Elder Napo Emuchay, president of Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), recently spoke on the resolution of the church to proscribe polygamy among leaders in white garment churches during the regional executive meeting of OAIC, held at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church (C&S), Surulere District. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU:
Could you tell us the outcome of the recent regional executive meeting of the OAIC?
Usually, we hold about three to four meetings every year. This is the last in the year. A number of things happened. We made two major appointments. The zonal vice chairman for Southwest; the late Archbishop Magnus Atilade was both the zonal chairman and vice president of OAIC. His position has been spilt. Baba Aladura, Israel Akinadewo of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW) is now the vice president, while Archbishop Nathaniel Olorunshina is now the zonal chairman.
As the president of OAIC, what is your desire for the church and Nigeria?
Well, let us be upright. If we receive Christ and walk in accordance with his will, there will be changes. The Israelites, because of their sins God punished them and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, the Midianites. It might be because of the sins of Nigeria that we are having these problems of killings, raping and all sorts of evil. If we return to God in righteousness I can assure you that our fortune will change. The only way is to fear God and walk in the paths of righteousness. The message God gave in Ezekiel 33 verse 11, says ‘Say Unto them, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they should repent and live.’ If we change, our circumstances will change.
We understand people within the church marry more than one wife; so, what is the stand of OAIC on polygamy?
Our position is clear. It is going to form part of our bylaws, in the ESOCS church where I belong; we proscribed polygamy about two years ago. Some members of the OAIC are polygamists particularly the African church. We are saying going forward, the younger generation should not embrace the culture of polygamy. Going further, it is no longer acceptable; we won’t appoint you to hold any administrative position. In the community of Christians you cannot represent us. I cannot see a polygamist coming to stand in the election as the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). You can’t be the number one Christian in Nigeria as a polygamist. The World Council of Churches goes against it. If you are a priest the Bible is clear on it; if you are a priest you should be the husband of one wife, simple. It is going to be part of our byelaws.
When do you plan to implement or enforce this new directive?
It is in the making. We are reviewing it and will soon pass it. So, from next year it will become operative that a polygamist cannot be a priest or hold any administrative office.
So, what becomes of the congregation of these polygamists?
They can run their churches but they cannot represent us. They won’t hold any administrative office.
Will they retain their membership of the OAIC?
They can be members; in fact, some of them are founding members of OAIC, but we are saying that going by the current wave within the Christendom, they cannot hold any administrative position. They can stay as members but they can’t represent us. We cannot make you elder in charge or provincial chairman.
Don’t you think the planned proscription is going to be a hard nut to crack?
No. The issue is that we know it is going to be hard on some people. We are not saying that people who have two or three wives should send their wives away; but they have to live with the burden. Going further, any young man or the younger generation who steps into polygamy should know he stands no chance within the priesthood, but you can be a member. Even within the Catholic Church, there are people with more than one wife but they can neither come out to say they are priests nor can become priests.
Some might argue that proscribing polygamy will increase the rate of hypocritical living, as in the case of some Catholic priests who secretly have wives and children despite taking the oath of celibacy?
It is an anomaly within the Christendom to be a polygamist. Of course, we cannot accept that anomaly. If you say okay, let us be operating like that, it becomes an accepted anomaly. We have to draw the line at some point. We are not saying it is a sin. What we are saying is that if you want to be a priest you will not have two wives. If as a member you have two wives or more then you know your growth is limited. Like in Eternal Scared Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Church (ESOCS) church, there is a rank you cannot exceed.
Why can’t the church preach outright against polygamy?
We preach it, but it is the enforcement. Remember the church is part of the public place. You cannot exclude someone from the church, but you can stop the person from praying before the congregation or reading Bible lessons in the church.
Does it bother you that staging of miracles is common in the church today?
That shows you the nature and quality of priests that we have in Nigeria. The church has become hub of economic activities. Look; have you seen sign boards for native doctors again? Every native doctor is now a pastor, because people want miracles. You go to them; they tell you to bring ram and other things. This is what native doctors do. They wear collars as priests to perform miracles, remember the collar does not make the monk. Christianity is a way of life, the name Christians was first mentioned in Antioch when the people there saw the behaviour of the followers of Christ. It was not Jesus that gave the name; it was outsiders that recognised them. Christianity should be seen as a way of life not what you say, not you preaching and sleeping with another man’s wife afterwards.
There are allegations that some leaders of orthodox churches are usually members of the occult (cuts-in)
That is not untrue as it is commonplace. I mean they do not make it public but people know. They hardly attend Churches that are spiritual and are on fire for God because the spirit of God will expose and disgrace them. There was a person that came to our church and we did not know he used his son for ritual. It was at the time of prayer that a child of about 12 years old confronted him about the son’s whereabouts. The boy said: ‘Where is your son? You ruined your son’s life because of money.’ The man after two years died. These double-faced people prefer attending conventional churches where they will not be exposed. One thing to note is that we should not be judgmental: for judgment day is coming and it is going to start from the house of God. There is an all seeing eye and it is God himself that will judge. When you ask them they deny but when they die, the burial process involves some rituals. I was told some have uniforms and know how they bury their members. If I know about any OAIC leader being part of the occult, of course, he will be expelled.
The Federal Government said Nigerians are not hungry as against the outcry that there is hunger in the land?
What do you expect them to say when the people in government are not paying for food or light? They are having everything free of charge and have allowances even for the meals they eat. If you want to know what is happening, ask the man on the street they will tell you. So, you want the government to tell you there is a problem in the country? They are even saying no one is dying in the north, that there are no killings. All these are political gimmicks.
But, the government said it’s fighting corruption; don’t you agree with them?
Corruption is the foundation of the political system in Nigeria. The government is the hub of corruption. Government is only trying to play its game.
Does this mean we do not have true Christians in government or true Christians cannot be politicians?
Of course, true Christians can be politicians as the Bible says that when the righteous are in power the people rejoice; so the righteous are supposed to be in government. The price righteous people pay is to ignore politics, saying it is for the ‘mad or cow boys’ and these people are the ones ruling and making the laws. Look in Nigeria, how many professors, doctorate degree holders and master’s degree holders do we have? The man who is ruling the country, what is his qualification?
Finally, what is the way forward?
We have to embrace the truth, let us tell ourselves the truth. Let the people occupying leadership positions do the right thing.
