By Nosakhale Akhimien
The General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, Dr. Mensa Otabil, has drawn a comparison between the Nigerian presidency and God’s kind of leadership, saying most Nigerians would not make it through God’s strict rule if He were the country’s president.
Otabil made this known on Monday in a live appearance at the Platform, a non-political and non-denominational program hosted by The Covenant Nation in Iganmu, Lagos State.
“God is not your president; you just have to pray, because if God is your president, you’ll be so uncomfortable with life. If God was president of Nigeria, most of us would not survive,” Otabil stated.
“So, how does God behave as president of a nation? Well, check Israel. When he was president before they had a king, he ruled them, and how did he rule them? He gave them Manna; he had a good social system and a good welfare system.
“He (God) gave them electricity by day and air conditioning by night; he provided support. He provided the waterworks system, he gave them water from a rock, and so in terms of their well-being, he supported them, but he also wanted them to live by laws.”
The clergyman referred to Moses and the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea, pointing out that their triumph was ironic to God’s ultimate plan when they encountered him at Mount Sinai.
“The first thing God did for Israel after he delivered them was that when the people were delivered, they went into praise and worship. Miriam and Moses sang songs, and they all rejoiced because they’d come out of the Red Sea, but that was not really God’s plan,” he said.
“God says, ‘You can have your praise and worship. I’m taking you to Mount Sinai.’ And when they got to Mount Sinai, there was no praise and worship. There was law and God was so terrifying and the atmosphere was so dominating that the people did not want to be in the presence of God.”
He stated that God recognised the need to introduce the people (Israelites) into a structured environment in order to lead them after 400 years of servitude and slavery.
“The first thing he (God) did was to give them laws (the Israelites who were captives for 400 years); not only did he give them laws, but he also had stern reprimands for when you disobeyed the law,” he said.
Otabil pointed out that until the people realised that a nation did not thrive with self-expression alone but also with regulated and moderated behaviour, the law would have its inevitable drawbacks.
“He (God) knocked them off; he knocked them off so much that they had to learn to live a structured life, that is God leading a nation. You did your stuff on the wall; you are gone. You did your stuff in the bush; you are gone; he’ll take you out,” he added. (Channels)
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