society
Prisoners of the Pulpit: How Congregational Ignorance Fuels Decay
Prisoners of the Pulpit: How Congregational Ignorance Fuels Decay.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“Pastors exploit, but it is the blind loyalty of followers that keeps the chains of poverty locked.”
A Nation Enslaved by Ignorance.
It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Lagos. Outside the massive gates of a popular Pentecostal church, a shoeless young man selling sachet water argued passionately. The reporter had dared to question why his pastor needed a private jet while thousands of congregants could not afford three meals a day.
The young man, sweating under the sun, defended his “Daddy in the Lord” without hesitation:
“Leave my pastor alone! If he needs ten jets, let him buy them. He is doing God’s work.”
When asked if he himself had ever entered an airplane, the boy laughed bitterly. “No, but one day my seed will speak for me.”
That is Nigeria’s tragedy in one scene. A hungry man, who cannot afford transport beyond okada, defends the extravagance of a pastor who dines with politicians and owns fleets of cars. This is not faith, it is weaponized ignorance and it is destroying the nation more than bullets or bombs. “The tragedy of Nigeria is that the poor defend the rich who exploit them in the name of God.”
The Cult of Ignorance.
Nigeria’s greatest enemy today is not just the greed of pastors or the corruption of politicians; it is the ignorance of millions of followers who cheer while they are exploited. Congregants have been conditioned to see their poverty as proof of spiritual warfare and their pastor’s wealth as proof of divine favor.
As the scholar Paul Gifford put it, the prosperity gospel is “a theology of irresponsibility,” shifting blame for poverty onto demons and invisible forces, while exonerating pastors and politicians. Ruth Marshall, in her landmark study of Nigerian Pentecostalism, observed that followers often suspend critical thinking, treating total obedience to pastors as obedience to God.
This is why congregants defend jets while they cannot afford bicycles, why they fund multi-billion naira cathedrals while their children study under leaking roofs, why they clap when politicians are endorsed from the pulpit. Ignorance, sanctified in the name of faith, has become our greatest national chain.
Facts We Cannot Ignore.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) reported that 767 factories shut down in 2023 alone, with 335 more in distress. These were not just buildings, they were livelihoods. Yet, instead of saving industries, many of these abandoned factories were bought and converted into churches and prayer camps.
SaharaWeeklyNG.com have documented this disturbing trend. Where once machines roared and jobs were created, now microphones wail and offerings are collected. It is a cruel irony: Nigerians pray in the very spaces where they should be working.
The Obscene Contrast.
In 2015, a prominent Nigerian pastor justified his private jet by declaring that “commercial flights are filled with demons.” Another once said that a pastor without a jet is “not serious with God’s work.” Congregants roared in applause.
Meanwhile, the same congregations struggle to pay hospital bills, tuition fees and rent. Hunger stalks the pews, while luxury fuels the pulpit. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once warned: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” Nigerians are not neutral, they actively cheer their own oppressors.
IGNORANCE HERE IS NOT INNOCENCE. IT IS COMPLICITY.
The Political Dimension.
Pastors in Nigeria have long enjoyed cozy relationships with politicians, but it is the congregations who allow it. Instead of demanding accountability, they obey blindly when told: “Vote for this man; he is God’s chosen.”
This political obedience has devastating consequences. It delivers corrupt leaders to power through the pulpit pipeline. It makes democracy hostage to religion. It transforms the church from a house of prayer into an electoral machine.
Chinua Achebe’s words echo with chilling accuracy: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” But leadership is not only in Aso Rock; it is also in the pulpits. And behind every failed pulpit stands a congregation too ignorant to resist.
When Ignorance Becomes Idolatry.
Congregational ignorance has crossed into idolatry. Many followers no longer worship God, they worship their pastors. They defend their leaders’ excesses as though their salvation depends on it. They treat pastors as monarchs, untouchable and unquestionable.
Comedians capture this tragic reality best. I Go Dye once joked: “Na only for Nigeria you go see poor man dey shout ‘Papa ride on’ when pastor dey talk about private jet. But na that same man never chop since morning.” Gordons added: “If miracle dey work the way dem talk, why pastors no lay hand on Nigeria’s economy make e rise?”
Behind the laughter lies bitter truth: a nation cannot prosper when its citizens celebrate exploitation.
The Cost of Ignorance.
The economic cost is staggering. When billions of naira are poured into offering baskets instead of investments, industries die. When factories become prayer camps, unemployment rises. When congregations treat pastors as gods, politicians find in them willing allies.
The moral cost is worse. We are raising a generation that values PROPHECY over PRODUCTIVITY, MIRACLES over MANUFACTURING, SUPERSTITION over SCIENCE. A generation that believes poverty is caused by demons instead of failed policies.
A Five-Point Wake-Up Call to Congregations.
Ask Questions. Faith is not stupidity. Any pastor who discourages critical thinking is an enemy of progress.
Stop Funding Vanity. Before you contribute to your pastor’s new jet, ask: How many jobs has he created with the billions already collected?
Invest in Education and Skills. Don’t just sow financial seeds; sow into your children’s future.
Separate Faith from Politics. Your vote belongs to your conscience not your pastor.
Return to the Gospel of Work. Scripture says: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” Work not wishful thinking, builds nations.
Ignorance is a Choice.
It is time to stop pretending. Nigerians are not only victims of greedy pastors and corrupt politicians. Nigerians are also victims of their own ignorance. They willingly defend those who exploit them. They shout “ride on, Daddy!” even when Daddy rides on their backs.
As the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang: “Suffering and smiling.” That is the Nigerian congregation today; smiling as they suffer, clapping as they are robbed, singing as they are enslaved.
Final Word.
Nigeria does not lack PRAYERS; it lacks PRODUCTION. It does not lack PROPHETS; it lacks PATRIOTS. Until the congregation wakes up, pastors will keep flying jets, politicians will keep looting and factories will keep closing.
The ignorance of the congregation is the real altar where Nigeria’s future is being sacrificed. Until the pews open their eyes, the pulpits will keep feeding on their blindness.
*Nigeria is not dying because pastors are greedy; it is dying because congregations are blind.”
STILL ON DELE MOMODU by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode
I saw Dele Momodu’s response to my article on him & was amused.
I tried to be polite & restrained in that write up & I didn’t realise that it would hurt him so deeply. Yet for that I offer no apology.
I said he sounded tired & worne in his interview with Seun Okinbaloye but from his response today it is clear that he is now completely unhinged.
He has blown his gasket & his reaction is rooted more in emotion than it is in logic.
Frankly I feel sorry for him because it is clear that he is fighting a lost cause, he is badly diminished & he is now a shadow of his former self.
For Bobby Dee the glory days are certainly over & I suspect that by 2027 when Tinubu emerges victorious he will crawl back into the hole that he originally came from.
Perhaps at that time he will go back to taking pictures of former Governor Nyesom Wike, the Adeleke’s & other prominent figures for a living & shining their shoes.
Playing clips of things that I said about President Tinubu 11 years ago when I was in the then opposition & when I led the media section of President Jonathan’s presidential campaign organisation will not help him to get rid of the stench of faeces that he has immersed himself in today & neither does it derogate from the fact that he was speaking rubbish when he said Tinubu is a dictator.
Unlike others I will never deny what I have said in the past about Tinubu or anyone else but at least I had the decency & courage to admit that I was wrong & ever since I left the then opposition and joined the APC in 2021 I have not looked back.
Not only did I fight for Tinubu in 2023 during the presidential campaign but I have remained loyal & committed to him & his cause since then and I have no apology for that either.
Unlike Dele I did not benefit from him for close to 40 years, eat from his plate, collect handouts from him, stay in his house, claim to be his brother and yet refuse to support him in achieving his dream of becoming President.
Bobby Dee’s nose is so far up the posterior of those he is now slaving for that he forgot to mention the fact that every single one of them, at some point or the other in their sorry lives & career, have not only changed political parties several times over but have also opposed Tinubu bitterly & even more vehemently than I ever did only to go back & later re-align with him.
I do not begrudge them or blame them for that because that is the nature of politics all over the world.
There are no permanent friends or enemies but only permanent interests and in my view it is in the interest of Nigeria that Tinubu continues the reforms that he started in 2023 after he was elected President.
It is also my view that Nigeria must never fall into the hands of the conglomeration of court jesters, sorry clowns & motely crew of insufferable jokers that Dele is now speaking, slaving & fronting for.
I will still be gentle with my old friend because I have a soft spot for him but if he ever crosses the line with me again I will stop being so restrained.
He does not have the stomach for a real fight because he is vain and thin-skinned. He also has an over- inflated opinion of himself and a huge ego.
These are weaknesses in this game and not strengths and as we get closer to the presidential campaign he will learn this the hard way.
Meanwhile he should stay in his lane otherwise I will give him plenty to write about.
For him to compare Tinubu to Abacha was wrong and if he was anything like the dictator that Dele claims he is both Dele and those he speaks for today would either be dead or in jail.
He should count himself lucky that our President is a democrat and not a monster.
Dele’s lies, duplicity & shameless perfidy have finally been exposed & are as obvious & glaring as his very large stomach.
I advise him to do some press ups & go jogging because unlike before I will no longer remain silent as he & his friends throw mud at our President.
Game on!
(FFK)
society
OWUTU FM 2026 Ramadan Lecture: Sheikh Jamiu Asanbe Urges Muslims to Avoid Showboating in Worship
OWUTU FM 2026 Ramadan Lecture: Sheikh Jamiu Asanbe Urges Muslims to Avoid Showboating in Worship.
The Chief Imam of Agelete Central Mosque, Ikoyi Lagos, Alhaji Jamiu Asanbe, has urged Muslims to remain sincere in their acts of worship and avoid the temptation of seeking public praise for good deeds.
The respected Islamic scholar gave this admonition while delivering a lecture at the OWUTU FM 2026 Ramadan Lecture, held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, in Lagos.
Speaking on the importance of sincerity in Islam, Sheikh Asanbe cautioned Muslim faithful against what he described as “showboating” — the practice of performing charitable acts or religious duties merely to gain recognition or admiration from others.
According to him, every act of worship in Islam must be done purely for the sake of Almighty Allah.
He explained that while acts such as prayer, fasting, and charity are fundamental pillars of faith, their true value lies in the intention behind them.
The cleric therefore encouraged Muslims to remain genuine in their devotion and avoid mixing their faith with the desire for worldly praise or attention.
Sheikh Asanbe also reminded the faithful that the holy month of Ramadan presents a unique opportunity for spiritual renewal. He urged believers to increase acts of generosity, particularly by supporting the needy, vulnerable members of society, and orphans.
Earlier in her remarks, the Convener of the Ramadan Lecture and CEO of OWUTU FM, Hajia Adejoke Muyibat Balogun, encouraged attendees to use the sacred month as a time for reflection, self-improvement, and community development.
She described the lecture theme as carefully selected to promote spirituality, strengthen faith, and encourage peaceful coexistence within the community.
Balogun expressed appreciation to the numerous guests and supporters who attended the event, noting that their presence reflected the strong bond within the community.
She further reaffirmed OWUTU FM’s commitment to sustaining the annual Ramadan Lecture, praying for Allah’s continued guidance and mercy in the years ahead.
The 2026 edition of the Ramadan Lecture attracted dignitaries and representatives from various organisations including Uzamot Communications, Okutex Fabrics, and the Yeye Asiwaju of Ojota Kingdom.
The event also featured engaging activities such as a quiz competition, where winners were presented with gifts. In the spirit of Ramadan, iftar meals were shared with guests, reinforcing the values of unity, generosity, and compassion that define the holy month.
Through initiatives like this, OWUTU FM continues to play a vital role in promoting faith-based dialogue, community engagement, and social harmony.
Tinubu Abroad, Nigeria in Chaos: The Spectacle of Elite Excess
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
“Government officials queue to bid him farewell as he departs, only to rush ahead and line up again to welcome him at his destination; a stark display of misaligned priorities in Nigerian leadership.”
Wednesday, March18, 2026
In a spectacle that has plunged Nigeria’s political class into fresh ignominy, a long line of federal ministers, governors, senators and political hangers‑on queued outside a London hotel this week to welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR upon his arrival in the United Kingdom for a two‑day state visit.
Not only did these government officials send off Mr. Tinubu as he departed Nigeria (a ritual in itself excessive given the scale of pressing national crises) they rushed ahead to London to line the halls of his hotel, applauding and greeting him like conquering heroes arriving on foreign shores. This is how Nigeria’s elites now comport themselves while millions of citizens endure ever‑deepening hardship.
A Travesty of Priorities
Tinubu’s visit to the UK, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, is officially billed as an effort to deepen trade relations, attract investment and strengthen bilateral cooperation between Britain and Africa’s most populous nation. While those diplomatic objectives in theory could benefit Nigeria, the optics of an entire political class fawning over a president abroad are unbearably grim against the backdrop of domestic suffering.
According to recent economic analysis, despite macroeconomic adjustments such as ending fuel subsidies and floating the naira, more than 60% of Nigerians still live in poverty and daily hardships are rampant. Security remains a grave concern with violence and banditry destabilising large swathes of the country. Instead of addressing these crises with urgency, Nigeria’s leadership appears fascinated with photo‑ops overseas.
“A System of Self‑Centred Elites”
Critics within Nigeria have not minced words. Political observers describe the spectacle as a display of self‑centred politics divorced from the realities facing ordinary citizens. One observer on social platforms summed up the broader sentiment: “Tinubu represents a system of self‑centred elites (elite consensus over popular will) and this is exactly the performative politics that lines like these embody.”
Dr. Godfrey Mwakikagile, a respected African scholar on post‑colonial governance, has long warned that bad leadership and lack of accountability are Africa’s greatest challenges. “Power in many African states is too centralised and concentrated in the hands of elites who use it to perpetuate themselves at the expense of the public good,” Mwakikagile recently argued; a critique that resonates all the more when ministers fly abroad not to pursue tangible policy but to line up like admirers.
The Cost of Foreign Pageantry
This isn’t the first time Tinubu’s foreign engagements have attracted scrutiny. His administration’s frequent travels (often with large entourages) have drawn criticism for prioritising optics over outcomes, especially when Nigeria’s economy contracts and its people struggle with food inflation and insecurity.
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has been among the most vocal domestic critics of these priorities, noting that Tinubu’s extensive foreign travel (including to the UK) distracts from urgent national needs and has become a “matter of grave concern.” Obi insists that such actions reveal a leadership more interested in global visibility than domestic wellbeing.
Nigeria Jagajaga!
The phrase “Nigeria jagajaga” (loosely translated as Nigeria being in disarray) has never felt more apt. A nation where ministers greet presidents in plush foreign suites while citizens queue for food and services is a country deeply out of balance.
Instead of being welcomed like dignitaries abroad, ministers and governors should be at home addressing the root causes of Nigeria’s struggles: insecurity that displaces communities and kills livelihoods, an economy that leaves the majority impoverished despite reforms, and the persistent failings of governance that erode public trust.
What Nigerians Deserve
President Tinubu and his entourage should be judged not by the number of ministers who lined up to greet him in London, but by the lives changed back in Nigeria.
As scholars like Mwakikagile and critics like Obi remind us, political leadership must be accountable and grounded in service, not spectacle. Nigeria’s leaders owe the people more than applause at international hotels; they owe them safety, economic opportunity, and genuine progress.
If this nation is ever to break free from the cycle of “jagajaga,” then those in power must demonstrate sincerity, not pageantry; action, not admiration. The lines outside a London hotel are not a testament to leadership; they are a testament to where Nigeria’s priorities have tragically come to rest.
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