The Nation Newspaper on Thursday reported a schism between the twelve African Anglican provinces and their parent organisation the Church of England.
The ardent opposition led by Nigerian and Kenyan Archbishops Peter
Akinola and Benjamin Nzimbi was galvanized by the ordination of
the openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopalian Diocese of New
Hampshire in the USA.
Smothered by a battery of camera armed journalists, dissonant interjections and anxious hands cloud the upscale New York Manhattan Metropolitan club. The Most Reverend Peter Akinola remains calm and unyielding in defending the position of his African flock. His antipathy against the ordination of gay or lesbian clergy and his derison of same sex unions as tantamount to affiliating with baboons and cows, which at other occasions he had denoted as bestiality and Western slavery, has ignited uproars from the Northern Christian liberals and the GLB communities. His conservative Christian stance together with that of numerous other African Archbishops may be the crisis that marks the end of centuries of the intercontinental amalgamation of the Anglican Church.
"Time" Magazine named Archbishop Akinola as one of the top 100 most influential revolutionaries in the world, and attributes the partial preservation of Nigeria's democracy to him . His has proved to be such a powerful religious and civic voice that he has not only been instrumental in addressing corruption and accountability issues in the Nigerian government, but was a valiant protestor against the president Olesegun Obasanjo's attempt at an unconstitutional third term. His announcement that the African Provinces were prepared to forego financial assistance from the liberal Northern churches that play the hegemonic role of providence and who support homosexuality reinforced his undying opposition. His zeal for uncompromising truth and accountability etches out a pragmatic prototype for African leaders.
Under Rev Akinola's leadership, the Anglican Church of Nigeria has gained many new members. Since his ordination in the late 1980s, they have outnumbered the community of the mother church (The Church Of England) and have gained him considerable clout and recognition as a stupendous leader in the Southern hemisphere. Though his stance may be justified from a religious point of view, Archbishop Akinola is no exception to the affliction common with most inspirational leaders, who slowly become inebriated with the power and following they wield.
He actively took part in proposing a bill that accrued a colossal following from Christians as well as Muslims in the Nigerian parliament in 2006, and which would stipulate a minimum 5 years jail term for homosexuals and their sympathizers. This has sparked myriad accusations of bigotry and sexual discrimination by human rights agencies and NGOs worldwide, as well as by many more liberal clerics.
That a religious leader should advocate for laws that implicitly exacerbate hatred and discrimination towards a certain group of people, goes against the indiscriminate and non-condescending fellowship of Christianity, and is seem by many as undermining the integral liberties, in the wake of human right violations and the harsh capital punishment in Nigeria, as well as Africa. This might be an indication that he is be stretching his persistent right wing rigidity too far. This move not only spells out a separatist, schismatic attitude to his followers, and a implies misconstrued infallibility of the mainstream heterosexual population, but also contradicts the spirit of brotherhood and the purpose of the church as a place of refuge for all. Mutual respect in this regard should be imparted by religious leaders as well as political leaders.
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you so passionately speak of invaded Africa. We had conflicts, but no tribe went to the other saying, "You worship the Mountain? We are going to pound your head until you accept praying to our Sun." 
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Ad leones!
A.