Features
When Ghana turned into ancient village of Umuofia!
Umuofia is an ancient village located west of the city of Onitsha, a market town in the Anambra State in Southern Nigeria on the east bank of the Niger River.
In Chinua Achebe’s popular and widely read novel, “Things Fall Apart”, the village of Umuofia is a setting for the story and the community of characters. He decided to use events in Umuofia to illustrate his book. Achebe in his writings, suggested that many things that were true of Umuofia, were true throughout the villages of precolonial Nigeria. Umuofia can, therefore, be seen as a representative of the tribal societies that have not yet been altered by colonialism.
UMUOFIA AS REFERRED TO IN ‘THINGS FALL APART’ NOVEL
Within “Things Fall Apart”, this view of life in Umuofia as reflecting larger patterns is shared both by Okonkwo, the novel’s protagonist and the British Commissioner, who decides to use events in Umuofia to illustrate his book about the process of colonialism.
Indeed, the recent Watchnight church services across the country to usher in the year 2022, were graced with some funny and interesting developments from some of our pastors and prophets with doom prophecies and predictions about fellow humans, group of persons and the country at large in spite of the strong warning from the police hierarchy to them to refrain from the act or face the full rigours of the law. Some of these pastors defied the warning and made predictions of death of fellow humans without any proof whatsoever.
POLICE WARNING TO DOOM PROPHETS AND PASTORS
It is recalled that few days before the end of the year, the Ghana Police Service gave a strong warning to these so-called doom pastors, prophets and men of God that it would go after them, arrest and prosecute such offenders. That, according to the police hierarchy,was a move to stamp out that annual ritual during such period of the year when the country is in festive mood. The police indicated its resolve to deal with such waywardness that has become annual ritual of the end of year Watchnight church services and New Year resolutions.
A statement from the Ghana Police Service warned that under Ghanaian law, it was a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which was likely to cause fear and alarm to the public to disturb the public peace whereas that person had no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report was true. It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communication service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person. The police emphasised that while they were not against such prophecies and had time and again acknowledged the public’s right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, those rights were subjected to laws and those found flouting the law would be dealt with accordingly.
FLAGRANT DISREGARD OF POLICE WARNING
Strangely, some of these so-called doom pastors called the police warning a bluff and went ahead to make frivolous and deadly predictions and prophecies during their Watchnight church services and got away with it without being arrested.
The funnier prediction or prophecy came from that popular and controversial Ghanaian Prophet, Founder and Leader of the Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie, who either for fear of being arrested or for some obvious reasons, used the village of Umuofia in the Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” novel to make his predictions and prophecies over what is bound to happen in Ghana this year. He likened Ghana to Umuofia and predicted the death of certain prominent personalities including a First Lady. Adopting an evasive style for his prophecies this year, Prophet Gaisie, aligned his prophecies with various countries geographically including a certain Umuofia and Uganda. Strikingly, there were similarities in his prophecies about Umuofia and Ghana.
PROPHET GAISIE’S DIRECT REFERENCE TO GHANA
Looking and evaluating critically the names of individuals, towns, institutions and activities of political parties, one can simply adduce that Prophet Gaisie, was directly referring to Ghana in his details about Umuofia. “I saw a heavy cloud of darkness covering the Head of State of Umuofia. Let’s take this prophecy very serious. I saw that his deputy is using ways to trigger his quick passing. I saw in the realm of the spirit that the shoe of a big man is being worn by the deputy. I saw in a nation of Umuofia that something that has happened there is about to re-occur,” he stated in one of his prophecies.
For the benefit of those who don’t know this controversial prophet, let me enlighten my readers and patrons with a brief background of Nigel Gaisie. This man, we are told, was born and raised in Ghana. He is one of the richest prophets in Ghana at the moment with a lot of properties, including mansions and plush vehicles. We are told that Prophet Gaisie is estimated to have a net worth of 10 billion dollars. He is married to a Ghanaian lady with two children. The behaviour of Prophet Gaisie in this instance can be regarded abuse of the law and must be condemned.
THE FEAR AND PANIC BEHAVIOUR OF OUR PASTORS AND PROPHETS
It is a fact that some of these so-called pastors with their own small churches are bent on causing fear and panic in this country through their actions and inactions. The way some of them are conducting themselves leaves much to be desired. Sometimes, it baffles to think of how they acquired their lincences to operate in this country. They use all kinds of occult and devilish means to dupe unsuspecting followers, promising them things they are not capable of doing.
CHASING THE RECALCITRANT PASTORS AND PROPHETS
The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, which regulates the activities of these churches must be up to the task of monitoring the activities of these mushroom churches which are playing on the ignorance of the people and feeding fat on them by using sugar-coated religious messages to outwit their followers. Much as this country agrees to freedom of worship and association as enshrined in our 1992 Constitution, we must also make sure that churches whose activities and actions tend to undermine national security thereby creating fear and panic among the citizenry are proscribed.
This is the time for the Ghana Police Service under the able leadership of the energetic, young and hardworking Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to move into action, arrest and prosecute these doom and selfish pastors, prophets and other so-called men of God who are bent on causing fear and panic in our dear nation.
This year must be full of action and nothing should stop us from moving the country to greater heights.
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By Charles Neequaye