An Independence Anniversary Sermon: They Have Blood On Their Hands.

By Msonter Anzaa

Fifty years have passed since Nigeria became an independent nation. The general consensus is that few things have gone right with the country while many more have gone wrong. People are confused. The things that people do in other lands that work, when you do them here, they don’t work. I thought this anniversary presents me an opportunity to present commentaries on top issues affecting us as a people. But that option appeals to me no longer. I m inspired to go Biblical about why when Nigeria drinks even ordinary water, it catches in her teeth.

In ancient Israeli times, God led Israel through His Prophets. His eyes were on every individual. If an individual committed a sin, God would point him out and order the punishment to be applied. In this way the one who sinned alone, and not the entire nation, paid for the sin. This continued until the people of Israel asked for their own king. Though God was not happy, He granted them their request. It was with the advent of a king that the destiny of an entire nation could be altered by one individual. In 1Samuel 12:13-14, we read of the conditions that followed. “Now here is the king you chose; you asked for him and now the Lord has given him to you. All will go well with you if you and your king follow him,” (Good News Bible). Now the condition for all things going well with Israel was not just that the people of Israel followed God, it had to be they and their king. In other words, if they or their king did not follow God, nothing was going to go well with their nation. It wasn’t long before this began to manifest. During the reign of king Jeroboam, he built his own altar and made idols to be worshipped there. This angered God (1Kings 12:25-34). The punishment for this however was not for the king alone. “The Lord will punish Israel, and she will shake like a reed shaking in a stream… The Lord will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and led the people of Israel in to sin (1Kings 14:15-16) (Good News Bible).

What we’ve read so far is that the destiny of a nation is not separate from that of its leaders. If the leaders are God-fearing, just and righteous, all will go well with their followers. If they are not, their people will pay for it. God sent the prophet Isaiah to go and tell the leaders of Israel. “When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood (Isaiah 1:15 Good News Bible). God hates innocent blood. I look at Nigeria as a land soaked in innocent blood. And God cannot deal with murderers. Infact, He hates to see them. That is why He gave the people of Israel various laws on cases of murder. In Deuteronomy 19:11-12, we read: “But suppose someone deliberately murders an enemy in cold blood… In that case, the leaders of his own town are to send for him and hand him over… Show him no mercy. Rid Israel of this murderer, so that all will go well with you “(Good News Bible).

All the laws governing nations derive from some divine laws. And the laws of God are universal. In order that all will go well with Nigeria, we must get rid of the murderers in our midst. We must purify the land from innocent blood. We love imitating the Americans. The United States may be a secular nation like Nigeria, but it recognizes the place of God in its existence and survival. Secularity of a state does not depict atheism. It instead means the state in fact, recognizes the religions of its people but only does not adopt any of those, as a state religion. Things go well with America because she gets rid of murderers in her land. Martin Luther king once said peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. America ensures justice is served its people. When Abraham Lincoln was murdered for instance, the murderer, an actor, was caught, tried and sentenced. John F. Kennedy was also murdered and the murderer was sentenced. When Martin king himself was murdered, an ex-convict was tried and sentence. In this way, America got rid of the sin of innocent blood from its land. She knew she had to obey this law of God or nothing wil go well with her. The U.S does not practice religion in hypocrisy where some people even claim ownership of a religion but fail to abide by the teachings of that religion. All through its history its leaders acknowledge the place of God in its life. Take President Lincoln for example. When he dedicated a burial ground during the Civil War, he prayed: “That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom…” And this year while marking the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attack, President Obama promised that: “I will do everything that I can to remind the American people that we are one nation under one God”. Therefore, America is a nation under God that administers the justice of God. In Nigeria, almost every Christian family has a church of its own. Yet the law of God is not administered.

This is why I say our leaders have blood on their hands: Nigeria is a land where people can kill and go! No shaking. Nothing de happen! The murderers in our midst rather than be punished have siddon gidigba! The people who should go to jail for murder are instead hailed and put in leadership positions. We award them all the national honors there are. God hates this open tolerance for shedding innocent blood. Dele Giwa was assassinated many years ago but no one has gone to jail. Kudirat Abiola went. Alhaji MKO Abiola himself was given tea and he died. No one “knows” who gave him the killer tea and no murderer has gone to jail. Bola Ige also fell and nothing happened. I can go on and on and you too can offer me at least five local examples where you live of innocent blood that has gone uncleansed. The land is soaked in innocent blood.

It is like the United Nations has suspended a country because of its leader’s human rights violations. Each time the UN meets that leader will not attend the meeting nor will that country be represented. So whatever aid is shared, will not be given to that country. When countries present their prayers to God, He asks them to account for their actions. And countries like the US begin to explain how they have maintained justice and gotten rid of the murderers in their midst. God then turns to Nigeria and finds the murderers still in the land. So he says shout as loud as you can, I will not look at you. For your land is covered with blood. In other words, I have suspended you from this meeting and you can’t benefit from the discussion. You can suffer as much as you like, but I won’t look at you. Go and get rid of the murderers in your midst and see that justice is done and that widows are given their rights. This is what America does that makes it grow. You too, if you want to grow, go and do same.

If I had the power, I would not have called the people of Nigeria to come and celebrate. In those days when God scolded Israel, its people did not celebrate, they mourned, went and purified the land. But after fifty years of frustration, poverty, crises, darkness and miscellaneous troubles, our leaders who believe nothing de happen in Nigeria, called us to celebrate. No attempt is being made to purify the land and get rid of the murderers. Instead, we invited even them to this celebration. I’m afraid that if nothing happens; if the land is not purified and justice is not done, the blood of those who have been murdered will stand against us before God and even in the next fifty years, this nation under God will remain doomed.