By Gabriel Olatunji
(The write-up was first published on Facebook as a Note on Friday, March 15, 2013)
This is a long overdue write-up but it is better now than later; setting the records straight is a responsibility that should be carried out no matter how many people are against it.
What exactly is your problem with pastors owning a jets?
When did owning a jet become a constitutional crime or a spiritual sin?
If all the pastors and Nigerian billionaires who own jets sell them and donate funds to the less privileged and you are made the chairman of the committee in charge, won’t you embezzle fifty percent of the money? And even if by miracle of some sort you didn’t, will the poor be erased from among us?
I needed to send your brain on a journey if you are one of those castigating pastors for owning jets because obviously you are not using it enough (Apologies to those who don’t take corrections lightly).
I have listened to this argument of private jet from well meaning Nigerians and those who are the direct opposite of well-meaning. I am particularly disappointed in some notable young Nigerians that I admire; as some of them used the debate to garner followers by opposing pastors owning jets. I want to debunk most of the reasons some people have for opposing pastors who own jets.
Several decades ago when men of God were synonymous with poverty and their lifestyle was what you would not want for your enemy, a lot of you distant yourselves from them so much and even see their circumstances as fate rather than ignorance. Today, we have men of God who are not only wealthy, but also famous, internationally respected, and even have members who own private jets without getting involved in shady deals and yet you scream to the rooftop that they are not fulfilling the real mandate of the church.
Who says the real mandate of the church is for the pastor to be poor while the church members live large?
And what is it that I hear when you say that pastors use the offerings contributed by poor members of his church to purchase a private jet? It is a proof that you are not using your God given brain fully because if do you, will realize that only those who have been fed and have extra cash pay the kind of offering and tithe that can buy a jet - churches where almost half of the church or more have exotic cars (maybe you should visit these churches car park to have an understanding).
I simply don’t care whether you own a jet or you don’t as long as you didn’t steal the money, as long as your board approves the purchase (you might have forgotten that all these churches have board members as stipulated by their Corporate Affairs Commission registration), as long as the pastor and the churches are paying their taxes, and as long as no “church member” who goes to them for genuine financial help is turned down on the basis of lack of money. This is my stand on the issue!
I know you are still not satisfied but let me romance your mind with some 'truths' before you insult them some more for owning jets. Have you or any of your fellow critics ever praised them when one of them built about five “world-class” schools inside Ikeja cantonment (the schools that were ravaged by the Bomb blast some years ago)? Have any of you given them kudos for having over 100 people they are paying school fees for yearly (mostly private universities- you can do the maths)? Have any of you gone to social media and created an hashtag that talks about their donations to the flood ridden communities?
If your answer is No, that is a proof that you are an hypocrite. Is it until pastors knock on your door and give you crispy naira notes before you know they are helping the poor? Do you know how many lives have being transformed just by listening to some of them? There are paupers who came to church and today are wealthy beyond their own imagination, just by listening to the pastor. I know of a non-entity at a time that attended one of these churches and is today a celebrated speaker and author because his pastor invested in his personal development? Why didn’t you shout to the rooftop when one of the pastors advocated for some innocent people in incarceration and they were pardoned? Those are the stories to share and peddle, not ask for the sins of your politicians on the innocent men of God when they have truly not committed any sin whether to God or to man. Transfer your aggression to the people who are milking you dry, your politicians.
Why should a means of transportation generate so much heat from ignorant minds? Maybe you have forgotten that Nigeria may not be growing as it should but we have pastors who have gone beyond the things that limits us in this part of the world; they have branches scattered all around African countries, Europe, Asia and the rest, they have the same twenty four hours just like you and your own twenty four hours isn’t enough for you yet without as much responsibilities as they have; and you expect that they sit inside Lagos traffic for six or seven hours before catching a flight and also do the same when they are returning? Business executives in Nigeria fly jets everyday for business meetings within and outside of the country and you expect a pastor not to do that when it comes to the business of lives? I am sorry to tell you that your priorities are not right! You own, a twenty million naira jeep and you are wishing that pastors should be riding ‘Okadas’; you are suffering from low self esteem.
It is worthy of note that private jet ownership is not peculiar to Nigerian pastors alone which further validates the point that private jet is not a luxury but a necessity - alhough not for everyone of them (think well before you criticize any of them and ask if it’s a necessity or a luxury looking at their present responsibilities). Search google if you don’t know that other busy men of God own jets abroad. I also do not believe in ‘private’ jet ownership but ‘ministry’ jet ownership when necessary, not for luxury; talking about pastors.
This is not a call for men of God to become irresponsible with money and jump at owning a jet but a plea that critics should think about the pros and cons before leading the people astray in thought. Pastors should be accountable to their board, the government and their people but we shouldn’t take the failures of our society out on them for working for the progress of the ministry.
If you were a Pastor or CEO and your business or ministry keeps loosing clients and members because of a rigid transportation system, won’t you look for a flexible one at a cost?
I am Gabriel Olatunji Legend and you can follow me on twitter: @OLATUNJISPEAKS. I am an Entrepreneur and I Speak.
No comments:
Post a Comment