PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
RELIGIOUS ERROR (PART 6)
IMO CAN President and Imo Government Bull Sculpture
MAIN
TEXT:
“Josiah
smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asheral poles, even the altar of
Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who caused Israel to
sin, even that altar and high place he demolished (2Kings 23).
INTRODUCTION:
The
president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Imo State Chapter, Dr.
Cosmos Ilechukwu has unequivocally declared that the Imo State Government Bull
Sculpture situated at Wetheral Road/Fire Service Roundabout is not occultic.
According to the Nigeria Newspoint Newspaper of November 9-11, 2012, Dr.
Ilechukwu said, “the sculpture of the bull is even biblical”, and also stressed
that the bull is a significant animal used by God positively in several
portions of the Bible as representing strength and resilience in creation. Dr.
Ilechukwu, the paper continues, cited the book of Psalms 92 verse 10, which
says, “you have exalted my horn like a wild ox”, (bull). But, Dr. Ilechukwu in
his allegorical interpretation of the Psalms did not, and cannot show any place
in the Bible where the people at the time of the psalmist raised a bull sculpture
in reference to the quoted scripture, and so, this learned gentleman of the
pulpit should learn how to interpret similes (figures of speech) in the Bible.
Dr.
Ilechukwu should also be informed that most of the people who reacted to the
controversial bull sculpture did not accuse the governor and his team of
occultism, but said, the bull sculpture could be occultic, considering the fact
that most of our political leaders are deep in demonic affiliations.
Furthermore, the attention of the Imo CAN apex leader should as well be drawn
to the fact that biblical figures are often abused or misapplied by those who
are biblically biased. So, it is possible that the bull sculpture at Wetheral
Road Roundabout carries a hidden significance which he (Dr. Ilechukwu) does not
know. And, to generalize the meaning of the bull sculpture could be misleading,
since the object could mean different things to different people, just as the
Cross of Christ is to many different things, rather than the symbol of
salvation. Having stressed this, now observe that;
MENTAL INTERPRETATION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE WETHERAL ROAD/FIRE SERVICE BULL SCULPTURE COULD BE MISLEADING
Dr.
Cosmos Ilechukwu of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is not alone in
his view on the Wetheral Road/Fire Service Bull Sculpture, as Livinus Amadi on
the front page of the Nigeria Newspoint Newspaper of November 7-8, 2012,
equally opines that there is nothing evil in people telling their story through
the works of art. According to Amadi, “some of the youths spoken to, on the
matter disclosed that the bull is indeed strategic and really depicts the
fighting spirit and resilience in the Ibo man and especially that of the
Imolites who were declared the centre of the Igboland by the late Eze Igbo gburugburu,
the Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu.
But,
the man of God should have spiritually guided the people aright, instead of
using the Bible and certain outdated ornaments of some churches to advance
unwarranted exegesis. To this end, Dr. Ilechukwu in the cited edition of the
Nigerian Newspoint Newspaper stated that, “the wild ox refers to a bull and
further explained that it is the reason why the horn of the bull is used till
date in many churches round the world”. The Imo State CAN boss, according to
the newspaper, also referred to the book of Deuteronomy 33 verse 17, which
says, “in majesty he is like a first born bull, his horns are the horns of a
wild ox”.
Interestingly,
the “horn” is the symbol of strength, which figures Jesus Christ, the Horn of
our salvation, as well as the strength of the life of the believer, (Psalms
27:1). Yet, there is nowhere in the Bible which instructs us to make the
sculpture of the horn of animal species in keeping with the foregoing.
Similarly, Jesus Christ is referred to in the Bible, “as the Lion of the Tribe
of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), and this also does not mean we should make lion
sculpture to depict this strength in our lives, nor does it suggest we should
set up such objects in our church premises or buildings.
In
line with the above, the writer wishes to state at this point in time that Dr.
Ilechukwu goofed when he failed to tell the Mayor of Owerri, High Chief Uche
Njokuibe that, Jesus is the surest source of strength and resilience, (Psalms
28:8), whom God expects everyone, including the Imolites, to embrace for a
better and prosperous tomorrow, when he, according to the cited edition of the
Nigeria Newspoint Newspaper, paid him a familiarization visit in his office, as
he allowed his mental circuit to inhibit his spiritual mindset, which hitherto,
pulled him to the concept of the so called elite, who Livinus Amadi in his own
version of the “bull story” said, “expressed joy over the art work, which
according to them ranks among the works of art that are found in different parts
of Europe and Asia.
IMO PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT
CONSTITUTE OBJECTS OF ORNAMENTATION IN THE STATE
Those
who read the Nigeria Newspoint Newspaper of November 9-1, 2012, may have
discovered that Dr. Cosmos Ilechukwu concluded his reaction on the Wetheral
Road/Fire Service Roundabout bull sculpture, by saying that it must have been
sheer ignorance that is responsible for the public misrepresentation of the
significance of the bull, recalling that such a sculpture of the bull can only
be found in Margecities in Europe and Asia, as he finally urged Imolites to
desist from their former ways of thinking. In fact, this piece of advice from
the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Imo State Chapter
appears to be a delicious menu from the wealth of knowledge of an enlightened
man of God. However, it is important to recall that it was Aaron, the
enlightened priest of God that led the children of Israel into the worship of the
“golden calf”, (Exodus 32).
Therefore,
Dr. Ilechukwu and the like minds should understand that Imo People are not
ignorant of the devices of the devil, as well as know that there are three uses
of art, which Childs Robinson in James Kennedy cites as the decorative use of
art, for ornamentation, the didactic use of art, for teaching and the
devotional use of art, for worship, and the latter being the only use of art
forbidden in the Bible, (Exodus 20:4). The people are also aware that certain
individuals present certain works of art as objects of decoration and teaching,
but use same for occult manipulations. After all, most secret fraternities
mandate their members to use their seemingly “Christian”, but “satanic” symbols
to embellish their homes and offices or as emblems of their organizations,
which the unsuspecting members of the society may not be aware of, and the
writer thinks that, it is on the basis of the foregoing that there was a public
outcry to remove the controversial object at the Wetheral Road/Fire Service
Roundabout, which many, from a Christian perspective see as one of the
heathenish artifacts of the African Traditional Religion (ATR), thus, a
“religious error” in a Christian community, like Imo State, and the people have
the right to do so, considering the clandestine activities of some of our leaders.
IMO PEOPLE WILL BE DELIGHTED TO HAVE
THEIR OWN PORTRAYED IN THE WORKS OF ART
Agreed, there is nothing wrong
in people telling their story through the works of art, but there is everything
wrong if such works of art are devoid of God and Christ or take the “cock and
bull” story approach of the Imo State Government and its Mayor of Owerri, especially
in a spiritually awakened society, like Imo, as this will definitely stir-up a
feeling of betrayal of faith, and that Dr. Cosmos Ilechukwu, the Imo State CAN
president and his friends cited Europe and Asia as places that Imo State should
have copies from, in terms of bull sculpture and that of other animal species
means the duo have no real knowledge of the environment in which they live.
Also, that they tried to dispel the reaction of the people on the matter, on
the basis of sheer ignorance reveals that they, themselves are ignorant of what
the people want.
But, the bull sculpture episode
is seen by some individuals as a God-given opportunity for Imolites to express
their displeasure over incessant neglect of the people’s welfare in the name of
telling people’s story through the works of art. But, people must survive to
tell their story. Now, think of the plight of the beneficiaries of the 10,000
jobs of the Ohakim Administration, who were laid off by the government of
Rochas Okorocha for no genuine reason. Consider, also, the pains experienced by
those Imolites sacked sometimes ago, by the Abia State Government of T.A. Orji,
who Governor Rochas Okorocha of their host state is not thinking of giving a
sense of belonging. Yet, an unquantifiable amount of money is being lavished on
bull sculpture and monuments in a state where people languish in abject
poverty, and the Imo State CAN president, Dr. Cosmos Ilechukwu would have done
well, if he had advised the government of Imo State on the need to tackle
people’s economic problem during the reported familiarization visit of the
Mayor of Owerri, High Chief Uche Njokuibe, instead of stressing on baseless
significance of the bull sculpture at the Wetheral Road/Fire Service
Roundabout.
However, there are some Imo
Citizens, who in an interview expressed the opinion that government could go
ahead in its bid to beautify Imo or tell the story of the people of the state
through the planned works of art, but advised that those responsible for the
project should think of immortalizing some members of the state, dead or alive,
with records of outstanding contributions toward the creation and development
of the state in the exercise, instead of the bull or similar animal sculpture
which carries shades of interpretation, as this, according to them, is a better
way of telling the people’s story through the works of art, and therefore,
referred to the late Dr. Michael Opara sculpture in Umuahia, the Abia State
capital, and those of Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Sir Amadu Bello and Sir, Abubakar
Tafawa Belewa in Abuja and other locations in Nigeria as good examples, as well
as urged the Imo State Government to give the idea a trial to discover that Imo
People will be happy to have their own portrayed in the works of art designed
to tell their story, instead of the sampled bull sculpture at the Wetheral
Road/Fire Service Roundabout.
In conclusion, let everyone
called to minister God’s word be careful, especially in this era of
unprecedented released of the doctrines of the devil, which seek to deceive. In
keeping with this, the Apostle Paul says, “I have laid a foundation as an
expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be
careful how he builds. For, no one can lay any foundation other than the one
already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using
gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for
what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. For, it will be revealed by
fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has
built survives, he will receive his reward. But, if it is burned up, he will
suffer loss, however, he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping
through the flames”, (1Corinthians 3:10-15). MIND WHAT YOU TEACH.
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