There is, it is said, always the political aspects of everything in life. In families, among friends, associates and colleagues, there comes a time things are politicized.
However, the ability to live above politicking and its appearances at home, work or church builds integrity and the inability to draw lines with reality demeans either the individual or an organization.
At this early times of the Buhari led administration, there is the propensity for some people and in particular media organisations to introduce an element of politics into everything.
This must have informed the online publication early this week that the vice president Prof. Yemi Osibanjo is appointing his kinsmen to positions in Aso Rock Chapel, a private worship place of the presidency.
For a man that has been a Provincial Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in control of a province made up of over one hundred parishes comprising of thousands of worshippers from all walks of life, such accusation is as ridiculous as it is malicious. The vice president deserves more respect.
Given that the vice president has been at the hierarchy of church administration even in highbrow environment like Ikoyi in Lagos, reports that he is now meddling in the affairs of a relatively small Aso Rock chapel, takes the publication to levels that betrays its professional standard.
Skimming through the story, it was attributed to faceless members of the church, complaining of the vice president shutting clergies and worshippers out, why, mainly due to the issue of who signs the church cheque, smells of a calculated mischief.
Taking a professional look at the news story, the source was anonymous, the writer was anonymous and the presidential source equally anonymous. This makes no sense and is far from what is widely expected of the media at a time all hands should be on deck to pull the country out of the sinking ship to the shore of emerging economies.
For the records, when the former Chaplain appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan left office, he is reported to have asked that all officers holding positions of responsibilities that he appointed should also quit. They chose to stay and the vice president, to whom the Chapel was handed over to, decided not to remove them.
Findings show that the vice president even allowed some of the officers of the church appointed to continue their service to the Lord, including those who vigorously campaigned against the APC ticket.
Contrary to the report, the truth is that there has not been a change to the pattern of the Chapel leadership. Consistent members from all regions of the country that were in position still hold their posts. Right now the Church Administrator is from the North and signatories from the Southern parts of the country.
How can the vice president who handed his parish in Lagos, where he was pastoring, over to a non-Yoruba minister to be the pastor, now be accused of tribalism? How wicked!?
Claims that clerics and worshippers are being shut out and that members of the church are protesting are not only blatant falsehood but a characterization of the worshippers at Aso Rock Chapel as those who go to church to seek positions; this is most unfair.
For information sake, it is pertinent to point out here that those who attend services at the Aso Villa Chapel are mainly personal guests of the vice president, since the Chapel is deemed to be the place of worship for him and his family and friends, as different from a conventional church.
Everyone who attends service at the Chapel is essentially, a personal guest of either the President or vice president as the case may be in all administration whether current or past administration.
The Aso Rock Chapel is therefore not another parastatal of government, but a private worship place for residents of Aso Rock and ought to be respected as such and not dragged into partisan politics.
Considering the enormity of State functions needed to be done urgently to reposition the country in the economic and socio-political spheres, the vice president of the Federal Republic will be too busy to monitor and supervise local worship house accounting procedures.
Our media houses at this time of glaring national rebirth and refocus, should direct their valuable skills to national development in the interest of all and sundry.
Ekanem is a political commentator based in USA
Follow Us
