Don’t pressure Adeboye to speak against Tinubu – RCCG overseer

Pastor Joseph Odesola, Continental Overseer for Continent 3 (South West, Nigeria and Middle East) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has advised Nigerians not to push General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adeboye to publicly criticize President Bola Tinubu. In an article and on his X page, Odesola emphasized that Adeboye would comment on Nigeria's political and economic situation when he felt it was the right time to do so.

He noted that there was increasing pressure on religious leaders, particularly Adeboye, to make public statements about Tinubu's administration, with some individuals already having predetermined what the cleric should say. Odesola argued that this expectation was incompatible with the responsible behavior of a religious leader.

He pointed out that Adeboye had spent years building a reputation for speaking from conviction, prayer, and spiritual responsibility, and should not be expected to speak simply because people demanded it. Odesola highlighted a distinction between speaking due to crowd pressure and speaking when one has a meaningful message to share.

He also referenced Ecclesiastes 3:1, suggesting that there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent. Furthermore, Odesola cautioned against the misuse of religious leaders as tools to validate political positions. He stressed that genuine servants of God should not become mouthpieces for any political camp and that the church should be able to speak truth to power without turning into a political party or opposition platform.

The RCCG overseer rejected the notion that criticism of the government should be delivered through insults or anger, arguing that truth does not gain more power by being delivered with hostility. He emphasized that the strength of a man of God should not be measured by the volume of his public statements or the intensity of his criticism.

Odesola drew on biblical examples such as Moses, David, Amos, and John the Baptist to illustrate that the impact of a messenger is determined by the authority of the message they carry, not by human titles or personal attributes. He urged religious leaders to address Nigeria's challenges responsibly, including poverty, insecurity, unemployment, rising living costs, education, healthcare, and the decline of trust in public institutions, but cautioned against making statements driven by the desire for sensational headlines or personal validation.

He urged Nigerians to allow Adeboye the time to pray, listen, and discern before making public pronouncements.