The Anti-Corruption Network yesterday decided to leave government alone for a while and beam its searchlight on Christendom. Its verdict: Nigeria’s modern-day pastors have failed, exploiting their followers through multifarious “seeds” which they use to fund their ostentatious lifestyle and build private universities whose high school fees effectively shut out the masses whose contributions were used to build the schools.

The group’s observations and queries were contained in a statement issued by its Executive Secretary, Otunba Dino Melaye, entitled “Private Jets, Higher fees and Nigerian Pastors”. It goes as follows:

“School fees in most supposedly mission schools is mouth watering and not for the poor. Bowen University N650,000 per semester, Covenant University N640,000 per semester, Benson Idahosa N500,000 per semester, Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) N450,000 per semester, Ajayi Crowther University N350,000 per semester, Madonna University N350,000 per semester. All of these universities were built from the tithes and offerings of the common worshipers who obviously now cannot afford to send their wards to these schools they built with their sweat.

“All manners of offerings in our churches today, all to establish a man and catapult his ego by purchasing a private jet with monies from innocent worshipers. Using Malachi 3:6-12 as an instrument for extortion and self aggrandizement. Warren Buffet who owns the company that produces these priced jets flies around the world in commercial airlines. What absurdity imported into the House of God!

“The Church must wake up from slumber of orishirishi seeds in churches. Sow a seed, special offering seed, first fruit seed, redemption seed, thanksgiving seed, harvest seed, tithes, pastor’s birthday seed, church building seeds,evangelism seed, father’s day seed, mother’s day seed, children’s day seed, pastor’s cake seed, seed for the poor, olive oil seed, books seed, CD & DVD seeds, etc. All these seeds germinate to become luxurious houses, cars, servicing of body guards, women and purchasing of private jets, while the donors perish in abject poverty and penury. Their wards are in public schools while government and oil thieves and politicians send their children to schools built by the barber, bricklayer, mechanic, hair dresser, tomato seller, civil servants, artisans and unemployed. May God have mercy on these so called Men of God, whom we now address as daddy and their wives as mummy not minding their ages. They have Different PAs including the one who carries the Bible.

“Will Christ find Christianity on earth when He appears? Time to stop deceiving ourselves because we cannot deceive God. Seek first the Kingdom of and every other thing is jara. Those who prepare for their heavenly home & have genuine calling will not be carried away by materialism.

“Men of God should stop monetizing their consciences and return to their first love which is salvation. They should stop being materialistic because the Biblical injunction is that we should seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things will be added unto it.

“The men go God don’t want any other person to talk about them. But Jesus Christ Himself asked His followers: ‘Who do men say I am?’; that means Jesus Christ was ready to be debated; talked about and analyzed. So men of God should also not citizen who analyze them and their activities.

“Again, the Bible said, test every spirit and hold unto that which is true. This means that it is our responsibility to check them.”

•Photo shows Anti-Corruption Network’s Executive Secretary, Otunba Dino Melaye.

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