Mixed reactions meet the public protest of Nigerian cleric, Archbishop Samson Benjamin, who took to the streets to speak against President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)’s administration; political, traditional and religious leaders; and also bad governance.
Benjamin who is the General Overseer of Resurrection Praise Ministry, Lagos, popularly known as Jehovah Sharp Sharp, carried a coffin as he marched through the streets of Festac, Navy Town, Alakija, Satellite Town, on Sunday, April 11.
The cleric claimed God asked him to do so because he wasn’t happy with the government and the state of the nation, adding that he embarked on this protest after “a spiritual journey of more than one year.”
“From the 15th of September 2019 up until this moment, I have not eaten food cooked by fire or any pleasant food, I have been seeking the face of God over this great country,” he said.
“Last week, I had a mortal vacation, which was solitary confinement where I didn’t talk to any human to be with the cabinet of the trinity, I didn’t see the sun, moon, clouds. What you are seeing me do here right now is what the Prophets of Old would do. God will ask them to carry a symbol when he wants to pass a message to the leaders of the nation.
“He said to me ‘Go and carry a coffin on your head, it is not furniture or anything for interior decoration, it is good for nothing, it is at the end of the life of a man that he is put into a coffin.”
According to the cleric, God said to him:
“Tell the leaders that they have intentionally depleted the common resources that belong to this great country and have brought hardship on the citizens, I am not happy with it.
”Archbishop Benjamin said Nigeria as a disappointment to God “who brought people of various ethnicities together and gave them the resources.
“But those in power have chosen to make the commonwealth of the country their personal property, this is the reason I am carrying this coffin, God is not happy, and he is saying it is not political leaders alone, including the religious and traditional leaders.”
Explaining why he didn’t take it to the Aso Villa, the seat of power in Abuja, Benjamin said God had not asked him to do that yet.
However, a Twitter user, @Mide0403, believed the pastor’s action is disgraceful. She wrote “This is shameful. Pastor carrying coffin?”
@unahgideon01 seems to think the cleric’s protest is not spiritually inclined and suggested that the coffin be checked.
His comment reads:
“They should better check that Coffin before he would be doing ritual walk and be using Buhari as an excuse.. Jehovah sharp sharp I hear you.”
@OladipupoOshodi seems to agree with @unahgideon01 and his tweet will show just that;
“Using style to carry sacrifice……no wahala undercover ritualist…… Na this same sahara go update us later…”
Another user of the micro-blogging platform, @oluwatobi09, in an attempt to caution others wrote:
“But make we no go make wrong accusations oooo”
