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Rev. Fr. Mbaka’s ‘Obi-tuary’!

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Between Evans And Anini

By SOC Okenwa….

In the process of knocking this piece into shape a couple of captions competed for attention as I sought to settle for the best. Initially I had decided to entitle it “Fr. Mbaka’s God Of Money” or “The ‘God’ Mbaka Worships”. Yet other titles like “Fr. Mbaka As A Politician”, Fr. Mbaka’s Mundane Fantasies”, “Fr. Mbaka’s Mercantilistic Disposition” came up for consideration. But in the end I settled for the one above. For some serious writers, to be able to command intellectual attention one must endeavour to give a good worthy title to any commentary. Not everyone is called to be a writer because those who inform or form opinion must themselves be well informed and formed professionally.

From the outset it is imperative, in my reckoning, that an explanation be given to the import of the caption of this article lest it conveyed a misleading message it was not intended to convey. The word ‘obituary’ dreadfully means the announcement of the death of someone. But in this case the subject of this discourse is still with us as a compatriot in flesh and blood. ‘Obi-tuary’ in this context, therefore, simply represents a witty way of coining ‘Obi’ and ‘tuary’ to underline the ‘Okwute’ factor in the Mbaka bizzare bazaar episode on Adoration ground in the coal city recently.

Reverend Father Ejike(emeuwa) Mbaka(ogu) is a popular priest based in Enugu city. From all indications he is a Catholic ‘star’ east of the Niger! He is the famous Overseer of the ‘Adoration’ Ministry under Catholicism in the coal city. An ordained Catholic priest with sound academic background Mbaka has made name and money for himself as a radical adorable ‘adorator’ and a glorified political ‘prophet’ who foretold who became our President and who failed to make it. He did it in 2015 and it worked well for him — paying him dividends materially and financially!

Prior to the presidential election of 2015 pitting the then incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan, and the then opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari Fr. Mbaka had predicted that the former, incumbency factor or not, would lose the election and it came to pass. He had told Nigerians way back then that Buhari was a ‘messiah’ sent by God to deliver His children and heal the ravaged land. And many Nigerians had believed hook, line and sinker!

GEJ was muddling up things then at the Villa that a political midget or upstart could have beaten him given the groundswell of public opinion disfavourable to his continuing in the disastrous course he was headed. Today, however, the man of God is singing a new tune. Perhaps he had heard from God, yet again, that the messiah of yesterday had suddenly become the tormentor of today! Talk about the Damascus experience involving Saul and Paul!

When Buhari became President Fr. Mbaka was hosted in Aso Rock and an image of him was shown grinning from ear to ear amid presidential recognition and salutation. Maybe what Mbaka was hoping for in terms of ‘compensation’ from the retired Daura-born General never came his way hence the ‘divorce’. Before now he had warned Buhari to listen to privileged preachers like him or be doomed! But Buhari being Buhari (impervious to criticisms and an apostle of nepotism) every entreaty for a new way of doing things fell on deaf ears.

The Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry was in the news lately especially online where a video of his church’s annual Harvest and Bazaar event last Sunday featuring the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi, had since gone viral. During the annual harvest and bazaar celebration of the church the former Anambra State Governor was asked to disclose publicly the amount he would donate for the Adoration project, something he refused to do prompting Mbaka to ‘lay’ a ‘curse’ on him and Atiku prophesying that they would ‘lose’ the presidential poll of next year if they failed to shell out money to him!

Peter Obi remains a quintessential gentleman, a capable manager of men and resources. His Adoration encounter with Mbaka has shown yet again that he is a man of integrity and prudence. Other merry-go-round politicians, upon being indirectly intimidated in the public glare, would have melted and promised millions to Mbaka if only to receive his ‘blessings’. But not ‘Okwute’ Obi whom the man of God accused conveniently as a “stingy” man.

Read also: Wale Oluwo and the walls of Jericho

Following the widespread criticisms that trailed the failed attempt at extortion Fr. Mbaka had defended himself by saying that “God deserves money”. He sounded unruffled asking God to punish his detractors and those “firing arrows at him”. Mbaka would have been a good comedian if not for the priesthood ordination he underwent in the Catholic church. The Catholic hierarchy had reacted negatively to the Mbaka Adoration controversy and it was not the first time the fiery Priest would be making himself heard for the wrong reasons.

When former Governor Chimaraoke Nnamani was in power in Enugu state Fr. Mbaka had had a running battle with him leading to an open animosity between the two men. Despite the fact that ex-Governor Jim Nwobodo (acting as a godfather) had brought and introduced the then America-based Nnamani to Mbaka painting him in glowing colours of competence and loyalty Mbaka had told the aging bleaching Jim that his inner instincts were not in sync with the handsome man ‘imported’ from Uncle Sam to come and perform better than his gubernatorial predecessors. Alas Chimaraoke, upon his election as Governor, bared his fangs by dismantling the Nwobodo godfatherism in Enugu politics and picking up a protracted feud with the spiritual godfather.

Ex-Governor Nnamani went allegedly to the extreme by trying to eliminate Mbaka! In a dusk daring assassination attempt Mbaka was on his way from the Bishop’s court when assassins waylaid him pumping bullets into his body! Dozens of live bullets were reportedly fired at close range but they miraculously failed to penetrate the body of the servant of God! The assassins had taken him for dead and upon returning to the scene of the odious crime to verify, confirm or re-confirm that Mbaka was indeed dead lying in the pool of his blood they were shocked to meet him absent! Mbaka had escaped into the bush near-by. He survived what could have passed as an extreme measure deployed by his detractors to shut him up permanently.

Of course he lived miraculously to tell the story to the Adoration faithfuls. Upon surviving the dastardly attempt on his pious life tongues started wagging as to his staying power. If the then late Catholic Pontiff, Pope John Paul, could not resist bullets from entering his bodily system then why Mbaka? Or could it then mean that the Igboman was holier than the Pope? Some uncharitable elements even went to the extent of insinuating that Mbaka must have prepared himself with anti-bullet traditional charm potent enough to ward off live cartridges!

And breaking news online had it that Mbaka had escaped yet another assasination attempt in Enugu few days ago! Whoever wants to kill Mbaka must know that one cannot take what one could not create or make. The life of the reverend gentleman, no matter the controversies he courts, must be spared.

In Nigeria religion has been politicised and politics ‘religionised’. For some new-generation Pastors and Imams and the old-generation clergymen money is in the detail! Mbaka and co always claimed that God spoke to them or that they were in constant conversation with the Omnipotent Being yet there is no evidence that suggested that what they were claiming was true. In this mundane modern world (with all its human folly and frailties) anybody can claim anything. There is no more Moses or Abraham amongst us!

Not even Prophet TB Joshua, the late Olumba Obu, Sett Guru Maharajj or the unordained ‘Bishops’ and ‘Apostles’ that Nigeria is blessed (or cursed) with could lay any claim to divine favour of yore! None (including Fr. Mbaka) could claim to have the Mosaic or Abrahamic calling or involved in an intimate relationship with their Maker. God has been relegated to the background as cupidity takes the centre stage. Miracles are faked and prophecies, in their naked fakery, dished out to the uninitiated for reasons of dominion and prosperity.

Rev. Fr. Ejike, the son of Mbaka, must henceforth be told to concentrate on his calling by sticking strictly to his Adoration ministrations, healings, deliverance and adoration of the Most High God. Any further attempt at immersing the ecumenical endeavour in politics could lead to his spiritual ‘obituary’. He must leave politics to politicians as politicians should leave religion for the clergy.

Between religion and politicsvin Nigeria the mundane often clashed with the spiritual. And the two are worlds apart. If politics fascinates Mbaka he could have emulated Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu who contested and won the gubernatorial poll in Benue State decades ago. Mbaka could become, by so doing, the Enugu State Governor and try to correct those things he often said politicians were not doing rightly or were incapable of accomplishing.

As the French would say sarcastically: “Maudit soit ceux qui utilise le nom saint de Dieu pour se enrichir” (Woe betide those that use the holy name of God to enrich themselves).

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