By Olasumbo Otagbo
The camp ground of The Church of The Lord (Aladura), Ogere, Remo, Ogun State was a beehive of activities weekend as members of the church, friends, colleagues, religious leaders and government functionaries gathered to celebrate the 20th year enthronement of their Spiritual Leader and Primate, The Most (Rev.) Dr. R. O Ositelu in an event tagged Transparency, Accountability and Godliness-The Footprint of a Reformer in Christendom.
Rev Ositelu, described by many as ‘messiah of our time’, lived his early life in Germany before heeding the call to serve in the Lord’s vineyard inspite of his many academic qualifications including two Ph.D honours in Computer and Theology.
Elated and full of happiness, the man of God described the event as a landmark, saying that said he sees the period more as a time of sober reflection.
In his lecture on the theme, the special guest of honour and Professor of Church history, Doctrinal Theology and Pentecostal Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of Ibadan Rev. Professor Samson Adetunji Fatokun, took the congregation down memory lane as he traced Reformation in Christendom back to the 16th century, when clergymen were addressed as Bishop Spiritual and Bishop Eminence, and permitted to participate in worldly affairs.
He added that members of the church did not have access to the Bible, nor to the Holy Communion, but were at the mercy of the Priest. He stressed that the likes of Peter Waldo, John Wycliff, John Huss, Erasmus Desirus, Martin Luther King and so on, rose to make a change with their write-ups.
Prof. Samson frowned at the atrocities inherent in churches today, and appealed to the clergy to be reformed or be deformed.
In his remark, another guest speaker, Mr. Ogundele Steven, who represented the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, commended Primate Ositelu for the choice of the topic, especially in a time when ‘snakes swallow money’. He further encouraged all to always seek God’s grace at all times as well as get involved in politics.
The Most Rev. Ositelu also used the occasion of the anniversary to present awards of recognition to those he said have been a source of support to him and the Ministry. They are Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Bashorun Dele Momodu; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and others.
