POWER ABUSE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD:
LAGOS State Govt Sacks Chapel’s Chaplain Femi Taiwo, Throws out his Properties…For allowing orderliness to prevail in ‘Anointing Service’ inside Church
*Lagos First Lady, Bolanle Ambode feels Insulted for not receiving ‘Anointing Oil’ first before anyone in the congregation
* Venerable Taiwo weeps, say: “I did not do anything wrong to Lagos state government. I have tried as a pastor to live above board. It will not be right engaging the church or the government on the pages of a newspaper. I leave everything in God’s hands”
* Taiwo’s termination letter was dated May 15, 2017, signed by the Chairman, Governing Council of CCTL, Olugbenga Solomon. The letter also ordered the Assistant Chaplain, Very Rev. Ayo Oyadotun
* “It’s nothing but cheap blackmail”-Lagos State Government
BY QUEEN IMONA/DEPUTY RELIGIOUS EDITOR, ABUJA
THE 48LAWS of Power is the first book by American author Robert Greene. The book is a bestseller, selling over 1.2 million copies in the United States, and it is popular with prison inmates and celebrities. This 452 page-count book, published originally in 1998, aptly captured as “Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive,” easily comes to play when the issue of ‘power abuse’ happens. Bolanle Ambode, wife of humble, soft-spoken governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode on May 14 while inside the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Lagos State under Venerable Femi Taiwo, the Presiding Chaplain in anger due to delay in her been anointed oil, displayed Law 1 of the 48 Laws of Power: ‘Never Outshine the Master.’
Feeling unimpressed, insulted and disrespected as the First Lady of Lagos state that she felt qualified her automatically to receive anointing oil first since the church is under the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Office of the Lagos State First Lady supervises church, she ensured and facilitated the dismissal of Venerable Taiwo into the jobless market, whose only offence was following orderliness in ensuring members of the congregation on queue are given anointing oil in ascending order. To make matters worse, Venerable Taiwo’s wife ran after Lagos First Lady when she stormed out of the church in anger after she received the anointing oil. Bolanle ordered her driver to zoom off, left dust in trail, as the pastor’s wife shook her head in disgust.
This emabattled, humiliated pastor’s children were shocked to see their porperties thrown out in the vicarage that evening after they returned from school, which means they no longer have a house to stay, just for doing the right thing and standing by the truth.
According to press reports, Bolanle got angry after waiting in line for some time before being anointed. In the words of a church member: “As she (First Lady) stepped out, it was obvious that she was angry. The president of the women’s fellowship and the pastor’s wife ran after her. She shunned them, entered her car and zoomed off.
“When we came to the church on Tuesday, we heard that Venerable Taiwo had been sacked. We were told that he was sacked because the the governor’s wife didn’t get the anointing oil first and she felt disrespected. The man that signed the letter is also a civil servant.”
Our correspondent gathered that the Vanarable children went to school on Thursday without knowing that they would not be staying in the vicarage that evening. Church members bought bed and other household items for them because they did not have their own property.
The members said their pastor did not offend them, and protested the sacking. The governing council members, however, said they should forget it because whatever came from Alausa was final. Most of the church members are civil servants who can’t talk too much,” the church member said.
According to another source who is privy to the matter, no reason was stated in the letter of termination. Taiwo was said to have two more years to complete in his tenure before his appointment was terminated.
The source sais: “Let me be straight with you, in the letter there was no reason for the sack. Whatever you are hearing are what members of the church believed could have happened. And there was indeed a protest by the church and the governing council assuaged them on the sacking. There was nothing official in that sacking. No investigation, no query, nothing. We had an anointing service on that Sunday. The following day, the venerable was served the sack letter.”
Taiwo’s termination letter, which was dated May 15, 2017, was signed by the Chairman, Governing Council of CCTL, Olugbenga Solomon. The letter also ordered the Assistant Chaplain, Very Rev. Ayo Oyadotun, to take over with immediate effect.
Media report confirms that when Taiwo was contacted, he said: “If you have any enquiry, direct it to the church. But one thing I can say is that I have tried as a pastor to live above board. It will not be right engaging the church or the government on the pages of a newspaper.”
The Lagos state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde said Taiwo had been queried a couple of times for “conducts unbecoming of his office”. The culmination of various indiscretions led to the Governing Council of the church issuing yet another query that led to his being relieved of his post. This has got nothing to do with the First Lady. The Chaplain is looking for an excuse to cover his insouciance. It’s nothing but cheap blackmail.”
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, we are wathing developments closely as events unfold.
#Additional reports by Punch
