By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Twice in a row, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has made some rare critical political comments.
First, he said that Nigeria must restructure, a debate President Muhammadu Buhari has avoided. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a protegee of Daddy GO as he is fondly called by his admirers, often plays down on this subject of restructuring.
While the dust of that clamour was yet to settle, Adeboye raised another politically sensitive issue, which is Nigeria borrowing.
Buhari is believed to have borrowed more than his predecessors put together. But he often justifies the borrowing by claiming that they were for infrastructure upgrade.
Adeboye, while speaking during a special thanksgiving service, said that foreign rich countries loved lending Nigeria money as a means of perpetually keeping the country poor.
He also touched on anti-corruption, which is a major plank of President Buhari’s administration, saying that the money that is borrowed ends up being swallowed by the same people who are supposed to put the money into productive use.
“There are people who want this nation to choke to death and we read all about it in the newspapers that money meant for the development of this nation is swallowed up even after seeing that the people are hungry.
“Some of these countries who claim to be our friends want to hug us because they want us to come and borrow money.
“They want us to borrow so much that we would never be able to repay. They keep on saying come and borrow money, we are your friends.
“The Bible makes it clear that the borrower would be the servant of the lender and some of these people who pretend to be our friends manufacture guns and bullets. They rejoice when you have problems so that you can come and buy their guns and bullets and use them to kill your own people,” he said.