By Bolaji O. Akinyemi
One of my issues with GEJ, is level of ignorance on the matter of his faith. He was taken to the tomb of Jesus to be prayed for by more ignorant men of God. The tomb, of which Angel’s announced to Mary not to seek the living among the dead, meaning it is a place of anything dead and Jesus the risen Christ, is no longer tied to any location as a matter of fact, the presence of Christ in Israel is at the mercy of Christ carrying believers in whose lives he is dwelling, who troupe to Jerusalem annually.
But I have discovered that the stupidity of Nigerians of the matter of religion is over that of the Jews and the Saudis. It’s time we get committed to our faith, which is more personal, as in, between Individuals and their God. The traditional believers in ancestral gods seem to be of better protection to our fragile economy at this time, the following, Osun Oshogbo, Arugugu fish festival, the regatta in Calabar are all foreign exchange earners via tourists who comes around to lift our hospitality industry, empowering our people through purchases.
Moricas Agege was a Mecca of sort during the life time of “Anobi” Shehu Adam, but we fail to develop it.
Today, the world is thronging our nation to pray with mind blowing testimonies of the God they encountered in such places as, the Redemption Camp, Cananland, Prayer City, and my new discovery EBOMI towers in the heart of the city of Jo’s on the Plateau etc. What is the need to keep wasting our hard earned money through sheer religious gullibility.
How do we explain that since 2015 a nation in need of forex is led by her President in National wastage of the same in the name of religion?
Hajj and lesser hajj has become the place for political clandestine meeting where critical decisions concerning the nation are taken.
This is the reality of our annual wastage, 79,000 Nigerian Muslims spent $5,000 each to go to Saudi Arabia to kill the Devil with Stones, when in actual fact they were led on the trip by the devils they failed to stone at home, a total $395,000,000 from a poor underdeveloped country like Nigeria is enriching
Saudi Economy, growing it through tourism. So angry this year was Alhaja Folashade who put all our strength behind the stone she wouldn’t throw at the devils at home to hit the devil in Mecca once and for all, possibly it will save her from the devil that has turned homeland to a killing field, where no one seems to be safe, but she collapsed and died.
There are 50,000 Christians not left behind in the plunge of our economy, as they embark on the trip to Israel, to in their gullibility pray at the tomb of the resurrected Christ and bring back death mentality which is the only thing the attachment JP to their Names, suggest to me, squandering, $250,000,000 in the process.
When the average plunge to Saudi of $395,000,000, is added to Israel’s $250,000,000 a combined total of $645,000,000. That’s over half a Billion Dollars.
This process is observed twice a year, making us $1.3 billion poorer every year because of our religiosity. I need not convert it to Naira because some of us might start having sleepless night like our Vice President, for the level of self inflicted poverty prevalent in the land. But for the record you deserve to know, may be you will be provoked to rise in revolts against religion, which is the rod of slavery of the elite on the masses of the poor pious Nigerians. 782 Billion Naira, Over half a trillion naira is wasted on religion every year. Amount enough to take our out of school northern almajiri armies who are yearly commissioned by poverty into crime.
It will make no difference if this sojourn is exclusive to those who can afford it and for tourism purposes. What baffles me is the struggle the poor are subjected to by Prophets and Alfas who compelled them to go with them for special prayers in the “holy land” making extra commission for the co travellers through special arrangements with the travel agents.
Faith is a transaction of the hearts, and God is more in Nigeria than any other nation. Stop been gullible let’s build Nigeria.
