenges impacting people. Coming to Nigeria, I have seen why the massive flooding in Maiduguri has gained some attention worldwide – the shocking scale has affected millions of people. But it is not the only region of Nigeria affected by flooding.

People in northern Nigeria have been through a lot – overwhelming levels of malnutrition, frequent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, lack of medical facilities and medical personnel; all of this has been compounded by continuous insecurity. People now have to seek temporary shelter in displacement camps once again, rebuild their homes once again, and try to figure out what’s left of their farmland.

Because this flooding happened at the end of the lean season, it has deprived farmers of even the illusory hope to harvest. During my visit to Maiduguri, I went to the hospitals and clinics where MSF works. We support the local healthcare system in tackling malaria and other diseases, as well as in providing access to maternity services.

Recently, we had to launch a cholera treatment centre, after a cholera outbreak was officially declared. All this has happened in the background of a catastrophic malnutrition crisis.
One of my colleagues, a Nigerian doctor who has been working with MSF for more than eight years, told me that this year is very different. Every year, he said, during this season, we see terrible numbers of malnourished children coming to the hospital in a severe condition. But this year, at a time when the peak is supposed to be over, the number of patients admitted to the hospital is not going down. Worse, the condition in which they arrive is even more severe than usual. Very often people don’t have access even to basic medical care where they live, and do not have enough money or available transport.

As a result, they reach to us too late. Now, many organisations which were providing support in Maiduguri and other parts of the north of Nigeria have had to reduce their budgets or even stop their operations. Will MSF, a non-governmental organisation relying on private donations, be able to help all who are in need? My colleague sounded really scared.

For the past few years, MSF has seen a significant increase in the number of admissions for malnutrition. The numbers in 2022 and 2023 were already critically high. But between January to August this year, we have seen a fifty-one per cent increase in admissions of children with severe malnutrition, compared to the same period last year. Over the first eight months of this year, we have treated 52,725 children with severe malnutrition, a life-threatening condition, across the whole of northern Nigeria.

On top of this, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles are recurrent in Nigeria, and one of the leading causes of death amongst children. Between January – August this year alone, we had already treated over 12,500 cases of measles. That’s nearly double the same period last year. Outbreaks of infectious diseases significantly increase mortality risks for children under the age of five.

Unvaccinated children in this age group are particularly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases, diseases which elevate the risk of acute malnutrition.
In addition, there is malaria. Nigeria has the highest rates of malaria in the world – accounting for nearly 27 per cent of the global malaria burden. This disease can be prevented and treated. Yet in most of the projects we see that our malaria wards are overwhelmed, and children continue to die from it.

We all clearly see that the scale of the humanitarian crises is devastating. We need to see intensified lifesaving care for malnutrition, with a focus on preventive programmes to act before children become critically ill. Enhancing vaccination coverage requires routine immunisation services, with sustained investment from the authorities to maintain basic health care, alongside catch-up campaigns that extend to children under five.

The humanitarian community faces a lot of challenges globally, with the magnitude of emergencies exceeding all imaginable quantities and scale. But in Nigeria thousands of families have just lost their crops. They already lack access to basic health care and have been struggling for survival for many years. The humanitarian community needs to act and to provide necessary support now. This is not the time to relent, this is not the time to stop. We have to help the people who need assistance now.

Statement from Dr Christos CHRISTOU, MSF International President

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