RCCG and the APC desperation

 The desperation of the two major political parties leading to the 2015 general elections in Nigeria is such that may have not been witnessed in the democratic history of our nation. From bickering to name-calling, massive propaganda and even leveraging on brands and religious institutions such as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and even, the personality of its General Overseer, Pastor E. A Adeboye the parties have ensured that they stop at nothing in swaying the electorate to their side.

One co-incidence too many is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been at the fore-front of manipulating pictures, videos and stories relating to the G.O to suit their agenda. Recently, Pastor Adeboye had to put out a disclaimer via his facebook page stating that the church does not have any political alignment and would not use its platforms to portray such for any candidate or party despite one of his pastors being the vice-presidential candidate for the APC.

Recent developments beyond the phone call allegations leveled against same party is the desperation being exhibited by impersonators claiming to be senior Pastors of the RCCG, meeting with several pastors across the country and claiming Pastor Adeboye sent them informing them to embrace “change” and vote APC. However, an attendee at one of such meetings was wise enough to verify from the leadership of the church in one of such states and was informed there was no such directive in fact, there can NEVER be such directive given the earlier disclaimer put out by the G.O himself.

It is evident the APC are “not afraid” of soiling the person, character and brand of Pastor Adeboye and the RCCG all in a desperate bid to get to power. If the church has intentionally stayed out of politics leading to the 2015 general elections, I wonder why this party is employing deceit and other forms of propaganda, smearing the church and her G.O because if someone is so desperate and negates the fear of God in the process, I wonder if/she he can be trusted.  

The Business of Volunteering (Part 2)

The first part of this series highlighted the skills that one can acquire from volunteering via the real-life experience of a volunteer. However, it has come to my notice that not everyone knows all that volunteering entails and some of us may be misinformed about it so we would be discussing that here.

• Scene #1: Amina, 57 years old, spends two hours a day, three days a week, at a local school, helping to teach extra-moral (evening) classes.

• Scene #2: John, a 15 year old, goes roller skating at his estate park on a Saturday only to find that the park is a wreck. He could wait for the local cleaners to clean it up but instead texts some friends who show up with their boots and some garbage bags.

• Scene #3: Titi is a 43 year old lawyer who spends her days (and most evenings) as a partner at a high profile corporate law firm. One of her family's favorite weekend activities is gardening so they occasionally spend a Saturday afternoon at a community garden that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to local schools.

• Scene #4: Tanko is a 62 year old retired accountant. In addition to travel and other personal pursuits, he gives professional advice on the financial plans of a handful of nonprofit organizations. This is mostly done by email so he's found that he can get feedback to them whether he is at home or around the globe.

• Scene #5: Chinedu is a 24 year old recent University graduate who is in the process of looking for paid work in the nonprofit sector, preferably with an organization that focuses on public health. While he spends much of his time researching and applying for jobs, he also serves on the board of a local free clinic in Lagos.

From the above cases, we have an idea what volunteering is about. Common to all cases are; the people cut across different genders, ages and career stages. The time commitments range from impromptu to regularly scheduled work and it may include office-like work.

So volunteering means an interest, desire, or willingness to do good while contributing time, skills, and energy towards something that is not of direct benefit only to one's self, friends, or family and in the process, not expecting any sort of reimbursement or payment in return for one's efforts however with the option of choosing how, where, why, and when to get involved.

The United Nations has a volunteer programme called the United Nations Volunteers and has December 5 set aside every year for the International Volunteer Day. Volunteerism has evolved with society hence there are now virtual or online volunteers who can volunteer across the online space.

The many benefits of volunteering include meeting people whether for professional networking (in addition to making invaluable contacts, volunteering with a nonprofit is a great way to learn more about potentially working in the sector or a particular field), to make new friends, or to just understand a little more about others' ways of life. As stated in the previous post, volunteering also provides opportunities to gain new skills, practice existing skills in new ways, and learn more about complex issues like hunger, health care, and the environment especially when you volunteer for the United Nations and other international organizations. 

So, get online and look for the next comfortable volunteering opportunity next to you! You can start here!

[photo source: www.facebook.com]

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