25/08/2025
Faith, Power & Theology of Pain: What the Church and State Teach Us About Nigeria’s Crossroads
By Ada Ukpabia
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On Sunday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ibeku, in Aboh Mbaise, the Pews filled with the sound of hymns and homilies, but what lingered longest was not just the music of the Mass—it was the sharp, almost uncomfortable insistence of the message.
Rev. Fr. Chigozie Nwigwe, in a Sermon titled “The Theology of Pain,” declared:
“Any baptized Christian is a Prophet. Whoever God Loves, He chastises like Job. But Job knew his Redeemer lives. Anybody suffering now should rejoice because from such, God uplifts.”
It was more than a Biblical Exhortation. It was an indictment of a Culture where pain often feels endless and where Resilience, for many Nigerians, has been forced into a way of life. In Nwigwe’s Words, suffering was reframed as Divine Raw Material—an entry point to transformation. “No matter the condition facing you now, don’t hate God,” he urged. “Anything you are passing through will soon end. Dry Bones shall live again.”
This Sermon unfolded against a Symbolic backdrop. The same weekend, Imo State Deputy Governor Lady Chinyere Ihuoma Ekomaru joined Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Eze Imo Palace in Owerri to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of HRH Eze Dr. E. C. Okeke, CFR, as Eze Udo II of Amaifeke and Chairman of both the Imo State and South East Councils of Traditional Rulers.
Her remark was brief but loaded:
“May the reign of the gracious Eze be long and continue to be peaceful.”
PEACE. RESILIENCE. SUFFERING. PROPHECY. These Words, whether from Pulpit or Palace, speak to the essence of Nigeria’s present contradictions: a Nation that worships in Hope, suffers in Silence, celebrates Endurance, but still yearns for Deliverance.
THE POLITICS OF PAIN & THE GOSPEL OF ENDURANCE
For Students of Journalism and the Wider Public, the juxtaposition of a fiery Homily in Rural Aboh Mbaise with the pomp of a Silver Jubilee at Eze Imo Palace offers a story too powerful to ignore. Both are Sermons of a kind—one Spiritual, one Political. Both remind us that Leadership in Nigeria, whether Ecclesiastical or Traditional, often leans heavily on the Language of endurance and providence.
But here is the sharp question: does the Theology of Pain empower the people to resist Injustice, or does it encourage passivity in the face of systemic dysfunction?
When a Priest says, “God always has a direction for His people,” is that a call to Patience or to bold Prophetic Action?
Similarly, when a Deputy Governor invokes Peace at a Traditional Ruler’s Milestone, is she affirming stability—or glossing over the turbulence in a State still wrestling with Insecurity, Unemployment, and a distrustful Citizenry?
WHERE THE CHURCH, STATE & PRESS COLLIDE
For Journalists and Students, these Events challenge us to rethink the Stories we tell about Faith, Governance, and Resilience. Do we report such remarks as mere Rituals of Public Life, or do we press deeper to connect them to the lived realities of Citizens?
The Lazarus Metaphor—“Roll away the Stone. Dry Bones shall live again”—is powerful. But who rolls away the Stone of unemployment in Nigeria? Who breathes life into the dry Bones of abandoned Projects in Imo State?
Likewise, the plea for a long and Peaceful reign for Eze Udo II is admirable. Yet in a State where Traditional Rulers are sometimes caught between Politics and People, how long can Peace endure without Structural Justice?
THE CALL FOR A NEW PROPHETIC JOURNALISM
If, as Rev. Nwigwe insists, every baptized Christian is a Prophet, then perhaps every committed Journalist is a Prophet too—tasked with exposing, warning, encouraging, and bearing uncomfortable truth. Prophecy is not merely about predicting the future but about confronting the present with honesty and Vision.
And here lies the challenge: to resist narratives that normalize Pain as Destiny, while still recognizing that endurance is part of Nigeria’s DNA. To cover Palace Anniversaries not just as Pageantry, but as moments to ask: What has 25 years of Traditional Leadership delivered to Ordinary People?
BETWEEN THE CROSS AND THE CROWN
Faith Communities and Political Leaders will continue to frame Nigeria’s struggles in Spiritual and Cultural Metaphors. But as Journalists, Students, and an engaged Public, we must learn to decode these Metaphors, to bridge them with material realities, and to hold Leaders—sacred and secular—accountable.
Yes, dry Bones shall live again. But they live faster when truth is told, when corruption is exposed, when institutions are strengthened, and when the Press refuses to roll the Stone back over the Grave of Public Accountability.
👉 OVER TO YOU:
Do you think the Theology of Pain strengthens Nigerians to endure—or weakens us into silence?
Should Journalists adopt a “Prophetic” Role in Public Life, or remain Neutral Observers?
