Fr. MBAKA: A CALL BACK TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND MORAL COURAGE
Fr. Angelo Chidi Unaegbu calls on Nigerians to reject injustice, warning against blind loyalty to political power and urging Fr. Mbaka and other influential voices to stand firmly on the side of truth, love, and moral courage.
By @Fada Angelo Chidi Unaegbu
During my two-week break from social media, one of the trending topics online was the utterances of our brother, Fr. Mbaka. I promised to say something about it as soon as I returned.
As a historian, I always analyze events through the lens of history. The situation we have in Nigeria today can, in some ways, be likened to Nāzi Gęrmany, a period when human lives lost value and political leaders strengthened their power through ruthlessness and a lack of mercy, especially toward their critics.
During that time, the government sought to have influential voices on its side. Those who complied were handsomely rewarded or, at the very least, spared from attacks.
Influencers were used to defend and exonerate an evil regime. Did you know that there were priests who supported Hītĺer despite his atrocities? Yes, there were. But what helped save the situation was that many priests and Christians stood against him as well, and also against those priests.
At a certain point, some of those priests who supported Hītĺer became so consumed by their position that they could no longer free themselves from it.
The same thing is happening today in Nigeria. Many priests, pastors, movie actors, and political leaders who support the present government can be said to be under the grip of a dangerous influence. No jokes. They need our help. They have gone too far that they can no longer free themselves without external assistance.
As a priest, it was not easy for me to write about Mbaka six years ago when it became very clear to me that our brother had fallen into that trap. I wrote out of love and concern because we are the ones who must help save him by constantly helping him to retrace his steps. We should do this with charity, truth, and love.
The more we do that, the more we also help free those who see him as a role model from supporting an unjust system. Many people who supported Hīťler did not do so because they fully accepted everything he did or represented. Rather, they did so because people they looked up to, for instance priests, teachers, parents, celebrities, and other respected figures, defended him.
At this time in Nigeria, do not allow emotions arising from religion, tribe, political party, or any other affiliation to blind your sense of justice and truth. Condemn evil wherever you see it. Resist it wherever you can.
By so doing we can win back those who knowingly or unknowingly support the present evil regime. The way the Nāzi regime was defeafed, this one too will also be defeated if we remain united on the side of truth, love and justice.
