The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo recently lamented the spate of idolatry worship in the state, especially among the youths,regretting that the new found religion was fast gaining ground and notoriety. Professor Soludo made the lamentation at a church event. He described Anambra as God’s own state while urging all denominations to unite as one body in Christ Jesus to fight the common criminals and save the state from being totally taken over by occultic powers.
Governor Soludo’s headache in Anambra State has equally become a thorn to most states of the South-East, where young men and ladies have practically made a choice of new religion that will redefine their destinies and chart a future for them.
Idolatry is not a new way or religion in the South-East and the entire Igbo land. Before the coming of Christianity into most parts of the land, it was the order of the day. Then, it was sacrosanct and ideal to identify with one idol or the other in one’s community, and pay due diligence and obeisance in its worship, because the people of the old saw it as genuine and reliable in their quest to relate with their gods; gods they saw as upright, dispenser of justice with favour.
Then it was common to seek justice and protection in the temple of the gods, and such demands would accord to the believer. The case of the caste system comes to mind, knowing that most those so-called castes were those that were dedicated to gods for protection from all forms of human intimidation. But that was when the gods were reverenced and worshiped as true representatives of the bigger God in heaven.
These days idolatry worshipping, especially in Igboland, has taken a dangerous turn of destruction and lamentation. It is now a common sight to see thousands of young followers of one idol or the other lurking in the villages and urban centres with open
affluence and identification that go with it. Recently, a secondary school in the state reportedly suspended a student who attempted to introduce to his peers in the school a money-making ritual known as OKEITE. That is how viral the idolatry practice had gone.
Social media handles have become tools they now use to lure more people into their conclaves, where they are made to believe that they can become millionaires without working hard for money. These young men and women are made to go through all sorts of rituals and sacrifices in order to make it ‘big.’ To this, they are made to sacrifice their relatives and friends on the altars of the demons just to be counted among the rich in society. It is worrisome to note that the crave to make quick money among the younger generation is, therefore, the cause of so many atrocities in the land.
No young man, again, wants to be under the apprentice or tutelage that has been the hallmark of genuine enterprise in the region. All of them want to ‘hammer’and drive the choice and exotic cars and identify with the prettiest of the girls.
The parental role, especially on supervision of their lads, has taken a flight in some homes. These days some parents openly tell whoever cares to know that their lads are Yahoo-yahoo exponents, even when such parents know that their belonging to such dangerous sects of undesirable elements, come with fetish and cultic practices.
The church on the other hand, has failed on the moral compass to save lost souls. Church ministers are more at ease with those that bring more money and donate hugely in maintaining their ostentatious lifestyles.
We are of the view that the state governments in the zone, the church and the family, have a huge responsibility to restore moral decency anchored on sound Christian principles that will redirect the psych of our youths to know that nothing goes for free, moreso when such is anchored on worshiping the devil and his agents.
It is always a case of trading by barter: take wealth and sacrifice one’s precious gift of life to the devil.
A more decisive action like the one being done by Governor Soludo where he said, “we have declared war on criminals, their shrines, priests, and burnt down their idols,” may be what the South-East Zone needs now to walk on the right path of moral glory again.
Written by TONY OKAFOR
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