'A CHILD IS BORN, THERE IS NO GOING BACK' - FATHER MBAKA.

Icheoku says if his activity is of God and from On High, he will prosper and thrive again, regardless of the remoteness of the new place of his posting. If he is under the anointing, no matter what his traducers may do to inhibit and stifle him, he shall overcome. So regardless of whatever undertone, that possibly founded his being posted outside his former parish, Icheoku says Father Mbaka shall rise again, provided of course, he is professing as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Gladly enough he has accepted his faith like Jesus did at Gethsemane and have proceeded to his new assigned parish. Whether or not his dwelling has been downgraded from a duplex to a one-room is irrelevant; because as a soldier of God, he is supposed to live a life of spartan and not comfort; and should never be found to have any strong attachment to earthly things. 

That being said, this is not suggesting in anyway that Icheoku is bought into all these spiritual activism which is saturating Nigeria including the Enugu Adoration Ministry now under focus. The mission here is to rejoinder the farewell speech given by Father Mbaka and respond to some of the issues raised with his sudden transfer out of his GRA Parish to the new Nike Parish. It is pertinent to point out that Father Mbaka  was merely transferred to where the headquarters of his adoration ministry is located; and not to some remote inaccessible nondescript place inside a jungle somewhere. Father Mbaka was transferred to his AMEN (Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria) headquarters situated at Umuchigbo Iji Nike Enugu. It is also important to note that the Catholic Church routinely transfers their reverend fathers from parish to parish every five years. Further, that Father Mbaka has remained in one parish for over twenty years'; thats more than four transfer cycles, without ever being transferred or going on any transfer whatsoever. 

The question therefore remains, why was he never transferred, why now and what suddenly changed to make his transfer become imperative? Is it as some school of thought are bandying about, a reiteration for his political activism, especially his prediction during the last Nigeria's presidential election that President Muhammadu Buhari will win the election. Where did the pressure to transfer him come from and if it was pressured, why did the church not transfer him to a very remote village very far from Enugu surrounding if indeed they want to punish him for falling outside the line. Icheoku may never know what other actual underlying reasons may be, except to accept that it was a routine transfer. A transfer which was probably worked out or understandably delayed during the reign of the former bishop until a new bishop came to enforce and apply the law on transfer of priests evenly and fairly.

Anyway, back to the farewell speech and matters arising therefrom. Icheoku says it is a misnomer sort of and self contradictory for Father Mbaka to say 'where will he keep these assets that he have given to the Catholic church of Enugu?' Icheoku says the concept of giving presupposes the desire to also part with possession of the gifted property forthwith. When you give something to somebody or an entity, you should and ought to part with possession thereof the gift simultaneously to effectively complete the gifting. Except if by his assertion, Father Mbaka is suggesting that the Catholic Church is a beneficiary of an executed Will wherein the transferred interest in those "Adoration Ministry's Assets given to the church' will only vest upon his demise? Otherwise why worry about where to keep the assets since the owners, the Catholic Church, should be left to worry about that. Better still, why not in the spirit of chastity, simply give those things away to people and charities that may find them useful; instead of hogging them around and worrying himself sick about where to keep them. As poor as the church mouse presupposes too that people in the service of God should not acquire material things or vest their minds in them. Father Mbaka could also have auctioned off those assets and  reinvested the proceeds in the propagation of the Adoration Ministry or just give them away; and that is problem solved.

The other issue that is worth responding to is the apparent untruth told by Father Mbaka when he claimed that 'he is going to suffer because he has no place to lay his head'. Moving from a duplex to a one-room accommodation is not the worst thing that can happen to any person including an evangelist of Christ, many of whom do not even have physical shelter in some remote places they go to spread the good news. So what if the new parish does not have all the comforts and niceties of his former parish; how would that inhibit his gospelling? Icheoku admonishes that routine downgrading is simply of fact of life and anyone complaining about suffering because he is moving from a duplex to a one-bedroom accommodation is simply a self-made victim of entitlement and high maintenance. Things happen and in life, situational changes do happen periodically. The better and proper approach is to accept same and move on. If Father Mbaka is complaining about reduced comfort level, may be; but to say that he has no place to lay his head is being economical with the truth which is meant to elicit needless sympathy and whip up sentiments. 

Father Mbaka is a soldier of God and in the battle field, soldiers only have their ponchos. So for Father Mbaka, any accommodation should be sufficient; provided he can do his necessaries - shit, shave, brush and bath; and of course close his eyes when sleep calls. A mansion will not a better priest make him and our Lord Jesus nor John the Baptist never lived in comfort, regardless. So as a man of God, he should make do with whatever is available in his new parish. What is important is the souls he wins for Jesus that will make heaven and not how big his place of abode is. Icheoku retorts that 'a-one small room that has only one small bed, one small table, little toilet and bathroom' is not a mega suffering by any standards. Father Mbaka does not have a wife or partner to share a bed with so why should he complain about the size of his bed being small? A toilet has only one function, to serve as a receptacle for a person's waste product, so how small can a toilet be that it will not be big enough for the anus to discharge its function, if one may ask?

Icheoku says it is also very arrogant of Father Mbaka to say that 'whoever that has offended him, he has forgiven', without also having the humility to ask those he possibly offended for same forgiveness.It is unthinkable and at best self idolization for someone, a mortal, to assume the position of infallibility and omni this and that to think that only he could be and was offended while disregarding the many if not millions he offended which possibly triggered the retaliatory eviction from his erstwhile parish. A more modest man would have said all those I offended, I ask for your forgiveness as I have forgive all those who possibly offended me. Even Jesus on the Cross did not arrogate to himself the power of forgiveness but said "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they did." He even went further by alleging that the devil made his transfer possible, claiming that it was a mistake to effect his transfer. Icheoku bemoans that this man failed or cleverly chose to forget that transfers among the catholic clergy is a routine which is exercised every five years. 

How he managed to survive and avoid being transferred for so long, close to twenty years, was a fact lost on his audience as he cleverly shielded how he pulled it off, except if it was through the usual Nigerian factor which bends the rule when convenient for some people and holds it highly when lesser mortals are involved. Who does he think he is that people or a person should cry for simply enforcing the law on transfer of priests. Better still, was Father Mbaka expecting to be treated differently and specially just because he is Father Mbaka and better than all of his colleagues in the priestly calling who are subjected to moving from one parish to another every five years. If the tables were to turn and another priest was so privileged of no transfer for twenty years, would a crusading Father Mbaka who hate injustice and who advocate for the oppressed have kept quiet and not raise a storm about the partiality? 

Icheoku says Father Mbaka somewhat got it right that his only possession and that which he should have is his bible and nothing more. But he was earlier complaining of having no where to store stuff which is irreconcilable with his later saying that he is moving out with only his bible? Icheoku says if anyone is politicizing the church, it is Father Mbaka who is needlessly making a mountain out of a mole hill by turning a routine priestly posting into a sympathy gravitating exercise. A man of God not peeved at the development would have quietly departed for his new posting without evoking all these emotional sentiments including claiming that the bishop was being fed falsely. Icheoku queries is this falsehood as to his being overdue for periodic transfer which every priest goes on or that he ought and should not be transferred because he is somehow so special to be above priestly rules? 

By saying that the bishop was being fed falsely, Father Mbaka is introducing another element and dimension to the matter as he implicitly accused diocesan staff of collusion and falsehood. As a true man of God, he should have simply accepted the transfer in good faith, with total obedience, as the will of God and without raising any dust about it. whatsoever. Icheoku says Father Mbaka may not be a recalcitrant priest but his actions thus far, including questioning the validity and appropriateness of his transfer, the first in twenty years, suggests otherwise. If his former parish was Egypt, why did Father Mbaka not complain as the ancient Israelites did? And if his new parish is the promised land, why is he complaining about moving there? 

The problem here is that Father Mbaka has personalized the ministry in himself and now sees the ministry as himself and vice versa.If the ministry is of and from God, with or without Mbaka it will go on and this is how ministries of God should be and behave. Just like the catholic church itself which has transcended through so many generations and continuing, simply because it was not personalized in Peter but the church which guarantees successors to Peter. Icheoku says it is rather regrettable that Father Mbaka tried to appraise what went into building his former parish as if it was by his power that they came to fruition; with the implication being that he somehow owns the parish? 

Icheoku asks what was Father Mbaka trying to achieve by stating "My own vineyard I keepeth not. All these while we have been keeping vine­yards, building for Christ. How many trailer loads of cement came here? All the monies I made from my cassette and other private crusades all of them were used to build this church. We cannot quantify it but let God be glorified." Honestly it befuddles the imagination, admitted that he seemed to later realize it by saying Amen to the will of God. 

Finally Father Mbaka should not regret anything but see his posting as the church carrying out its routine priestly transfer assignments. He will definitely triumph in his new place but should not hold his transfer against anyone or input some ill-motive to it. However, if he still feels strongly about it or that some people are out to get him, he can split out from the Catholic church and start his own church ministry; afterall the Anglican Church split from the Catholic Church due to Peter's pence so he can walk away not to be inhibited. But going this route might not be the best for a man who professes the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. Icheoku therefore wishes Father Mbaka all the best and God's speed in his new parish and possibly God will use him to also redevelop the new parish and replicate there what he did with his former parish. In his own words, a child is born there is no going back, and so is Father Mbaka not going back to GRA but to Nike, where hopefully his wonder working will continue. And to all those who said religion is politics, including Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Religion na politics) Icheoku says who knows?