In recent times, there appears to be a disdain for decent work and legitimate income in Nigeria, especially among young people.
The get rich quick syndrome makes them envy and wish to be like some people even when it is clear that the riches those people flaunt were gotten through questionable means.
It is this proclivity to get rich fast and by all means that makes them see certain jobs as being beneath certain categories of people.
The societal pressure to also be a certain way, maintain a status that befits you in the estimation of the public also makes people go out of their way to do the unthinkable in the quest for wealth.
Last weekend, a yet-to-be-identified man who was purportedly identified as one of the bishops who attended the unveiling of vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, escaped lynching by the whiskers at a market on the outskirts of Abuja.
The man, according to reports, had visited the building materials market at Dei-Dei to buy plumbing materials when he was identified and attacked by a mob.
In a video that is now viral, the mob was seen going after and hurling invectives at the man, who according to them bore resemblance with one of the bishops.
But for the timely intervention of security operatives, he may have been lynched.
Expectedly, as soon as the video emerged online, there were different shades of opinion by different people.
What I, however, found disturbing was to see highly respected people gleefully sharing the video, in celebration of an unfortunate instance that could have easily gotten out of hand and resulted in the death of an innocent person, considering the recent predisposition to jungle justice by bloodthirsty Nigerians, hiding in mob actions.
The action of those who attacked the alleged fake bishop was not only criminal, but also exposed a lot of those who shared and commented on it for what they truly are.
Some of those who shared the video asked why a bishop also doubles as a plumber or would be buying materials for plumbing works.
And I ask, what is wrong with it?
The last time I checked, plumbing is a decent job that decent people engage in to earn decent and legitimate income.
A bishop who doubles as a plumber has not broken any known law in the country.
The only crime, he may have committed, is demystifying the office of pastor and bishop, who people elevate to demi-gods and feed with tithes and offerings, making them too big to engage in income yielding ventures.
Or maybe they regard plumbing as a lowly job for nobodies so it crushed their ego that a bishop would be a plumber, otherwise, there are many bishops and pastors working, doing business and earning money.
In the Catholic Church for instance, even though the priesthood is a vocation, technically, every priest is an employee of the diocese under which he serves. They do not only say Mass and administer Holy Communion, they are involved in doing a lot of other acts of service in line with their calling.
Among the Pentecostals too, pastors work and own businesses.
The founder of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Lazarus Muoka, owns businesses including the More Grace Computer Institute, Chosen Water Ventures, a publishing arm which publishes books written by the pastor, and multimedia business. The church also owns schools and a hospital.
Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide International, aka Winners Chapel, owns some of the biggest investments by a religious leader in the country. Apart from founding two universities, Covenant and Landmark Universities, he also owns Faith Academy High Schools across the country and Dominion Publishing House, a publishing company responsible for the production of all his books.
Oyedepo is also the owner of Hebron Oil Limited and other businesses mostly located in his Canaanland estate in Ota, Ogun State and is also known for his acquisition of at least four private jets which he operates using another of his companies, Dominion Air Limited.
Chris Oyakhilome, founder of Believers Love World is another pastor whose business interests cut across the media, hospitality and real estate industries.
He is said to have investments in broadcasting through his Loveworld TV Network, the first Christian network to broadcast from Africa to the rest of the world on a 24 hour basis and also owns Loveworld Publications, which publishes Rhapsody of Realities, a monthly devotional he authors.
In 2013, Premium Times newspaper reported that Oyakhilome secretly incorporated Gmobile Nigeria, Limited, an offshore company for his family in the British Virgin Islands.
Another pastor doing well in business is the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Dr Daniel Olukoya, a former university lecturer. He owns The Battle Cry Christian Ministries which is responsible for publishing all books and literature written by the man of God.
In addition to that, there are other businesses at the church’s Prayer City on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, including rooms for rent, shopping complexes, buildings for sale and a thriving market. This is apart from its Mountain Top University founded in 2015 and the MFM football club which plays in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Even though Bishop Enoch Adeboye is not the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), he sits atop a slew of businesses owned by the church. The church-owned Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is a complete city with all you can think of located right there. The church also owns the Redeemers International School and the Redeemers University among others.
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo also runs various business enterprises, prominent among them, his media company, Matthew Ashimolowo Media, which produces Christian literature and documentaries.
The late Pastor T.B Joshua also owned businesses, including offshore companies, as revealed by the Panama Papers.
In Abuja, wife of the founder of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries, Pastor Deborah Omale, owns one of the biggest spas in Abuja, Beauty Secrets Skin Care and Spa.
None of the owners of the aforementioned businesses has been called a fake because they are involved in one business venture or the other.
So why is the case of the Bishop different? Is it because his line of business is not considered prestigious like the others?
His traducers say he is a fake bishop but apart from pointing out his dressing to the APC event, there has been nothing else to establish that he is not one.
A bishop is simply an ordained clergy entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
As of this moment, nobody has shown proof that the man is neither not ordained nor a member of a religious institution. They only quarrel with his looks, based on the conventional looks of other bishops.
However, it must be noted that conventions are not laws even though they satisfy social and moral needs, and can be broken.
Harassment of people under whatever guise is wrong. If anyone has broken a law, they should be handed over to the appropriate authorities for sanction.
We cannot lay claim to being a civilized society yet remain barbaric in our actions.
