Mbaka escapes Catholic Church sanction over attack on Jonathan

The priest of Adoration Ministries, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has escaped sanctions by the Catholic Church over his controversial New Year message to President Goodluck Jonathan, asking him to resign and allow General Muhammadu Buhari to take over in 2015.It was earlier speculated in the media that Mbaka would be sanctioned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) for his statement, which was seen as provocative and capable on inciting the public against the President.The CBCN, however, rose from its meeting without announcing any punitive action against the fiery priest, whose ministry boasts of over one million members.

Based on the outcome of the CBCN, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Callistus Onaga, summoned all his priests to a meeting at the weekend in Enugu.

Inside sources privy to all that transpired in the meeting, told Sunday Independent that Bishop Onaga clearly told his priests that he stood by the decision of the CBCN.

Onaga’s statement reportedly threw the venue of the meeting into wild jubilation.

It was gathered that some priests, who were initially afraid that bishop would announce stiff sanctions to Mbaka, removed their cassocks while jubilating his survival.

Efforts to speak with either Mbaka or Onaga yielded no fruits as at press time.

A priest in Enugu, who pleaded anonymity, said the bishop knew the contributions of Mbaka to his diocese and was obviously not ready to lose him.

“The Bishop knows how many Catholics he is feeding in Enugu. We know how many people on Mbaka’s scholarship. We know how many widows he is taking care of.

“The bishop knew he was trading a dangerous path. He knows that if he sanctions Mbaka, it will affect his popularity as a bishop”, our source said.

In the message delivered at Adoration Ground, Emene, near Enugu, titled ‘From Goodluck to Badluck’, the cleric recalled that when First Lady, Patience Jonathan, visited the Adoration Ground recently; they conducted a spiritual exercise by lifting four birds to fly, but the fourth and most healthy of the birds, refused to fly.

Mbaka revealed that they did everything to make the fourth bird to fly, but it refused and God ministered to him not to worry the bird any further.

He regretted that in the annals of Nigeria’s history, there was no time the country recorded so much bloodshed like the current administration under President Goodluck Jonathan.

Going back to memory lane, Mbaka recalled that once upon a time, the whole country was looking for a leader who would give jobs to the teeming unemployed youths, provide mass education, electricity and maximum security and industrialise Nigeria in anticipation that oil will one day melt away and Goodluck emerged.