Ahmed Yahaya-Joe
I am not holding brief for Ifedayo Olarinde otherwise known as Daddy Freeze. My intervention is merely to contextualize him within the David and Goliath dynamic he has skillfully contrived against a section of Nigerian pastors. I have always maintained a dignified silence on his antics. But having recently watched a viral video of a certain David Ibiyeomie raining “curses” on him, I became so embarrassed on behalf of the Founding Pastor of Salvation Ministries in this on-going contest whereby a smaller, weaker opponent takes on a much bigger, stronger adversary. Losing one’s mind is so easy but undoing the damage is nearly impossible! I recommend to everybody reading this post; “The End of Power – From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being In Charge Isn’t What It Used To Be” by Moises Naim (2013)
Mr. Olarinde is neither a “bastard” nor from Somalia. The attached family selfie features not only his parents but the young man’s wife and son. The elder Mrs. Olarinde is a naturalized Nigerian from Romania. Daddy Freeze is also not an “Antichrist” but a showbiz impresario with the unusual candor asking the kind of questions the rest of Nigerian Christians are too cowardly to ask. He is a Martin Luther of sorts whose rantings would inevitably separate the wheat from the chaff in our churches.
Being accountable is the cornerstone of any progressive society. Daddy Freeze is therefore taking on those who hide “anointing” in refusing to be held to account in their leadership templates. The recently signed CAMA has further propelled his relevance as an L’efant Terrible. Nigerian pastors by resorting to threats and insults to Daddy Freeze implies not only cluelessness but lack of strategic insight. Daddy Freeze is no doubt a grandmaster in psychological chess who has craftily positioned himself as a David and his traducers as fumbling Goliaths. He currently occupies the moral high ground. My analysis of him is that what he deliberately elicits emotional and angry responses. No doubt has many silent followers – those who embark on eye service across the denominational divide.
Being accountable is the cornerstone of any progressive society. Daddy Freeze is therefore taking on those who hide “anointing” in refusing to be held to account in their leadership templates. The recently signed CAMA has further propelled his relevance as an L’efant Terrible. Nigerian pastors by resorting to threats and insults to Daddy Freeze implies not only cluelessness but lack of strategic insight. Daddy Freeze is no doubt a grandmaster in psychological chess who has craftily positioned himself as a David and his traducers as fumbling Goliaths. He currently occupies the moral high ground. My analysis of him is that what he deliberately elicits emotional and angry responses. No doubt has many silent followers – those who embark on eye service across the denominational divide.
But when the priest read Prieras response something in him changed – the pope and his men failed in citing any fundamental and unequivocal scriptural authority; “Luther (then) wrote in reply in which he mercilessly took apart Prieras writings – the church he argued, had failed to answer his charges and base its arguments on Scripture. Luther published his text alongside Prieras’s, allowing readers to compare the two and come to their own conclusions. His direct quotations of Prieras, his audacious and mocking tone, and his use of recently developed printing technology to spread his message far and wide was quite shocking at that time”.
Martin Luther was a clever and dangerous man. So is Daddy Freeze. Anybody who loses their mind with the likes of Luther and Freeze simply falls into their trap! I doubt if “curses” can afflict such persons because they are so supremely rational amidst the turmoil of events. Anyway, Pope Leo X sent church officials to Germany to arrest and imprison him. In 1521, Luther was made to appear in the town of Worms before the Imperial Diet, a gathering of German princes, nobles and clergy organized by the newly elected Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. But Luther, refused to recant, and in a dramatic fashion, uttering the memorable line “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me”.
The rebellion Luther inspired is called the Reformation. It is one of history’s most outstanding political victories against the power and wealth of the Church. Daddy Freeze has now 500 years later positioned himself in Nigeria in a similar manner. Whether we like it or not CAMA is a game changer that will further energize Daddy Freeze who on March 11, 2018, unveiled the official logo for his online church named ‘Free Nation In Christ Online Church aka “Free The Sheeple” The goal according to Ifedayo is to; “Free Christians from the clutches of their manipulating pastors, who take advantage of them.”
What is the way forward? The enabling environment that facilitated the relevance of Daddy Freeze must be reformed lest it inspires another Reformation. Ifedayo has asked pertinent questions. He needs to be obliged with serious answers!
There is also need to always carefully assess criticism instead of attacking critics. Martin Luther used the innovation of printing technology. Daddy Freeze is likewise using what is today innovative; “This is the age of instant information, disinformation and post truth. Fact, fiction, outlandish lies and alternative facts mix and meet in a new amorphous reality. Everyone is now an information hub, reporter, editor, commentator, publisher and carrier if value judgements”
Daddy Freeze is an accomplished strategist who has preyed upon a situation whereby those who want to come to equity refuse to do so with clean hands. What he has done is identify a precarious center of gravity that holds the entire structure for Nigerian pastors and hitting it hard to inflict disproportionate damage. The only way to checkmate him is by providing wise and incisive answers that are hopefully more qualitative than that of Prieras!
