THE QUEST FOR BIAFRA AND PASTOR SUNDAY ADELAJA’S DIARRHEA OF THE MOUTH
By Clement Udegbe.
Pastor Sunday Adelaja is the Senior Pastor of Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God, alias Embassy of God in Kiev Ukraine. According to Wikipedia, he was born in the village of Idomila Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria.
In 1986, after graduation, Adelaja left Nigeria because he received a scholarship to study journalism at the Belarusian State University in Minsk, Byelorussian USSR.
After graduation and the breakdown of the USSR, he moved from Belarus to Ukraine in December 1993.
He claims he was threatened there by authorities for having a picture of Jesus in his house, but nevertheless, he began Christian activities in Belarus during his studies. He married and took a job in Kiev.
The city of Kiev began fighting for its independence during the 1600s. Following the fall of the Russian Empire, Ukraine was declared independent. However, during the Civil War, the country was seized and it along with the city of Kiev which became part of the Soviet Union.
During World War II, much of the city’s treasures and churches were destroyed. However, the city began to rebuild following the war. In the 1990s, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the country declared its independence.
Kiev, has a population of about 3 million with a surface area of about 424 square miles. Not only does that make it the largest city in Ukraine but also the 7th most populous in Europe. It is therefore about one third the size of Ogun State, from where Pastor Sunday Adelaja originally hailed in Nigeria. The Country of Ukraine has a population of about 43 Million with a surface area of 233 square miles making it in actual fact a little less than the size of Biafra land today in Nigeria. Ukraine fought for and became independent in spite of its size which is about if not less than Biafra.
This is very important to show how situations change the mind set of people when they are more possessed and overcome by primordial ethnic thinking psychological forces. Adelaja was accused in November 2008 of being involved in the dealings of King’s Capital, a financial group led by a former member of his congregation. The company promises as much as 60 percent returns on investments and drew many of its investors from the church. Later several former church members went to the authorities saying they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt. Police later arrested one of King’s Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.
On February 5, 2009 a criminal case against Sunday Adelaja was filed on suspicion of fraud. Investigators say they have testimony indicating that Adelaja was involved in the financial machinations allegedly committed by the King’s Capital financial group. Kiev’s Mayor Chernovetsky, himself a church member, had earlier said that Adelaja was not involved in the financial scheme at King’s Capital.
In September 2009, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine admitted that they have exhausted their possibilities in the criminal case against Sunday Adelaja. Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs has still delayed and refused to take the case to the court. The Embassy of God church and Sunday Adelaja has initiated a lawsuit against the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police of Ukraine for unlawful accusation and libel.
On October 12, 2009 Kiev investigators questioned Adelaja in connection with the fraud accusation. During a press conference On October 14, 2009 the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko said that the pre-trial proceedings had found out that from October 2006 to May 2008, Adelaja and others embezzled property of people most of whom were the believers of the Embassy of God church. The total amount of the damage due to these actions is over UAH 1.5 million ($35.7Million?) in accordance with evidence provided by several witnesses, according to the Minister.
Adelaja considers the police’s decision to investigate him for involvement in the financial group’s machinations as implementation of a political order. And has said that the cause of the financial problems at the King’s Capital financial group was the economic crisis rather than a deliberate fraud.
On 28 December 2008, nine leaders of evangelical churches in Ukraine signed a statement in which they, among other things, dissociate themselves from Sunday Adelaja and his activity. They accuse him of trying to create a cult of personality, and accuse him of using methods and activity based on self-advertisement, exaggeration of personal merits, teaching the doctrine of prosperity and the sin of love of money, and his practice of cursing the church members and parishioners who disagree with his opinion…..
Adelaja supports Ukrainian nationalism, according to him Ukraine can only become independent through a nationalist mood. He considers it unfortunate that patriotism does not apply to all Ukrainians. “Only through the nationalistic mood can the Ukrainian nation become independent at all.
If Ukrainians do not become more nationalistic, I am afraid that this country may come back under the Russian or Polish or Hungarian or some other yoke”.
Adelaja was a strong supporter of the Orange Revolution. “Twelve years ago we were freed from Communism. Though we have had a different government with different uniforms since, the same corrupt people have remained in power. Now, Ukraine has its first opportunity to choose our own free way of life.” He stated about the then candidate in and later winner of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Viktor Yushchenko: “He is a committed believer who is serious about his faith, and is influenced by God and the Bible”.
However, during the 2010 president elections Adelaja decided and called all affiliated churches to vote for Victor Yanukovich, the opponent of the “Orange” leaders (Tymoshenko and Yushchenko).”
This portion of Wilkipedia records brings out a few things about the style of this Pastor.
Adelaja is not new to controversy in Kiev, but whether he will be able to swim through controversies in Nigeria is another matter entirely.
He capitalizes on political situations for whatever cause he chooses to pursue in Kiev, changing his political leaning and support to suit his survival and given the situation in Nigeria today, one wonders why his very misguided opinions over Biafra.
He believes in the independence of a people under oppression but in the case of Biafra seems to have switched positions based on the possibilities for him in the prevalent situation. Manipulation, cultist mentalities and brain washing becomes the key instruments in advancing a cause, like a typical wolf in sheep’s skin ?
It surprises me therefore that he choses to attempt to reduce or trivialize the case of Biafra in Nigeria in a recent interview he granted that had gone viral. In the interview he tried to deploy all the tactics of the devil as the father of liars for his own purposes.
Does he want or desire to wade into the Nigerian political space by pleasing the government in power using lies, misrepresentation of facts, and deception?
He must be among those pastors who think Biafrans should also be slaves to the Nigerian Nation as many others like him, seem to have done. Here are some of the pedestrian reasonings of Pastor Adelaja in the said interview;
First, he believes that it is foolish for Biafra to form their own separate country from Nigeria because they will be a small country. Adelaja forgets that the city of Kiev, where he lives and prospered from is less than one-third in size and population of his home State, Ogun State. While Ukraine is just a little less than Biafra Land in population and surface area. It can only be mischief and deception for a beneficiary from a comparatively smaller nation than Biafra, to reason that other small places should not be allowed to decide their destiny.
His views and comments accentuates the insult that comes from belonging to a nation like Nigeria that thrives on taking what belongs to one state and giving it another; where injustice and inequality is the order of the day, why should there be no Seaports in the South East Area? Fear of the Igbo man is the only reason!
Second, Adelaja thinks that Igbos would not be relevant if they are not in Nigeria. He became relevant for being part of a small nation, and he has not read the history of Biafrans in Nigerian economy. He pours out wrong figures saying Nigeria is the 6th Agricultural producer in the world, perhaps that was in the 1980s when he left the shores of Nigeria, because today Nigeria ranks the 5th poverty center of the world, his Nigeria under APC!
The first millionaires of Nigeria before and after independence included Igbos; The people that negotiated the independence of Nigeria included Igbos. Ethnicity in Nigerian politics started because Yorubas wanted to eject Igbo leadership from their regions. An Igbo man won elections in Yoruba land before Cross Carpeting in Nigerian politics started; It is established, that the 1966 coup that lead to the killing of Igbos was to install A Yoruba man as President, but situations were manipulated, people were brain washed like Adelaja did in that video, they turned against Igbos and following the Genocide of 1966 by northerners, Biafra was born.
This type of thinking has left the South West like slaves to the north of Nigeria and even more today.
That Adelaja could not sense the coming Islamisation of Nigeria, the killings that has befallen the innocent mostly Christian citizens of Nigeria since 2015, speaks volumes of his spirituality over the nation of Nigeria.
If anything, the problem of Nigeria is the injustice to the Biafrans in Nigeria that has continued in spite of his trust for Yorubas that include men like Adelaja who end up betraying the confidence Biafrans repose on them.
If therefore Adelaja intended play by the use Biafra to caress and impress the weak sensibilities of Buhari government, it is doomed to fail as time will prove.
Third, Adelaja actually thinks that if Igbos left Nigeria to form Biafra they would become inconsequential like Republics of Benin, Togo and Guinea. What an insult to these nations and who told Adelaja that Nigerians are happier than the citizens of these countries?
I know that these nations run for weeks if not months without power failure unlike in Nigeria where even the Power Supply Company runs on generating sets almost round the year. Water runs in their taps and citizens do not know what bore holes are while Nigeria cities’ taps are majorly dry, and is even thinking of taxing bore hole water supplied households.
If becoming relevant must come from being slaves to the cluelessness of the north as men like Adelaja seem to prefer, Biafrans have chosen to be free in their own land come what may. To be disgruntled in Nigeria as a people when we have options of achieving much more is preferable to Biafrans and they owe no slavish thinking man, or persons any apologies.
It is said that you can take the slave to freedom but you may never take slave out of the man, Wealth and material possessions has nothing to do with it, because it is a mind thing.
Fourth, Adelaja thinks that Biafra is an ego driven project…..hmmmmm, like his shift in support for the Orange, movement and his decision to choose to move over to start work in Kiev? It must be his ego that drove him to grant the most vexatiously mischievous interview.
As a man deep and steep into ego he must think that ego is all that drives a people.
He displayed a gross and pitiable lack of knowledge in what freedom fight and the cause of a people mean. He has not participated in any war as a boy, I did.
I know that Biafra has never been and will never be an ego driven project. I can tell him, that Biafra is a divine project, resisted by men and women who think like him. I advise him to find time and read up Biafra, because that may be the nation that he will have to run to for safety and justice in the near future.
What people like Adelaja in the South West, from their pastors to political leaders often forget, is that the North has not failed to pursue the vision as laid down from post-independence era, by the late Sardauna of Sokoto which is summed up here for Adelaja to dig deeper….namely; never to allow the South experience freedom from the north.
I am convinced that it is the marriage between the North and South West, that have left Nigeria supine and atrophied in development, Biafrans have always given their best to Nigeria while neglecting their regions. Now that a new generation has come, with this divine mandate on their shoulders, the Adelajas of the South West, can remain in their marriage with their North, Biafrans want to seek a separate destiny from Nigeria.
If the North and South Westerners like Sunday Adelaja think the South East and South South do not deserve the control of the natural endowments of oil which is in their soils, let the same be applied to them by Devine revenge arrangement …Amen.
Fifth, Adelaja thinks that Igbos are demanding for Biafra because Igbos have a feeling that they will be better of outside Nigeria. It is not a feeling, it is an awareness, a reality based on what they achieved during the three years of war with Nigeria without technology, and modern resources. Records show that Igbos demonstrated practically during those three years of the war , what Nigeria could have been but for the lazy treachery that abounds till today.
In those three years necessity gave birth to invention. Biafrans built bombs and rockets. They designed and built their own delivery systems. They guided their rockets, guided them far and accurately. For three years blockaded, without hope of imports, Igbos maintained engines, machines, and technical equipment. Biafra refined petrol, individuals refined petrol at the back of their gardens. Biafra built and maintained airports and did it under heavy bombardment from Nigerians. Biafra spoke to the world through a telecommunications system engineered by local ingenuity. Biafra built armored cars and tanks. Biafra modified aircraft from trainer to fighters, from passenger aircraft to bombers. In only three years of freedom, Biafra broke the technological barrier, and became the most civilized, the most technologically advanced black people on earth.
All these Adelaja’s Nigeria dismantled, and buried, without even replicating them for Nigeria—How sad !!
Biafra will certainly be better if they left the geographical expression called Nigeria.
Sixth, one unfortunate thinking of Adelaja is that Nigeria is a blessing for Biafrans because they are enjoying the allocation of oil from Nigeria.
Oil so far is officially mostly drilled only in the South South and South East of Nigeria. There may be some oil in the north, but they are so secretive about it, that God will in due time, cause their oil to flow to the bowels of South East in Jesus Name. That this man, a Pastor will think that it is a blessing to be denied what is originally yours leaves me wonder how he sees blessing when it concerns the Biafran.
He should find out why Ken Saro Wiwa was killed by Nigeria.
If Biafra survived for three years under economic blockade, and war bombardments without oil from any other region there is very little doubt that it will thrive even more so, without the bondages and restrictions of the yoke and burdens of wicked arrangements and bad leadership in Nigeria.
Seventh finally, he displayed arrant Foolery and or depreciating ability to think deeper when he voiced that Biafra cannot survive without oil allocations. How do you equate being allocated a portion from what you own completely?
Singapore has no oil but runs one of the highest GDPs in the world today. Biafra has every possibility of being the Singapore of Africa, or the Japan of Nigeria as Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson put it, if it turns out not to have oil. Adelaja should do a little more study of Biafra and grant another interview to correct his ignorance of the issues involved.
He should read up on Biafra and I recommend the Book by Emefiena Ezeani, titled “In Biafra Africa died”.
It really means and correctly so too, that with the rise of Biafra, Africa shall rise.
To parry the struggle that has so far taken over 4 Million lives is an irresponsible attitude in my humble opinion.
Over 3 million were killed during the war and about additional 1 million Biafrans have been killed in Nigeria since after that war of which about 50 percent was during the reign of Major General Buhari and the APC government in Nigeria, ostensibly installed and powered by the South West of Nigeria.
The good thing about Biafra today is that those championing it are men within the age bracket of Sunday Adelaja, who has failed to understand how deeply his Diarrhea of the mouth has aggravated many.
I fought the war as a child with many others, we have seen the future in Biafra which Nigeria painstakingly tried to bleach or blot out. We maintain the link between the adult veterans of Biafra, and the young agitators of today, and men like Sunday Adelaja must be tamed with knowledge or contained with love.
Biafrans like me, are not and will never be envious of whatever a South Westerner like Adelaja, may get from his servile relationship with the Fulani of the north in Nigeria, And we expect all such men to be responsible enough, to reciprocate by leaving Biafra alone.
Those who have chosen to reduce, disparage or demean the cause of Biafra do so to their own peril, for Biafra is a divine Cause from the throne of Glory of God, and all who shall try to fight Biafra do so at their own peril.
Sunday Adelaja is advised to cure himself of this Diarrhea of the Mouth. So be it.