By Nneka Okumazie
Christianity is not the biggest social activity in Nigeria, neither is it the most constant, the most loved, or the most regular. If anyone needs a list, that person should observe curiously.
The entire campaign against churches in Nigeria by Daddy Freeze is full-scale insanity. The lies and falsehoods from him, against the church, also show that he has stuff he’s benefitting.
There is nothing he has said that hasn’t be superiorly rebutted. But he continues to repeat the same lies and lines – flush with insults and hate.
He rants with paranoia and may be suffers from schizophrenia. Even if he’s rewarded to attack true churches, he has overdone it to the extent of undoing whatever sense he made to those who didn’t see him as a dumb con – initially.
The only thing he seems to be great at in his entire life is insults and promotion of folly. These, with his large social media following, hand his devotees a massive encumbrance.
Churches may be conspicuous in Southern Nigeria, but they are not a problem to anything good for the country. They are in the category of social activities and are personal plus voluntary.
It is possible to say that people are ‘addicted’ to church in Nigeria. But ‘addiction’ to a true church has no violence risk or several other kinds of risks that major addictions bear.
There are developed countries in the world that are not religious. But the people are addicted to certain social activities even more than Nigeria is addicted to Christianity.
Those countries aren’t worse due to whatever social activities they’re addicted to or not. They are doing well because the few smart people responsible for management and growth of major economic sectors are focused on effectiveness.
Nigeria has no electricity because those in charge – public or private – are not effective. Nigeria is a poor country because those in charge of creation of jobs, education, earnings, inflation, etc. – are not effective.
Nigeria has fewer factories because those in charge of infrastructure, business incentives, standards, quality, pricing, etc. – are not effective.
In developed countries that have major addiction issues for different stuff, they are doing better because there’s prioritization of honest, progressive work – and addiction is often confined.
There are churches in Europe that have one-hour evening services every day of the week. There are some days where there are multiple services – as well.
Services are only cancelled when there’s a procession or some combined service in another Cathedral, or maybe some holiday or something else.
But the church is open, it is your choice to come or not. They give offering too, and sometimes have special offerings requests for welfare [Caritas] or maintenance, or anything else.
Giving is voluntary. Some people give coins in these churches, some ignore offering, some come late and some show up only for special services involving their folks.
Yes, there are often older white people in many of these churches – than younger people, but many of the younger ones who don’t care about Christianity are really deep into all kinds of socially addictive activities and are sometimes on the brink.
Churches there are also like a family, people go for counselling, people hug or give handshakes. People come there in faith too, some get in the service and first thing they do is to kneel in reverence to God. During liturgy, some – also kneel.
These people aren’t brainwashed, their submission is a choice – and voluntary. It is personal and has no bearing with public policy, or development, or anything else.
In the United States, there are churches too with twice to three times or more weekly activities. Some in university environments are filled with younger people, and sometimes diverse.
People have had issues with what was seen as excesses of the church by hypocrites or fake pastors or fake churches or really bad acts, but the Church is not seen as the problem of any problem the developed country is having.
In other continents too [say Asian countries – developed or underdeveloped], where it is mostly not Christianity, social activities are abundant.
Their religion may be a pass into certain positions or whatever, but social activities are not the hindrance or nurturer of expected development.
Back to Africa where confusion of underdevelopment is a sickness and despair peddlers are using the church as an excuse of why development is remote. They probably have no sense. Or if they did, it had gone on an infinite trip.
Nigerians are in love with proving how smart they are by arguing or seeking to win arguments over nonsense. This had been on for years but made a shift to the internet with a popular forum, and also on social media.
For them, the use of words or a point, or to repeat what was heard elsewhere is to show that they are smarter and others are dumb.
There is an arena for the smartest people to show their work or make known how exceptional they are. It is not in words over gutter arguments or nonsense topics, cheap grammar or pointless agitations.
There was a recent post that said an individual visited the United Kingdom from Nigeria; and the individual stopped going to church after returning, because those who brought Christianity to Nigeria don’t pray like us, and they work instead, OK.
First, the ‘those who brought Christianity to Nigeria’ argument is always isolated like the only thing that was brought to Nigeria is Christianity.
This internet was brought to Nigeria. The list of everything brought to Nigeria is endless and you could compare usage of theirs and ours – to have a fair argument.
But Daddy Freeze and those others with journeyed sensibility will distort, lie and defame the church in Nigeria.
Also, for the individual who went to the UK, Nigerians who travel abroad have different goals and understand differently. If for her, the only exposure is against Christianity – good for her.
This is the same with Daddy Freeze and his supporters who keep using one country or another, as example against Christianity in Nigeria.
It seems to be the new thing. What Nigeria had been used to is a person who travels and blames government – already concluded as ineffective – more.
The best way to now sound smart in Nigeria is to correct anything any church or Christian does. But these agnostics don’t understand that they are not the first neither will they be the last. Christianity does not preach development, or engineering, etc.
Christ and the Apostles focused on salvation, righteousness, faith, goodness, baptisms, etc. Those who are enlightened because they correct churches have never said anything new. Electricity, employment, agriculture, education, etc. are seeking novel ideas and major solutions in Africa, go and try.
The insincere campaign is anchored on nothing – inhibiting development, and has achieved nothing. It will continue to be for double lunatics, who have their own social activities that does not impact development, but decided to focus on the Faith of others – using confusion, falsehoods and exaggerations.
The UK has more factories and fewer churches than Nigeria. But the UK also records massive pub visits, and concerts attendance. Japan does not have Christianity, according to haters, but they have massive social activities, their own religion and loyalty to their Emperor.
There are countries in Europe with excessive beer consumption, and there are globally famous people who are ‘extreme’ alcoholics.
A Social activity has little to no effect on development – if a country is not focused on development. It is quite sad to be convinced otherwise.
Those who do not know what causes poverty or how all the living conditions of the poor came about would blame the church for poverty.
This syndrome of nonsense means OK made Nigeria to accept darkness for electricity – however it is available, and portholes for roads – so long there is a way.
