Veteran and Nollywood star actress, Sharon George has given advice to Christian clerics on the effective use of tithes and offerings.According to her, pastors should use Sunday offerings and tithes to repair bad roads, instead of using it to buy private jets and flashy cars. Here’s what she wrote;
“Dear Nigeria Pastors, I beg you in the name of God this beautiful Sunday, i’m on my knees, i know you must have collected a lot of tithes and offerings this Sunday, Pls help us repair our roads instead of using the money to buy private jets and big cars. U and your family fly over us with your private jets, while we perish down here. So many people have died here. Pls is it a crime or a sin if you help?”
Dear Lady…as much as I understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it, I disagree with you.
The job of building or rebuilding infrastructures, including roads, belong to the government. If you are asking these overblown pastors and ministers to take up road building and rebuilding, you are then asking them to assume the role of government…which you know would be very dangerous. Our so-called governments would completely stop doing the little things they claim they are doing. Beside, asking them such a thing would automatically inflame their oversized “egos.” Heaven help us.
You may however, ask the government to impose certain taxes on them and give them a different classification in Nigeria tax laws…if there’s ever such a thing.
Another angle you plead for is, ask members of their congregations to withdraw or limit the amount of tithes they contribute; that would reduce their affluence and influence. A not so rich pastor would not be buying private jets.
Cash Ezimako