Sunday Adelaja: His freedom from 11 years incarceration, a perspective by Debbie Oni
Debbie Oni gives a perspective on why she thinks Sunday Adelaja, Nigerian born pastor and founder of founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, an evangelical–charismatic megachurch was restricted to Ukraine by the Ukrainian government for 11 years. For the first time in 11 years Pastor Adelaja breathed the air of freedom on July 27 2019 as he was acquitted by the courts in Ukraine of all the charges against him by the government and was given his passport. In this piece Debbie Oni shed light on the history of his persecution and the recent freedom of Pastor Adelaja
First of all, I will like to Congratulate Dr. Sunday Adelaja (DSA) on his exoneration by the Ukrainian court of Justice from any criminal acts. I rejoice with every DSA family who was sure of the certainty of this day. Thank God it’s finally here. Oh, what great joy it is, to hear the sound of victory!
Lessons of life are events, happenings or even things from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned. It comes through personal findings, experiences, or experiences of people we know. The older we get, the more vivid things become to us. You see nothing is new upon the earth, everything is only but a repetition.
My dad once told me that when we are at the lowest in our lives, most times it is not the particular issues we face that deals us the hardest blow but rather the treatments, reactions and hurting words we receive from people we least expect to hurt us; that gets to us the hardest even much more than the issues we face . He said to me at such a time my daughter remember that you are not alone and that your joy or salvation will not come from man but God.
Additionally, he said should any of your siblings or friends find themselves in such a situation, know that you owe it as a duty to brotherhood NEVER to abandon him. Even If the fault is his, find out the truth for yourself, condemn the acts, chastise him but do not sit at the seat of judgement to condemn him. Help see to it that he is restored back. You see, being a friend that sticks closer than a brother is not when your brother is on the mountain top, it’s when he is going through the valley of the shadow of death.
Friends, pray that your yoke be easy and your burden light in life because all of us will at one point or another experience a walk in the valley of the shadow of death and at such a time, may those we call ours not go ahead of death itself to bury us before our time.
For the sake of those who may not understand the reason of my congratulating DSA or why anyone should make it such big deal to rejoice over the vindication of DSA.
You see for 11yrs, DSA found himself in the valley of the shadows of death for reasons he could least explain. He was accused of running a Ponzi Scheme. All of his assets were frozen and his passport taken away from him. He was restricted to his country of abode with no access to his estate.
You may ask: Why should he be accused in the first place if he was innocent? You see, as a black man in a white society, you’re expected to stay irrelevant and unknown but this black man had risen so high that he was considered the most influential man in Ukraine: a country that he didn’t even own it’s passport. I guess he is the only one I know who despite his eligibility to own one opted not to. Even refusing offers of citizenship from top western nations; opting instead to have nothing but his Nigerian citizenship. If you are a frequent traveler like he was or you live overseas trust me, that decision will never make sense to you.
Sunday Adelaja: Where his problem began
So where did his problems begin? DSA had with the orange revolution help to break off Russia’s strong holds in Ukraine. Within a short time his disciples were numbering a high percentage of the country’s parliaments, sitting as mayor (governor) of the country’s capital, he was friends with the vice-president, had over 200 millionaires raised from the street, attending his church, had thousands of his members in key positions in the country and your guess is as good as mine. Some people could not have it that a black foreigner should weigh that much power in an white European country.
The Ukrainian orthodox church who is considered the state church could not stand him, a black man leading a church with over 25, 000 members when they themselves could not get their own people to attend the orthodox church. The politicians, racist and even the KGB felt slighted and plotted for his downfall. His hater vowed publicly to destroy him by every means possible. They planted women (who till now remain anonymous) to falsely accuse him of sexual assaults, that didn’t work. They searched for any form of dirt, financial wrong doings they could place on him, still they found nothing.
The media, the right wingers and just about anyone mounted unimaginable hate campaign against him, they voted to deport him. As my Ibo brethren will say “mbah” e nor work. Suddenly, There came a seemingly perfect opportunity in 2008. The global financial crises happened. Many people lost their investments even the almighty Merrill Lynch, AIG, The Royal Bank of Scotland you name it, were not spared. Unfortunately for DSA, a member of his church had an Investment institution and many who invested in the business lost their money.
Voila! The state found a scapegoat in DSA, even though he had no interest whatsoever in the business. He did not run it and he was not even a stake holder in it. For 11 yrs they fought him, looking for every which way to rope him in. A man to whom the country should be eternally grateful, who had single highhandedly helped to restore broken men and women (addicts, ex-convicts, miscreants, homeless etc) in the society to become great men and women also imparting others was faced with false accusations. His is movement was restricted and they were determined to bring him down.
Until finally after 11 yrs of digging and finding nothing they finally had to admit to the the very obvious. That the man is innocent and they could no longer drag an innocent man for no just cause. You see, if a man’s ways pleases God, he will make even his enemies to be at peace with him. The court vindicated him and returned his passport and this weekend (27.07.’19) for the first time in 11 yrs he was free to travel outside of Ukraine.
Now you might ask what lessons am I bringing out in all of these? Bear with me a little longer. In the meantime , Sunday Adelaja who like apostle Paul will use every situation good or bad to make a difference in lives, instead of whining and complaining took a leave from church activities in order to be a blessing to his English speaking people who until now could only listen to very few of his messages being That 90% of his teachings and writings were done in the Russian/Ukrainian language started to teach a wider audience through doing live broadcasts. Writing blogs, writing English books, opening a YouTube channel with videos on all manner of subjects: family, Truth, Time, money, kingdom principles you name it.
Unfortunately, the African church soon noticed that the teachings of the man whom they had recognized as the Africa’s pride was too liberating for their comfort. He pointed out errors that were used as chains to deceive and manipulate the people to enrich pastors who were riding on the gullibility and ignorance of the people. He pointed out that extra sensory powers were being used to fake miracles pointing out differences between the real and fakes. His teachings soon earned him enemies amongst his once upon a time admirers. For his teachings exposed their deceitful practices. They soon began to call him names too.
They Dug out the once upon a time unfounded sexual assault stories and even manufactured new ones and began to spread it. His leave from church was twisted to mean, he had been relieved from pastoring his church; not even an official statement from his church could dissuade them from spreading these falsehoods. His restricted movement was used to mock him and exaggerated to mean incarceration Some who benefited from his teachings and have made themselves famous on his platforms soon gained some following too and trust my people to act the devil to achieve a selfish purpose.
If they asked Sunday Adelaja for money and the money wasn’t forth coming enough, next day you see them on Facebook or YouTube manufacturing stories, ridiculing and mocking him in his predicament. On YouTube and Facebook people made videos, posts to question his motives for being so joyful If he laughed a little too much. Within 18 months of my actively following DSA on social media I saw first hand how people can transform from being grateful to being vindictive. From showing false humility to public display of meanness, wickedness and outright devilish character all because of a twisted motive and and outright jealousy.
Read also: My friends deserted me, i am proud of my persecution:https://churchtimesnigeria.net/my-friends-have-deserted-me-sunday-adelaja-says-i-am-proud-of-my-persecutions-and-lawsuits/
What is it with our people having so much energy to bring down or destroy any great one amongst us who does not come as an oppressor. How come we never appreciate humility but despise it instead? Any wonder why evil people so thrive and rule over us,? Because we are a people that kill our helpers and worship our killers and oppressors.
We can change this attitude before it is too late. I pray to see a generation who will see a brother building for the good of all and join in to build instead of leading to throw unwarranted stones at him. You see our savoir is not going to come from another clan, he is going to spring forth from amongst us. Shall we continue to kill them and wonder why our situation is not changing?
To those of you who flooded the inboxes of anyone you found on DSA platform looking for who to recruit. I hope now that he has been vindicated, you people will look for a better and more honorable way to achieve your fame instead of exposing your ignorance and wicked nature for the whole world to see.
My respect to as many who prayed for DSA during his ordeal and were able to stay true to love and truth till the end. Much love to you guys. May God continue to bless you all. May the light and glory of God shine upon Nigeria. May the Great and beautiful plans of God for us as a nation come to pass. May the task that God has prepared and equipped DSA for in Nigeria be actualized in Jesus name.
Cheers to victory all
By Debbie Oni
