[dropcap]N[/dropcap]o matter how hard he tries to make it look as if it is no big deal and no matter how much he ignores it and tries to brush it under the carpet, the N5.8 billion scandal in which the House of Representatives have indicted Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for theft, larceny, diversion, misapplication and misappropiation will not go away.
No matter how much he tries to wash himself with his self-righteous soap and brush, the filthy stench of corruption and abuse of office will never leave him.
No matter how many open markets he visits in a blaze of publicity and in a desperate attempt to prove that he is a man of the people, the bloated flies that customarily trail filth, garbage, open sewers and rejected goods will continue to follow him and raise fundamental questions about his infantile claim to holiness, infallibility and sainthood.
Some have erroneously argued that Osinbajo could not have stolen the 5.8 billion or indulged in any form of wrongdoing because he is a Pastor.
They also claim that the grievous, unproven and outrageous allegations that he has made against President Goodluck Jonathan, President Olusegun Obasanjo, the late President Umaru Yar’adua and indeed every single PDP-controlled Federal Government that was in power over the 16 years before our nation was afflicted with the Buhari plague and APC contagion three years ago must also be true, again because he is a Pastor.
On both counts this is not only an intellectually lazy cotention but it is also pure hogwash. I say this because Osinbajo is far from being what many think he is. His conduct over the last three years has proved that conclusively.
As far as I am concerned he is a Pastor only in name. In my view he is not a Pastor but an eager accomplice, common sidekick and ever-ready man-Friday to the most hated, despised, compromised, dishonest, brutal, divisive, incompetent, cruel and evil dictator that Nigeria has ever known.
I say this because no real Pastor would do what he has done over the last three years and neither would any tolerate or participate in the evil that his boss and their government have unleashed on the Nigerian people since they came to power.
Pastors see evil for what it is and fight it openly. Failing that they at least shun and condemn it. They certainly do not espouse it, enjoy it, wallow in it, encourage it, support it and thrive in its commission.
They do not point fingers at the innocent and accuse them falsely and neither do they eulogise or deify the corrupt. They are not deceitful cowards who have sold their souls to the devil for cheap political gain, filthy lucre and a morsel at the tyrant’s table.
The truth is that it irritates me to no end when some refer to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as a Pastor. It is like referring to Judas Iscariot as a disciple of Jesus Christ or Rasputin as the Pope.
The Bible says “thou shall know them by their fruits”. It says “the devil presents itself as an angel of light”. It speaks of “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. It talks about “shepherds that feed on the carcasses of their own flock”.
Osinbajo is a fake Pastor in the same way that Judas was a fake disciple and Rasputin was a fake priest. Like Judas and Rasputin he was secretly planted amongst the disciples and in the Church by satan.
When you speak of Pastors you are referring to holy and selfless men who lift up, inspire and encourage others, who are filled with compassion and love, who are called to ministry by the Living God and who are deeply courageous and strong.
These are tried and tested men and women who are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the light of God. These are men and women that are driven by the quest for righteousness, justice and equity and who have no fear of tyrants, bullies or the agents of the devil.
These are men and women who despise evil, wickedness and injustice and who support and assist the suffering, the deprived, the weak, the vulnerable, the wounded, the afflicted, the persecuted and the poor.
These are men and women that speak truth to power and that give wicked rulers and heartless men of wealth and power sleepless nights.
These are men and women that have successfully passed through the furnace of affliction, who have mastered their calling, who are clean-spirited, who are committed to spreading the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ fearlessly and who do not steal, kill, lie, bear false witness, falsely accuse, compromise with evil or seek to destroy their fellow human beings.
When we talk about Pastors we are talking about a rare and special breed of people who are committed to humanity, self-discipline and the work of God and who have chosen to answer the highest and most noble calling.
When we talk about Pastors we are talking about men and women like the late Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, the late Apostle Ayo Babalola, the late Rev. Timothy Obadare, Bishop David Oyedepo, Prophet T.B. Joshua, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, Dr. Paul Enenche, Bishop David Abioye, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Apostle Samson Suleiman, Dr. B.O. Ezekiel, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Archbishop Jasper Akinola, Bishop Emmanuel Gbonigi, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, Prophet Emmanuel Kobe, Pastor Rhoda Awiliki, Pastor Solomon Kayode Anjorin, Pastor Bayo Oladeji, Dr. Israel Akonji, Pastor Emmanuel Omata and so many others.
When we talk about Pastors we are not talking about hopelessly compromised and morally challenged charlatans and crooked politicians like Osinbanjo who consistently attempt to defend the indefensible, who thrive on perfidy and falsehood, who tell one hundred lies a day, who indulge in the most outrageous and brazen acts of corruption, who persecute the innocent, who collude with evil and bloodthirsty men, who encourage the perpetuation and commission of barbarity and wickedness, who turn a blind eye when lives are being destroyed, who refuse to raise their voices when innocent blood is being shed, who speak from both sides of their mouths and who encourage mass murder, genocide and ethnic cleansing.
When we talk about Pastors we are talking about those that we revere, love and admire and not those that are only Pastor in name.
Femi Fani-Kayode is a lawyer, a Nigerian politician, an evangelical christian, an essayist, a poet and he was the Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to President Olusegun Obasanjo from July 2003 until June 2006. He was the minister of culture and tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from June 22nd to Nov 7th 2006 and as the minister of Aviation from Nov 7th 2006 to May 29th 2007. He runs a syndicated column on The Trent. He tweets from@realFFK.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
