Between Mbaka, GEJ and PMB - Ikechukwu Odigbo

The transfer of controversial Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka by the leadership of the Catholic Church in Enugu has caused a lot of controversies.

Ikechukwu Odigbo shares his views on another side of relations between Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari and Father Mbaka.


Father Mbaka
How media interests have moved to Mbaka’s to his personal life

The message of the prophet of God should speak against injustice and portend change. It should console the oppressed and bring hope. Whether or not Buhari is able to live up to his new mandate, to the expectations of his new office, is another thing altogether. I think it is important for Nigerians, and social commentators, to keep these two aspects apart. It is the duty of the prophet to announce change, but it does not belong to him to bring it.

Of late, media interests have moved from Rev. Fr. Mbaka’s political messages to Nigerians to his personal life. This shift of emphasis appears to blur and undermine the value his message might have for our nascent democracy. It is for this reason that I offer the following reflections to bring back public interest to the core areas of his messages and to reengage with democracy in Nigeria.
Mbaka’s overall political struggle

To be well understood, Mbaka’s overall political struggle needs to be situated in the larger context of his vocation. First and foremost, his calling to the Catholic priesthood is mirrored after the tripartite office of Jesus: as king to rule over God’s people; as priest to offer sacrifice for the sanctification of the people; and as prophet to speak God’s mind. (Rev.1:5). All these duties have biblical foundation and constitute the daily responsibilities of the priest who is ultimately called “to bear witness to the truth.” (Jn. 18.17). These offices subsist in the Church and extend to her priests.

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With regard to her duty of prophecy, again the Church has always defined its mission after the mind and example of Jesus: to stand with the poor and the downtrodden; to speak against injustice and oppression; and to be the conscience of the society. During the Middle-Ages, for instance, the influence of the Church was almost total to the point that the church and society almost fused into one; that is, the society was run on Christian principles. Today the scenario has changed, but the mandate is nevertheless the same.
The church in Nigeria has not always lived up to this duty

Although Nigeria is officially a secular nation, it is still the obligation of the church and the messengers of God to condemn evil, call politicians to order, and speak out for the poor and the weak. Seen as the conscience of the nation, the Church in spite of her shortcomings, should not flow with the status-quo, but must checkmate the excesses of the society.

The tragedy of our situation in Nigeria is that the church has not always lived up to this duty. Only in a few places and on a few occasions has the voice of truth spoken out fearlessly against the rapacious crop of leaders and their assistants who have abused this country and its people. All hope seemed to have been lost, with the people forsaken and forlorn.

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It is therefore refreshing that Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka should have the means and courage to raise his voice to condemn evil in defence of the downtrodden. For all I can see, his strong condemnation of politicians is yielding good results. Between 1999 and 2007, he stood against the recklessness and impunity that was going on in Enugu State. He stood behind the exploited poor artisans; he spoke against the alleged politically motivated assassinations that were rampant in Enugu then; he defended civil servants who were owed many months of salaries and challenged the decision of the state government to illegally sack many of its workers. If Enugu State is better off today, it is probably due to his outspokenness and readiness to condemn injustice in strong terms.
Mbaka should be aware that there is always price for a prophecy

It needs to be added here that whether Father Mbaka is a friend to the president, or to whomsoever he chooses, is beside the point. However it matters that he remains steadfast to truth and the purity of his vocation in season and out of season (cf. 1 Cor.15:58); and be willing and prepared to live with the consequences, including one of misjudgement and misrepresentation.

Notwithstanding, there is always a price for prophecy and Mbaka himself should be aware of this. Recent media commentaries have tended to rollback this huge breakthrough in apostolic prophecy in Nigeria by diverting attention from this message of change to his person and activities. Reporters appear to prefer to twist and turn his message for their own personal interest and that of the organisation that they work for. Today, Mbaka is being attacked from all corners and many people now seem bent on undoing him.

Ikechukwu Odigbo is a doctoral researcher in Political Philosophy at the University of Essex, UK.