MBANG’S WAR IN METHODIST CHURCH OF NIGERIA By Osondu Ahirika No man of good conscience, who knows Sir Sunday Akpan, former Commissioner of Finance and proprietor of the popular International Management and Finance Institute, IMFI, Uyo will not feel sad, when he reads this excerpt from his rejoinder to a shock campaign of calumny directed at him by, wait for this, no less a person than one-time Prelate of Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Mbang. Before I give further hint, hear Sir Akpan. “I have never been involved in handling disbursing, spending or custoding Church funds other than being a faithful CONTRIBUTOR / DONOR to such funds, wherever and whenever I have the opportunity, I have always acted as an exemplary watchdog ensuring proper, honest and transparent management of Church funds, projects and property.” You need not be a Methodist to believe this as the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Many Churches will give anything to have a Commissioner, or any man of Sir Akpan’s stature, reputation and means, to be a member of their congregation. One Sir Akpan in your Church can become the sole Pillar, financier and developer of the Church with things material, if not spiritual. Ironically, Dr. Mbang accused Sir Akpan as a pilferer of Church funds. In a widely publicized reply to Sir Akpan, Dr. Mbang who was also a onetime National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, past Chairperson, World Methodist Council and past Co-chair, Nigeria Inter-religious Council, insinuated that, Sir Akpan fought Bishop Emmanuel Udofia to a standstill on arrival from Abuja to Uyo, when the latter decided to audit the church’s account, which according to the Prelate Emeritus was in a rotten state. I concede that as Prelate, he had access to strategic information that we don’t have on the goings-on in the Church, but we don’t need rocket science to discern that, on this particular score, it is done in bad faith. Bishop Udofia owes us, the Church and His God, a duty to speak up on this issue and not remain silent. The implied inference here is that, he (Udofia) may have whispered something to the then Prelate on the state of affairs in the Diocese of Uyo. But what is the genesis of this nauseating dirty war fit for politicians and not clergymen? It is a private war. An offensive launched by Dr. Mbang over what he chose to define as Ecclesiastical fraud. A summary? Ok! Here we go. Dr. Mbang who had the rare privilege of leading the Church for a solid 22 years in Nigeria, described the September 1, 2013 election of Archbishop of Enugu, Most Rev. Samuel Uche as new Prelate of the Methodist Church, as well as seven others as Archbishops for the newly created archdioceses as a fraud. In a seven-page document, entitled; “Holy Almighty Everlasting God, save your church, Methodist Church Nigeria from indiscipline, manipulation and fraud, so help us God,” Mbang alleged to several constitutional breaches which informed his decision to fault the process. Although he cried wolf with “Holy Alacrity”, whipping up penitential sentiments in the process, it was obvious that, Mbang had lost out in the power calculations or new structure of the church. In a ‘photocopy’ of what played out in party politics, where losers, in an election, quickly convene a Press Conference to demonic the elections as flawed, Mbang, who had learnt enough, in his many years of hobnobbing with politicians and movers and shakers of the Presidency; Military rulers and their political counterparts alike, decided to throw mud into the Holy place. The bitter truth which is left untold is, Dr. Mbang, I learn on good authority, nominated and sponsored his preferred choice, Archbishop Kehinde Stephens (who I understand served him faithfully as Secretary whilst he was Prelate) for the office of Prelate. He lobbied delegates and campaigned widely for the man. At the end of a long tiring process his candidate scored 69 votes to uche’s 98 votes in the final ballot to emerge winner. A confidant even told me, God bear me witness that, sir Akpan in compliance with the plea of Prelate Mbang among other delegates from Akwa Ibom, consistently cast their votes for his man up till the last ballot, but he still lost, largely because, his own South-West kinsmen, opted for what we can, from the look of things, say, is power shift and voted for a South Easterner to emerge. If you ask me, that helps the church for all sections to feel inclusiveness in these times, everything is reduced to equity, fair play and justice. Sir Akpan’s offence was to refute what His Eminence alleged was a fraud and justify to the correctness of the process. How dare he call a Prelate Emeritus, an elderly aged one for that matter – a liar? Little wonder, Prelate Mbang descended on him in that very ill-tempered and tersely worded diatribe. I am sad very, very sad at this ugly development. I just think, oh truly, Akwa Ibom is a land of petition writers. Even in the church, petitions abound. I also ask, what does Dr. Mbang stand to gain if he aborts the peace of the MCN, incites a schism in the fold as we have in other churches and unwittingly pull-down an edifice he put in 22 even years to build and prosper? For, give it to him, Mbang’s Midas touch was the turning point of Methodism in Nigeria. So? It leaves me heartbroken. I pray God that Methodist Church of Nigeria, which is one of the last bastions of redeeming hope for the Church, gradually losing its identity and decorum in Nigeria, should not go the way of others. Sir Akpan has spent years making enormous financial, material and logistic sacrifice, for, not just Methodist Church, but Christendom at large and does not deserve this smear from his father-in the Lord. They should sheathe their sword please. My take is, this is all down to the virus of politics. I cannot but call to mind, what Elder Udeme Nana posted as his “thinking aloud”, on the election of the new Prelate. Hear Nana. “The new Prelate of Methodist church is likely to discover that most of our Ministers have joined the wagon of pray as you are paid Pastors and Prophets, while several Bishops and Archbishops have sold their miters’ to politicians and money bags. Our Bishops and Ministers no longer tolerate views contrary to theirs…. I congratulate the new Prelate…. And urge him to recapture the ideals of the Jesus Christ and the Wesley’s. Methodist church Nigeria, under Prelate Makinde was an embarrassment to me because he led the ‘world’ into the Church! Presbyters, Bishops, Elders and various categories of Knighthood were ‘sold’ to the highest bidders.” Interestingly, Dr. Mbang alleged this much also and I believe it so. However, we should not throw the baby away with the bath water. Let’s give the new Prelate a benefit of the doubt. However he emerged, Power comes from God. Let’s see how he uses it. If it is of God, he will last, if not…..?
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:50:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015