The General Evangelist, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide, Prophet Hezekiah Oladeji, has admonished journalists on obedience, saying that acting contrary to it can hinder progress or cause untimely death.
Also, an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mudashiru Atanda Bada, who is the Chief Imam of Oluyole Central Mosque, Ibadan, charged journalists on being conscious of God, saying that its absence was the cause of the universal calamity.
The two clerics spoke on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at an inter-faith prayer session organized by the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), for its members, to seek spiritual help in a bid to end the reoccurrence of death among them and averting calamity in the union.
The prayer session was held at the Dapo Aderogba Hall, Iyaganku, Ibadan, within the secretariat of the union.
The leadership of the union in the state was compelled to take the spiritual step following the series of tragic occurrences that befell members in recent times.
Welcoming members to the event, the chairman of the council, Comrade Ademola Babalola, said that in spite of the evil machinations by the kingdom of darkness against the union, it had remained unconsumed, strong and indivisible by the mercies and grace of God.
The chairman said, “God has, indeed, proved himself faithful to us as a union over the years to the shame of the devil, even with the problems that Covid-19 had caused in the union.
“In the last few months, some of our colleagues had died, and the recent development calls for us to seek the face of God for Him to avert premature death among us.
“Some of our colleagues had also lost their jobs. This and many more need God’s intervention, which made us call on eminent clerics to pray for journalists in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.”
In his exhortation, Prophet Oladeji enjoined journalists and the people, in general, to be obedient to God, so that their dreams would come to pass.
Saying that disobedience had been the major key to the hindrance of success, fulfilment of destiny and most especially untimely death, the cleric preached obedience as what delights God.
“And don’t be envious of yourselves. The sky is wide enough to occupy all of you. Your destinies are different from one to another. You should note that death hides under disobedience. Also, mistakes hide under disobedience. Disobedience causes death. Our country is filled with disobedience, hence the problem we are facing now. I believe in one thing: other countries will not be the ones that will rescue Nigeria. It has to be rescued by the disobedient citizens.
It is when we return to the obedience that our country will experience redemption,” Prophet Oladeji said.
The man of God said that he was firmly convinced that the prayer meeting would put an end to an untimely death, and herald the reign of peace, unity and stability in the union.
In his admonition, Sheikh Bada stated that everything that had been happening was evident enough for the people to reverence and appreciate God.
According to the Islamic cleric, the absence of God’s consciousness had subjected humans to universal calamity.
“Humanity is no longer conscious of God in heaven, and this is the bane; the calamity. The day we return to the Lord in heaven, the benefits of returning to Him is always there for us to achieve. But today, we isolate ourselves as if we are on our own. We are never!
“God in heaven is watching. The day we return to Him, the day we begin to do things that He desires of us, that is, giving reverence to Him, then the world is at our feet. Let’s re-dedicate ourselves to Him. Let the human values in us come to the fore. Let the morality in us be supreme. Let’s do things in the concept of His wish. That day, His will shall come to the fore and we’ll enjoy life even better than what it is now,” he stated.
Sheikh Bada added: “God is the pilot of life, and this is evident in what the world is experiencing at the moment. God has been proving His superiority to humankind. Christians have been stopped from going to Jerusalem while Muslims have also been disallowed from travelling to Mecca.
“We need to be closer to God at this sensitive time. Christians should be going to church while Muslims should also be going to the mosque to worship the Almighty God regularly.
“Covid-19 is one of the consequences of our digression from the will of God. We need to fear God.”
