Following
the report of the sacking of the presiding Chaplain of Chapel of Christ the
Light, Alausa, Lagos, allegedly on the order of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for
"disrespecting" his wife, many Nigerians have sided with the priest,
Venerable Femi Taiwo, while lambasting the wife of the governor for what they
described as her haughtiness and overbearing influence.
Many
Nigerians who reacted also lampooned the government for ordering the priest to
vacate his official residence within 24 hours. How dare you do that to a man of
God?
The Punch
had reported that Pastor Taiwo was sacked a day after the wife of the governor,
Bolanle Ambode, stormed out of the church during an anointing service. Mrs.
Ambode was said to have been unhappy that the priest did anoint her before the
other congregants.
Church
members were said to have filed out to receive anointing oil during the service
without any preference given to the governor's wife.
Chapel of
Christ the Light is under the control of the Lagos State Ministry of Home
Affairs but the Office of the Lagos State First Lady supervises the church.
By Friday
afternoon, the story had attracted up to 370 comments on the site, 400 comments
and 600 shares on FB and was the most talked about story in major Nigerian
cities. Most of the comments expressed shock that the wife of the governor
could take such an action.
A Facebook
commenter, Solape Lawal-solarin, said, “The shameful dance of the fool who
thinks (s)he is a jewel. God sees everyone as equal. The only thing that sets
you apart is his discretion in giving grace.
“So, because
you are the First Lady of Lagos State and your husband has suddenly got carried
away because of the strides he has made in his first two years in the state,
showing or flaunting the office is the in-thing. You have forgotten you are
from the earth irrespective of your status.”
Another
commenter, Kuma Julius, said, “If she couldn’t wait for her turn because she is
the governor’s wife, she should have just bought an olive oil and do the
anointing service in her house or office.”
A reader,
Balogun Omotunde, described Taiwo’s sacking as the “height of impunity.”
“Imagine
Steve Ayorinde trying to justify the chaplain’s sacking in a way that will suit
his boss. Next time, Ambode will attempt to sack God. Arrant nonsense, absolute
power corrupts absolutely,” he said.
On Thursday,
the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, had explained
that Taiwo was sacked for past infractions.
According to
him, the chaplain had been queried a number of times for “conduct unbecoming of
his office.”
“The
culmination of various indiscretions led to the Governing Council of the church
issuing yet another query that led to his being relieved of his post. This has
got nothing to do with the First Lady.”
But the
explanation has not stopped the torrent of lambasting comments, like the one
from Babatunde Adebowale Oyewole, who wrote, “This is total rubbish! Is Bolanle
Ambode not equal with others before God? This is shameful! They are looking for
God’s wrath if the Pastor is not recalled.”
Another
reader, Darkmanx Steve, wrote, “You are bigger than the church and God’s
servant because of your position as ‘governor’s wife’. You fail to realise that
after death all of us would be equal and would only be separated by judgement.
“Your
judgement to the poor servant of God ends in throwing him out to render him and
his family homeless and frustrated.”
Another
commenter, Ola, wrote, “Tomorrow some people who do not know the definition of
words will tell us the governor’s wife is very humble, the governor is very
humble.
“Sacking
someone because your wife was not attended to first. On the next election day,
Ambode and his wife will join the queue and refuse to vote first, pretending
they are humble and always ready to take their turn,” another commenter said.
A Facebook commenter,
Patrick Perembowei Barnabas, was equally critical of the governor’s wife.
“Keep your
self-esteem at home while coming to church because in the church, nobody should
be worshipped except God. Good Nigerians believe in first come, first serve. We
don’t have first Lady in the church,” he wrote.
“Let Ambode
defend this to Nigerians if he is really a nice man. Nigerians have suffered
too much in the hands of their leaders,” another reader said.
Meanwhile,
it was learnt that Pastor Taiwo has now settled into a new and fully furnished
accommodation provided by members of his congregation.
Taiwo told
The Punch that he got five offers of apartment from different members of the
African church congregation.
A source
within the church said that church members who were miffed by the way the
priest was treated came together to help him and his family.
“Apart from
the apartment he moved to, he got four offers of apartment from different
members of the African church congregation,” the source said.
- To God alone
be all the glory!
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