The corona virus pandemic ravaging the world has been described as God’s anger against humankind and punishment for our sins. The novel corona virus also known as COVID-19 and which was first recorded in Wuhan China last December now spreading in Nigeria with over 150 cases as at the afternoon of Wednesday, April 1, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has destroyed the world economy and has resulted in the death of close to fifty thousand people across the globe. However, some clerics in Ogbomoso and some other respondents have opined that the deadly disease was a response from God in view of the many sins they claimed were being committed by the people without regard for the instructions contained in the Holy Books. The Insight went round the city to speak with a number of clerics including traditional priests and their views are reported here, with all concluding that the pestilence is all down to the evil deeds wrecking the world.
Senior Superintendent Apostle (Dr) E.O. Oladotun, Head of C&S Church, Land of Glory Agbojesu District Headquarters C & S Church Itedoogo Alapata Ogbomoso reacting noted the disease was to the knowledge of God. Apostle Oladotun disclosing the world had witnessed such pandemic diseases in the past such as cholera advocated prayer as the only antidote to the further spread of the disease.
“Corona virus disease is not without the knowledge of God. We must realize this isn’t the first time the world would witness such epidemic so God is aware of it. Look at the period when cholera devastated the world, also small pox, when people cried to God, these plagues disappeared.
“Though government has banned gathering of people, prayers can still be said individually, one or two, four or five persons can come together to pray to God and He will listen. God even says in the Bible that He doesn’t deliver on account of the multitude but through the prayers of the chosen.”
He emphasized that measures being taken such as social distancing, closures of schools, churches, markets etc are not the solution though saying as good citizens there was need to abide by the directives of government, “prayer and a return to God is the solution. Good took away pestilences in the past and this one too will vanish. What everyone needs to do is to accept Jesus Christ as lord and saviour.”
In similar vein, Prophet Akintola Ezekiel Adejumo of the C & S Reformed Church, Isale-High School Area, Ogbomoso, affirmed that the corona virus pestilence was as a result of widespread evil being committed across the globe. He pointed out that the Bible says “the wages of sin is death”, submitting that we are being punished for our sins.
He lamented the unabated rate of kidnapping, large numbers of fake servants of God and Islamic clerics who would not bat eyelid before perpetrating ritual killings, “God is only punishing us for our sins.” He disclosed meanwhile that members of his church did not find the outbreak strange saying God had warned them of it since December.
“What is happening is however not strange to members of the Cherubim & Seraphim Church because last December God revealed to us there would be a storm in February that would sweep through the whole world and He gave us instructions on what to do, so we can escape the calamity.
He recollected a similar case in 1987 when Yellow fever devastated Ogbomoso with several deaths recorded. “You will recollect that in 1987 there was Yellow fever epidemic in Ogbomoso which killed many people. God told us earlier about that epidemic, I just slept and I heard from God: ‘death is approaching,’ three times. But God told us as members of C&S church to start singing ‘God deliver us from sudden death…’ we complied and none of our members died from the Yellow fever scourge.
This one will not affect us too, everyone, whether Christians, Muslims or traditionalists we should call on God and He will deliver us. The Bible says none of the plagues that struck Egypt would strike us, according to the Book of Exodus. Ebola came, it vanished, God will deliver us, only that we need to abide by God’s directive to shun sin, and stop shedding of blood of the innocent people.”
He also had harsh words for the Nigerian leaders, declaring, “they failed to upgrade our hospitals in preference for travelling abroad for medical tourism, they refused to support our medical personnel, now, can still they travel abroad for medical treatment? Let’s cry to God.”
While also speaking on the incidence, Araba Awo of Ogbomosoland, Oloye Akanni Olagoke Adio JP, asserted it was God’s way of revealing His bigness to His people. He similarly blamed sin for the prevalence of the disease on a global scale recalling such an occurrence was witnessed also during the period of the prophets of Eledumare (God).
He cited a verse in Ifa corpus to affirm it had happened in the early time (Iroke Ifa abenusumirin, Adifa fun Orunmila njo iku k’Awo to gberi gbode, Ojo iku ale de ariira oko, Amora mi atale…). He stated that it was because it was not unprecedented that it manifested in the Ifa corpus while stressing that appeasement of the Olodumare was the solution to the pandemic. “Lockdown is not the solution, lockdown will only bring little relief, our fathers experienced measles (Ija olode), Ifa needs to be consulted, we did one here yesterday, so it is bound to disappear. Eledumare must be appeased. We all should cry to God in our individual’s way, if we do this, there will be calm, the evil wind will blow away.”
On the suggestion that it portends the end of the world, he countered, “Nothing will destroy the world, the world will continue, people will die and new babies will be born, the world will not come to an end, it is a big lie, it is not stated in Ifa corpus,” while calling on the people “to learn to do good, tell the truth, be honest and shun killing of innocent people. We are suffering for our sins.” Sunday Oladipupo Aremu, Baba Osa (chief priest) Ile-Aje Ile-Nla, said, were it to be in the past, Ifa would have been consulted and everyone asked to go and worship his family deity so as to drive out the terrible disease from the community.
Continuing, he said, “But today, (foreign) religions have destroyed this foundation as it has triggered the neglect of our native religion. It is a plague, our fathers knew how to drive it away. We should all be praying. On our part we have been offering sacrifices to redeem the land. More importantly, we should forsake sin.”
Mr. J.A. Bamigboye, Managing Director of Beulah Associates, Olopemarun, Ogbomoso, enjoined all to seek for God’s favour and cry to God just as he asked governments to assist the people by giving palliatives as the lockdown bites harder. A retired police officer, Baba Danjuma at Oke-Owode Area, Ogbomoso also opined it was the anger of God that has manifested in the novel corona virus, urging that everyone should turn away from sin, to return to God and comply with government’s directive on social distancing.
This is just as a medical practitioner, Dr. Oladeji at Ile-Iwe, Ogbomoso, was quick to heap blame on the whites saying their lackadaisical attitude is the cause of the heavy toll of the disease. He as well faulted government leaders in Nigeria for what he described as their lack of commitment towards raising the standard of healthcare delivery in the country. He advised the people to be cautious to avoid contracting the deadly disease. Prince Daniel Oladokun, a popular bread baker at Agbowo Area in Ogbomoso also attributed the cause to sin and abandonment of God’s precepts. He further condemned the state of our hospitals, “our leaders travel abroad for treatment, if they had developed our health sector, they wouldn’t have to travel there but now, they are restricted, it serves them well. We need prayer to overcome the crisis.”
A traditionalist, popularly known as Baba Anu at Olopemarun Area in Ogbomoso in his own noted, “The world is full of evil doings, there are many fake pastors, also, there are a lot of misdirected prayers. Someone will say ‘God, kill the witches, the witches that are quietly sleeping, if the witches now attack him in retaliation he will be running helter-skelter.
“I have been to India and other places, there, there is unity and cooperation among all religion sects, they don’t condemn one another as is the case in Nigeria. There is too much sin in Nigeria, the corona virus is from God to make us change our evil ways and love one another. We should stop envying one another, shun wickedness, betrayal, conspiracy etc, all these negative tendencies are destroying the world. We should be closer to God, pray to Him to take way this plague.”
