The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has said Nigeria may not have money or resources to fight the monstrous COVID-19 pandemic, but the citizens have God.

The cleric added that having God is enough to protect the citizens from the pandemic.

Adeboye spoke on Sunday at the January Special Thanksgiving Service and Ground-Breaking Ceremony of the Coastline Worship Centre of the Redeemed Church of God National Headquarters, Throne of Grace, Ebutte-Metta, Lagos.

The church’s general overseer said this while responding to a statement made by the Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gate, who said he was yet to understand why COVID-19 cases and fatalities still remain low in Africa.

Adeboye said: “When I read that it will take 10 years to vaccinate people in the U.S., I wonder when the vaccine will come to Nigeria. We have no money; we have no resources, but we have God. They expected us to be dying like flies, but we have a God who says he that dwells in the secret place will be under the shadow of the almighty.”

God, he claimed, told him in his 2021 prophecy that the world has not learned its lesson.

“It is the God that reigns and rules in the affairs of men and the world must recognise his lordship in all that they do,” Pastor Adeboye said.

He noted that the world would defeat coronavirus by depending on divine wisdom and not science.

The cleric assured Christian faithful that “any calamity that comes, we will survive”.

“Ebola came, we survived; coronavirus came, we survived and whatever may come in the future, we will survive because we will keep praising God,” the cleric stated.

He urged his listeners not to be afraid, declaring that God would take care of His own.

Adeboye observed that what is killing people most is fear. “There is fear in the air. Fear is a killer. Some people will die of hypertension because they are afraid. Coronavirus may not come near them at all, but fear can kill them,” he said.

Lauding government for doing a great job in curtailing the spread of the virus, he said: “When you ask a man to do a job only God can do, don’t blame him if he makes mistakes. When I heard they closed down some restaurants, I was wondering. What about those of us who go to bukas (roadside eateries), how many bukas are you going to close? What are you going to do about people like me who eat boli (roasted plantain),” Adeboye said.

Adeboye, however, warned: “I do not say be careless. Wear your mask. We are particular about hygiene. Keep watching your hands. Do social distancing as much as possible. Obey the government. Wash your hands.”

He said, however, that he would not allow social distancing to stop him from laying hands on the sick. “The Lord told me loud and clear, RCCG is my Church. I can take care of my own. I will not be afraid. My God will take care of me,” he said.

Adeboye urged his listeners to be grateful to God for what he had done so that he could do more.

“If you are ungrateful, he can withdraw what he has done. Sooner or later, you will need God again, so be grateful,” he said.

Making copious reference to the Bible, he noted that Moses did not spare time to thank God after many of his battles but that the children of Israel gave God praise when God gave them victory over their enemies at the Red Sea such that when they got to Mara, “God turned the bitter water to sweet”. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy The Nation)

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