The trending video of
Bishop Oyedepo is not recent, but from when churches were under attacks from
Boko Haram’ – Living Faith Church responds
There were online
reports that stated that Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide
International aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, during one of his
services in church, asked God to break Nigeria if it was his will to do so.
Oyedepo reportedly said this recently while cursing the sponsors of the
Southern Kaduna crisis.
“God sent me as His apostle of liberation to
this continent to stop it from decadence. I heard from God and He has proved it
beyond measure. Therefore, every occultic root, every political root of this
uprising is cursed today! All the northern forces that are sponsoring this
uprising and killings, I decree the curse of God upon them. Lord, if it is your
will to break up Nigeria, break it now! If Nigeria wakes up, wait for the church
to rise. There will be no more nation, what nonsense, ” he said. (Read here )
A video emerged, backing the report up. (Watch here)
Winners’
Chapel International has now reacted through the Chairman of the Church’s
Editorial & Media Board, Sheriff F. Folarin, who claims that the video was
not recent but recorded back in 2015.
The
statement reads:
“Our attention has been drawn to a salacious
piece of fake news in mainstream and social media platforms, that Bishop David
Oyedepo, Founder and President of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’
Chapel International) charged Christians to take up arms and attack Muslims in
the recent Kaduna killings and that if religious and ethnic injustice could not
be addressed, Nigeria could as well break up. The fake news item, which has
been trending online for a couple of days, is supposed to be a report depicting
the Bishop reacting to the hostilities between Christians and Muslims in
southern Kaduna in which unnumbered persons, mostly Christians have been killed.
“In this report, Bishop Oyedepo purportedly
called out and berated the politicians who were fun-watching while the carnage
went on or fanning the embers of the violence, and supposedly noted that there
was no basis for Nigeria’s continued unity. For instance, in the online version
of one of the popular Nigerian newspapers (Vanguard of January 12, 2017
reported by one Anthony Ogbonna), the Bishop was quoted as saying: “God has
anointed me to lead a revolution against the Islamic jihadists” The Bishop is
presented to have made very provocative and inciting comments to his
congregation, declaring a counter-war against the Fulani and fanatics in the
recent Kaduna crisis. “The report is false. The video from which the quotes
were taken is a 2015 video at a Sunday service in the heat of the Boko Haram crisis,
when churches, including our Northern assemblies were under frequent attacks.
This was before the present administration took office. The message bears no
relevance to today’s happenings; not even developments of 2016. The
reporter(s), either being completely unprofessional, lazy or simply wicked,
made the 2015 message look like a 2017 church service message. The trending
video is NOT a 2016 or 2017 video.
“To this end, we can unequivocally and
authoritatively say that this quote, the report and other similar reports do
not fit the context of the Kaduna crisis or any developments whatsoever in the
last one year. “The reports are therefore fake, unbelievably and maliciously
fabricated and outright lies. They are tweaked, baseless, and fraudulent.
Bishop Oyedepo has not said, either in private or public, anything related to
the Southern Kaduna killings: not now, not hitherto. If there has been anything
done, it has been prayer for peace and unity of Nigeria. The intent of the
original author(s) or fabricators is best known to them. However, what is
baffling is the degree of lowliness of today’s journalism practice. If any
online media seeking patronage or relevance had bolted to the newsroom with
this piece of white lie, shouldn’t the supposedly more responsible ones take
ethical steps, namely, to confirm, substantiate and ascertain the authenticity
of such claim before going to press and avoid joining the bandwagon of
sensational and irresponsible journalism?.
“Moreover, our church is an open one, with a
website that has online media resources, from which all our audio and video
tapes and other materials, from time immemorial, can be freely accessed. All
our archived videos are unedited. Also, there are hard copies of all the church
messages in our libraries and bookstores. Again, we have a Media and Editorial
Board that can be consulted at any time. But, which of these mediums did the
writers of the fake reports avail themselves of before publishing?
“For the records and for posterity, Bishop
Oyedepo will not say any of those things in view of current dire straits in
which Nigeria has found itself. There are too many problems at hand, which
require divine intervention. He will not add to the throes and utter such divisive
words. As a father of the nation and a Pan Africanist in his own right as a
religious leader whose ministry spreads across the continent and beyond, he is
a huge believer in the corporate entity called Nigeria and has been a messenger
of national love, hope, peace and unity. “While he feels for the victimized
people across the length and breadth of the country and his heart goes to them,
he has always worked with government at all levels to keep Nigeria safe and
strongly unified.
“The
Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel International) has never been a
Yoruba church, or a Southern Nigeria church; it has always been a church for
all Nigerian church, a platform where all persons of all walks of life bond in
the name of Jesus Christ. For those who may not know, Bishop Oyedepo’s first
major break in Christian ministry was in Kaduna, his second home, where he is a
friend and father to millions of people of all religious and ethnic
backgrounds.
“Indeed,
our church has been a catalyst for the Nigerian hope and dream and with its two
universities and numerous secondary and primary schools nationwide, the church
has made it possible for Nigerians to come closer as one people to rebuild our
fatherland.”
Source: Ecclezia.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment