Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry (AMEN), on Sunday, broke his silence on the allegations that he sought President Muhammadu Buhari’s removal from office because his request for a government contract was rebuffed.
In his sermon on Sunday, the priest addressed the allegation and a number of other issues, ranging from Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to the hardship under the Buhari administration and Nigerian leaders “becoming the coronavirus we are suffering.”
He also had a word for those who are asking the Catholic church and Pope Francis to discipline him for “dabbling in politics.”
Below is a transcript of all he said, word for word, as listened to by TheCable:
ON THE CONTRACT AND BEING ATTACKED:
As the country is in crisis, may God the father take care of this country in a way that will make him glorious. Nigeria — that if you say the truth, you will be attacked — will survive the attack of the crocodiles who want to eat the fishes in the fishpond.
All those who are attacking the men of God, they are crocodiles, but God is ready for them. I am not discouraged. I have been waiting for them to challenge any of the things I said. What they call it in philosophy is fallacy of mere argumentum ad hominem. You allow the truth to be hidden, then you started attacking the person who said the truth. You don’t attack the message, challenge the truth – whether there is insecurity or not, whether there are good hospitals in the country or not. What are you talking about? How God has loved us and saved us from coronavirus and some of our leaders are becoming the coronavirus we are suffering.
Are we not hungry? Is there employment opportunity for the youths as ought to be? The money they are packing for elections, if they use it to build industries, shouldn’t our youths have places to work? When they talked about giving Father Mbaka contracts, I don’t want to talk about that, I was laughing. It is a laughable, childish accusation.
Whoever is saying that is a shame to himself and shame to the people he is representing. Father Mbaka’s voice came from the spiritual, so what I am saying is unchallengeable. Why I have been silent, I was waiting for them to change, until God said, ‘speak’. There are some messages that are like dew, some like rain, but some of them are like thunder. Anybody who is challenging that message is challenging the God of thunder and should be careful. The Father Mbaka who was speaking is not just a priest but, by the special grace of God, is a job provider. To the glory of God, those that are benefitting from me, direct salary earners, are not less than 23,000 people.
The person challenging Father Mbaka, how many people are you feeding? If I talk, you talk? Because the government is paying you — do you know how many people I am paying? Before you challenge me when I talk about unemployment, I am an employer. So, somebody talking about giving Father Mbaka contracts, I started laughing. The three men he talked about, I am not here to defend anybody’s stupid allegation but God used that man to tell the world that Buhari’s government is not giving me money. You see how God works? Shehu, may God bless you for telling everybody that you are not giving me contracts.
And these are the three men that we brought that will handle insecurity for the country; they had the gadgets. The white people, they had the facilities. That was during the first administration. And they said they will help them in conquering insecurity. They had the platform to end insecurity in this country under one month; under Abba Kyari. I just handed them over to the government people. They denied them of these; I don’t even know these people. They just came to Enugu and said, can I help them reach the government, that the level of insecurity in this country and how Nigeria has been shipping their oil out, refining and bringing them back, that we are losing. That they have all it takes to revive the oil apparatus in the country and get the whole youths employed and the issue of insecurity will die. These are the three people that they rejected their offer.
Am I begging them, do they know how many people I feed? As I said, I put my hands on the altar and told everybody, I don’t have their number. Fortunately, they reported that they denied me of the contract — which contract? Under Abba Kyari. Do they know how many widows I am paying for their house rent? Do they know how many students I am paying for their school fees home and abroad, since they know how to talk? If a single individual — a priest for that matter who doesn’t have a biological child — can be doing this, the federal government should do more. I have promised God that I am going to give the church in Enugu diocese and the church in Nigeria the best hospital in Africa. And to the glory of God, I must do it. With the support of the government of Enugu.
And even the people they are talking about that went there, I didnt even discuss one percent of ‘if you get this contract’; contract of securing the country? What am I going to gain from it? As if to say when he pushes that, Fr Mbaka is no longer a Nigerian. And all the people they have been giving contracts, are they better than me?
They have shown that they don’t have what they will call, reward mechanism. If Shehu is a human… I don’t even know who the Shehu is. He should be apologising that by now, they have not come down to say nagode Allah for surviving whatever they are passing through. The last person this administration should fight is Father Mbaka talking here. Because if they speak against me, the anger of heaven will be upon them and how they will end will shock everybody. Because I represent the poor, the less privileged, the nobody’s, the unemployed, the sick; all the downtrodden in this country, I am their father. So when my children are crying, I cannot be silent. Remember this is not the first time I am saying that… all my messages are not on social media, it is only the few fractions you see there. So, Father has not been silent. So, may God protect Father Mbaka.
ON NNAMDI KANU AND TERRORISM:
If their worry is that I am blessing Nnamdi Kanu, Wherever he is, is God not blessing him? He breathes, he sleeps and wakes up, is it not a blessing? Or is he not my brother? Spiritually, is he not my son? So, what is your problem?
And they are busy branding people and communities terrorists. If what is happening in Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Maiduguri, Benue, Niger — all the places branded terrorist states, will the whole Nigeria not be branded a terrorist country? Do they know the meaning? So, let them be careful in their choice of words and be wise. If anybody says the truth, the person becomes a terrorist. Shame to them.
ON REQUESTS FOR POPE TO DISCIPLINE HIM:
I do my charity without my assistance. That is why I still give regards and appreciation to the governor of Enugu for giving us the enabling environment and support. To me, Ugwuanyi (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, governor of Enugu state) is a good man. If you say he is a bad man to you, I don’t know. He can’t do everything. Enugu is one of the states with meagre resources achieving meagre projects.
Those going to the internet to say ‘Mbaka keep quiet, Mbaka is doing business’, am I hiding? There is what the canon law calls evangelical projects. So, don’t think you have a thing to report to Rome. If Rome hears that Father Mbaka is challenging evil governance, Rome will clap for me, so quickly go to Rome. Why I don’t want them even to report this to Rome is because if the pope hears the extent of my involvement, they may give me a position I may not like. You want to report Messi to FIFA that he plays too much ball? They will make him soccer ambassador.
ON INSECURITY, UNEMPLOYMENT AND HARDSHIP IN NIGERIA:
The insecurity I am talking about can affect them. Even the Shehu who is talking; the bandits can come and kill him. There is no level of blocking federal house and securing Aso Rock that can secure the country if they don’t take care of the youths and give them jobs, and address all these issues the Holy Spirit raised on that Wednesday. Challenge any of them; how a whole Nigeria cannot have a quality hospital and the president will be sick and flown out to treat himself, what a shame! I am courageous about what I am saying!
Parents will suffer to train their children and these youths will be going about watching Africa Magic. You will be watching your son and daughter getting old. And some people are packing money preparing for election; money that belongs to all of us. If they take care of this country, our children outside the country will begin to come back. Because we have all it takes to make Nigeria better than some of the countries they are running to.
Let them reduce taxation because even the taxes we are paying, we don’t know what they are doing with it. All the industrialists in this country are crying now; something you could have used N3.4 million to import, N14 million can’t even import it. How can you sell it? To who; people who have no jobs? Those dying out of hunger are more than those dying out of insecurity. In fact, there is stomach insecurity; stomach coronavirus.
So, if the church leaders cannot talk, who will talk? So, don’t join anybody to protect those who are killing the poor because God said, when they cry, I will listen. Don’t make yourself an instrument of disaster because disaster is coming.
