‘Why Fr Mbaka’s critics are baying for his blood’

How can you define Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka?Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka is a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who has a calling that encompasses so many things. Apart from spiritual ministration, he is involved in the mainstream struggle for the material emancipation of man, which involves advocacy and denunciation of injustice in the society.Before […]

How can you define Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka?
Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka is a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who has a calling that encompasses so many things. Apart from spiritual ministration, he is involved in the mainstream struggle for the material emancipation of man, which involves advocacy and denunciation of injustice in the society.
Before he was called, he had been involved in the crusade for justice and opposed to corruption, even while he was in the seminary school. From day one, he has always tried to resist any unjust situation wherever he finds himself. As a Priest, after his ordination, his first encounter was with Col Mike Torey, the then Military Administrator of Enugu state; that was when they were building the Akwata road bridge. Mbaka condemned the corruption that marked that project because the Torey administration claimed a huge sum of money was invested in the project, yet the bridge collapsed a few months later. He was the only person that voiced out his condemnation of the project and the church hierarchy came against him.
After his ordination, he was posted to the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu. One day, Col Torey attended mass service there and while it was time to preach, Rev Fr Mbaka stood at the pulpit and condemned Torey over that project. That brought him into controversy with the church hierarchy. He was also vocal against Sani Abacha when the general was Head of State. So whatever he is doing now has not been because of what is happening today.
Rev Fr Mbaka could be said to have gained fame during the Chimaroke Nnamani administration in Enugu State. What was his problem with Nnamani?
What brought him into controversy with Chimaroke Nnamani’s government was the condition of workers. The Nnamani government had disengaged more than 7,000 workers. But nobody condemned it. It was Mbaka as the only priest of God who rose to show solidarity with the workers. At the same time, a member representing Nnamani’s constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Nwabueze Ugwu’s brother, Sunday Ugwu, was brutally murdered. The killing was linked to the state and Mbaka spoke.
Again, Okada people were being intimidated by agents of the state government; they were being compelled to wear an apron and pay huge amount of money. So Mbaka rose to fight on their behalf. There was a time about five Okada people died at the Enugu prison after they were put there on the orders of government; it was Mbaka that advocated against it and even provided money for the burial of some of these people. I was part of the whole thing.
Because of Mbaka’s condemnation of Nnamani’s administration’s style, he was seen as a threat and every sort of state apparatus was unleashed against him, which culminated in the Adoration tragedy where 14 persons died. I was then the Vice Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO). Supporters of government went to the point of writing petitions against him to the Vatican, but the Vatican responsed by mandating then Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Anthony Gbuji to protect him.

Recently Mbaka anointed the president indirectly through the wife when she visited, and prayed that Jonathan returns to office in 2015. How do you view his volte-face a few weeks after?
He prayed for the president through the wife. The anointment there meant prayer and nothing else. The President’s wife came to him and he prayed for the husband, brought oil and anointed him. Mbaka had always prayed and anointed people. That wasn’t the first time. That was what simply happened when Jonathan’s wife visited.
If you listened to his words during the 31 December night vigil, he said “this was what was ministered to him by the Holy Spirit”, and that automatically diminished what he did before. It is God that gives messages. Rev Fr Mbaka may not have known the spiritual state of the president at the point he was ministering and anointing the wife. But when he was stating God’s revelations on December 31, he continued to say that God should help him reveal all that had been given to him.

Certain priests have asked the Catholic Bishop here in Enugu to call Fr Mbaka to order…
I read Cardinal John Onaiyekan and Anglican Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma’s comments. But their office is different from principle. As a catholic, I respect their offices but I know that they have been misinformed. They may not have taken time to hear the tape or read what had been published. Mbaka had spoken the truth and those attacking him should critically look at the message and not his person. Onaiyekan said he would have sanctioned him before now, an indication that he never wanted to know the truth. It does not give room for fair hearing.
Archbishop Chukwuma said he must have been paid and I say let somebody pay me to say the truth. I want anybody to pick any of the issues he raised that is not truth. Because the truth is lacking, people are suffering. I am not happy with the church today because of the unholy alliance with some corrupt leaders in our society; they have compromised to make the society what it is today.

You are close to Rev Fr Mbaka. Is it true as he claimed that there have been threats to his life since his controversial disclosures?
The bible says, touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm. You should ask those criticizing him why there was no uproar when he made the statement eulogizing the president. He made a statement in favour of the president and nobody condemned him, but the Holy Spirit revealed a contrary thing and he delivered it and some people are baying for his blood. That is the problem with Nigeria; that is why we are where we are today.
I want to say that I, as President of the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative (a human and pro-democracy organization) our platform is solidly behind Mbaka and will stand to defend and protect him at any point in time. We will mobilize our network on this issue. Apart from God supporting him, the lay faithful in the Catholic Church also supports him because he is saying the truth.