Most observers of social life consider various aspects of reality to be influenced by religion. Conversely, this commonly shared consensus wanes when the quality of this influence is considered. Due to different determinants, there are people proclaiming opposing opinions.
These extend from the acknowledgment of the positive role of religion within the developmental processes, to the more critical approaches which attempt to produce a balanced picture of the advantages and disadvantages mediated by the impacts of religion. Finally, there are some that identify religion as being the source of the pressures which are hindering or even undermining sustained progress.
Our global society today is undergoing significant constant proliferation of churches which have brought not only changing values, but also greater source of solutions to people’s problems. This rapid multiplication of churches is borne out of the understanding that in Nigeria, there is freedom of religious worship. Central to the constant proliferation of churches is the question of its environmental effects on the people in the society. The question of how the undesired physiological and institutional effects on individual and environments can be solved. This question has not only been of concern to the officials of Environmental Protection Agency but also to the academia. The major thrust of this paper therefore is to discuss the socio-economic impact of Redeemed Christian Church of God Camp on its environment. Historically, the origin of Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) could be traced back to 1952 when Rev. Josiah Akindayomi began to express a feeling of dissatisfaction with his mother church – The Cherubim and Seraphim Mount Zion in Lagos. He felt totally persuaded to leave the church because he saw some of the elements like the lighting of candle, burning of incense and ritual washing as a departure from the true word of God. Somewhat dissatisfied with some of the practices, he left C & S in 1952 to start a house fellowship called the “Glory of God Fellowship” with nine members.
Socio-Economic and Environmental Problems Associated with Rapid Multiplication of the Redeemed Christian Church of god Camp on the Environment
Key finding from the survey carried out reveal Noise Pollution, fragile structural integrity of abandoned building, inhalation of related air pollutants as a result of traffic jam at the Redemption Camp, improper ventilation and unexpected collapse of structure beside river banks as the key environmental hazards associated with constant proliferation of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. These will be discussed succinctly below:
a. Noise Pollution: The first related problem associated with the rapid expansion of RCCG is noise pollution. Noise pollution has been described as “an unwanted excessive harmonious sound that has undesired physiological and institutional effects on individuals. (Fieid 1993:15). People living side by side with the church constantly experienced noise pollution emanating from blaring loud speakers at no respect to time, day or night and more so on any day be it Saturday to Sunday. That of night is even worse because it is quiet and their message can propagate through the environment more clearly. Even students living in such environment will loose concentration while reading at night. Experts in medical science contend that chronic exposure to noise may cause noise induced hearing loss. It could also lead to stress induced ailments like hypertension, diabetes and psychiatric problems. According to Dr. Ademoye, he said, apart from hearing impairment, the other effect on one’s general health are anxiety, stress reaction and in some extreme situation fright. Noise according to him, disturbs sleep and when sleep is disturbed, it affects mental functioning and judgement. Further he says, the normal noise level in any circumstances should not go beyond 60 decibels, anything beyond it, is a threat to our hearing capacity. (Egwin 2009:59). Apparently, their public address system was not going down well with the neighbours.
- Traffic Congestion: It is a condition on networks that occurs as use increases and is characterized by slower speeds longer trip times and increased queuing. Usually, at the Redemption Camp sited at Lagos-Ibadan expressway, traffic demand during the monthly Holy Ghost programmes is always great to the extent that congestion is incurred. In fact, some of the members and non-members narrated their ordeal during the programmes as unpalatable. A member once said, he was in the traffic jam for hours before he could find his way out. For someone to have stayed in the traffic jam for hours, experts contend that it has three major environmental effects namely; (1) Psychological and Physiological effects (2) Economic loss (3) Uncertainty and Unreliability in every services of the vehicles. (Downie 2008). As a non-productive activity, regional economic loss could occur. Delays which may result in late arrival for employment, meeting and education resulting in loss of business, disciplinary action or other personal losses. There is also the inability to forecast travel time accurately, leading to drivers allocating more time to travel, “just in case” and less time in productive activities. Moreover, exposures to carbon monoxide emissions are linked by experts to worldwide more deaths per year. Symptoms of large exposure to carbon monoxide could lead to asthma, bronchitis, lung and heart diseases and respiratory allergies. It could also contribute to global warming, which lead to depletion of the ozone layer, and thereby causes skin cancers and upsets our immune system. (Stott1990:113). In addition, wears and tears on vehicles could occur as a result of idling in traffic and frequent acceleration, braking leading to more frequent repairs and replacement. However, because of the economic situation in the country, most people tend to manage their vehicles, and the after effect is usually painful. For instance, most road accidents that occur in our highway is as a result of carelessness on the part of the owner or failure to put the vehicles in good shape before travelling. Lastly, blocked traffic may interfere with the passage of emergency vehicles travelling to their destinations where they are urgently needed. In such a situation, it is either the patient being carried to the hospital died on the way or makes it by chance.
CONCLUSION
The contribution of the Redeem Christian Church of God in the advancement of national development cannot be overemphasized. The dividends show in the areas of education, politics, health, economics etc. There is no end to the various ways by which the church has and can influence national development. This is significant, especially, at this time in the world when the Church in Africa appears to be at the centre of Christianity and evangelization. Although a great deal has been achieved, there are still robust and dominant roles open for her in the economic, social, political and others segments of development of society. The Church must therefore equip herself sufficiently so as to effectively perform these roles. However, as the Redemption camp makes huge contributions to national development, she must take out some time to look into herself to see if there is any need to adjust any of the church activities to be able reduce its adverse effect on the people that surrounds its environment. Consequently, it has been observe above the various socio-economic effects which the Redemption Camp has on the inhabitants residing within 500m radius which ranges from excessive noise, traffic congestion, waste generation among others, and also the boost in economic activities, increase in land and housing values among other positive effects. Hence there should be a bridge in gap for Redemption camp manager to be able to balance the Camp’s activities so as to be able to reduce its adverse socio economic effects on the populace that surrounds its environs most especially those that live very close.
RECOMMENDATION
The following are recommended for the improvement of the activities of the Redemption camp so as to improve the socio-economic and other activities of the inhabitants that live within 500m radius and those that live far away to the camp. These include:
There should be concerted effort to control the Redemption Camp’s environment, and limit the noise that enters the space.
Situations that would expose the camp to prolonged noise pollution should be avoided.
Installation of double dual-paned windows, weather stripping and even added insulation.
There should be enforcement of noise ordinances at all levels of government, but government should not only make laws but also should enforce them.
Individuals, groups, non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and government should place much emphasis on enlightenment programmes that will sensitize the people on the need to observe measures that engender healthy ear and prevention of aural damage. Individuals should be able to identify sources noises that are deleterious to ear and avoid being close to such sources.
Road rationing – where regulatory restrictions prevent certain types of vehicles driving under certain circumstances.
There should be provision of more lanes for free flow of vehicles. Traffic jam if managed well can be useful for the environment. This could be done by imposing fees that are high enough to discourage significant numbers of drivers from travelling.