FEATURE ARTICLE

Saturday, February 16, 2019
[email protected]
Jos, Nigeria
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD & WHY THE CHURCH MUST REALIZE THIS

ften, I wondered what the church in Nigeria thoughtit meant when they appropriated to self the great saying of Jesus Christ: Yeare the light of the world. Scriptures say: Arise, shine for thy light is comeand the glory of the lord is risen upon thee. For darkness covered the earth,even gross darkness the face of the earth. When I see what governments of thiswicked world was doing to ease the pains on mankind; I marvel at the church’signorance of the Master’s saying.

Sometime ago, I happened to be privy of a neighborwho had to remove his kids from a private missionary school where one kid paidover twenty thousand naira only per term to a government model school where the same kidis to pay the sum of one thousand and two hundred naira only per term. Interestingly,in that missionary school they paid peanuts to their teachers many of whom arenot qualified. And while folks derided the government schools, I noticed thatmany qualified persons are now in the government’s employ.

Now, this parent happened to be a parishioner withthe church that owned the missionary school and would willing desire to havehis kids go there but because of his inability to meet the financialobligations; he had to withdraw his children. The church like the governmentsof the world today is fairly beautifully organized and revenues accrue fromtithes, seed sowing, offertory, special pledges, tapes, books, educationalinstitutions as well as the several branches they ran in many cities.

Like the government, they enjoyed certainconcession like tax waiver which Jesus the Master did not enjoy in his day. Somechurches got their lands as gift yet with all these special favors, school feesfor them remain a no-go area in terms of subsidy. In fact, Nigeria’s mostinfluential pastor once said that nothing of value is free. I have investigatedand have found that our Muslim neighbors do not act this way. Therefore, I willnot call this mindset currently promoted by the church as greedy.

I really do think that ignorance was theappropriate word. When the white missionaries came to Africa, if they hadcarried this mindset of covetousness they would never have been able to plantthe several schools and catch the many Africans who schooled for free. Just whenthe church was expected to show the light by ameliorating the pains of thepeople; they allowed the governments overtake them in that area and then theywondered why the politicians and tax collectors won’t surrender to Christ.

Mahatma Ghandi once said that he loved Jesus buthated his followers. How apt was this vent of frustration? Just look at what I foundonline while I researched to write this piece and then you’d marvel at theweight of ignorance that hung on the church today. When education was thisexpensive in the church; how then may we escape the corruption of the world thatcame through subsidized education that offered nothing in terms of morals?

UNVERSITIES & THEIR TUITION FEES:

Bowen University

Bowen University is owned and operated by theNigerian Baptist Convention. Located at Iwo in Osun state, it is housed on thecampus of the Baptist College which is a teacher-training institution justoutside the city of Iwo.

For Bowen University their school fees are asfollows:

  • For students in B.A. and B.Sc. Programmes, aminimum of N300, 000 must be paid from the session fees in the first semesterbefore registration.

  • For students in the law faculty, a minimum ofN500, 000 must be paid from the session fees in the first semester beforeregistration.

  • For students in the medicine and surgerydepartment (pre-clinical), all fees and levies must be fully paid at thebeginning of the first semester while a minimum of N 800,000 must be paidbefore registration.

  • For students in the medicine and surgerydepartment (clinical), all fees and levies must be fully paid at the beginningof the first semester while a minimum of N 1,000,000 must be paid beforeregistration.

Covenant University

Covenant University is a private Christianuniversity and a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Itlocated in Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria.

For Covenant university the school fees rangesfrom N774, 500 for courses such as Banking an Finance, Economic and Developmentstudies, Business management and so on to N814,000 for engineering programmesand Architecture.

Benson Idahosa University

The Benson Idahosa University (BIU) is a private,Christian university in Benin City. It was named in honor of Archbishop BensonIdahosa, a charismatic Pentecostal minister from Benin and the universityreflects his evangelical beliefs.

At Benson Idahosa University the students ofAgriculture pay the lowest fees, which is N278, 000 per session in their finalyear, while students of law pay as much as N1, 150,000 in their first year andN643, 800 by their final year. Mathematics students pay N583, 000 per session.

Babcock University

Babcock University is a private Christianco-educational Nigerian university owned and operated by the Seventh-dayAdventist church in Nigeria.

In Babcock university, education program studentspay the lowest school fees which is N244,000 per session, while the highestpaying students are Accounting, Nursing science and Computer science studentswho pay as much as N482,000 in their first year alone.

Redeemer’s University

Redeemer’s University was established in 2005,and it is owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. It is located at Ede,off Gbongan-Oshogbo Road, Osun state, Nigeria.

At Redeemer’s university, admission fees alonerun into N110,000 in the first year. With tuition fees and other fees runninginto N695, 000 in the first year alone.

Ajayi Crowther University

The Ajayi Crowther University is located in Oyostate, Nigeria. The university was established by the Supra Diocesan Board,West of the Church of Nigeria popularly known as the Anglican Communion.

The faculty of humanities in the Ajayi Crother Universitypays as much as N395, 000 per session and it happens to be the lowest. The facultyof law students pays N690, 000 in tuition fees every session.

Madonna University

Madonna University is a private catholicuniversity in Nigeria. It was founded on May 10, 1999 in Okija, Anambra state.In Madonna, medicine students pay as much as N925, 000 in their first year’sfirst semester alone. In the second semester they pay N575, 000, which bringsthe total they pay in their first year to about N1, 490,000.

Is Education really worth it? The author of thisreport asks. When we discover the meaning of what the Master said then we willunderstand that to be the light meant to take responsibility, to take the leador to show example. Now, how do I expect the church to run their schools likethose of government; when they have packages that made education morequalitative? It is simple. The same way they started a church without imposingheavy levies on members but believed God that the gates of hell will neverprevail.

To be the light of the world means to be theplace and only place where the wounded of society ran to and got succor. It isnot about a display of jets, properties and large crowds who ended up unable toeducate their children because they lacked the financial might to do so. The chasefor money will never stop if the schools remained expensive and the exclusivepreserve of the rich of our society.

ComradeIfeanyichukwu Mmoh is an advocate for attitudinal change, a researcher andauthored (THE ORIGIN OF IGBO MARGINALIZATION IN NIGERIA). 08062577718.


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