Social commentator, Solomon Buchi has faulted Peter Obi’s controversial remark on Honest Bunch podcast anchored by popular on air personality, Nedu.
Peter Obi in the podcast, condemned the frequency at which Nigerians go to churches. He claimed that Nigerians spend their productive days in churches rather than engaging in productive activities. Obi added that if he were Nigeria’s president, he would turn vigils at churches to night shift.
In his reaction to Peter Obi’s remark, Solomon Buchi who also supported Peter Obi in his 2023 presidential election bid, accused Peter Obi of promoting false narrative against the church. He noted that the church is not to be blamed for Nigeria’s economic woes nor for the lack of good leadership. According to Solomon Buchi, Christians are civil and contribute immensely to the development of the country through its education and community social responsibility.
He pointed out that Christians are not violent and do not engage in violence like other religions.
I am starkly disgusted by your recent comments on that podcast about how the church is one of Nigeria’s problem. It’s sad to see this false narrative gain popularity, because quite frankly, there’s no church that has vigils every day of the week.
There’s no church that has mandatory activities for members everyday of the week. Your gross exaggeration of church weekly activities has misrepresented the church to religious antagonists who thrive in deriding devout Christians in Nigeria.
In fact, I strongly assert that the only thing that works in Nigeria is the church. If the government manages Nigeria how Bishop Oyedepo manages Covenant University which is the best university in Nigeria and one of the best in Africa, Nigeria would be great.
A lot of our general overseers have systems that have worked—take Redemption Camp as an example—they’ve created thousands of jobs, empowered millions of Christians and impacted lives at large. Nigeria will not survive if the church is expunged.
The hope and spiritual edification the church provides is the only sanity holding most people to stay calm in the nightmarish condition of the nation. I don’t fathom taking a swipe at the church when a good majority of your supporters were/are Christians.
Quick correction: benevolence and charity are fundamental practices in Christianity, however, giving to the poor and the sickly isn’t tithe. Tithe is tithe; 10% given to the church which is often used for administrative purposes. I know you to be a great leader, not theologian.
The church has built lots of talent and deserves more recognition than these brash and tainted comments. The problem in Nigeria remains the government, quality of politics and our corrupt leaders. Stop making the church a cheap target.
Even if Christians are obsessed with church, at least we don’t bomb others and forcefully enforce our beliefs on them. If we are a violent people, this country would be razed down to the ashes of our children.