For some weeks running, the social media has been awash with the Pastor Chris Okafor vs Doris Ogala saga. A lot of stunning revelations have been made and many shocking counter accusations have been fired. Hearts have been supposedly broken, tears have been shed on both sides while mistakes have been acknowledged.
Expectedly, many Nigerians, from the wise to the absolutely foolish, from the intelligent to the nitwit, have all had something to say about the matter. Because a man had made mistakes for which he is already paying the full consequences for, everyone of them automatically assumes they are better persons than him. Everyone believes they know better than he does. It is indeed true that when a big animal strikes you down, tiny creatures like the ants and cockroaches will feast on you.
While this piece is not designed to applaud Pastor Chris Okafor for whatever transpired between him and Doris Ogala and the pain it has brought to the church, this is intended for people to recognise first and foremost that nobody is infallible to mistakes or temptations, as the case may be. Not even a man of God. From time immemorial, the inability to resist the lure of a woman and her irresistible body has been the biggest bane of most men of God. So, this case is not the first and you can definitely bet it will not be the last, so long as man remains of the flesh. Until when God ceases to make man of the flesh, then more men of God will continue to fall the same way Pastor Chris Okafor has fallen. Does this make what he has done, right? No, of course not. Does the public condemnation and insults hurled at him every single minute on social media make Doris Ogala a saint and totally exonerated in all of these? No way!!
Lets put aside all of the emotions and anger and clout chasing on social media for a moment. First, for the records, our dear Doris Ogala is no spring chicken! She is not a saint! Let nobody deceive you, that babe is a street smart, money crazy, bad ass girl! And she went into the relationship with Okafor with her two eyes wide open. She wanted the money badly..In fact, according to her, while she and Okafor were dating, she took off with an ex of hers whom she ended up getting married to. She said the guy came back while she was at her most vulnerable moment when she lost her father. And then her family pressured her to marry him. I take that to mean that the guy undertook the entire burial expenses of her late father and she ended up becoming his wife!! This does not look to me like an innocent lady any man can manipulate, Doris Ogala knew exactly what she was doing!
Let's ask Doris Ogala this question, did she and Okafor have consensual sex or he forced himself on her? Two, let us imagine for a moment that Chris Okafor was not a popular man of God, will she make such a big deal of this matter if he was just a regular guy out there? Who will even listen to her on social media if she goes on to cry that a faceless man who promised her marriage has broken her heart?
But because Pastor Chris Okafor is not faceless, people who really are no better are paying attention to her 'heart break' story just so they can also catch their own cruise and chase a few clouts at the expense of the man at the center of it all.
Perhaps we should even forget about who is right and who is wrong in the matter. It appears that because everyone simply wants to be seen as judging and condemning Okafor just so they can be hailed by the public, we have all failed to acknowledge the fact that Pastor Chris Okafor has just done something many of us lack the integrity, the honour and the courage to do- to offer a public apology!
Watching Pastor Chris Okafor go on his knees and offer unreserved apologies to everyone he offended humbled me. How many men have the balls to do what he just did? How many men will be honest enough to own up to their mistakes and come out openly to say, I'm sorry? Yet, some are saying the apology is not enough, they want him to suffer more !! Please, I dare to ask, are they God? Who made anyone of us the judge of man? Do some of us even have any idea the sort of atrocities some of the men whom we worship the very ground they walk on have committed and locked up in their closets forever?
No matter what anyone says, I think the man deserves some credit. What he has done is phenomenal. Unprecedented. I am waiting to see any other public figure, whether a clergy or public office holder, come out publicly to own up to an allegation and display the courage, incredible strength and honesty that Pastor Chris Okafor displayed.
The man has atoned for his sins. He has sought restitution and forgiveness from his creator and the matter should be left at that. But no, trust Nigerians, ever eager to insult and denigrate celebrities, ever chasing clout at whoever's expense, all they want is his head not his apologies!!
Some of us have been inspired by Pastor Okafor's inner strength, courage and honesty. We commend his manliness and the boldness to stand before the whole world to say, 'I am sorry, please forgive me.'
Okafor must find the strength to carry on from here and bring to fulfilment the rebirth of a brand new Pastor Chris Okafor which he promised during his now viral apology video.
Just before all this madness erupted, Okafor had gone through a cleansing period, a phase of spiritual rebirth, which was why he sought the help and mentorship of two great men of God - Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo and Pastor David Abioye. He was already set, along with his new bride, to take off on a new beginning, a brand new start that will impact on his ministry and take it to a new level. Hopefully, he will remain focused and not give in to distractions.
The work of God must go on. We must build the church, the gates of hell shall not prevail.
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