VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS: THE UNCELEBRATED FIGURES OF THE NIGERIAN MODERN DEMOCRACY
By Olusegun Bamidele Abejide
A CASE STUDY OF REV. DR PAUL ENENCHE
Rev.Dr. Paul Enenche is a trained medical doctor, and he left his profession for televangelism purposefully to change lives and society. as the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Enenche is reaching millions of Nigerians. we all agree that the church or religious leaders have a responsibility to play as far as strengthening our democracy is concerned. They are the light at the end of the tunnel in the context that they inspire and direct us on the way we should follow to live graciously.
The moment people including our leaders live decently, they become less corrupt, conscious, and kind. We need a society where leaders understand that they are servants to the people that put them in power. However, our current political leaders need to reflect on their treatment of Nigerian people. At present, very few leaders are committed to serving the interests of the electorate because of insensitivity. These politicians can only reflect if they are preached to, and that is exactly what Dr. Enenche is doing at the pulpit. He understands the plight of Nigerian people, and through his televangelism, he is calling for change that is critical for the democratization of our country.
Religious leaders with many followers like Dr. Enenche have a role to play in our democracy. When a country fails, there is no doubt that the religious institutions would be considered having failed to save society from collapse. That is why we agree that it is central for the religious institutions to inculcate values embedded in a democracy to achieve a better society. The many people that follow Dr. Enenche’s preaching every Sunday or every day are the electorate or leaders. Perhaps his teachings are persuading our leaders to change their ways and become good people. As a religious leader he speaks truth to power and constantly reminds leaders that they should commit to doing good to everyone.
ENENCHE’S ROLE IN BUILDING NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY
For the umpteenth time, Dr. Enenche like other religious leaders have been teaching some fundamental values which if observed, our country shall be better off. As a senior pastor, Dr. Enenche has been preaching about kindness, a virtue that is important not only to our leaders, but to all Nigerians. The moment our leaders become kind; they will always have interest in serving their country. However, kindness in this context should not be interpreted in terms of tokenism. One way that I think our leaders go wrong sometimes is believing that providing some material assistance is the only way they can serve their people. Politicians like offering tokens to the electorate at the expense of real development.
Being kind requires that leaders put themselves in the shoes of the people they serve. If leaders can realize that kindness is not sharing their loot by providing some little aid, they can make laws and advocate for policies that in their knowledge, can serve the interests of their people. We are not saying leaders should not make their direct contribution to people by supporting them directly. Kindness is about being in the shoes of others, sharing and being able to realize that they are in need. People who are in need deserve long lasting solutions that will help revamp the economy and benefit many.
Senior pastor, Enenche is utilizing his platform to inculcate the value of kindness. If millions of Nigerians become kind to each other, they will develop a shared purpose that can have a significant impact on our democracy. Democracy is built by people, and when they lack values such as kindness it becomes difficult to better the society. Nigerians need to discover that for we to become a better society, there must be change of behavior and adoption of some values. If we adopt kindness as a virtue, it is possible for us to be responsible and run our institutions with dignity.
Dr Enenche has also been sharing his comments on integrity is equally central to our development as a country. The reason it is becoming difficult for us to progress as a country is our lack of integrity. If citizens and leaders can exercise integrity in all their engagements, in public or private, I am sure Nigeria will be at a better place. With integrity, we can conduct ourselves honestly. Imagine if our leaders can be people of high integrity. I think there is a lot we can achieve as a country. Although our constitution stresses on integrity, unfortunately very few leaders observe it. If institutions such as the criminal justice system, executive, parliament, and many others can exercise integrity, indubitably, we could be a just society.
Dr Enenche’s insistence on values such as integrity does not necessarily persuade many, but I think his millions of followers are learning something that will benefit our country. Religious leaders have a role to play in inculcating values that in the end, will help their country move forward. When leaders with millions of followers spend their time on preaching about values, anecdotally, some souls shall be changed. Changing a few people through teachings on important values cannot go in vain.
The hope that this pastor is instilling in his followers could be the reason some Nigerians believe that we still have a room for improvement. We may become a perfect society, but with hope, we can strive to make some improvements, gradually, until social justice and human rights are observed in our country. Recently, I signed onto twitter, and I bumped into a post that alluded that human life in Nigeria is less than that of an animal. This post got me thinking about the state of affairs in our country. To some extent, I seemed to agree with that considering what is happening in Nigeria. However, we must keep hope alive.
When Dr. Enenche preaches about hope, I usually look at it in terms of how it can shape our national discourse. We are a disillusioned people because of bad leaders, and weak institutions. Nonetheless, that should not mean that people must stop to hope that one day, the situation will be better. The future is always bright; this is my philosophy in life. The ultimate goal of Pastor Enenche is to help us continue to hope for the best. We must agree that hope will keep the fire in our fight for freedom and rights burning. It is hope that is energizing Nigerians to protest injustice like police brutality.
CHURCH AND JUSTICE
Worldwide religious institutions are separate from government and are supposed to offer proper guidance to society. These institutions mirror society and guide it to light. Churches need to preach to people and persuade them to change their ways to create a fair and just society. The church or any religious organizations cannot go mum when injustice becomes the order of the day. As much as people want to listen to the word of the Creator, they also want the church to speak out if things go wrong. The church acts as a shepherd to guide people on the right way to follow. It is supposed to persuade people to be kind, caring and loving. and when injustice persists in society, the church should not be quiet. It should speak up and call out the leadership of the country to address the grievances raised by the masses. Pastor Enenche is aware of the role his church is supposed to play in promoting governance in the country.
Having understood that the church must guide society and advocate for divine justice, we have witnessed Pastor Enenche seeking to expand his reach. Today, his church owns a radio station and TV station primarily for televangelism. The pastor is using his platforms to tell people about life and how people can live in an organized and peaceful way. In a majority of his summonses he speaks about healing, love, respect, care and treating each other fairly irrespective of status, social status, religious leaning, political affiliation.
Dr Enenche is not the moral police of the Nigerian government, but he is using his platform to persuade his followers to do what is pleasant before God. The church is not mandated to advance social justice. Its major role is to warn society of divine justice and try to persuade people to live righteously. In addition, Dr Enenche does not tell his followers who they should vote. but he teaches his followers to use wisdom to make good choices. The way he has played his role as a pastor clearly shows the role the church should play in society. He has stayed away from interfering with political choices his people make, but keen on changing behavior of Nigerians.
Dr. Olusegun Bamidele Abejide
Ambassador-at-Large
International Human Rights Commission (IHRC-USA & NIGERIA).
(Courtesy: A PRE-BOOK LAUNCH CHAPTER EDITION).
