Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has advised President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as his in-law, to act fast to stem the tide of killings in the country.
He also advised him to plead with the US President, Donald Trump, to give him a 100-day grace to deal with terrorists in the country and at the same time give a 90-day ultimatum to security chiefs to deal with terrorists in the country or lose their jobs.
Pastor Adeboye gave the advice while having what he called a meeting with his “children” after the monthly holy ghost night of the church in the early hours of Saturday, November 7.
During the meeting, which was monitored by Church Times Nigeria, Adeboye gave a historical account of his involvement in protests in the country. He also explained why he was not directing his speech to Nigerians.
Adeboye said if he had the opportunity of reaching President Tinubu, he would tell him “to move fast, move diplomatically, move wisely. He should find a way to convince the US president to delay his actions for about 100 days and then come home and tell our security chiefs to get rid of these terrorists within 90 days or resign.”
Recalling the tenure of late President Muhammadu Buhari, he said he once advised him privately to take such a step when the killings in the country were becoming unbearable. He noted, however, that Buhari did not follow through on the counsel
He said, ‘I am sure this will sound familiar. There was a president, Buhari, who issued such an order. He is not around to tell you who gave him that advice. He ran with that advice, but he did not follow it through. The security operatives moved fast, but three months went by and the work was not done.”
“I went to see him. It was in the news. This time, the press got to know I visited him. Unfortunately, he is not alive now. I asked him why he did not follow through, why he didn’t proceed with his threat. I won’t tell you the details of our meeting. But one thing came out of that meeting which will lead me to my next advice.’
Adeboye then advised that President Tinubu should this time tell the security chiefs and “make it clear to them that they are not only to eliminate the terrorists, they should eliminate their sponsors no matter how influential.”
Explaining why he said President Tinubu should move fast, move diplomatically and move wisely, he said, “We must take note of the fact that if the US should attack us, China is not coming to defend us, Russia won’t defend us. All the so-called world leaders will talk. They will condemn what America has done in the strongest terms. But they will not come to help us. Britain will not come and help us.
“No other foreign powers will come to our aid. This is not the time for joking. It is not the time for grammar. It is not the time you begin to argue, saying not only Christians alone are being killed, but Muslims are also involved. The fact is that innocent people are dying.”
The RCCG Overseer said he almost spoke last month when he heard the speech of “my in-law, the president. Particularly, that section that spoke about security. When I heard him say all is well now, that the displaced people have returned to their villages. I almost said the person who wrote that speech for my president, my in-law, does not like him.
The question is, didn’t he see the speech before he read it? My conclusion will be, several people around my beloved in-law are not telling him the truth. The following day after that speech, we read in the news of a traditional ruler being killed while in the house with his wife.”
Earlier in his address, Adeboye said he had always refrained from making public statements because he is under the authority of CAN, “I have discovered in the Bible that a man not under authority cannot cast out a demon”
On the two times he protested, he said, ‘ Since I was born, I had carried a placard only twice. First time was in 1964 as a student at the UNN Enugu campus. And it was because the people who organised the protest were radicals, and if they say we are going on procession and you don’t join, they will come and meet you in the hostel and God have mercy on you. Even though I did not agree with the protest, I had to join them.
“The second time was some years ago when the CAN president said we should protest around the streets. That was when churches were against the killing of Christians. On that day, I went out around Ebute Meta. It was in the news. They came specially to cover me.
“They focused on my placard. If I knew a time like this would come, I would have kept a video. On my placard, I wrote that every soul is precious to God. Christian souls, Muslim souls and animist souls. That is what I believed then. That is what I believe now.
“Every soul you kill for whatever reason, you are robbing God, who created every soul for his pleasure.”
He said that until the CAN president says something, he would not be talking to the people outside the RCCG.
Adeboye lamented the intolerance among different faiths in the country, recalling the harmony he experienced while growing up.
He said.”There was a time in Nigeria when Christians and Muslims were living in harmony. In my family, my elder sister was married to a Muslim. Her name in Yoruba was Adiatu. In my family, up till today, I have cousins whose names are Rasak. Musilii, etc, and we lived together in peace.
“During Christmas and Ileya, we celebrated together. I had an uncle who loved me very well, and I fasted when it was fasting time. I waited for him to go to the mosque and return. That man loved me like nobody else, even though my name is Enoch. We ate sari together. That did not stop me from having breakfast when going to school. There was no crisis until some people decided to introduce religion to politics. And everything went wrong.
Adeboye told the gathering that he had made a lot of moves behind the scenes to bring peace to the country, noting, however, that “you can only advise the commander in chief, you can’t command him. I have tried. And God is my witness.”
He called on the president to take action, saying this is not the time to apportion blame. “I am an applied mathematician, I am just interested in getting the problem solved.. Call our service chiefs to perform within three months or resign.”
Referring to the 100-day fast of the church, he said, “We did not fast in vain. Didn’t I share with you that this will be a remarkable year? Each time we have a meeting like this, I am not the one who chooses the theme. It’s God.
“Concerning what we are discussing, by this time next week, we will be having the holy ghost service in Abuja. God gave us the theme Fear not. That was months ago, before Trump spoke. Anybody who knows the Bible knows the only time God says Fear not is when there is something to fear. When I put everything together, I know one way or the other there will be peace again in Nigeria.”
He emphasised that the government has to act fast, “We have been praying for Nigeria, we can’t pray all these prayers without something happening.
“There is a law called Newton’s law of motion, which says a body will remain at rest or maintain uniform motion in a straight line except an external force compels it to do otherwise. This means whatever method God wants to use at the end of it all, there will be peace in Nigeria again. To you, my children, Daddy says fear not.”
