It started almost as a joke for me. I was later shocked out of my wits by comments and rejoinders that demonstrated its stark reality.
A Pastor, in order to draw the attention of his congregation to the seriousness that should attend their choice of candidates to vote for in the coming elections, said, with what must be divine wisdom, a prayer for his congregation their children should have a character like that of the particular candidate that they were routing for. Nobody said “amen”. He made the prayer three times with almost the same response each time. Some of his audience could be seen waving their hands frantically over their heads in rejection of the very thought of the prayer.
I thought at first that it was some socal media gimmick until I started reading rejoinders to the trending video. Most called the prayer a curse on the congregants and berated the pastor for pronouncing it. Many others accused him of manipulating them and abusing the privilege of being their pastor.
I was shocked, to say the least. How could wishing for you that your children grow up to be like your candidate, say, for the presidential election be a curse on them? Just how?
I came to understand two things about our people. Many of us are the example of the biblical expression of persons who have their consciences seared with a hot iron. The prayer was a strike on the conscience to vote the person that the conscience approves of but the rejoinders revealed a settled decision to ignore the conscience.
Secondly, Nigerians deliberately and consciously elect criminals and scumbags into public office. They know exactly who they are electing. They know that he or she is a thief, a rascal and a scoundrel, yet they vote the person, placing one thing or the other above character, and this is after spending several nights in vigils asking God to give them good leaders. Some fast for days praying supposedly to God that their candidate be elected knowing full well that he or she is a scoundrel.
The Guardian quotes Uthman Dan Fodio to have said that “conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.” It’s been horrible watching the pathetic struggle of many of us with their consciences. They say, “how can you know the secret conduct of a candidate? How can you pray that your children should be like your candidate when you don’t know what your candidate does in secret? After all, no one is perfect.”
Are you kidding me? You don’t know what a role model is? You don’t want your children to have a role model? You are not a role model to your children? Are you a perfect character? Does a role model mean a perfect character? Of course you know a role model is a person whose character is worthy of emulation. Of course, you very well understood the prayer of the pastor to mean that your children adopt your candidate as their role model.
The truth is that you cannot recommend your candidate to your children as their role model. You cannot bear to see your children grow up in the mold of your candidate. You deliberately elect scum and scumbags and then hope that you children will escape the consequences of your selfishness.
I have news for you. When you elect someone into public office, you appoint him or her a role model for your children. Whether you like it or not, you reap the fruit of your choice in the character of your children. Before you quarrel with me, read about Jacob’s technology of reproduction after the kind that is focused on in Gen 30. 37-43. Your children will take the image of that which you set before them with your votes. Your society will take the image of what you set before it. When you reject the good and make evil people the role models for your society, you multiply evil in the land. Your children will reap it.
– Chuks Nwachuku
