Nigerian cleric and filmmaker Mike Bamiloye has defended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye, following criticisms from Nigerians who urged him to lead a protest over the country’s worsening insecurity.
Some Nigerians had called on Pastor Adeboye to publicly lead demonstrations against the government due to rising insecurity. However, Bamiloye dismissed the idea, saying it is unreasonable to expect an 84-year-old spiritual leader to lead street protests, given his age and calling.
He explained that the primary role of pastors is prayer and spiritual intercession, not political activism.
According to him, Adeboye only participated in a past protest during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan because he was instructed by Christian bodies, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and not out of personal initiative.
Quoting his position, Bamiloye said:
“For all those who are expecting an 84-year-old servant of God to lead a protest against a government, this does not make sense by virtue of his age and the mandate of his calling.”
He added that the church’s responsibility is to continually pray for peace and divine intervention in national leadership, citing the Bible (1 Timothy 2:1–3) as support for his view.
Bamiloye’s comments have sparked discussions online, with supporters agreeing that religious leaders should focus on prayer, while critics argue that spiritual leaders should also speak more strongly against insecurity affecting citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment