From Foluso Adelaja
Churches and all religious organizations in the country which own universities have been enjoined to show compassion in this trying time consequential of Covid-19 by declaring a tuition free session in their institutions.
Making this plea yesterday during an exclusive interview with THE STATEPOST, Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo (a.k.a. B.M.O), a former speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly and a notable lawyer said it is payback time for all these religious organizations especially the churches to do what they have been preaching by showing compassion.
“After all they have made lots of money in the past through exorbitant charges on their students”, he noted.
Basorun Oladipo, also a two- time commissioner in the state during the time of Senator Ibikunle Amosun urged that one of these churches should take the lead on this kind gesture which he said could just be for a session and not forever.
He said this could be done too in all the institutions of learning owned by these religious organizations be it primary or secondary schools.
Basorun Oladipo pointed out that the benefits of this compassionate gesture for their congregants and students far outweighs buying aircraft and building churches all over the world.
He noted that all the churches which own schools are all just bidding their time for the Corona Virus Pandemic to abate so that they could pounce again and continue their rip- off as usual.
Basorun Oladipo argued that the gesture will not make a dent on what these church leaders have amassed in terms of wealth.
On continued closure of worship centres by government, Basorun Oladipo advised that our spiritual leaders should exercise more patience as the lives of their congregations should be precious to them.
“I don’t know why our spiritual leaders are seemingly desperate to have churches reopened”, he opined adding that “not very few people felt that the agitation is spurred more by want of pecuniary gain which absence over time has significantly now adversely affected the church leaders”.
Insisting that some of the church earnings were dubious, Basorun Oladipo pointed out: ” imagine these church leaders saying that if you don’t pay tithe, you will incur the wrath of God”.
He pointed out that these pastors themselves are not paying a dime as tithe but treat all the church money as their own as they invest on aircraft and worth nots that have nothing to do with their congregation’s wellbeing.
He therefore called for a new system whereby collection of offerings on a Sunday would have been calculated and its ten percent deducted for distribution to noted indigent members of the congregation by the next Sunday.
