Punch Accuses Osun Gov, Aregbesola Of ‘Lacking Understanding Of Govt Functions Over Misguided Church Project’, As Aide & Ex Daily Paper Employee, Okanlawo Tags Reputable Publication’s Stance ‘Ridiculous’

There is a growing drama over moves by Governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola to build a 200,000 capacity interdenominational worship centre labelled, Open Heavens Christian Convention Centre in the state.

In the face of strident condemnation from opposition parties- the second term seeking All Progressives Congress state Chief Executive has gone ahead with his plans. A site has been chosen and compensation valued at N51m paid to affected land owners.

Aregbesola refuse to lend hear to contrary views of his actions, until reputable society watcher and must read, Punch Newspaper did an incisive editorial of his project.

Gov Rauf Aregbesola
The Editorial titled Aregbesola’s Misguided Church Project amongst other things identified the Governor’s move as an exhibition of ‘shocking lack of understanding of what constitutes the core functions of government’- and recommends putting a halt to it by, even if it takes the Federal Government.

The Editorial that was published on January 21 is reproduced below

‘RAUF Aregbesola, the Governor of Osun State, appears impervious to moderation in matters religious. His latest misadventure is to purchase a piece of land to build a church as part of his queer concept of “development.” But building a church, by whatever name, should not be the responsibility of a government in a secular or multi-religious society. It is another disturbing example of poor public finance management. This obvious insult to the people’s intelligence should be rejected outright.
‘It was reported that the Osun State Government had paid N51 million compensation to farmers on a large expanse of land where the state is building an interdenominational worship arena known as “OpenHeaven Worship Centre.” The obtuse thinking behind this oddity is gleaned from one of Aregbesola’s aides, Lani Baderinwa, who said, “The governor…saw the kind of crowd the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God attracts to the area and decided to build an Punch Logo

interdenominational centre here. This will boost the standard of living of the area and the economy of the state. For example, worshippers who would come to the place would eat, buy souvenirs and some would even lodge in hotels….” That is not all. Gboyega Famodun, the state secretary of the ruling party, went further, “…any far-sighted individual will see the potential economic advantage such a structure with about 200,000-person seating capacity will be to those who put that centre to use.” It is also argued in some quarters that the planned church will weaken the criticism that the governor is desperate to Islamise the state. This is hogwash.

But let us be clear. This is not about Christianity or Islam. It is about a shocking lack of understanding of what constitute the core functions of government. The Redemption Camp is a private religious organisation, benefitting only from the enabling environment rightly provided by the more circumspect successive Ogun State governments for individuals and groups to practise their faith unhindered. That is why, along that Lagos-Ibadan highway, there are numerous sprawling religious camp sites, including Deeper Life, Nasfat, Foursquare, Assemblies of God, Ahmaddiyya and even sects such as Guru Maharaji’s commune. None was built by any state government. Will he now go ahead to spend Osun’s public funds on mosques, shrines, kingdom halls (for Jehovah’s Witnesses), chapels for Mormons, gardens for Hindus or communes for Maharaji faithful? All have a right to demand equity. It is about basic fairness.

The harsh truth is that the Greek gift is a mere political stunt. Osun does not need this divisive wedge along sectarian lines and it is incumbent on his party, the All Progressives Congress, Osun elders and the legislature to stop Aregbesola’s serial misadventures into religion. While previous governments in Osun have sought to expand farmlands for production and encourage farmers, Osun State in 2014 is acquiring farmlands to build an interdenominational centre. Having declared a holiday to mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar, he was obliged then to declare an
Isese Day holiday for adherents of traditional faiths. Recently, Pentecostal Christians were heard asking for a public holiday to mark “Pentecost Day.” Where will this end?

This is certainly out of sync with development. The Christian Association of Nigeria and its affiliates should realise that if they accept this Greek gift, they will permanently lose the moral right to protest against any government policy that unduly favours any other faith.

This is time to stand on principle. It is no coincidence that the democracies of the world that have the highest standards of living, the most functional political systems and lowest crime rates are those that clearly separate state from religion. While countries such as Norway, Sweden, South Korea and Germany are prospering, Pakistan and Central African Republic are in self-destructive turmoil. Northern Nigeria today has some of the worst human development indices on account of the divisive dabbling in religion that has polarised its population, spurned sectarian violence, extremist religious groups and ruined its economy.

Aregbesola’s church project is not in tune with modern governance. We have always warned that it is dangerous for governments to dabble in religion because of its tendency to create caustic division in the society. We are persuaded that this misguided church project is a bribe, a baleful political gimmick, lacking in all subtlety, to the Christian community, just as

Isese Day was to the traditionalists. The 1999 Constitution clearly forbids the promotion of any faith or faiths as state religion. It is not the business of a government to build places of worship as many unfocused Nigerian governments have done. There are yawning areas of development that require urgent attention from the government – health, education, infrastructure, job creation, agriculture and industrialisation. The governor has publicly stated his desire to raise internal revenues to meet these development needs. He should pursue this doggedly and not fritter away the little available on religion. If Aregbesola desires to attract tourists to the state, it should not be by building churches.

‘Our country is facing serious developmental problems and, definitely, building a worship centre is not one of them. The people of Osun State want to be free from hunger and have access to medical care and safe shelter; expect their daily lives, their residences and their workplaces to be safe; demand a creative and diverse education that enhances human life, spirit and physical well-being. They are looking forward to a robust physical infrastructure and public utilities that allow safe and efficient travel, deliver electricity and water for personal comfort and safety, at reasonable rates and in sufficient supply for residential, public, commercial and industrial purposes.

Nigerian governments should stop this hypocritical dalliance in religion and concentrate on their core mandate. This change should start with Aregbesola.’

The Governor has however defended his actions, via his aide and former employee of the paper- Mr Semiu Okanlawon.

And he has strong words for the paper he accused of going ‘all low and pedestrian’

Aregbesola’s reaction via Okanlawon ( Director Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor) is equally published in the punch on January 23 reproduced below

‘‪After reading the editorial of
The PUNCH newspaper of Tuesday, January 21, 2014, titled: “Aregbesola’s misguided church project”, every discerning reader will be compelled to ask: What is the motive behind the write-up that would conveniently pass for a desperate attempt at promoting religious tension, especially in a state where faith is immaterial in how the citizens relate with one another?
In summary, the editorial accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State of lacking a clear understanding of core functions of government simply because his administration embarks on the construction of a 200,000-capacity interdenominational worship centre in the state. The editorial went on to state that it was a taboo for any government to dabble in matters of religion and that rather than face issues of development especially using agriculture, the government was busy taking over cultivable lands from farmers.

‘Perhaps, what sounds most ridiculous in all the claims is that the Open Heavens Christian Convention Centre amounts to a “bribe” to silence a section of Christians in the state who had viewed with suspicion some of the administration’s programmes and policies and had tagged them anti-Christian in what remains a largely unsubstantiated claim. For the avoidance of doubt, Aregbesola chose December 4, 2010, an occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Ilesa Grammar School, to announce the state’s plan to embark on the project.

Of course, the idea of a worship centre was not just a happenstance as the editorial sought to make it look. It emanated from the realisation that many famous church leaders have their roots in Osun, precisely Ilesa and its environs. Among these are Pastor E. A. Adeboye of the RCCG; the late Joseph Ayo Babalola, who was the first indigenous Christian evangelist from Ilesa; W. F. Kumuyi, the late Prophet T.O. Obadare, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Pastor Kayode Abiara, Prophet G. O. Fakeye and a host of others. It must be stated that the land for the project was freely given by the community through the

Looja of Odo-Iju in Atakunmosa-West Local Government Area, Mr. Adelekun. The compensation recently paid was government’s way of supporting the people of the community for their high sense of patriotism.

The bribery insinuation takes the argument to an all-low and pedestrian nadir. How wrong could

The PUNCH be in insinuating bribery and ominous gift! Bribe for who and for what?

‘Every serious government must recognise what potential there is and exploit that for its people’s economic advancement. Just as you have religious tourism, there is medical tourism popular in Germany and lately the United Arab Emirates.

Had the economic development of Osun State been a major concern of

The PUNCH editorial, it would have examined the huge economic potential in the congregation of about 200,000 visitors/worshippers to our state weekly for a year.

If a worshipper spends an average of N1,000 in each visit, Osun will rake in a whopping N10.4 billion in a year from what the editorial prefers to demonise as a “dangerous religious venture.”

One wonders how The PUNCH’s argument that religion is purely a private affair where government interventions amount to taboos can be sustained. The Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, began building the Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City between 319 and 333 AD. Today, it is a famous place of pilgrimage, attracting many visitors to the Vatican. Services at St. Peter’s have been attracting between 15,000 and 80,000 people. Even though Osun may not be able to finance a monumental structure as the Basilica, the dream of an Interdenominational Worship Centre has a tremendous potential to attract audiences to the tune of 200,000, given the attention Nigerians pay to worship today.

But if history is too remote for the editorial to grasp, there are contemporary interventions of government across the world on issues of religion. If governments have no business with religions, why do they spend money to maintain the religious shrines and monuments in Saudi Arabia and Israel, attracting millions of people every year? Does religious tourism in some of the world’s most visited shrines not constitute significant percentage of their GDPs?’

Findings by societynowng.com revealed behind the action and reaction, the development has taking away points from the popularity of Aregbesola.

‘Opposition are claiming vindication of criticisms against him over based on realities posed by The Punch’ a source claimed.

This is especially said to be so because the paper is widely regarded as a serious bearer of ethical standard.

Sources however claimed despite the paper’s analysis- the Governor is forging ahead with his plans and dreams, even in the face of dwindling popularity.