On Pastor David Ibiyeomie
And god loving the poor
What is this mortal life if not the pursuit of happiness?
I started writing this on Friday evening after watching a lot of the coverage of immigrants in Donald Trump's America. It has been triggering. But to see Americans, hard-working Americans living in middle-class communities, take to the streets, away from what one can only imagine are busy schedules, to protest the deportation and detainment of members of their community is exhilarating. It is always a good thing when members of a community agree that the most basic of ideals — kindness, human rights, love — matter and will defend them.
In interviews, members of the clergy — pastors, imams, rabbis — spoke to the press, denounced what has been happening. Such good use of time. In Nigeria, so-called servants of god have become too greedy, too insatiable, too godlike, if heaven were real, you know for sure they won't make it. This is one place where I find succour.
But this is not exactly why I am in your email today. I want to talk about Pastor David Ibiyeomie and his comment that god hates poor people.
“Tell me one poor man Jesus entered his house. He hates poverty; that’s the meaning. He hates people who are poor,” he said a few days ago.
This is not true, at least not true of the real god that people reference when they say “god” — the creator, the giver, the universe, the chi. God doesn't hate poor people. But it’s very possible that Pastor Ibiyeomie does, and he says things like this to justify his hatred for those who have less than he does.
The comment is shameful on many levels. Few things have been said in modern history that is so lacking in kindness, virtue, a sense of dignity in labour, and hard work. It's so immoral, it can never be of god.
Pastor Ibiyeomie has never hidden his hatred and greed, showing little regard for kindness as a virtue.
In 2022, in advance, he declared that he would “lock up” people who criticised him on social media. “I have made up my mind, nobody on social media will insult me. I Will Arrest You, Arrest Your Father, Your Mother, I’ll Lock You Up,” he said. He may have done this already. After the blogger Kemi Olunloyo was arrested, she claimed that he was behind the arrest. From his altar, he has called critics all kinds of obscene names. “Bastard” for one has been his most searing word.
It's not just that he said this awful thing that belittles the poor so much, that makes me sad, angry and powerless. Powerless because I know the backlash will be of no real consequence to him. It is that his family, every single member of his family, have proudly stood by his side. That his friends, everyone that has been acquainted with him, his friends who are servants of god, those who should know better, just on a basis of kindness and tenderness that we should not malign the poor like this, have stood by his side, defended him even.
There is a time to be silent. This is not such a time. Not when god is concerned. Not when so many have hijacked the name of god to do obscene things.
By choosing this dogma, that the poor should be hated, people like Pastor Ibiyeomie and his family and their friends will never know that the point of life and abundance is to share all of it with the world. By accumulating so much and scoffing at those around them who have so little, they have denied themselves this tangible secret that only those who live truly happy lives will know.
I started with happiness today because that is what it really means to serve god. As someone who has been touched by the loving hand of god, I know this to be true. I really do.
I make the happiness case because it is the thing that those who choose this path of viciousness will never have. By choosing a life so mundane, so materialistic, so focused on its greed, he has denied himself meaning. A meaningful life. Not to the public and the thousands of people that hang onto his every word, but to himself.
Of course, this is also about our short-sighted class hierarchy. This is how you do class. This is how you outline the demarcations of class. This is how you other those who don’t have as much as you do. By saying poor people don’t deserve shit, what is not said but understood is that you’re not one of them. You deserve shit.
But I wanted those who already feel defeated to know that away from all the backlash that will mean nothing and do nothing for Pastor Ibiyeomie, away from those family members of his that have said nothing, a lot has happened already. And only Pastor Ibiyeomie and those around him will suffer the consequences.
FOOTNOTE:
I am on leave and am so happy to be taking this time away from work after so many years on the grind to catch my breath, stay quietly, and finally do nothing. I am so happy for next week because I might get to meet CNA twice. I can’t wait to share pictures with you. Till then.