I know our political memory many times is turned to the default mode of forgetfulness, but go back after ’99 and we were into a Chimaroke Nnamani era, an era that like that of his father OBJ at the centre was marked by evils in their most egregious and brazen forms.
A disaster, an ache, a nightmare, a terror that the coal city is only now trying to recover from. So anything that could bring relief, succour, hope, anything that could bring encouragement, was tenaciously clung to by the 042 people at the time. It’s then not difficult to imagine the balm that was an Mbaka to the random ache that was the terror Chimaroke. An Mbaka at such times was some breath of fresh air.
The first and only time I was in an Mbaka mass was around 2008 or 2009 if I remember correctly. It was on a Sunday, something had taken me there by coincidence. That was my first and only time I was in his mass physically. I came out with an impression of a man that is so proud, it borders on the wrong side of arrogance. It was so glaring it blocked every other positive I could have got from him on the day. Such was how strong the impression was. No hyperbole. Then he was still at his GRA temporary site.
Safe to say it was no love at first sight. I remember telling my friend then of the formers impression on me, but he didn’t quiet much take it seriously. Where his ministry has reached since then is visible even to the blind. Gordons calls it ‘permanent site.’
Then there was a turn of an era.
With the people of Enugu finally getting rid of the nightmare Chimaroke, not after wasting our lives for eight solid years anyway, it was a turn to an era with promise. Was it so for Fr Mbaka…? I know some people, priests, seminarians, lay people, who were critical of the way he used the pulpit to attack and keep terror regime of Chimaroke on its toes; but unless you didn’t really experience a Chimaroke or an OBJ, you would sanction any sane means to get such descendants of Lucifer back to where to they came from! So people like me didn’t quiet worry about Mbaka’s modus operandi.
Although one had to admit his statements pretty much abused the pulpit on some occasions at the time.
It was my big brother Aloysius who first brought Mbaka’s talk about Nsukka people to my notice. Then at the Oblate house I was the only Nsukka guy. And being the kind of person I am, who, on some occasions then in the community had being critical of Mbaka, it was understandable when my brother Aloysius brought the talk to my notice. He didn’t have the talk then, he only asked if I had heard it to which of course was negative, before he went on to tell me some of the contents of it. I was alarmed, but waited to hear it to really ascertain what he actually said. When later that year, I think it was in 2011, I heard the tape, while holidaying in Enugu, alarm was an understatement of what I felt.
I was wondering how a respectable priest, a catholic priest of such ranking will stand on the pulpit, within the confines of the sacred liturgy of the mass and unleash statements that smirked of prejudice, bias, preconception, bigotry. Why will a priest make statements that were plain derogatory, offensive, insulting, scornful, mocking, sarcastic, about a whole community of people? And as if to add salt to injury, he capped it with, ‘nsukka ndoo, ndoo’ (nsukka sorry o, sorry o). my head was on a spin. To say the least, that was a trumpeted abuse of the sanctity of the sacred alter and sanctuary where he stood and a gross abuse of the sacred mass within which he promoted such hate. I told friends then that his bishop needed to bring him to order.
What was even more surprising was that what necessitated Mbaka’s remarks on Nsukka people at the time, was Okwesilieze Nwodo, the former PDP national secretary’s debacle at the time with his party and the governor Sulivan Chime, something that had no iota of connection with the former’s tribe, being an Nsukka man. Suffice it to say that, some of what he Mbaka said within the content of the said message bordered on serious political ignorance. I think Sulivan had visited the adoration ground after he became governor. But you know what, many people applauded that message. Whence our reasoning…?
Then came the Ohakim saga after he visited the adoration ground, the recanting by Mbaka, and then attack on Rochas administration, after the support for the latter prior to his election. Then a Patience Jonathan went to the adoration ground, there was a 'prophetic' message in support of GEJ as the next big thing. It is APC and Buhari now.
What I see in Nigeria is an alarming proliferation of falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy, lies, double-faced, double-speak, unashamed posturing and inconsistencies, that have all but dismembered the remaining joints holding our togetherness. I have once made a post that the custodians of our religious traditions should realise that the first message of God, is love. Custodians of our religions should realise that, their primary task is to keep bridging the ever increasing chasm between the human community.
The communal content in humans is a spiritual content, one that should be protected, promoted, preached, at all times by the custodians of the religions in Nigeria. It is religion that has helped in no small measure to erode, destroy and permanently put to sleep the rational faculties of the people. The reasoning of many immediately a discussion become religious goes into the default mode of sleep; they become closed, and difficult to talk with, and in most cases intolerant. Such should never be allowed to foster, much more by priests.
The people close to Fr Mbaka, (I hear he has become ‘daddy’ to many), should go tell him to steer clear of the toxic, lethal, and deadly waters of partisan politics; especially the Nigerian brand. If he has issues with neutrality in concertizing political leaders, he had better completely steer clear of anything political. He needs to loosen up and blind himself to the continuous eulogies of his vanities as a mortal. That is if he still remembers the primary goal of his priestly calling.
Chike Nwodo
--
Edesiri.
Edesiri.
Admin, Nigerianewsbeat.
