Abuja-based furniture maker, Chukwudiaso Onyema, who went viral after demanding a refund of the tithe paid to a church, speaks to VICTORIA EDEME on his transition from Christianity to traditional religion

What kind of background do you have?

I am Mazi Chukwudiaso Onyema from the Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State. I am based in Abuja. I am a furniture maker, and I am 39 years old. I have five brothers and two sisters. I grew up in Imo State. my uncle took me to Abuja in 2000. I attended Junior Secondary School, Karo, but I later had an issue with my uncle, and I returned to Imo State to complete my secondary school education. I took the Senior School Certificate Examination at Mgbidi Secondary School, Imo State, after which I returned to Abuja to learn furniture making.

Are you married?

I got married in 2019 and I have two kids.

Were you born into a Christian family?

Yes, I was.

What was your experience growing up in a Christian home?

It was okay. I had no problems with my parents. They trained us well. The only issue I have is that there are things that my parents were not telling us. Even when I decided toq pull out from Christianity, some of my elders supported me.

What church were your parents attending?

my parents attended the Catholic Church.

Your video, in which you demanded a refund of your tithe and offerings from Dunamis Church, went viral last year. At what point did you move from the Catholic Church to Dunamis?

I first moved from the Catholic Church to Living Faith Church in 2004. In 2008, I moved to Dunamis Church.

Why did you move from the Catholic Church to the Living Faith Church?

The reason I moved from the Catholic Church to the Living Faith Church was because I frequently saw the miracles being performed in Living Faith. I pulled out of the Catholic Church to go and confirm if those miracles were real.

How did you go about confirming the authenticity of the miracles?

I wanted to be in their midst so that I would be seeing things live and direct, and not on the television. I later found out that they were not real. They were all packaged.

How did you know that the miracles were not real?

I was in Living Faith for about four to five years before leaving for Dunamis. then I moved to Dunamis because I used to see some drastic miracles on Dunamis Television. So I decided to move to Dunamis.

Why were you interested in miracles and not other aspects of Christianity?

I was not so concerned about the miracles. If I were so concerned about the miracle, I wouldn’t go into Bible training to know more about God. I was not moving around because of the miracles per se. I wanted to confirm if there was power in the name of Jesus. That’s what they show on TV; miracles about Jesus, and what Jesus did. So I wanted to know if it was true. That was why I switched churches.

Did you attend any Bible training session at Living Faith?

I didn’t attend any Bible training sessions and I was not a worker. I was just a normal church member.

How was your membership in Dunamis?

At Dunamis, I joined several training sessions and got certificates. I paid my tithes, offerings, vows, and others. What I was concerned about was the tithe because I had evidence. I was not concerned about the vows and offerings.

When did you start paying tithe?

I started paying tithe in 2008 when I joined Dunamis because of what was preached there. You cannot go to Pentecostal church without following their instructions or what the man of God is preaching.

You stated that you were once a preacher. When did you start preaching?

I started preaching when I was at Living Faith. I preached during morning cry and on the streets. I started preaching inside the bus, inside the market, and other places, even inside the church while at Dunamis.

What was the turning point for you that led to your viral video?

It was when I sowed a seed and in the end, I didn’t see the result. They kept on pushing me to continue sowing and I just realised that it was a scam. They preached that when I give to God, he would open the windows of heaven for me. I tried this from 2008 till my eyes opened. I realised that the owner of the whole universe didn’t need anything. He has everything so I don’t know the reason why they are giving to God to succeed and it’s not working. When I realised this, I wasn’t concerned about getting my money back. I wanted to open the eyes of many who still believed that they were giving to God. That was why I made the video.

When did you come to this realisation?

my eyes opened in 2018. I made the video on February 7, 2023.

What did you do after the realisation?

I decided not to follow any religion. I embraced humanity. When religion and spirituality are destroyed, we have humanity. So I embraced humanity to love my neighbour as myself so that the world would be better. for me, I believe in traditional religion because it was practised by my forefathers. Instead of me following foreign religions, I should follow traditional religions. If there is anything that is not good in traditional religion, we make it good rather than follow foreign religions. Foreign religions are not adding anything to Nigeria and that is why I quit. I’m not practicing traditional religion fully but I would rather claim it because it is better.

How do you practice your traditional religion?

It is a way of life for Africans. There is a way we marry and pray to the Almighty. The Almighty we are worshipping does not have any child but the foreign religion said that God has a son who came to wipe away the sins of the world. But today, sin continues. I’m not fully into traditional religion because some things are not right.

How do you pray?
I pray to the Almighty, the Creator. We call him ‘Chukwuokike’. We don’t communicate with our God through anybody. We communicate with Him directly, unlike other religions which say that we have to communicate with God through His son.

Did Dunamis respond to the viral video you made?

The secretary of the church called me from the headquarters. He said I should gather all my evidence because I had my tithe booklet, which they called the kingdom investment booklet. Whenever I paid my tithe, I used to write the amount and date. I told him that I was not coming to honour their invitation. I snapped the tithe booklets and forwarded them to him, with the total amount, which I don’t want to disclose as it’s between me and the church. Till now, he hasn’t responded to it.

How did the video impact you?

What I was fighting for was not money, because I’m blessed today. I have a car, company, house, and everything a man is supposed to have. I only made the video to open the eyes of many who are giving their hard-earned money to their fellow men, thinking that they are giving it to God. When I made the video, many people called me and said they wanted to help me or give me money but I refused.

Did you face any online criticism because of the video?

Yes, I did. When I first made that video, my Facebook followers were dropping me as a friend and speaking against me. But today, 90 per cent of those who spoke against me are now speaking in my favour. That’s why I didn’t retaliate. I just laughed off all the criticism. The video gave me more popularity.

How did your family react to it?

They were not expecting it. my mum called me and started crying. She said I abandoned my creator and was fighting God. I told her the reason for my action. In the end, she understood me; it was the same for my siblings.

What was your wife’s reaction to your realisation?

I came to this realisation even before getting married to her. I told her that I was not going to do any foreign wedding but would only do the traditional marriage. She disagreed because she wanted to wear a white wedding gown like other women. I begged her and talked sense to her and she understood me. When I made the video, she was angry. She called me from school as she was schooling at a university then. In the end, she also realised what I was saying.

Does your wife have a Christian background?

She was born into a Catholic family but we both met in Dunamis. When I left the church, she refused to leave the church but after we got married, she eventually left the church.

When did you become open to traditional religion?

That was in 2018 because I believe that there is nothing like spirituality.

Do you mean that traditional religion is not spiritual?

It is spiritual and that is why I have not embraced it fully. As I am, I don’t understand anything about spirituality and it is not working.

What is holding you back from embracing traditional religion fully?

There are some things they believe in that are not working. for example, people consult traditionalists to find out the culprit when there’s a case of stealing but it doesn’t work. There are instances where such traditionalists lose the items they use. If their divinations were working, they would have also used it to identify who stole their items.

What challenges did you face when you were transiting from Christianity?

It was not easy at all, as there were challenges from friends and family. They tried to change my mission but I held on to my conviction. There are many people with the same conviction as mine but they don’t want to come out now because of their families and friends.

So far, have you seen any specific change in your life?

I have seen so many changes. Now I sleep in peace. I don’t sleep with the mindset that somebody is after me or people want to kill me from the village. I now reason with my senses. The money I’m supposed to give to my fellow man as tithe, I am also investing it and it is yielding income to me. I’m enjoying my wealth here on earth. I’m not waiting for life after death. I’m benefitting a lot from embracing humanity.

How has your new lifestyle influenced your daily life?

In ancient Igboland, we had four market days and there were no resting days. These days were Nkwo, Afor, Eke, and Orie, wherein people were productive, unlike these days where Sunday is for resting, Tuesday for healing and deliverance, Wednesday for Bible study, and Friday for welfare prayers. During those days, one is expected to close the shop and go and pray to God because they believe that He will supply their needs through His riches in glory. So my transition has changed my life in so many ways. On Sundays, if I am lucky, I take my family to Igbo traditional gatherings to learn more about my tradition. As time goes on, we are going to remove some things that are not working well in these traditions. In India and China, they follow their ancestral religions and things are working perfectly for them.

What are things that should be removed from traditional religion to make it right?

In so many villages today, they have polluted the rivers due to their sacrifices to ‘maami water’ and other gods. They leave those sacrifices in the rivers and the items get spoiled and start smelling. All in the name of giving to gods, they are just messing up our environment. These are some of the things to make right. If they want to sacrifice, they can do it at the side of their house and in the evening, gather the items and burn them, instead of polluting the air and the environment. Secondly, there are some marks given to people when they are sick. All of these do not work. Sick people should go to the hospital.

Do you think it is possible to change these beliefs that have shaped the traditions for ages?

It is possible. There is nothing impossible for man to do. If we are determined to change it, we will. The children we are giving birth to today are leaders of tomorrow. The right knowledge should be imparted to them. Let them know the right and the wrong. Don’t bring religion to them. When you have children today, you force religion on them and do not allow them to make their own decisions. Children are being forced into what they don’t understand.

What steps are you taking to ensure the change?

I am trying my best. I have started it in my house, in my workplace, and in my neighbourhood. Anywhere I go, I let them know that man is god and we are gods to our fellow men. The reason why we are still suffering is because we embrace religion and lack humanity. I will not force my belief on people but I will tell them where I stand.

From your experience, are there any similarities between Christianity and humanity?

There are no similarities at all. Humanity is based on reality, but spirituality and Christianity are based on illusions and stories that we are not sure of.

Until a few months ago, Azeezat Popoola and her lover and businessman, Kabir Ademola, were in a sizzling romance. So much so that the two were like an item. Ademola, a haulage operator with a fleet of trucks transporting goods for a multinational food and beverage company in the Ota area of Ogun State, showered Azeezat, a mother of three and lotto agency operator, with money and gifts, and was said to have thrown a lavish birthday party for her where even his family members and friends were guests.

However, Azeezat’s life took a dramatic turn from joy to sorrow after Ademola allegedly parted ways with her. At the moment, her bubbly mien has been eclipsed by a strange illness that has rendered her speech incoherent, while she has also drastically emaciated.

Azeezat’s family alleged that Ademola has a hand in her worsening mental health problem. Her father, Chief Rasaq Popoola, a community leader and chieftain of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in Abule Egba area of Lagos State, said he suspected that Ademola might have a hand in his daughter’s illness.

He said: “my name is Rasaq Popoola, a native of Ilero, Oyo State. I am disturbed by my daughter’s sudden strange sickness which started about a year ago.

“Three years ago, Azeezat brought Ademola Kabir to me while I was hosting a meeting of my colleagues (OPC members) in the Agbado/OkeOdo LCDA.

“As soon as the chairman of my (OPC) zone sighted Ademola, he said he should leave, saying that he had a strange negative aura.

“About six months later, I received numerous calls from people that my daughter has started emaciating and acting in a manner that suggests she has been afflicted with mental illness.

“When I visited her at the place where she was running a lotto office, she ran away after uttering incoherent words. She also said that Ademola was responsible for her deteriorating mental health.

“She looked like someone that had been used for rituals, hence I want Ademola to explain what he has done to my daughter and release her from bondage, if he is the one behind it.”

Speaking at a parish of a Celestial Church of Christ where she was taken to for healing, Azeezat spoke lucidly but suddenly became incoherent, rendering her explanation inconsistent.

She said: “I was brought to this church by my father in January this year.

“They said I was acting funny, but I know what I am doing.

“They beat me up and took me on a motorcycle to a spiritualist in Joke Ayo area of Alagbado.

“On the contrary, I am hale and hearty; nothing is wrong with me.

“I am currently pregnant for Ademola. I am carrying a pregnancy of twins and the babies talk to me every day, acknowledging that Ademola, the alfa and king of Oyo, is their father.

“I have not done any pregnancy test, but I know that I’ve been pregnant for Ademola since last year.

“They just took me on Sunday and brought me to this church despite the fact that I was doing well in my business before now.

“I have never met Ademola before apart from seeing him in a photograph, but he impregnated me. He is a transporter.

“Like I said, I haven’t seen or met him before, but the twin babies are moving in my belly and having conversations with me.

“I also shared a bowl of pepper soup with a man called Elepo. But the pepper soup was spiked with a poisonous substance after which I began to experience failing health.

“I do not know the man that gave me the pepper soup, but I became relieved after prayers.

“I became pregnant in October 2023 after Ademola slept with me in March.

“Ademola’s wives were the ones behind my problem and sickness.”

One of the prophetesses at the church where Azeezat was undergoing healing said: “Azeezat used to be a good lady until her sickness started and she started acting funny.

“She would stand up when other members of our church were praying and would not comply with what members of the church were asked to do.

“The strange illness worsened after she became a recluse and we went to her house and prayed for her.

“We later brought her to the church for further prayers but she suddenly left on foot and we asked some members to trace her to her house where we later found her.”

Ademola, however, said he had no hand in Azeezat’s misfortune, saying that he only dated her for a few years before they parted ways shortly after the 2023 general election.

“Azeezat is my former girlfriend. She took me to one woman, a prophetess on a Valentine’s Day.

“The woman asked me to buy a set of chairs for her church but I declined because of my Islamic faith.

“She (Azeezat) was always disturbing me for money to pay tithes in the church, and I warned her against such obligation because she was just coming up as an entrepreneur.

“She would shake her body intermittently as if something was tormenting her, and at a point she asked me not to share same bed with her in her apartment.

“When I started noticing that she had health issues, I alerted one of her sisters to it but I didn’t know what happened to her thereafter.

“Her sister told me that she was having problems with her business and that might be the reasons for her health issues.

“But I insisted that there was more to her illness than meets the eye.

“All my warnings to her were the reason she took me as her enemy. I know my wife very well that she could not harm Azeezat.

“What actually led to our break-up is that around the last general election, she told me that she was asked to do seclusion at the church and requested that I visit her at the church because she was sick. But I refused.

“I told her that if she was sick and admitted in a hospital, I would visit her there, but I would not visit her in a church because a church is not a hospital where sicknesses are treated.

“When she left the church after her seclusion, she sent me one of my clothes and food flask left in her apartment.

“But I have a friend who lives around her neighbourhood and he was always seeing her whenever he was passing through her street.

“That friend of mine was the one that alerted me to her deteriorating health one day, and advised me to submit myself for medical test because he noticed that Azeezat had emaciated drastically.

“I told my friend that I had parted ways with Azeezat and that I could not have contracted any disease from her since we are no longer together as lovers.

“However, when people close to us continued to urge me to find out what was wrong with her, I visited her at the place she was using as lotto office and she cried while sharing her plight with me.

“She explained to me that she was battling hunger arising from loss of patronage of her business as customers were no longer coming to her office.

“She said she had to borrow the uniform her son, El-Amin wore to school and that she could not even complete the payment of her children’s school fees totalling N15,000.

“I requested for her bank account number and paid the money into the account so she could defray the fees.

“She also explained that she had no foodstuff at home and that she would need my assistance. I promised that I would send her some money for foodstuff and left her office.

“She had a row with a young PoS operator beside her office and I settled the matter for them and urged her to be friendly with her neighbour.

“The following day, I learnt that she was still keeping malice with the girl, and when I demanded an explanation for her recalcitrance, she rained curses on me.

“Out of anger, I told her that I could eject her from the office she was using for business since I was the one that paid for it.

“I asked her to refund the money that I gave her the previous day. She said she had spent the money and I left.

“I pray that God gives her a perfect healing, because she told me that she dated a man after she fell out with me and that she took pepper soup with the man, not knowing that the meal was laced with poison that made her to stool uncontrollably for hours at night.

“I can swear by taking radiator water that Ogun (Yoruba god of iron) should deal with me if I have a hand in Azeezat’s mental problem.

“I don’t have a hand in her health crisis and I am ready to swear by anything.”

“my boy and his mon woke me up to birthday song. my wife woke me up with $2K, gad dam,” he captioned the IG story posts.

“Happy 26th Birthday Blord , Say A Prayer for Me, Btw, my staff woke me up as early as 7am 😂,” he said in the video’s description.

“my boy and his mon woke me up to birthday song. my wife woke me up with $2K, gad dam,” he captioned the IG story posts.

“Happy 26th Birthday Blord , Say A Prayer for Me, Btw, my staff woke me up as early as 7am 😂,” he said in the video’s description.

Over 50 jets expected as Wigwe goes home

His last hours; Isiokpo mounts Achian, symbolic flag

•Mourners from USA, France, UK for burial


•Isiokpo residents besiege airport to receive visitors


•Mothers in three-day prayers; Ikwere LG to immortalize him

•Massive Police Deployment

“T o everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die;……….A time to weep, and a time laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance”.

for the immediate family of Herbert Wigwe, loved ones, friends and colleagues nothing could underscore this verse in the bible than today’s (Saturday, march 9, 2024) gathering at Isiokpo in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers state.

After 58 years of earthly sojourn, Dr. Herbert Wigwe takes his final rest today.

“But death came too late”, according to the Ikwerre Council chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, because “he had achieved all that most people of his age could not achieve”.

To millions of his admirers, Wigwe died too young. This is premised on the fact that the Holy Book gives 70 years as the youngest period a devote Christian should live on earth. It is on this understanding that the world converges on Isiokpo to mourn one of its best in all human endeavours.

Corporate Nigeria shuts down Lagos for Wigwe
The signs were well pronounced as local mourners gathered in clusters discussing in low tones. Perhaps, on the death and today’s burial of their beloved son, Wigwe.

By Friday afternoon, every venue scheduled for this burial was set: the school, the church and the university premises. The roads are clean as pot holes have disappeared. Isiokpo is ready to host the world, though in sorrow.

Mothers pray Against Untimely Death

for three days they gathered at the major roundabout which is their city center. They called themselves ‘Married Women Of Isiokpo”. They spotted red wrapper and white blouse. Some had white handkerchiefs on their heads as scarf while others made do with whatever was available.

Some of them sat on the green grass, others squatted and some more prostrated. They were praying fervently for God’s intervention in the affairs of the kingdom and for an end to untimely deaths in Isiokpo. Mrs. Beatrice Echeonwu, 68, said the prayer was necessary to end the scourge of untimely deaths in the area.

“We received a revelation from God to embark on a 3-day prayer to take away untimely deaths from our children. God has already answered us. Such disaster will never happen in isiokpo again. Our children will never die untimely again because God has assured us”.

for three days, the isiokpo mothers have assemble at the center of the city from 6am and prayed until 9am with a symbol of water sprinkling on members as a number of them fell under “anointing”. Mrs. Echeonwu said the prayer has been a monthly ritual which comes up on every first Wednesday of a new month.

“Our son’s (Wigwe’s) death forced us to engage the more in prayer until God revealed to us to undergo three days of intensive prayer for His divine intervention. That is the assurance we got that premature death will be a thing of the past in Isiokpo”, she assured.

“ACHIAN” Flag And Its Significant

One of the important symbols of today’s burial ceremony is the erection of a long flowing piece of cloth from the Isiokpo borderline to the private cemetery of Dr. Wigwe. Erected on both sides of the major road, the ACHIAN is a traditional way of honouring the passage of an important personality like the late toast of Rivers state.

Giving insight into the essence of ACHIAN, Chief Edmund Opurum, 72, revealed that “in our tradition when Achian is erected on the road, it signifies either the burial of an important personality like Dr. Wigwe or the coronation of a king.

“The ones you see erected on the road also help to give direction to the visitors to the venue of the event. The ones erected on the road sides may be removed on Monday after the burial. But those at the private cemetery may likely be there for two or three weeks depending on the decision of the bereaved family”, he said.

Chief Opurum regretted that it would take many years if not generations to have somebody like the late Herbert Wigwe again. “Every Christmas, he used to give each community 500 bags of rice with rams while the chiefs were always given N50,000. I benefitted from all of these. That is why I said it would take a long time to have somebody like him”, Opurum said as he was busy clearing the gutter to add some sense of decency to the burial arrangement.

Ikwerre LGA To Immortalize Wigwe

“The bible tells us that we don’t have the right to question the actions of God. But if I were allowed, I wiould ask why would Wigwe die now? He was a beckon of hope for the entire ikwerre local government area and beyond. If you were lucky to have him speak to you, your entire life was made.

“His vision was so big that it contained everybody. There was space in his life to accommodate everybody. my son called me from his school and asked me the same question: why should he die now? The death of Wigwe is such a big disaster to us and those who knew him in one way or another. Our candle, our light has dimmed. This is sad and I don’t know how to describe this”, said Dr. Nwanosike, Ikwerre Council boss.

He assured that the Ikwerre ethnic nationality would immortalize the late philanthropist extraordinaire. “Yes, we will immortalize him. This is not because I am the council chairman of his local government area. It has to do with the importance the Ikwerre ethnic nationality placed on him.

“I am happy that his business friends from all over the country and overseas have promised that the Wigwe International University will certainly go ahead with inaugural academic session in September which was his vision. I am happy for that. We will also do all within our reach to keep his dreams alive”.

Over 50 Jets Expected.

As envisaged, the Port Harcourt International Airport is expected to be busy, at least for today. A credible source at the airport confided in Saturday Vanguard that more than fifty private and commercial jets were expected to land at the airport for today’s burial.

The source disclosed further that if the capacity of the local wing could not contain the visiting jets, some of them would be directed to the international wing. “There is a standing instruction from the minister that everything should be done to avoid possible chaos throughout the burial. We expect more than 50 private and commercial jets tomorrow (today).

“We are expecting a massive crowd from within and outside the country to attend the burial. He was a popular man. That is why we are doing everything possible to ensure a smooth event devoid of stampede or any form of security risk”, the source said.

A Dose Of Politics

In the early hours of Friday, a crowd of sympathizers had gathered at the airport junction to receive the remains of their son, Dr. Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba and son. They all wore black T-Shirts with the description: “Dead or alive, don’t touch a lion”. On the reversed side of the shirt was “Elele Elders and Youths: On Wike’s Structure We stand”.

It presupposes that in a gathering of this magnitude, politicians would definitely want to leverage on such opportunities to showcase their political prowess and the stuff they are made of in their trade.

Rivers state, no doubt is a boiling political cauldron. A fight that has refused to simmer down for whatever reason despite several interventions by prominent Nigerians including the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

But there will be no room for politicking in today’s event. The world gathers here to mourn the passage of a great personality. The world is here to mourn. The world is here to weep. The world is here to grieve over the untimely death of a man who was too generous as a philanthropist. No room for local politics today. Not now.

Led by the ikwerre Council chairman, Dr. Nwanosike, a close ally of the Minister of federal capital territory, FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike, the group received the remains of the Wigwes straight from the airport at exactly 1:33pm and drove in a long motorcade to the deceased father’s compound at isiokpo.

One striking feature of today’s burial ceremony is the watertight security provided particularly by the Rivers State Police command. Saturday Vanguard was told that the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, is the chief security officer, COS, of this historic moment.

Massive security officers and men were deployed to Isiokpo to wade off anything that would constitute a nuisance to the security of life and property in the course of the burial.

The ceremony is billed to be streamed live by Team 33 Production, a reputable event expert based in Lagos. The company streams the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL for Startimes.

Isiokpo would be a melting pot for who is who in the business world from within and outside Nigeria. A credible source said Dr. Wigwe’s friends from America, England, France and other parts of the world have been in Nigeria since the burial program started a week ago.

No doubt, a federal government powerful delegation will also be at Isiokpo to pay its last respect to the deceased. Politicians of note, clerics of high repute and members of “One Love” family, University Dons among others are expected to be on ground to grace the burial. It will be a gathering of who is who in the real sense of it.

Muslim leaders from across the federation, under the aegis of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, SCSN, told the federal government yesterday that Nigerians should not be hungry and insecure.

The council spoke as Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar, Special Adviser to.the Vice President, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, and other prominent Muslims in Nigeria converged on Kaduna to deliberate on the state of the nation.

The Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Alhaji Jalal Ahmad Arabi, and son of late MKO Abiola, Alhaji Jamiu Abiola, were also at the meeting.

The Muslim leaders alleged that trillions of naira were spent on security and power in the country but noted that there was no commensurate results over the years.

President of the council, Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, said: “We should in unison, keep appealing to our governments to take concrete steps to address the issue of corruption, leakages and wasteful spending.

‘’Corruption is like a cancer, which destroys everything noble and undermines the principles of good governance.”

“Here, it is perfectly justified to ask our leaders, why should the ordinary Nigerian be made to bear the brunt of insecurity, with trillions being spent on the security agencies without positive result or accountability?

‘’Why should the ordinary Nigerian suffer difficulties from power failure and its skyrocketing cost, with over $20billion wasted on power without positive results or accountability?

“There is no doubt that we cannot reasonably expect solutions to issues bedeviling our lives until our leaders summon the political will to address the issue of corruption, whenever, wherever and whoever is involved.

“We urge the federal government to re-examine the neo-liberal economic template guiding our policies and perish the thought of plans to totally abolish all subsidies and commercialize strategic public agencies, without any semblance of social safety net to mitigate the attendant, horrendous consequences on the population.

“In these challenging times, it is crucial that we uphold the principles of peace, unity, and understanding. We should preach against resorting to violent protests against the government and strive for dialogue and constructive engagement with governments to address our concerns.

‘’Islam encourages us to seek solutions to problems with our leaders through peaceful means only. Violence only begets more violence, and it is our duty as responsible citizens and followers of Islam to promote harmony and stability.

‘’Together, let us channel our grievances through peaceful avenues, fostering a culture of tolerance and cooperation for the betterment of our society.

“We call on the Ummah to fervently pray during this sacred month of Ramadan and beyond for peace in Nigeria, and divine intervention in tackling acts of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, ethno-religious crises, and other criminal activities.

The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar said in an interview with journalists that the federal government was making efforts to deploy technology towards combating the security challenges bedeviling the country.

“The technology would help troops of the Nigerian Army to monitor movement of bandits and other criminal elements, in order to face full action of the troops before targeting any place,” he said.

Badaru called on the Islamic scholars to use this year’s Ramadan sermons to pray for the success of the government and the development of Nigeria.

Herbert Wigwe: Did His Pastor Mourn Long Enough? By Fola Ojo
February 24, 2024


I never met Herbert Wigwe, the late CEO of Access Bank. His name was not heard until now. As a writer, I pen scanty about happenings in the Banking sector; a titanic terrain that was Herbert's career kingdom in Nigeria. Shortly after I left Nigeria for the US thirty-six years ago, I heard about Herbert's dad, Papa Shyngle Wigwe when he was a top brass at the NTA. I recall that Papa Wigwe and his wife once suffered a tragedy when Herbert's older brother died in an automobile accident alongside a lady who was considered his wife. Both were killed in the crash. Immediately I heard that the chopper in which Herbert was travelling went down in California on his way to Las Vegas killing all onboard including his wife and oldest son a few weeks ago, it was heart wrenching for me. I commiserate with the Wigwes, especially for the Octogenarian Wigwe and his wife in these trying times. May God comfort them.

Herbert was not just a faithful husband, a caring dad, a savvy banker, and an admirable community leader. He was also a loyal member of his church, and a diligent minister of the gospel in his local assembly. In the aftermath of the California air tragedy, I picked up a video where the pastor of the church effusively showered encomiums on the late CEO, enumerating his dedication to the cause and vision of the church.

From the recorded account of the pastor, we were told that Herbert used his goodwill and resources towards the growth of the church and the advancement of God's work. His humongous and vast wealth put him in a comfy position to be one of the biggest givers of gold. The church's new worship edifice is one of the best in all of Africa.

The 14-storey architectural masterpiece was built at a cost of over N12B with unique features such as a 4,500-capacity auditorium, a multi-storey car park holding 673 cars, rooftop terrace, and a helipad. As the Chairman of the Building Committee, Herbert went an extra mile and beyond the call of duty to ensure a fruition of the dream. He pulled his many strings as CEO of his Access Bank to facilitate a hefty loan to pull the project to completion.

"Herbert went as far as paying for two office spaces for Access Bank at the church building and he paid a 5-year rent for the two office spaces. This was done when the project was still a greenfield project, and that is remarkable;" a report from the church said.

Just before he died, the church was stuck servicing the Access Bank loan. In his usual generous steps, Herbert stepped up again with a bail-out of N1 billion interest-free loan. The testaments expressed here are probably a drop-in-the-bucket regarding the stretch of largesse and generosity Herbert extended toward the pastor and the church.

Does a man such as this not deserve to be properly honoured after his death? A team led by the General Overseer of the mother-church visited the parents. Members of the local assembly in Lagos extensively offered succour and comfort to the grieving family. The church must have done its best.

However, in hushed voices, many people are expressing that an event that took place in the church that Herbert served for years was disgusting and disparagingly dishonoring to the Wigwes, and to the nuclear family of Herbert. What was the event?

Last weekend in Lagos, just a few weeks after Herbert, his wife, and son were tragically killed, the pastor's wife threw a loud and lavish party marking her 60th birthday. The party, we heard, was no holds-barred! The bash was attended by eminent dignitaries from across Nigeria. They all wined and dined feverishly with the pastor and his celebrating wife at the centre of it all. What was wrong celebrating a landmark birthday? Not one thing.

But what the people are saying is that those who should still be in a mourning mode; those who brand themselves friends of the dead, and those who were seen hobnobbing with the Herbert's family when he was alive and in an influential position to extend financial favours; took to the dance floor throwing down without a hinder as if tragedy had not just struck a friend.

That is the grouse of many including those who are close to the pastors, but who can't tell them to their face that they erred. Was it appropriate for the church to throw a loud and lavish party celebrating its pastor's wife just two weeks after the tragic death of a pillar member who almost single-handedly built the same church?

I was told that the Pastor and his wife are good-hearted servants of God. But did they step out too early into a celebratory mode while the Wigwes mourn? Shouldn't they have waited until the lifeless remains of a man they called a friend are interred?

The work of a pastor requires a lot of wisdom. It is this endowment that helps anyone strike a balance with delicate decisions.

Yes, the dead are gone, but what about the living who are watching how the dead who was once alive was treated after his passing? Will honouring the deserving dead not have been an encouragement to the serving living? Should the pastor have waited at least thirty days as prescribed in the Bible to end mourning? How will those outside the church judge this move? Will they not think that members who help with God's work are considered just mere discardable and ordinary numbers we throw away when their days on earth have been numbered? Did the church bear "one another's burdens" enough according to the admonishment of Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:2? If honour will not be accorded whom honour is due like Apostle Paul admonished, where else must it happen if not in the CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD? These are the questions going on in the hearts and minds of many at this time.

I don't pray to be in the shoes of these pastors. But when, in life, you hit the fork of the road, you take it guided by wisdom. I am certain that a lot of preparation would have been put into the pastor's wife's celebration. Non-refundable expenses would have been incurred. Guests from around the world must have made travel arrangements that weren't easily changeable. But did the pastors mourn enough the death of their friends? It's true that I was not in this pastor's shoes, but it wouldn't have taken me much haggling in my spirit to determine what to do. for me, true friendship isn't about being there only when it's convenient, it's about being there when it's not. Through what they are willing to sacrifice for you; It is during heavy trials that you know true friends.

What would I have done if I were in the pastor's shoes? If HERBERT ONYEWUMBU WIGWE and his wife were my true friends and not just a tool used in retooling life and ministry, I would have rescheduled the event for another day; or run it completely low-key on schedule just to honour our friendship and honour the dead who went an extra mile for my life assignment.

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