PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD
(Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.
MAIN TEXT: “Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… that
the blessings of Abraham might come upon (us) the Gentiles”… (Gal. 3:13-14).
WRITER’S QUOTE: Those who are in Christ are no longer part of the
curses of their forefathers.
INTRODUCTION: Having
read through a message in a booklet, on the above subject-matter, which was
published (undated) by the Ogwa Believers Association (OBA), I meticulously
observed that cert isain concepts and programmes put forth by the leadership of
the Association carry no biblical efficacy. My observation, nevertheless, does
not cast any eclipse on the noble effort made by these sincere gentle people of
God, but simply point out that people could be sincerely wrong in worthwhile
ventures. The
cited published booklet by the OBA on what it calls, “Facts About Ogwa Town”, clearly demonstrates the
shortsightedness and superstitious gospel which people propagate today in the
name of Liberation. In the booklet under review, the OBA in a three point
content, namely;
1. Do you know
2. Effects and
3. Solutions
tries to establish
a case as to what it views as the problems or rather the causes of what it assumes are taking the Ogwa community
backwards . However, as well intended as the Ogwa Believers Association may be
in its drive towards the liberation of the Ogwa community from demonic bondage,
it should be noted that the concept it tries to sell to the people stems from
the fabric of deadly distortion. Based on the
foregoing, therefore, the writer takes a critical look at each content of the
booklets titled “Facts about Ogwa Town”.
The booklet in its content one, tagged, “Do
You Know”, draws the attention of the Ogwa people to the fact of the
geographical features of the Ogwa town, in which it cites Abazu, Alaenyi, Ekwereazu, Idem, Ochii, Oboro, Uru, Umuazu, Idume,
Ihite and Oburu as the eleven villages that make up the Ogwa town. However, by
the revelation of the writer, the present Ogwa town has twelve villages and not
eleven. And, the first of them all is the community of the Ogwa Believers.
Therefore, the present day villages or communities that make up the Ogwa town
include (1) The Ogwa Believers Association (OBA) (2) Abazu (3) Alaenyi, (4) Ekwereazu, (5)
Idem, (6) Ochii, (7)Oboro, (8)Uru, (9) Umuazu, (10)Idume, (11)Ihite and (12)Oburo.
For the purpose of clarity, the Ogwa town is in Mbaitoli Local Government Area
of Imo State in Nigeria.
By God’s design, the believers in
Ogwa should have been a very powerful influence in Ogwa, in terms of prosperity
and progress if they had been appreciative of God’s salvation and subsequently
taken up the challenges of achieving the divine objectives for which they were
saved. But, on the contrary, they have taken to the distortion that the sins of
their forefathers constitute the hindrances they face on earth, and this idea
has no support in the Word of God, since the Scripture says that the sins of
the forefathers are on those who hate Him, to third and fourth generations, (Ex
20 : 5), but He shows mercy to thousands of those who love Him and keep His commandments,
(vs. 6). By this, therefore, the writer brings to the fore that the
backwardness in Ogwa, on the side of the unbelievers could be as a result of
the sins of their forefathers, but to the believers in Ogwa, it is not, but as
a result of the unbelief, as inspired by the leadership of the Ogwa Believers
Association (OBA),
To this end, please recall that
in the case of the man that was born blind, when Jesus was asked …who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was
born blind? Jesus replied, “Neither this
man nor his parents sinned, “but that the work of God should be revealed in
him,” (John 9:2-3), and this, evidently shows that the sins of the forefather
may not have been the cause of the alleged backwardness in Ogwa, but the
failure of the believers in Ogwa and the leadership of the OBA to reveal the
works of God in the town, (vs2-3).
Furthermore, in pages 1-2 of the booklet being x-rayed, the OBA
reveals the existence of many gods (Agwuishi, Ala Oboro, Amadioha, Eru, Ezeala,
Duruagu, Ezealaoji, Ekebuzu, Okwara Ndam, Okwara ike Uru.) and how they are
worshiped, and holds that they are the sources of the many problems in Ogwa,
which the writer also agrees. But, the heightening of the problem with:
1) The alleged burying of sixteen persons,
as a way of appeasing the gods in Ogwa
(8 men, 8 women)
2) The killing of one of the early missionaries
at Abazu Ogwa.
3) The killing of twins and other
related offences against God, may be
unnecessary, since Israel that killed all the prophets of God, which they
buried in both deep and shallow graves still ranks best in science and
technology. Therefore, it becomes obvious that it is the rigidly blind sense of
guilt of the sins of the forefathers, doubt, fear and unbelief as unbrokenly
passed on to the believing generations of the Ogwa Community by the leadership
of OBA that have been the strong satanic chains that set the community
backwards and not the sins of the forefathers. How?
1) The Ogwa Believers since over twenty
years have been organizing annual prayer meeting for the community, yet, do not
believe that God has, by their prayers forgiven and dissociated them from the
sins of their forefathers.
2) They, also, have been living under an
unbroken doubt as to whether they can move the Ogwa community forward.
3) They, equally live in the fear that
God would always bring setbacks on them, as a result of the sins of their
forefathers. On
the alleged “effects” of the atrocities and idol worship in Ogwa, the OBA in
page 5 of its unpopular booklet under scrutiny put forth that such atrocities
and idol worship account for:
1. The non- centrality of the traditional
institution in Ogwa
2. Disunity
3. Setbacks and un-successful developmental
projects.
4. Lack of political personalities in
government
According
to OBA, the aforementioned and several other alleged effects have put the land
under a curse and the people in bondage. But, by way of refutation, the non-centrality
of the traditional institution in Ogwa should not be seen as a curse, but a
display of governmental uniqueness of the Ogwa people. The Ogwa community is an
“egalitarian” community with an ad hoc style of leadership. This republican
disposition demonstrates the “umunna” leadership style, through the
instrumentality of village heads. This type of leadership, though, not sustained,
as result of the advents of the Whiteman in Nigeria should not be seen as a
curse, but as a blessing.
On the unity and stability of the Ogwa
community, let it be pointed out here that, the “so called” disunity in Ogwa
does not exist, since history shows no record of disintegration in the town.
That clans, villages or people sometimes disagree on matters or even quarrel
over issues of interest is not the ground to say that there is disunity in
ogwa. In fact, what exits in Ogwa is unity in diversity. Also, the fallacy that
no project has successfully been completed in Ogwa should be discarded. For, every
appreciative and sincere individual, who has covered a life span of forty-fifty
years in Ogwa will bear the witness that;
1) Ogwa started and completed in the
fifties, the first water project in the whole of the then, Mbaitoli-Ikeduru local
government area.
2) A dispensary project was started and
commissioned about the same time in Ogwa.
3) The Ogwa community in the sixties started,
completed and handed over to the government, the present Ogwa General Hospital
4) The same Ogwa community through self
effort has built and handed over to the government the three existing secondary
schools in Ogwa.
5) By the blessed move of the Holy Spirit,
the early missionaries were able to build in Ogwa several primary schools and
maternity homes, which are still very much in use today.
6) The Ogwa electricity project today
has been completed and commissioned, whereas many communities in Imo State,
Nigeria and other parts of the world are yet to have such a utility.
Finally, the
alleged lack of Ogwa political figures, as portrayed by the leadership of the
OBA becomes baseless, as one recalls that in the sixties, the Ogwa community had
produced one of the most reputable officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
in the person of F.O. Iheanacho, the then Federal Rehabilitation Commissioner. Another political blessing that
the Ogwa community had recorded came during the regime of Chief Sam Mbakwe,
during which the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice was from Idem
Ogwa. It is also on record that in the local government, the Ogwa community had
produced some notable figures like; Jeff Uwandu, Rufus Osueke to mention but
two. From
the foregoing, therefore, it becomes obvious that another problem of the
leadership of the OBA is “ingratitude”, since all the aformention are clear
testimonies of some of the things God has done in Ogwa, and for the people of
Ogwa, yet, the leadership and membership of the OBA seem not to have seen and appreciated the facts of these enormous goodness of the Lord in Ogwa from the
ancient times, instead, they have always adduced an attitude that accuses and
portrays Him in bad light. And so, the leadership of the OBA should sincerely
take time to count the blessings of God scattered across the Community, instead
of insinuating in its members the attitude which portrays God as a sadist, who
is ready to strike at the slightest offence.
In conclusion, for more blessings to come to Ogwa,
the writer totally agrees to solution in page 6 of the booklet that Ogwa must;
1) denounce demonic deities and their functions;
2) Turn away from their wicked ways;
3) Ask God for forgiveness, and
4) Repent and turn to God, who says:
“When
I shut up the heaven so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour
the land, or send pestilence among my people. If my people who are called by my
Name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins and heal
their land” (2 Chr7:13-14).
No comments:
Post a Comment