President Muhammadu Buhari hosted Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu (AMEN), at the presidential villa in Abuja, on Friday.
The priest, who commands a large following in the south-east, met with Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
Describing Mbaka as a man of courage, Buhari thanked him for the role he played in the buildup to the 2015 general election.
“Thank you very much for what you have done and said. It brought you out to the whole country as a man of courage. It was honest and well delivered. It has gone into the records as one of the best concerns expressed from the pulpit, not because it favoured me and my party, the All Progressives Congress, but because it was good for the country,” he said.
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On his part, the priest said he was happy with the mission and methodology of the Buhari administration.
Mbaka took many by surprise when he endorsed Buhari, then the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the electioneering period.
Alleging that Former President Goodluck Jonathan had run out of ideas, Mbaka who claimed to be speaking under divine inspiration, told his congregation to support Buhari.
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He denied the accusation of supporting Buhari for monetary reasons, saying he had never met the APC presidential candidate.
“Some people said the APC people and Buhari had given me money but I have never seen Buhari before; I don’t know him,” he had said.
“Buhari’s one kobo, as I talk to you, has never touched my hand. I don’t know him. “God in heaven is my witness. I am just the voice of the voiceless, the sorrowful and the cheated and frustrated Nigerians.”
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3 comments
Yes, yes, Reverend Mbaka’s action of calling for “change” in the midst of Nigeria’s most recent presidential election campaign that pitted the then leader of the main Opposition party against an incumbent president, was, indeed, an enormous act of courage! Mbaka was almost eaten alive by certain vocal opinion leaders who believed differently about what ought to be the outcome of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. But he stuck to his guns! That’s moral courage of the highest caliber! In this day and age, and given the power of incumbency in Nigeria’s political affairs, not many mortals would have dared what he did. Though the then leader of the Opposition party eventually emerged victorious, time, however, will tell, if history would vindicate the Reverend on what he then envisioned as a needed change in Nigeria’s central political leadership. Be that as it may, I salute his courage. Nigeria needs more and more men and women of moral courage!
Now that the “CHANGE” has come, and Nigerians are writhing with the excruciating pains it has brought, does Mbaka feel justified? Is he happy that he helped in foisting this directionless and hypocritical band on Nigerians? Despite the 247 billion naira paid on fuel subsidy (they had even dismissed as a scam during the campaigns) fuel scarcity is biting hard in the land; as at today, one US dollar is exchanging to nearly 300 naira. And Buhari is yet to offer convincing explanation on the allegation that he got US$300,000 and some posh SUVs from the former NSA Dasuki of the corrupt GEJ govt – so much for his anti-corruption credentials Yeye dey smell really. Those who are celebrating this change are yet to see more pepper; then all pretenses will just fall off
You seem to be talking of a mindset of occupational hatred. PMB inherited a complete rotten country. It will take a little while to clean up the mess.