The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has literally become a miracle worker. Lagos has become a giant construction site. And many of the projects are not being executed to keep up with the age-long slogan of “Eko for Show.”
They actually impact on the people’s lives, from the Ajah and Abule Egba flyovers to the Oworonsoki Bus stop at the end of the Third Mainland Bridge, the new breathtaking pedestrian bridge at Ojota to the dualisation of roads in Epe. Lagos is gradually leaving the rest of Nigeria behind.
It is currently the sixth biggest economy in Africa and aiming to dislodge Egypt from the number three spot in three years time. With what I am seeing, I will not bet against Lagos.
But there is still much work to do, garbage dumps are springing up all over Lagos, flooding is still a major challenge and public transportation is still very chaotic, but in Ambode I trust; he will come good. But this column is about marriage and family, not politics, and Ambode is debuting here today for family and marital reasons. Ambode is in the eye of the storm for allegedly ordering the Governing Council of the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, to sack the Presiding Chaplain, Venerable Femi Taiwo.
The venerable’s alleged offence is that he “disrespected” the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, during the anointing service on Sunday, May 14, 2017.
Rather than give Mrs. Ambode and her entourage preferential treatment, he made her to queue and wait for her turn like other mortals. The report said Mrs. Ambode patiently waited for her turn and stormed out after the anointing!
The next day, Ven. Taiwo, not only got the boot, but was ordered to vacate his official residence within 24 hours in a state where courts tell landlords to give their tenants six months to quit their accommodation.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, has since come out to distance Ambode from the sack. He said Taiwo was sacked for previous infractions. But apparently, many of Taiwo’s former parishioners are not buying that. Reports said they are protesting and the chapel was in fact deserted last Sunday.
On the Tuesday they heard of the sack and quit notice, some parishioners bought household items for Taiwo’s family. As at the time of writing, fresh reports said Taiwo and his family now have offers for five free furnished accommodations to choose from. The tide is certainly with him.
In Nigeria, no big man wins in the court of public opinion when pitched against a “poor” man. Head or tail, you are guilty. And the uncomfortable coincidence and timing of the sack did not do the Ambodes any favours. Many Anglican priests, unlike Pentecostal pastors, live Spartan lives.
So how do you give such a man 24 hours to quit his official residence? Where does he get the money to rent an alternative accommodation in such a short time?
Even if he has money, where can he get an immediate accommodation? This kind of shock treatment can make him to start stealing church money subsequently to ensure he has a financial bulwark against such occurrences in future.
Ayorinde’s defence, even if true, is unconvincing. The intervention by the Lagos Branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria is adding fuel to a raging inferno. They are turning the issue into a circus and they, the clowns. The issue goes beyond an employer sacking an employee, as CAN explained.
The people are very much aware of that, but they feel, rightly or wrongly, that Ven. Taiwo has been unfairly treated. The good people of Lagos, who Ambode is serving faithfully, have come up with a verdict of guilty on the Ambodes.
This is a war that should be fight no further, unless the Ambodes want to dig themselves further into the pit they have fallen into; the victory will pyrrhic.
This is one small sh*t that can spoil the ya*sh. It is time to eat a humble pie. Mistakes have been made; the Ambodes should make amends. Using the traditional media or public relations gimmicks is not advisable here.
The alternate social media platforms are here and already there is a campaign against Mrs. Ambode and it is spreading. I never knew she had issues with childbearing; the campaign has brought it to the fore and gone further to make unsavoury remarks. Childlessness is something you do not need to personally experience to know the trauma. It has always been so. Reflect on the stories of Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah and Elizabeth in the bible.
For me, childlessness is a no go area. You do not taunt anybody with it, but the campaigners are doing just that. Who knows the mud the campaigners will sling next?
Poor Ambode, spouses sometimes make their other halves do dumb things. Women, especially wield enormous powers over their husbands and no sincere husband would be surprised by Ambode’s alleged actions.
Wives regularly make their husbands sack cooks, drivers, house helps, even staff in the office, who are not part of the domestic arrangement. I know some readers would say I am making excuses for Ambode. Long ago, I knew a guy who played with girls like football. He boasted no woman could toil with him.
Now he is married. Apart from his conjugal duties, which I hope he still performs in the other room, I see no difference between him and a house boy. We all should learn to restrain ourselves from influencing or manipulating our spouses to take dumb and unjust decisions.
Need I remind all of us that priests are just mere instruments. God’s ways are not man’s ways and in the affairs of God, the first can easily become the last, so it does not matter where you sit in church or who receives anointing/communion first.
When Jesse was presenting his children to Samuel to anoint a king for Israel, he did not even remember David, who was tending animals far away.
But David was ultimately crowned King (1 Samuel: 16). I would have advised Ambode to subsequently leave religious matters alone and concentrate on the enormous task of governing Lagos State, but as Fela sang long ago, “religion na politics.” Even then, he should be very choosy in the religious matters he gets involved in. All said and done, Ambode remains my man.
