ALIA: A PRIEST WHO COULDN’T DEVELOP A CHURCH WILL BE A DISASTER IN GOVERNMENT BY JOE NASHIMA
“If a priest goes against the Canon Law and his priestly vows, such a priest has nothing better to offer to the society.”
Those were the words of his Lordship, Bishop Williams Avenya on 22nd May, 2022 while addressing the congregation at St. Paul’s Catholic Parish, Kyado, Ukum local government area of Benue State.
The Bishop was apparently referring to the renegade priest called Hyacinth Alia who recently abandoned his vows and jumped into partisan politics to vie for the governorship ticket of All Progressives Congress, APC in Benue State.
Bishop Avenya had issued a suspension letter to Alia describing his conduct as a rebellion against the church (contumacy). The priest, to show how desperate he is for power and wealth, came out to say that his suspension is a normal thing and a permission to go and participate in politics. What an insult to the body of Christ!
But that is what you get when a man who took vows to remain celibate, obey the Canon Law and live his entire life in God’s vineyard suddenly dumps priesthood to seek power and the pleasures of this world.
Alia is a fraudulent man! For him to have the face to look us in the eye and splash falsehood that the church only gave him a pat on the back and released him to go and contest for governorship is a worrisome signal that this man will sell Benue and pocket the proceeds if he is elected! He can’t be trusted with resources of the state.
The Bible says in the book of Luke 16:10-14 thus: “Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in big things too.”
We can’t trust this former priest with Benue’s resources. He is a dishonest man. To lie against the church that gave him a name and honour means he is highly fraudulent and criminal minded. No man who took the sacred oath to serve God all his life but has suddenly violated that sacred oath and has gone on to lie against the body of Christ deserves to lead even a group of slaves. He will reck havoc on the state if given the opportunity.
What does Alia know about governance that he boasts of fixing Benue State? What development did he bring to the churches where he worked as a priest?
In all the places he served as a priest, there are records of his mismanagement of funds and embezzlement to build mansions for himself and his women.
This same priest deceived many unsuspecting people in the 1990s and early 2000s with fake miracles of healing of sick people. Till today, he can’t point to anyone who is a well known person in any part of Benue State who was cured by his “healing miracles”. The good thing is that the church soon discovered his fake life and many people stopped attending his “healing masses”.
With his decision to join politics, Fr Alia has also brazenly violated the Cannon Law. The law states clearly that “clerics are forbidden to hold public office whenever it means sharing in the exercise of civil power” (Canon 285.3).
In 2019 before the general election, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) banned Catholic priests from engaging in partisan politics including becoming a member of any political party. That is what Fr Alia has done exactly with his membership of APC and his ambition to be governor.
Former Reverend Fr Hyacinth Alia is the culprit who broke the law of celibacy and has now also abandoned the cannon law which forbids priests from getting involved in politics. This man is dangerous. He will be ruthless with finances of Benue if elected. If a man has no fear of the oath he took on the altar of God, why will he be afraid to squander public funds?
Benue people be wise. Akume and his wife want to hoodwink you. They have entered into an agreement with Hon. Alia on how they can loot Benue’s money. Last week, Regina took Alia to Akume and the deal was signed. The initial “allocation” that Alia agreed to be giving to Akume was N1 billion – N750,000,000 from federal allocations and N250,000,000 from the state IGR. Deal sealed!
APC, reject this priest and his sponsors!
• Joe Nash is observing from Akpehe, Makurdi. Benue State
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