Keeping or sharing your faith, how?

One other thing that irritates me in Nigeria is the often unsolicited preaching we see around. Somebody who carries the bible all over the place would just approach you and start invading your privacy. Just everywhere; example, the motor parks, buses, embassies, markets, bus stops and every other public place etc. you will surely find one Nigerian preaching the word of God to the people. This is in addition to the thousands of privately owned churches and mosques that have been erected in almost every corner within most neighborhoods.

In public buses, one person would out of the blues indicate interest to ‘’commit’’ the journey into the hands of the ‘Almighty God’. But immediately after the lengthy prayer, he would delve into reading and preaching the bible. This is often done without due respect to other people with different religious beliefs. To them, you are either a “Born again Christian” or a sinner. The views or right of other people of other faiths is immaterial. When you resist or challenge them, you are called all sorts of names, including being labeled an unbeliever. Some would even curse you.

At times when you humble yourself and listen to them, it becomes an opportunity to invade your privacy with all sorts of questions. They claim to retain special prayer powers that your own prayer does not matter anymore. Some would even be bold to tell you that you are poor or finding things difficult in your life because you are a sinner. I remember how I was once told while struggling to secure a job immediately after my National Youth Service Corp programme in Port Harcourt in the year 1999 about my situation. Then I had visited one of my extended sisters who happen to own a small Pentecostal church in the city. It was an early morning visit, as I had left my apartment at around 6am.

While waiting for her as she attended to other early visitors, one of her workers came to exchange pleasantries with me. As the exchange progressed, she quipped “Joachim are you born again?” I was a bit stunned and ignored her. But she would not let me be, and then said: “You are suffering unemployment because you are not born again”. That has remained one of the most stupid comments I ever heard from a woman I thought was educated. Though I felt taken aback, but I swallowed the unwarranted insult and still sat there to wait for my turn to see the lady I came to meet. But the waiting lasted longer than necessary to the extent that my other engagement for that morning was almost getting ruined. I did not want that and instead felt I was in a very wrong place. After a little while, I stood up and quietly walked away, vowing never to return that way again. This character of Nigerian recently came up on stage again in far away London when a council employee became suspended from his job for encouraging a terminally –ill woman to be born again. Committed Christian Duke Amachree has been disciplined after he discussed his faith with a client who wanted his advice on a housing problem. The woman later complained to the relevant British authorities that he told her not to trust her doctors. A senior source at the council where Amachree works said: ‘’She (the woman)was concerned that, if Mr. Amachree was allowed to repeat his views, vulnerable people might believe him and read the Bible instead of receiving medical help” hence she reported him. Mr. Amachree , a 53 year old father of two, has worked for Wandsworth Council in South-West London for 17 years. He was born in Nigeria, but now has British citizenship and earns £30,000 a year as a homelessness prevention officer in the council. He is a member of the UK World Evangelization Church in London. The incident happened on January 26 when the woman, who was about 30, came into the council’s offices for advice. The woman spent 50 minutes discussing her concerns that she was going to be made homeless as her landlord was selling her privately rented flat. The woman, an artist, hoped to find alternative accommodation nearer a hospital, where she could be treated for what Mr. Amachree says she described as an ‘incurable bowel condition’. Mr. Amachree admits he told her to put her faith in God and said ‘’some times the doctors don’t have all of the answers’’. But a council spokesman said: ‘’The allegation is that a member of staff gave wholly inappropriate and unprofessional advise to a very sick person who has a an incurable illness, which caused great upset and distress.’’ The council said Mr. Amachree had been warned in the past for raising his religious beliefs with members of the public. The senior source said: ‘’This woman was subjected to a half hour barrage of invasive questions and was basically told it was her fault she was so ill because she had not prayed to God’’. But down here in Nigeria, this is not an ‘’offence’’. Even civil servant can devote their entire working day discussing their faith and the heavens would not fall. Many people would be misadvised to forego their medication and pray instead, yet these preachers and advisors know they are simply fake.This is one nauseating trait of many of the present day fanatical Nigerian preacher. He often ignores the right of others, and in like manner pushes his own agenda as if others are immaterial. Despite the many faiths and preaching, crime of all sorts, dishonesty, unfaithfulness and betrayals dot the Nigerian landscape. In the resulting melee, you have nobody to trust as everybody has become a viper unto another. Crime in Nigeria is very abundant, yet there seems to be a lot of Christian and Muslim practices around. Why? What a pity!

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