The National Coordinator, Concerned Advocates for Good Governance [CAGG], Barrister Olusegun Bamgbose, has lambasted Nigerian clerics for donating millions of naira to the federal government instead of giving it to their poor members who have been left hungry due to lack of palliatives from FG amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
It would be recalled that some prominent clergymen donated millions worth of relief materials to the Nigeria government.
But, in a reaction to the recent extension of the lockdown by 14 days by the President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari [retd], Barrister Bamgbose said poor churchgoers will bear the brunt more.
He, therefore, advised clerics to channel their donations to the well-being of their members who give them tithes and offerings week in week out.
He said,
“There is no doubt that the economic effect of the lockdown is highly inconveniencing, especially considering the ugly fact that about half of the population are living in abject poverty.
”Individuals, companies, banks, have been donating to the government with the hope that it will help to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.
“One can really look away from individuals, companies and banks donating possibly to gain favour from Government in the nearest future.
“However, it is illogical and improper for religious organizations to be donating to the government when their members are facing untold hardship.
“This negates the teaching of the holy scriptures. One will expect CAN, PFN and Supreme Islamic Affairs to put heads together to know how best they can assist their members in this trying times.
“I don’t expect church leaders to start attacking the Federal Government for not being able to roll out enough palliatives when they have idle billions of Naira and millions of hard currency in their bank accounts, and yet they have failed to come up with palliatives for their members.
“Most of the members of these churches do pay tithes while some may not be keen in paying tax. The church leaders should as a matter of urgency roll out palliatives to their members.
“The Bible in Malachi chapter 3 verse 10 states, ‘BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STORE HOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE MEAT IN My HOUSE,…”
“This presupposes that God in His infinite wisdom envisaged that a time will come when those accumulated tithes and offerings will be used to assist the poor members in the church. Jesus Christ in his own days fed about 10,000 people free of charge.
