Wayne Besen - Author, Activist, Columnist, Public Speaker

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

(Weekly Column)

According to international election monitors, the April 21 vote in favor of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua was rigged, threatening the very freedom and stability of this oil-rich, but corrupt nation. Braving threats of a brutal governmental crackdown, thousands of courageous Nigerians took to the streets on May Day to protest the political charade that passes for political liberty.

Clearly, these demonstrators could benefit if they stood side-by-side with a moral leader who demanded an end to corruption and called for new elections. Such a man would be regarded as a true national hero who could lead Nigeria from a kleptocracy to genuine democracy.

Anglican Archbishop Peter J Akinola is perfectly situated to step in and fill this role. Not only is he a local powerbroker, he is also the leader of the largest province in the worldwide Anglican Church. This offers Akinola a unique international platform to draw attention to the electoral sabotage that is ripping apart the very soul of Nigeria.

But, instead of staying in Nigeria this week to bring his convulsing country together, he is flying to the comfy confines of Virginia to tear the Anglican Church apart. While his country is on the verge of a Constitutional conflagration, the Nigerian archbishop is burning with rage because in 2003 the Episcopal Church installed openly gay V. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.

While the political elites in Abuja will use guns to maintain dominion over voters, Akinola will be lording over a ceremony in Old Dominion to install church rector Martyn Minns as the bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a subsidiary of the Nigerian church. Basically, conservatives who think the Episcopal Church is too liberal, are refusing to submit to its authority, and instead have opted to align themselves with Akinola.

What I find outlandish is that Akinola and his Anglican apostates get all bent out of shape about a gay bishop in sleepy New Hampshire, but fall asleep at the wheel over real problems faced by Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.

Is Robisnon's sexual orientation more important than the heartbreaking fact that two million Africans die from AIDS-related illnesses each year, according to Nuhu Ribadu, the Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission?

Does a New England homosexual take precedence over the nearly 3,000 African children who die each day from malaria? Is the gay issue a bigger moral concern than the 40 million African children who are not currently in school?

Or, what about the fact that Nigeria has profited to the lavish tune of a half trillion dollars from oil revenues in less than fifty years - and yet, seventy percent of Nigerians live in abject poverty with exiguous incomes of less than one dollar a day? (Presumably, these peasants are not the ones sitting in the pews of Akinola's lavish church).

Akinola would have you believe that he must come to America to save us from our decadence. Yet, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, Nigeria is awash in premarital sex and has STD rates that would make a red light district hooker blush.

In Nigeria, there are 2.9 million people with HIV/AIDS, including 930,000 AIDS orphans. In the past twelve months, 78-percent of men and 29-percent of women, 15-24, have had sex with a casual partner. A 1990 Demographic and Health survey reported that 38-percent of women in Southwest Nigeria were in polygamous marriages.

I bring this up not to point a finger at Nigeria, but to try to comprehend why Akinola is flying to America, when sexual practices condemned by his church are flying off the charts in his home country. It seems that the good Archbishop is a moral coward who basks in the media spotlight abroad, while refusing to spotlight the devastating problems that plague his own country.

Indeed, when confronted with these life and death issues, all Akinola seems to want to prattle on about is his homosexual hang-up.

"To opine that, unknown to humans, God had hitherto created some people to be homosexuals and lesbians (i.e., sexual orientations) is tantamount to creating God in our own image and introducing a cancerous element into the fabric of the African understanding of marriage and family," Akinola once said.

"Homosexuality and lesbianism, like divorce, breed a society of single parents which gives rise to a generation of bastards," the Archbishop has also said.

If Akinola were a real leader, he would be at home fighting disease and tyranny, while leading the opposition against an illegal election. Instead of demonstrating such cojones, Akinola is leaving his countryman to fight this battle, while he jets to America to obsess about Bishop Robinson's cojones.

Could Akinola have his priorities any more backwards?

Finally, if these renegade American church leaders want to submit to Akinol's "leadership," then they owe it to Nigeria's beleaguered citizens to take an active role in their society. To simply become Nigerian in name only - while ignoring the country's daunting problems - is to be profoundly disrespectful and behave like, well, Peter J Akinola.

22 Comments:

NIGERIA LATEST NEWS on
HTTP://WWW.NIGER1.COM/nigeria.html
posted by Anonymous, at 5/01/2007 7:15 PM

An excellent analysis. I will be posting a link to your article on my blog.
posted by BreadandWine, at 5/02/2007 10:23 AM

Just another "christian" without Christ---their name is legion!
posted by Anonymous, at 5/02/2007 2:29 PM

I've posted a link to this article in my blog. As an Episcopalian, Akinola makes me bristle. He's worried about us and the Episcopal church, but perhaps his real aim is to get some American dollars pouring more directly into the arch-diocese of Nigeria. While Nigeria's Anglican church may recieve assistance from the Anglican Communion, which includes the American Episcopal Church, getting ex-Episcopal churches in the US may be the most brilliant revenue scheme cracked up by a religious leader.
posted by shinichi evans, at 5/02/2007 6:38 PM

It's always easier to bash gay people than to roll up your sleeves and do some REAL work to help the needy as Jesus commanded.
posted by Anonymous, at 5/03/2007 9:18 AM

Actually this is a good thing in a weird sense, because this bishop is doing exactly what caused the American Taliban to lose the culture war here ... he overreaches with laughably foolish statements about gays and lesbians, setting himself up for the big fall.

It seems that "step two" occurs when a society starts to become acquainted with its gay members, sparking a realization that homophobia is a tool of the ridiculous and insane. It is no surprise that such bigotry comes from a bishop (of any faith). Religion has been a complete loser when it comes to the civil/human rights of any group.
posted by Chris L., at 5/03/2007 3:22 PM

Religion has been a complete loser when it comes to the civil/human rights of any group.
The Black churches were a force for good during the drive for civil rights; but sadly they too have dropped the ball big time when it comes to equality for glbt people. And the churches in Africa (even the gay friendly Episcopal church) are particularly rabid.
posted by Anonymous, at 5/03/2007 4:35 PM

If you want to know what His Grace, Archbishop Akinola and his province are doing about AIDS, why not go to the Church of Nigeria website and see. Your piece was a bit bombastic, considering the facts. I think you should do a little research befoire you go on your hateful tirades against Peter Akinola. Trust me, none of the problems you mention in your article will be affected in any way by his visit to America for a few days.

ANGLICAN CHURCH, NSCIA, CEDPA, COLLABORATE ON HIV/AIDS

CONN/260307

Peter Onwubuariri, Abuja

Abuja, March 22, 2007- The Anglican Church and the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) are to collaborate with the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) in the drive to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Under the project tagged `Positive Living for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS’, CEDPA would provide facility for the faith groups to support HIV/AIDS activities among families and communities in the country.

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and NSCIA are among leading faith based groups in the country that have initiated a holistic and practical approach toward combating HIV/AIDS.

The public launch of the Project took place in Abuja on Wednesday, March 21. It was flagged off with a solidarity walk around the metropolis.

At the launch, Bishop of Kubwa (Anglican Communion), the Rt. Rev Simon Bala pledged the commitment of the Church to ensure care and support for persons living with HIV.

With a large geographical spread of 122 dioceses around the country, Bishop Bala said the Church’s response to HIV focused on community and parish based services.

''As a church, we believe that God has a solution to every problem of man including HIV/AIDS,'' said the Bishop, who was represented by Dr. T. T. Wakama.

National Coordinator of the Church on HIV/AIDS, Rev Sam Akale said the strategic plan and policy document of the Church of Nigeria on HIV was being followed and implemented to the fullest.

''We have reached a stage where Church Leaders at parish levels are providing more information and counseling about HIV/AIDS,'' he said and added that a national training workshop for 122 diocesan HIV/AIDS officers was scheduled to take place in June, 'to take stock and set targets.'

''The greatest achievement is that the Church in Nigeria is now addressing HIV from the pulpit and thus affirming God’s love and care for persons living and affected by the pandemic,'' Akale said.

Explaining the mode of operation for the Project, Mr. Arthur Hussey, and Chief of Party of CEDPA said ministers of religion, community leaders and youths would be trained and empowered about how to prevent the spread of HIV.

According to Hussey, the $12.8 million Positive Living Project was funded from the U.S Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S Agency for International Development and CEDPA.

The project will be implemented in 12 states in Nigeria but work has already begun in seven states including Anambra, Bauchi, Cross River, Edo, Kano, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja).

L
posted by Athanasius, at 5/06/2007 1:09 AM

"Trust me, none of the problems you mention in your article will be affected in any way by his visit to America for a few days."

No, I don't trust you, as you are obviously spinning Akinola's dubious, anti-gay record. And, of course, these problems will not be affected, because he is living the high-life in Virginia at a crucial time in his nation's history.

If Akinola was a man of valor and courage, he would be in the street speaking truth to power and demanding fair elections, an end to corruption and poverty, as well as genuine democracy.

But then again, he might have to leave Virginia and dirty up his pretty white dress in the street, if he stood with the people in Nigeria for freedom.

But, it is clear that in a time of crisis, he rather sip mimosas, while doing brunch in Virginia. George Washington, Mandela or MLK, he is not!

The truth is, Akinola is a selfish tyrant whose bizarre obsession with homosexuality is downright queer.

Akinola stands for nothing but his own power and stands against the basic human rights of gay people. That he does this while his own brave contrymen fight for liberty, shows a deep character flaw and a lack of integrity. He ought to repent in shame for his cowardly actions.

The good Bishop needs to get back on the plane, go home and use his "moral authority" to save Nigeria, instead of fixating on gay people. He can start by using his power to mobilize his large church in favor of Democracy.

Let's face it, when the people of Nigeria needed a real hero, Akinola was a zero. When they needed brave deeds, all they got were anti-gay screeds.

Sorry, but there is no way to spin these simple, incontrovertible facts. History will not look kindly upon this "religious" charlatan.
posted by Wayne Besen, at 5/06/2007 12:42 PM

Obviously, Akinola has never evolved, so he should go back to his cave in Nigeria. Its a good thing that he's causing a schism, long overdue. Once his main source of financial support from the Episcopalian branch dwindles to zero, you'll see him grovelling. Rowan Williams should also get a new backbone and give them the finger, good riddance to the bigot.
posted by Robert, at 5/09/2007 8:30 AM

The news release posted by Athanasius would have made a greater impression on me if it weren’t so general. ''The greatest achievement is that the Church in Nigeria is now addressing HIV from the pulpit and thus affirming God’s love and care for persons living and affected by the pandemic,'' Akale said. Well, that’s fine and dandy but what exactly is being preached? Are the priests preaching a message of love? That all those afflicted are still beloved children of God? That orphans of parents killed by AIDS will be looked after? That efforts are under way to bring medicine to Nigeria? That there will be education in safe-sex practices and other preventative measures? That condoms will be distributed free of charge to help slow down the spread of the disease? Is this something that Akinola would preach?
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