By Olanrewaju Osho
My dearly beloved Servants of the Most High God.
Grace and peace to you in the Matchless name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
I write with a burden that has weighed heavily on my spirit since the Lord brought me into His Political Apostleship in 2017 August, and I ask that you read this not merely with the intellect, but with discernment.
It must be said plainly and without fear: the global contempt for the black skin is not fundamentally about colour; it is about condition. Nations are not respected because of pigmentation but because of order, competence, excellence, and results. History repeatedly shows that power, productivity, and prosperity command honour across races.
If Africa possessed the world’s best hospitals, the most efficient transport systems, the safest and cleanest cities, globally admired tourist destinations, and strong institutions, the narrative around black skin would change dramatically. The same people who look down on us today would eagerly partner with us tomorrow. Respect follows performance. Honour bows to competence. Civilization reveres order.
The tragedy of Africa, therefore, is not melanin—it is backwardness. And backwardness is not a curse; it is the outcome of leadership failure.
After sober reflection, I am convinced that three spiritual and moral forces lie at the root of Africa’s prolonged affliction:
- Darkness
- Selfishness
- Ignorance of purpose
The Church has laboured earnestly against darkness, and in many ways with visible success. The Gospel has spread across the continent and beyond. African community churches are growing rapidly across Europe, the Americas, and other parts of the world. In Nigeria especially, church gatherings have become larger than at any other time in history.
Yet a prophetic question presses upon the conscience:
Has Africa truly been liberated by the expansion of the Gospel?
And more piercing still:
Has the global growth of African churches translated into greater respect for Africa as a continent?
The honest answer is no.
Despite spiritual vibrancy, self-centeredness and ignorance of purpose remain largely undefeated—even within the Church. And if the Church, which is God’s primary agency of transformation on earth, has not yet overcome these two forces, it becomes clear why they dominate Africa’s political and civic spaces.
Africa bleeds today because leadership across almost all African nations—down to states, provinces, and local governments—rests in the hands of people driven by self-interest and lacking clarity of purpose. Leadership has become entitlement rather than assignment, power rather than service.
This explains why many African cities remain chaotic, why infrastructure decays, why institutions are weak, and why development crawls at a painfully slow pace.
The nations of the world may be briefly impressed by the size of our congregations, but they are scandalized by the disorder in our streets, systems, and public institutions. Crowds in church buildings cannot compensate for chaos in governance. Miracles on altars cannot substitute for competence in leadership.
If Africa were governed by selfless leaders who understood purpose and fast-tracked development, our people would no longer flee the continent in search of dignity. And if they must travel, it would be as technocrats, innovators, investors, and tourists—not as economic refugees. That transformation alone would command instant global respect.
I am persuaded in my spirit that God has uniquely positioned the Church to play a decisive role in rescuing Africa’s leadership destiny in two strategic ways:
- By intentionally producing citizens who are selfless, disciplined, patriotic, and deeply grounded in the knowledge of purpose.
- By identifying those among us who carry a political and governance calling—and deliberately supporting them to access platforms where their gifts can shape cities, nations, and systems.
However, it must be clearly stated that Africa’s redemption is not the assignment of Christianity alone, nor is it a call to religious dominance or conversion by force. Faith—whether Christian or Muslim—is meant to produce virtue, order, justice, and selfless leadership. Christian leaders therefore have a sacred responsibility, not to compete with their Muslim counterparts, but to inspire them.
By modelling integrity, purpose-driven leadership, civic responsibility, and respect for pluralism, Christian leaders can provoke Muslim leaders to deploy their own platforms of faith toward liberating Africa from corruption, chaos, and underdevelopment. When both faith communities intentionally raise citizens who are disciplined, selfless, and committed to the common good—and when they jointly reject extremism, political manipulation, and exploitation—faith becomes a tool for national healing rather than division.
Only then can Africa’s ancient shame be lifted—not by one religion conquering another, but by conscience conquering corruption, purpose conquering selfishness, and good leadership conquering decay.
Africa will remain a playground for exploitation and mockery if leadership and governance continue to be treated as secular matters outside moral responsibility. Even if every believer in our churches could raise the dead, the nations of the world would still withhold honour from us if our continent is allowed to rot.
Spiritual power without societal order produces religious noise, not national transformation.
Until the Church—working in humility and partnership with other faith communities—accepts responsibility for shaping leadership, Africa’s redemption will remain delayed.
I submit this burden with reverence, urgency, and prophetic conviction.
Olanrewaju Osho
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