Kayode Adebayo: They may mourn you. They will not lift a finger to fight for you. So hear this plain. Ever

[Abraham Madu]

Useless hirelings.

A shepherd has one job before all others — stand between you and the thing that comes to kill you. Offer his own body first, before the wolf reaches the flock. Everything else comes after.

The leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria met in Abuja this week. They counted your dead. They called for mourning. Then they went silent on the one thing that matters.

They will not name the wolf.

Everyone knows who is killing the flock. Everyone knows why. The killers shout it as they slaughter the sheep. Yet CAN calls it “insecurity” and the butchers a “criminal element.” They may mourn you. They will not lift a finger to fight for you.

So hear this plain. Every man who signed that statement. Every man who will not shout from the rooftops to get you to safety. Every man who will not put his own body on the line — he is a hireling at best, a wolf in shepherd’s clothing at worst.

It is too late for nuance. Too late for the benefit of the doubt. The hireling does not care about the sheep. He cares about his building and his budget. He counts the money you put in his pocket and leaves the gate open behind you.

A silent shepherd is no shepherd. The wolf has never feared a nuanced word.

So wake up.

Stop waiting on men who cannot even name the enemy. Walk away from the ones who fleece you instead of feed you. God will deal with them.

There are real shepherds in Nigeria. Some of the bravest on earth. No flashy media teams. No fine buildings. They are in the field right now, putting their lives between you and the killers — and most of you do not know their names.

Find them. Stand with them. Pour into them, not the hirelings.

The sheep must rise.

#EarthShaker

Ntị ọdị kwa?

Ya kpọtụba!

Ya gazie.

Ụmụ nne Abrahamụọgụ Aṅụsịobi Madụ.