The Redeemed Christian Church of God has cautioned Nigerians against putting pressure on its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, to publicly criticise President Bola Tinubu or his administration.
Pastor Joseph Odesola, the RCCG Continental Overseer for Continent 3, covering South West Nigeria and the Middle East, said Adeboye would address the nation’s political and economic situation whenever he considered it necessary.
Odesola made the position known in an article published by Impact Nigeria on Monday and shared on his X page with the caption, “Pastor E.A. Adeboye Will Speak Only When God Says Speak.”
He said the increasing demand for Adeboye to comment on the Tinubu administration appeared to be driven partly by people who already had an idea of what they wanted the cleric to say.
“Some people are waiting eagerly for Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye to speak about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But it appears that they are not merely waiting for him to speak; they already have a script they want him to follow,” Odesola wrote.
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According to him, some Nigerians were expecting Adeboye to condemn the President, attack his policies or make strong religious statements against the administration.
He, however, said such expectations should not determine how a religious leader responds to national issues.
“But that is not Pastor Adeboye. And, more importantly, that is not how a responsible servant of God should operate,” he stated.
Odesola noted that Adeboye had built his ministry around prayer, conviction and spiritual discernment, adding that he should not be compelled to make public statements simply because people were demanding them.
“A man of God does not have to speak simply because people are demanding that he speak,” he said.
“There is a difference between speaking because the crowd is shouting and speaking because one has something meaningful to say.
“There is also a difference between political commentary and prophetic responsibility.”
The RCCG overseer explained that there was a difference between making political comments because of public pressure and speaking when one genuinely had something meaningful to communicate.
He also maintained that religious leaders should not be pushed into taking sides in political battles.
“A genuine servant of God should not become the mouthpiece of any political camp,” Odesola said.
He said the church had a responsibility to speak about issues affecting Nigerians and hold those in authority accountable, but this should be done without turning the church into an opposition platform.
“The church should be able to speak truth to power without becoming a political party or an opposition platform,” he stated.
Odesola argued that speaking against the government did not have to involve insults, anger or inflammatory statements.
He said, “Truth does not become more powerful because it is delivered with insults. A curse does not become a prophecy simply because it is pronounced from a pulpit. And anger should never be mistaken for spiritual authority.”
The cleric further said Adeboye did not need to make controversial statements or respond to social media expectations to demonstrate his courage or spiritual authority.
“Pastor Adeboye does not need to perform for social media. He does not need to say something sensational simply because Nigerians are waiting for a headline.
“He does not need to insult anybody to prove that he is courageous. He does not need to pronounce a curse to demonstrate that he has spiritual authority,” he added.
Odesola said Nigeria still needed religious voices capable of addressing issues such as insecurity, poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of living, poor healthcare, challenges in education and declining confidence in public institutions.
“Nigeria needs voices that can tell the government the truth without hatred. We need voices that can challenge opposition politicians without fear.
“We need leaders who can comfort ordinary Nigerians who are struggling,” he said.
He urged religious leaders who choose to speak on these matters to do so with responsibility and without hatred.
Odesola also encouraged Nigerians to give Adeboye the freedom to decide when and how he wants to address national issues.
“Let Pastor Adeboye pray. Let him listen. Let him discern. And when he has something he believes God has instructed him to say, let him say it with the courage of conviction,” he stated.
He said the pastor could choose to pray, listen and reflect before making any public statement, adding that his decision not to say what some Nigerians expected should not be interpreted as weakness or failure.
According to him, the responsibility of a religious leader is ultimately to follow his spiritual convictions rather than satisfy public expectations.
“A servant of God is not called to satisfy the expectations of the crowd. He is called to obey God,” Odesola said.
He therefore appealed to those waiting for Adeboye to condemn Tinubu to stop attempting to determine what the cleric should say.
“Don’t write his script for him. He will speak when he believes he should speak. He will pray when he believes he should pray. And if God has not told him to say what the crowd wants to hear, he should have the courage to say nothing at all,” he said.
Odesola maintained that Adeboye’s strength should not be measured by the volume of his public statements but by his faithfulness to what he believes God requires of him.