Dear Helen,
No doubt, this letter might come as a bit of surprise to you since it had been quite a while since we last communicated. It is my considered opinion that this letter might ameliorate the hardness of your heart and expose your mind to the heterodoxy of your ways in this New Year. Heterodoxy is synonymous with unorthodoxy or dissidence. You have derailed from the understanding of the Christian religion as being synonymous with love and forgiveness and rather practice a punitive and vindictive form which has no resemblance to the original thing. Like all heterodox teachings, the threat to the larger society is ever magnified. Imagine the atrocities committed by your brain-washed “almajiris” in trying to prevent Leo Igwe from going ahead with his conference on the absurdity of the concept of witchcraft in the 21st century. This particular incident last year holds the potential of snowballing into an inferno of the likes of Maitatsine in 1982 if not curtailed. The recent Boko Haram and Zango crises remain offshoots of the infamous Maitatsine religious strife – another heterodoxy that went unchecked.
This letter became imperative to kick start our regular communication, which I have vowed, would cease only when you desist from your evil ways camouflaged in the guise of a liberal religion. Helen, I must congratulate you on your good fortune of being a Nigerian, as in other climes, this letter would probably meet you safely ensconced behind the four walls of a penitentiary.
It is imperative that we are not distracted by the celebrated ill-health of Yar’adua, the lame duck president, whose recalcitrance as regards obeying constitutional provisions may hopefully become another useful ingredient in the much awaited socio-political re-engineering of our fatherland. It is definite that a nation, and a people, can only ever endure so much for a limited period of time only. Just as it is with Yar’adua, so it is with you Helen. It is factual that a people can only believe an oft-repeated lie for a limited period of time only. The game appears to be up for the fallacy you have so carefully orchestrated as religion. Unfortunately, Nigeria has allowed your heterodoxy and hypocrisy to thrive so far. Thus, it is pertinent to appeal to your inner self, which presumably is still maternal and humane, as your outer self has been demonstrated to be so vain and pompous. This outer self has spewed so much rubbish, wickedness and evil, all in the name of religion. I do hope that this piece would touch any remnant of human kindness in you.
A very old adage in my part of the country states that pleading with an evil doer is another way of obtaining restitution and reprieve. Since you once vainly declared yourself a “voice in this country”, it might also achieve the desired goal if we appeal to you, to use the opportunity presented by the New Year to desist from your evil teachings. Perhaps your bruised ego may obtain some comfort in knowing that an adversary is playing up to it.
Repeating the calamities and social disasters borne out of your rather bizarre form of Christianity is merely repeating the obvious. 2009 in particular was a year full of significant developments in mankind’s determination to free itself from the remaining shackles of oppression, superstition and suppression. Incidentally, the battle against your primitive teaching also took the centre stage. It really got so bad at a point, that a writer in frustration had no other epithet for you, other than “a monster”. This was the epitome, the height of an internal frustration at your propensity and rigidity in sticking to a most dishonourable path, even in the light of widespread criticism. Your obstinate nature warranted a detailed psychological analysis and the obvious root cause were found to be primarily monetary and nothing in the realm of the spiritual. You were a case study which revealed nothing but megalomania borne out of uncontrolled greed. You have demonstrated a very alarming capacity for deceit and a frightening ability to sustain such deceit. Your lack of empathy for fellow men is remarkable, even when the cause of their misfortune is directly attributable to you. You hold the society in so much contempt and entertain little regard for the feeling or suffering of others. Your personal comfort and the opulence of your family remain your major concern. This is a very sad state indeed!
You continue to lord it over the poor people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, treading like an empress who cannot be restrained by modern conventions. You willingly take on the governor of Akwa Ibom state who was only carrying out his official functions in protecting the rights of children as entrenched in our laws. The governor has been called names and threatened with fire and brimstones. You did not stop there in your attempt to make these two states inhabitable for those opposed to your nightmare of a teaching. You have also resorted to the law courts, ably encouraged by one that is best described as a “jankara” lawyer. Victor Ukutt, for whom the description, Lagos lawyer, is too much of a priviledge, has been championing your irreligious and very satanic cause. As at present moment, you are demanding billions of naira from the group consisting of Sam Itauma, Gary Foxcroft, the governor of Akwa Ibom and Leo Igwe. Your ill-advised demands from the Nigerian law courts are rather unfortunate and bother strenuously on the ludicrous.
Helen, it has equally not been smooth-sailing at my end. For attempting to raise a voice at your inequities, I have received series of threatening mails and abuses. To cap it all, your uncouth and obviously brainwashed lawyer also decided to pass a message to me. In a response to the article titled: The Many Faces of Helen Ukpabio, published by New Nigerian Politics website, Victor Ukutt decided to abuse and possibly secure a job for me under your burgeoning empire. Reproduced fully and unedited is the message:
A visitor to your Web site has filled out the form located at:
http://www.newnigerianpolitics.com/indextemplatecom_olusegun_fakoya_the_many_faces_of_Helen_ukpabio_aug_17_2009_2009.html
Multiple Line Textbox 1 Mr Olusegun fakoya
You are a jobless man that is dabbling into things you have no oita of understanding. If you are a physician as you claimed , you should have been busy with your patients instead getting involved with idel gissips with Helen ukpabio’s matter.All the allegations you made against Evangelist Helen ukpabio are all false. Show us one child any where in this wide world that point accusing finger that Helen ukpabio labelled him or her a witch or helen tortured him or her.If you are jobless, Helen would give you employment. Do you know the number of children that were abandoned by their parents and helen ukpabio picked them up and trained them even up to university level? Go to her church in Calabar and make inquiries and you will be shocked to see and know the number of children that Helen is taking care of them .At the end you will pepent and ask God for forgiveness because an innocent woman of God was accused unjustly/fasely.
One Line Textbox 1 Barr victor ukutt
One Line Textbox 2 [email protected]
Apart from the bad spellings which seem to cast serious doubts on Victor Ukutt’s integrity as a fully trained lawyer, may I inform Victor that I am indeed a busy man. True, I am a physician who attends to patients. My job is humanitarian in context and scope, hence my apparent disdain to manifested injustice. I subscribed to the Hippocratic Oath wherein I committed my life to the well being of my fellow men especially those who face unwarranted interferences in their right to a healthy and qualitative life. Victor Ukutt being a trained lawyer should have known this.
Helen, while many of your pastors are busy stigmatising innocent children as witches, you have been extremely smart in ensuring that no direct finger could be pointed at you. However, the key issue which the world has been frowning at remains the seed of social discord, injustice and sorrow which have been perpetuated by your preaching and writing. You have not denied, even in your numerous lawsuits, that belief in witchcraft is fundamental to your obnoxious brand of Christianity. You regularly hold sessions where exorcisms are carried out on supposed “witches.” You have vainly described the process of removing witchcraft in people as “painless” and “enjoyable”, by virtue of your “special” dispensation. You have written books expounding your bent belief in the existence of witchcraft and produced films to proclaim that child witchcraft is particularly horrific. To your eternal discredit are books like “Unveiling the Mysteries of Witchcraft” and films like “Kingdom of the Wicked”. You travel with fanfare and organise crusades and deliverances aimed at countering the forces of “witchcraft.” You shameless expound an arcane belief without due regard to its consequences on the society. Yet, Victor Ukutt wanted an example of a child in this wide world who has pointed an accusing finger at you. Victor must be living on a different planet.
Victor in his vain attempt to defend the indefensible made a spurious attempt at painting you in the humanitarian light. He stated, inter alia:
“Do you know the number of children that were abandoned by their parents and helen ukpabio picked them up and trained them even up to university level? Go to her church in Calabar and make inquiries and you will be shocked to see and know the number of children that Helen is taking care of them”
To be honest with Victor, I really do not know the number of children that you are taking care of. However, this piece of news, if correct, is not surprising as it would be practically impossible for you to totally escape the brunt of your actions. It is not surprising that parents would abandon their children in your church as you initially made their life miserable with the unwarranted tag of witchcraft. The main issue, however, is the uncomfortably high number of stigmatised children roaming the streets without hope for the future. And also the high number of those who have died in the aftermath of stigmatisation. These, Victor conveniently forgot to mention.
May I state that hoping to see a reformed Helen Ukpabio this year is like waiting for the return of the mythical magic pot of gold. However, I have the pleasure of assuring you that your actions are being microscopically monitored as usual. The only reprieve being definite repentance on your part. It should not be too much for you to accept that the Nigerian child should not be the focus of your meal ticket. It should not be difficult for you to accept that respecting the rights of the Nigerian child is culturally and constitutionally imperative. It is the only path to truce and to peace. The ball is in your court this year, Helen.
I hope to keep in touch very soon.
Regards.
Olusegun Fakoya
