Encomium
The economy hardship which Nigerians are battling affects every area of life. The situation of the country creates a decline in the payment of tithe and offering as many no longer pay or some don’t pay up to the amount they have been donating for tithe and offering.
ENCOMIUM Weekly sampled opinion of men of God, where they revealed to us how the country’s situation has affected donations in churches and mosques. This was our question: “Will you say there is decline in tithe and offering?”
PASTOR DANIEL (TCMC – The Christ Mission Church) – The situation of the country calls for serious prayer. I strongly believe the hardship will be over soon. It affects every area of life, even the rich, are particularly affected. There has been some decline, we no longer get tithe and offering which we use for church development anymore. Most people complain a lot about their job. We keep helping them with prayers.
REV. COLLINS OSAKWE (RCCG) – The challenges we are facing affects everyone. Even me, I don’t donate like I used to do again. I don’t earn much, and everything is costlier. All we can do is to pray for things to get back to normal and I know God will support us in Nigeria.
IMAM ABDULWAHEED AKOMOLESIN – Things are generally hard now and that has reduced the monthly revenue of the mosque. Not a peculiar situation at all, it’s all over. Before now, we’re generating up to N19,000 or N12,000 every Friday after Jumat. But now, we hardly realize up to N,4000. And as we all know, it’s not compulsory but rewarding if you do. So, a lot of people don’t even drop anything in the offering bowl no matter the number of times you pass it to them. The situation of the country’s economy has really affected the whole thing. Yet, beggars troop in even daily, not only on Fridays. We have more beggars this time around than ever before. And little is the assistance the mosque can render now in alleviating people’s suffering because the mosque itself needs financial attention, so also the clerics in charge. We only need to pray hard that Almighty Allah changes the situation for the better. I personally believe Buhari’s administration will surely perform but it will only take time. But before then, we all need to pray for the survival of the whole country and its people.
ALHAJI KAZEEM OWOLABI – Yes, the rate at which worshippers give offering every Friday during the congregational prayer (Jumat) has reduced drastically. Even, some drop as low as N10 now. Unlike before, the mosque doesn’t make much money anymore because of the poor economic situation the country is passing through. But we hope for the better because we believe strongly that things will improve when the government in power gets its bearing.
PASTOR BASIL OSIGWE (Living Soul Ministry) – Yes, there has been massive decline in tithe and offering. It is something everyone is facing, the economy is very tough right now and every money people make, they want to use it to sustain their family. So, if a member that used to bring N100,000 for tithe before, he will start brining N50,000 as tithe because of the present situation.
EVANGELIST ANTHONIA (Deeper Life Church) – Yes, there is. The economy has affected everything in this country, even salary earners find it difficult to pay their tithe, not to talk of business men who also need more to go about their day to day activities. The harsh economy has affected the church drastically.
KAROUNWI NURUDEEN (Aranse Oluwa Mosque, Ilogbo, Ogun State) – There has been a decline in the offering people pay, especially at Jumat. We understand the state of things in the country, and we know it is the main reason why people are not spending like before. We pray for them that God will bless their work and also that God will make things better in the country.
SAHEED GAFFAR (Ola-Oluwa Mosque, Agege, Lagos) – I can’t say there has actually been a decline. The amount we make is not fixed, sometimes, it’s on the high side and some other times it’s lower. But I will only pray that God makes things convenient for us because we all know what the society is saying.
LAWAL TAOFEEK (Nuru-Lahi Mosque, Ishaga, Lagos) – There has been a great decline. Even the Ramadan fund we normally contribute, people have not started paying and it’s so unusual. The board money that we pay monthly, by now, some people would have paid for December, but go and check it, no one has paid beyond February.
SHIEK JAMIA SULAIMAN (Ifelodun Mosque, Ile-Epo, Oke-Odo, Lagos) – We need to stop our sins and ask for forgiveness. Because there are many sins in this country that w have done which God can see and destroy the world but God loves us in this country and we are misbehaving. After asking for God’s forgiveness, we are now going to pray that God should help us in this country. The problem with Nigeria’s economy is affecting everyone not only mosque. The offering now is not like before. It’s hardly you will see N500 from the offering. It is only God that can help this country
SHEIIK IBRAHIM (Zaenul Islam Mosque, Ayede, Ifo) – The situation in Nigeria is really affecting mosques. People are not really donating like before. The offering we collect every Friday hardly you could get N5,000, not to talk of the money people give us. I called one of our mosque members that used to drop huge amount for offering and asked him the reason why he has changed. The answer he gave me was that, “Nigeria’s problem. No money and we have to manage the one we have. We even struggle to get the one we are dropping.” Can you imagine that kind of situation. We need to go back to our God and pray for Nigeria and we should stop all bad things we are doing and seek for forgiveness.
SHEIK ALLEM BUSARI (Olorundara Mosque, Surulere, Lagos) – It is affecting the offering of our mosque. Even the contribution we do to renovate the mosque had stop because hardly you will see people that will contribute. The offering is not like before. When we are counting the money, the highest amount you will see is N200. What I discovered is that, the bad economy in this country is getting out of hand. I have been advising members in our mosque that they should continue praying and seek for forgiveness. Nigeria needs prayer and it’s only God that can help our situation.
