Odesola JF., PhD
There are times when social media can be very interesting. A statement is made, somebody repeats it, another person adds emotion to it, and before long, what started as an opinion begins to sound like an established fact.
That is why I smiled when I came across some of the comments following the recent intervention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) towards the evacuation of distressed Nigerians from South Africa.
Some people were angry that RCCG would spend money helping Nigerians stranded or distressed in South Africa.
Others asked why the Church was helping Nigerians abroad when, according to them, Christians in Northern Nigeria are suffering.
One question in particular caught my attention, including a question being promoted by one Dae Jumong:
“What has RCCG done for persecuted Christians in the North?”
It is a fair question.
Let me say that again: it is a fair question.
The suffering of Christians and other innocent Nigerians in parts of Northern Nigeria is real. People have been killed. Families have been displaced. Homes and churches have been destroyed. Farmers have been driven away from their land. Children have lost parents. Communities have been uprooted.
We should never become so defensive of the Church that we cannot acknowledge this suffering.
If somebody says RCCG should do more for persecuted Christians in Northern Nigeria, I have no problem with that.
In fact, I believe the Church, because of its size, influence and organizational capacity, can and should continue to look for ways to do more.
But there is a problem when a legitimate question is turned into an inaccurate conclusion:
“RCCG has done nothing.”
That is where we need to pause.
Because when we look at the record, that statement simply does not tell the whole story.
Let Us Go Back to Plateau State
Sometimes, before we make sweeping statements, it helps to go back and check what actually happened.
In July 2018, following attacks and killings in Plateau State, thousands of people were displaced from their homes.
These were not newspaper statistics to the people involved.
They were fathers.
Mothers.
Children.
Grandparents.
People who had homes yesterday and were suddenly living in camps.
People who had farms but could no longer go to them.
People who had businesses but had lost their means of livelihood.
People who had lost loved ones.
At that difficult time, RCCG Region 8 went to IDP camps in Barkin-Ladi.
And the Church did not go there simply to take photographs or issue a statement.
The Church went with help.
RCCG provided three trucks and two buses loaded with assorted food and relief materials for the displaced people.
Think about that for a moment.
Behind every bag of food was somebody who was hungry.
Behind every piece of clothing was somebody who had lost almost everything.
Behind every relief item was a family trying to survive.
That was not theory.
That was compassion in action.
RCCG Went to the People
There is something important about physically going to where suffering people are.
It is easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and discuss suffering on social media.
It is another thing to enter an IDP camp and look into the eyes of a mother who has lost her home.
It is another thing to sit with a child who has been displaced.
It is another thing to hear the story of someone who has watched a loved one being killed.
That is why the visits to the IDP camps in Barkin-Ladi mattered.
RCCG identified with the displaced communities and provided food, clothing and other relief materials.
The Church also condemned the killings and called on the government and security agencies to investigate the attacks and work towards creating conditions that would allow displaced people to return home.
That is important.
Because humanitarian intervention should not only be about giving somebody a bag of rice today.
We must also ask why that person became displaced in the first place.
We must ask why innocent people cannot sleep peacefully in their own homes.
We must ask who is responsible for protecting them.
We must ask how they can safely return home.
And What About the North-East?
The crisis in the North-East has been devastating.
The Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of insecurity have displaced huge numbers of people and created enormous humanitarian needs.
RCCG has also been involved in humanitarian assistance to people affected by displacement and the insurgency in the North-East, including reports of medical and humanitarian interventions.
There have also been reports of RCCG contributing ₦100 million towards relief efforts for IDPs in the North-East.
I would, however, make an important distinction here.
While the broader record of RCCG humanitarian interventions is clear, the specific ₦100 million figure deserves further verification from primary RCCG records before we present it as an unquestionable fact.
Why am I saying this?
Because we should not defend the truth with another unverified claim.
If we want people to take us seriously, we must be prepared to check our facts—even when the facts are in our favour.
That is how responsible conversation should be conducted.
Has RCCG Done Enough?
Now, let us come to the more difficult question.
Has RCCG done enough?
My honest answer is:
Perhaps not.
But who among us can honestly say we have done enough when people are still suffering?
There is always more to do.
If 1,000 people are helped today and another 1,000 people are still hungry tomorrow, there is more work to be done.
If a church helps displaced families in one community, there are other communities crying for help.
If a hospital treats hundreds of people, there are still thousands waiting for medical attention.
The fact that an organization has done something does not mean it has done everything.
So, by all means, let us challenge RCCG.
Let us ask the Church to expand its humanitarian interventions.
Let us ask whether more can be done for displaced families.
Let us ask how the Church can support widows, orphans, farmers, students and communities affected by terrorism and other forms of violence.
Let us ask how RCCG can partner with other Christian organizations and humanitarian agencies to provide sustainable solutions.
Those are good questions.
Those questions can make the Church better.
But there is a big difference between saying:
“RCCG should do more”
and saying:
“RCCG has done nothing.”
The first is constructive criticism.
The second is simply not supported by the record.
Why Should Helping Nigerians in South Africa Be a Problem?
This is another part of the argument that I find difficult to understand.
Why should helping distressed Nigerians in South Africa be presented as though it prevents RCCG from helping Nigerians in Northern Nigeria?
Are Nigerians outside Nigeria no longer Nigerians?
If a Nigerian is stranded in another country, should we turn our backs on that person simply because another Nigerian is suffering somewhere else?
Compassion does not work that way.
A mother does not stop loving one child because she is helping another.
A father does not say, “I cannot help you because your brother has a problem.”
There is enough room for compassion.
RCCG can help distressed Nigerians abroad and still help displaced Nigerians at home.
The Church can support humanitarian efforts in South Africa and still support victims of terrorism in Nigeria.
These things are not contradictory.
In fact, the broader Christian principle is very simple:
When people are hurting, we should help where we can.
We Must Also Be Fair to the Church
I am not writing this because RCCG should not be criticized.
On the contrary, I believe large institutions should be open to questions.
RCCG has millions of members and a vast organizational structure. Naturally, people will ask questions about its priorities, finances, social responsibility and humanitarian interventions.
Those questions should not frighten us.
What should concern us is when criticism moves from questions to accusations without evidence.
There is a difference between saying:
“RCCG should do more.”
and saying:
“RCCG does nothing.”
There is a difference between:
“I want more transparency.”
and:
“There is no transparency.”
There is a difference between:
“I wish the Church would intervene more in Northern Nigeria.”
and:
“The Church has never intervened.”
Words matter.
Truth matters.
Facts matter.
Good Is Good
I believe we need to recover something very simple in our national conversation:
Good is good, regardless of who does it.
If a Muslim organization helps Christians, let us commend it.
If a Christian organization helps Muslims, let us commend it.
If the government helps IDPs, let us commend it.
If an NGO helps victims of terrorism, let us commend it.
And if RCCG helps people in distress, let us also acknowledge it.
We should not allow our personal feelings about a pastor, denomination, church or organization to make us blind to good works.
You may disagree with RCCG.
You may disagree with Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
You may believe RCCG should do more.
You may even believe the Church’s humanitarian interventions should be more widely publicized.
All those opinions can be expressed.
But when an organization does something good, let us have the honesty to say:
“This is good.”
That does not make you a sycophant.
It simply makes you fair.
What More Can RCCG Do?
Perhaps this entire controversy should become an opportunity rather than another social-media battle.
RCCG could consider strengthening and expanding its humanitarian intervention in Northern Nigeria.
It could develop a more coordinated programme specifically targeting displaced and vulnerable communities.
Such a programme could include food relief, medical care, education, psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, support for widows and orphans, rebuilding of communities and assistance to vulnerable churches.
Even better, the Church could make its humanitarian work more systematically documented and publicly accessible.
How many people were helped?
Where?
When?
What was provided?
How much was spent?
What was the outcome?
Such information would help Nigerians understand the scale of the work being done.
More importantly, it would help identify where the needs are greatest.
The objective should not be to silence critics.
The objective should be to help people.
Let Us Remember the People at the Centre
At the end of the day, this should not really be about winning an argument on social media.
It should be about people.
Somewhere in Northern Nigeria, there is a mother who is still grieving.
Somewhere, there is a child who has not returned to school.
Somewhere, there is a widow trying to raise children without her husband.
Somewhere, there is a farmer who wants nothing more than to return safely to his farm.
Somewhere, there is a pastor trying to keep a small congregation alive in a dangerous environment.
Somewhere, there is a family praying for protection.
These people do not need us to quarrel endlessly on social media.
They need help.
They need security.
They need justice.
They need compassion.
They need the government to protect them.
They need churches to stand with them.
They need Nigerians to remember them.
So, yes, let us ask RCCG to do more.
Let us ask every church to do more.
Let us ask government to do more.
Let us ask wealthy Nigerians to do more.
Let NGOs do more.
Let individuals do more.
But while asking for more, let us not erase what has already been done.
Let the Facts Speak
The question, “What has RCCG done for persecuted Christians in the North?”, should lead us to examine the record—not to manufacture a conclusion.
The documented intervention in Plateau State is one clear example.
The Church went to displaced communities in Barkin-Ladi.
It provided substantial food and relief materials.
It identified with victims.
It condemned the violence.
There are also reports of RCCG humanitarian and medical interventions involving communities affected by the crisis in the North-East.
These interventions may not be everything.
They may not be enough.
More can certainly be done.
But “nothing” is not the correct description.
And this is not about protecting one man.
It is about protecting the truth.
We should be able to criticize RCCG without demonizing it.
We should be able to challenge Pastor Adeboye without denying the good that has been done through the ministry.
We should be able to demand more without pretending that nothing has happened.
That is fairness.
That is balance.
That is integrity.
So, to those asking, “What has RCCG done?”, let us continue asking questions.
But before making the accusation that RCCG has done nothing, let us first check the record.
And after checking the record, perhaps the question should become something else:
“RCCG has done some things. What more can we do together?”
That is a question I can support.
Because at the end of the day, the goal should not be to prove that one church is better than another.
The goal should be to reduce human suffering.
Let the facts speak.
Criticism is fair.
Questions are welcome.
More can be demanded.
But “RCCG has done nothing” is not supported by the facts.
Good is good. Compassion is compassion. And truth is still truth.
Let us be fair.
