‘Don’t Reopen Churches’ –Tunde Bakare Warns Church Leaders
The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare has advised pastors and church leaders to ignore the Lagos State Government’s directive to reopen churches on Sunday, August 9.
Speaking during an online message, Pastor Bakare, during an online message question the rationale behind reopening of worship centres when the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said the COVID-19 pandemic would peak in Nigeria in August.
Bakare admonished worshippers and Christians not to allow their pastors, religious leaders or government directive lead them like sheep to the slaughter house.
“I have to appeal to you once again, please keep safe and do your best to stay alive. Do not let anyone, be it a pastor, whether religious leader or governmental leader, drive you like a sheep to the slaughter”, he said.
He further asked, “If they (the government and the disease control authorities) said that the month of August is going to be the peak of the infection, why should they ask people to rush in (re-open the churches) again?”
“Please keep safe and do your best to keep alive by keeping all the necessary rules. We know that by the grace of God this pandemic like the others before it has an expiry date. It shall not see our end. We shall see its end in the mighty name of Jesus”, he admonished and prayed.
Bakare stated that the state government might have caved in to pressure from religious leaders to lift the ban it earlier placed on religious gatherings.
“Even, if the government had the right to shut the churches, it does not have the right to force christians to re-open the worship centres”.
Meanwhile, the Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Ministries (Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Love World Ministries (Christ Embassy) had respectively threatened ‘fire and stone’ if churches are shut down continue.
