The Nation Newspaper

Tag: God

  • Assemblies of God factions disrupt schools handover

    Assemblies of God factions disrupt schools handover

    Abia state Governor Theodore Orji was ready to hand over four primary schools owned by Assemblies of God Church to their owners in furtherance of the administration’s policy, but two representatives of factions of the church came forward to collect the papers.

    That startled the governor who quickly saved further embarassments by asking the claimants to return to their seats while the matter was sorted out.

    The development took place at the return of 100 primary schools to their original owners by the state government.

    The state government had, three years ago, returned over 30 secondary schools to their original owners  and now decided to extend the policy to the primary level of education.    One hundred primary schools were returned.

    Governor Orji was to hand over the documents of the primary schools to the church when two different groups appeared shouting and claiming to be the rightful owners of the Assemblies of God Church schools that were being returned to them by the state government.

    Orji was taken aback when two men stepped onto the podium to receive the ownership certificate of the four schools handed over to Assemblies of God with both of them stretching out their hands to take the documents from the governor.

    As none of the factional representatives was prepared to budge, the governor asked them to go back, saying, “We will sort it out” and continued with the ceremony.

    The governor demonstrated maturity as he saved what would have been a clash between two factions of Assemblies of God who carried their disgraceful politics to the governor’s office as both factions wanted to take the documents.

    Governor Orji, in his wisdom, laughed it off and refused to hand the schools or the documents over to any of the factions, even as he told them that the issue would be resolved later.

    Handing over the documents of the schools to their original owners, Governor Orji said it was regrettable that, for decades, the policy of handing over the schools to their original owners has been in the limbo, expressing his joy that his administration has broken the jinx.

    The governor who said the hand over programme would be in phases, also noted with happiness that the handover of secondary schools has impacted positively on the system as has manifested in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and other results in recent period.

    He said the government was emboldened to embark on the handover programme to “right the wrongs” done to the churches who are the original school owners.

    Orji said: “I am proud to attest that there has been appreciable impact of this policy reversal on the secondary schools we returned to their original owners. It is my belief that these schools we returned today will experience similar transformation which was experienced in the secondary schools that were returned to their original owners.”

    According to him, if the trend in of high academic and moral standard continued to be sustained in the schools that were returned, it would encourage his successor to bring the exercise to logical conclusion by returning the remaining schools to their original owners after sorting out the controversies of ownership.

    The Abia State governor asserted that private proprietors and religious organisations have proved their effectiveness in running schools, hence he was emboldened in taking the decision to reverse the “wrong” policy that made government to take over schools from their original owners over four decades ago.

    He said his action was based on his “pursuit of equity, fairness and righting of wrongs” done by past governments that implemented the policy of appropriating schools; leaving their owners to agonise as fortunes of education dipped drastically.

    Commissioner for education, Dr Monica Phillips had earlier in her address noted that government was motivated by the need “to revive our cherished values” when it embarked on returning schools to their original owners”.

    She urged the new owners to always liaise with the Ministry of Education in order to keep abreast with global trends in education and in so doing maintain international standards in Abia school system.

    The breakdown showed that the Anglican Church got 26 primary schools returned to it, followed by the Catholic Church with 25, Methodist Church 16 and Qua Iboe Church 12.

    Other original owners that got their primary schools back included Seventh Day Adventist Church that got back eight schools, Presbyterian Church six, Assemblies of God four while Apostolic Church had two primary schools returned to it.

  • I pray God heals me

    I pray God heals me

    N4m stands between him and losing his hip joint to avascular necrosis, which he contracted last year. Ejiro Diachevbe, a 300-Level Economics and Statistics student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), needs the money for a corrective surgery, EDDY UWOGHIREN (300-Level Medicine and Surgery) writes.

    He is known to be energetic. But, in the past seven months, Ejiro Diachevbe, 22, has been bedridden,  battling to live. The 300-Level Economics and Statistics student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) risks losing his right hip joint to avascular necrosis.

    Avascular necrosis is a medical condition caused by death of bone component due to interruption of blood supply. It often leads to destruction of bone surfaces.

    Ejiro struggled to walk as he moved from the first floor of Regina Idiado Villa, his hostel in Ekosodin area, to the ground floor to fetch water. When his neighbours rush to take their bath in the morning, Ejiro needs to wait because he does not have the energy to join in the scramble. His friends have become his cook; they take turns to prepare his meal. “The last seven months have been a sort of hell for me,” he told CAMPUSLIFE last weekend.

    According to him, he felt a sharp pain in his hip last year and went to the university health centre where he was treated. To his surprise, the pains returned a few days after. He returned to the clinic and was referred to the Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology of the UNIBEN Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

    At the hospital, Dr A.O Ogbemudia, a consultant, advised him to do an X-ray scan of his hip. The scan, he said, was conducted by a Consultant Radiologist and Sonologist, Dr A.I. Akhamacuna, at the Benin Radiological Services (BRS) in Uselu.

    •The medical report
    •The medical report

    The report reads: “There is some deformity with flattening of the right capital femoral epiphysis associated with partial fragmentation. The iliac, pubic and ischial bones are intact. Findings show avascular necrosis of the right femoral capital epiphysis.”

    Ejioro said: “When I took the X-ray report to Dr. Ogbemudia, he confirmed I have avascular necrosis and that I require   N4 million for corrective surgery. I searched for information about the condition online and I discovered that the disease has to do with compromise of blood flow to the hip joint and can be caused by abuse of drug and alcohol. The only drug I take without doctor’s prescription is anti-malaria pills, which everyone takes.

    “I am a Christian and I do not take alcohol and till date, I am still wondering how I got this disease. I am just praying that God heals me of this disease.”

    He said his parents had spent their life savings to ensure he returns to his feet. He said: “For the past five months, I have been going for checkups at the UBTH every Thursday. This condition has drained my parents’ savings. Whenever I go for check-up, it is either I am told to undergo one scan or the other. I returned from the clinic few hours ago and spent N25,000 on drug, X-ray scan and laboratory test. The money people have contributed for the surgery is what I am currently using to manage the condition.”

    Two weeks ago, the doctor told him he had no time to waste on the surgery. The longer he waits, the worse the situation becomes and perhaps, more expensive the corrective surgery will get.

    Ejiro is at the point of deferring his studies. He said that the condition is making him to miss lectures and lose focus. He won’t be able to write the second semester examination, which begins tomorrow.

    In order not to lose his life, Ejiro is calling onto public-spirited Nigerians to help him.

    “Normally, students given referral to UBTH from UNIBEN Health Centre are usually considered for discount on certain treatments but the university said the surgery is beyond its capacity to finance. I have taken my appeal to Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other civil society groups but nothing much has come out of this effort.

    “My classmates have been helpful. They come here to cook for me and do other domestic chores. I find it hard to go downstairs to get water.”

    Asked if the surgery would be done in Nigeria, Ejiro said the doctor could not confirm to him. CAMPUSLIFE tried to get Dr. Ogbemudia but our reporter was told he was not around.

    Ejiro can be reached on 08172588742.

  • Nigerians must reconcile with God

    SIR, may I use your widely read newspaper to remind Nigerians that the only path to genuine recovery for ailing Nigeria and her embattled people is for us all to waste no further time in turning back to God by obeying His sacred commandments to the letter.

    Our dispositions to one another at all levels and on all spheres, governmentally and non-governmentally, show clearly that we have little or no regard for God and His interests. We behave as if we created ourselves for our cherished mundane purposes. Love, which God decreed in 1Corinthians 13, as the pivot of human interpersonal dealings, sadly, has no room in our affairs today.

    The general run of our so-called leaders feeds us with deceit, while we, the poor, swallow it hook, line and sinker in utter helplessness.

    The situation is exacerbated by the offensive conspiracy of silence by those that should be the conscience of the nation and the defender of the cheated at all times, and the callous support of the few that should guide the ungodly towards the path of righteousness.

    Quite disturbing is the fact that those among us that revel in criminalities like corruption and abominable exploitation/oppression of the masses of the people have forgotten that as old as Methuselah lived (969 years according to the Bible), he died one day.

    Those of us who own numerous mansions at the expense of the impoverished masses who live in shanties fail to realise the vanity of life and the fact that however long we live, we shall leave all behind and eventually give accounts of our (mis) deeds before God, The Impartial.

    Let us remind ourselves of what God says in Psalm 9: 17 – 18: “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectations of the poor shall not perish forever.”

    The materialistic rulers of the world and their conscienceless cohorts may smile to the banks today while their preys languish in abject poverty (hunger, homelessness, inability to pay school fees etc); everything will end here because there is no bank in heaven to accommodate their loot.

    Daily today in the news media, we are innundated with mind-boggling stories of criminalities perpetrated by the desperate ones who have been pushed to the wall by the wickedness of those that should cater for their welfare. An idle hand, it is said, is the devil’s workshop and there is a limit to which a hungry soul can stand it without misbehaving.

    It is painful that the poor whom our Lord Jesus Christ came and lived for are now being cheated, exploited and oppressed by the few with the mandate to turn their situations around for better.

    Even in our private capacities, how do we treat our servants – housemaids, drivers and messangers? Do we realise that they too belong to the same society where people cough up intimidating amounts as university tuition fees per session? How do you, a multi-millionaire, expect the driver you pay a monthly paltry salary of N35,000 to be a proud father of a varsity student? One can go on and on about the nauseating indices of Godlessness that are fast turning life into hell for the majority.

    Money ritualists are on the loose while assassins, kidnappers and armed robbers are not showing any sign that they may down tools anytime soon.

    With all these, it is time we all sat down and reflect on why God created us and the consequences of treating His commandments with disdain. We must all daily ask ourselves: If God calls me today, have I been living in His ways? This is why we must reconcile with Him today that we may live according to His will and enjoy His abundant Grace.

     

    • Philip Babalola,

    Senior Pastor, Evergreen Church of God,

    Obanikoro, Lagos.

  • ‘God has ordained Buhari to win’

    ‘God has ordained Buhari to win’

    Prophet Joseph Oladipupo is the founder and general overseer of Faith and Victory Church Akure, Ondo state. Capital. He spoke with Damisi Ojo on Saturday’s presidential election. Excerpts: 

    What are your predictions for concerning the forthcoming general elections?

    God loves Nigeria and God loves the people of Nigeria. He has revealed to me some of the things that will happen in this country in a few weeks time. God has revealed to me that the incumbent President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, will lose in the forthcoming election.

    There is no amount of prayer that can change this. It is the plan of God and it can never be changed. Jonathan will lose the poll. If he wins, then God doesn’t send me as His servant. I have confidence in God and I have always relied on him. He has never said a thing that will not come to pass.

    He told me while interceding for Nigeria that Jonathan is not the next President. General Muhammadu Buhari will win the election and he will rule this country democratically. Jonathan can’t change the position of God and his prayers cannot change the position of God on this issue.

    My prediction on this issue is yes and amen, and it cannot be changed by anybody. Nothing can change this I repeat. I predicted the postponement of the general election and it was so; nothing could change it. This time around, nothing can change my prediction again, not even the prayers of Jonathan or his people.

    Do you think President Jonathan will hand over to General Buhari even if he loses the election?

    I am saying it again that General Buhari is the next President of this great country. Buhari will win the election and he will be sworn in as the President. However, after his inauguration there will be a bit of crisis but that won’t stop the nation. The little crisis that will follow his inauguration will be curtailed and Buhari will lead this country.

    God revealed this to me in a long vision in 2014. He told me Jonathan will try as much as possible to win the election but he will lose at the end of the day. God said Buhari is the next president He has ordained for Nigeria and nothing will change it.

    Many PDP supporters may think you have an interest in General Buhari or the APC with these predictions…

    … I am not a politician and I don’t work for any party. I am not a politician by any way. I am a prophet of the Almighty God. I am not into any business in life. I only work as a minister of the Almighty God. So, I am not interested in any candidate or any political party. I am doing what God asks me to do and I am saying what He told me to say to the people.

    Okay, maybe you are supporting Buhari then

    I am not by anyway supporting Buhari and I cannot support any  politician for any reason. Please let it be known that I am not a member of any political party. I don’t belong to the PDP, APC, APGA or Labour Party. Let me stress that I have never made any failed prophesy or prediction since I became a servant of God. All my prophecies and predictions have always been fulfilled and this will not be an exception as God lives.

    Can you recall some of your predictions, which came to pass?

    There are so many of them. I have made several predictions, which were fulfilled and I will state some of them. By the grace of God, I predicted the victory of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole in Edo, I predicted the victory of Ondo state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and that of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti.

    All these predictions came to pass. I have published documents in my record to prove all these predictions. You can also find out. I was the first person to predict the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state. There are text messages on my phone to prove these. I have been making predictions for the past 10 years and God has been faithful to me and His words.

    What happens if these prophecies are not fulfilled?

    God is the only person who can make any prediction to come to pass. He showed me the vision and the fulfillment of the vision is in His hands and not in the hands of any of His creatures. If God doesn’t want any prediction or prophesy to come to pass, He will change such prophesy and this can be done through prayers and His mercies.

    But on the forthcoming general elections, God has said it and my predictions will be yes and amen. Nothing can change the victory of Buhari this time around.

    What other predictions do you have?

    God has revealed to me that Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose will be impeached before the end of December. God has also revealed to me that the governorship candidate of the APC in Lagos state, Akinwumi Ambode, will win.

    Also, God has told me that Ondo state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko may also be impeached from office but prayers can help out in his case.

    Fayose will be sent packing from the government house before the end of December, 2015. I predicted that he would win the governorship election in that state. But this time around, God has said it that Fayose will be impeached from office and there is nothing he can do to prevent the fulfillment of that prediction.

    I said it sometimes ago that Fayose would win the governorship election but his administration will not last and that is what God is affirming in this new prophesy.

    What is your take on the allegation that some Christian leaders were bribed by President Goodluck Jonathan to support his ambition?

    I am a Christian and I believe in God and our leaders. The allegation of bribery leveled against our leaders is not clear to me yet. Those who made the allegation should explain better. However, as a Christian I am not in position to condemn or nail my leaders. The allegation should be seen as nothing but a mere allegation.

     If you are privileged to see President Jonathan, what advice

    Would you offer him?

    I will advise President Goodluck Jonathan to allow true men of God seek the face of God on behalf of this country. I will advise him to allow the people of God to pray for the sustenance of this country.

    Also, I will tell President Jonathan to prepare his hand over notes because he will not be returned as President. I will also tell him to start preparing to leave for the next President who God has ordained for this country to take over from him. I am a man of

    God and I don’t think it will be difficult for me to say the truth at anytime. I have put it on the social media that Jonathan will lose and I don’t predict doom. Let’s wait and see. It is not a prediction of wait and see but a factual prediction.

    What will happen if another prophet predicts that Jonathan will win and he goes on to win?

    Jonathan cannot win. Write it down, he will lose the election. Nothing will happen if another prophet predicts that Jonathan will win but the end will justify the means. The election will hold and INEC will announce Buhari as the winner of the election and nothing will happen.

  • I feel like a god when I’m dancing –Dayo Liadi

    I feel like a god when I’m dancing –Dayo Liadi

    Foremost Nigerian dance artiste, Dayo Liadi, speaks with Gboyega Alaka on the state of dance in the country, his struggle with his dad to embrace his passion in the early days and the events that eventually swung the pendulum in his favour.

    Arguably the most accomplished, most travelled and most recognised Nigerian dance artiste, Dayo Liadi, aka Ijodee, stands out. Even though a lot of people actually got to know him due to his amazing dance performance in the inspirational gospel song, Olori oko, by the Infinity group, Liadi has been around longer than that, dazzling his privileged audience, picking up huge cheques and travelling the world.

    At the last count, he has travelled over 60 countries, received training in the most acknowledged dance schools in the world, all on scholarship, and rubbed shoulders with the biggest and brightest in the dance and entertainment industry.

    Curiously however, Liadi has not been prominent in the present music video boom in the country, at least one would expect; and naturally, this has formed the crux of questions many have been asking about him. Why does he not glamourise the industry with his huge skills and experience?

    We also asked this question as we caught up with him at a press parley organised by Wajo Dance Project in Lagos recently to draw attention to the dance industry, and this is what he had to say. “I have said it times without number that I am not just a musical video dancer; I’m a dance persona. I do a lot on stage. For instance, I have a show next week, a big show for that matter. Somebody who performs everyday may not be able to earn the kind of money I earn in this kind of shows. So it’s not about me performing everywhere and being seen all the time; it is more about me doing the right thing at the right time. I personally don’t just want to perform everywhere; I want to perform where I think my art is needed and will be well appreciated. Unfortunately, you find a lot of people making noise all over the place, yet they’re not making anything in the real sense of it.

    “By the time I finished this project next week, I’d be in Hungary, Budapest; for two weeks, and then I’d be off to Paris for another one week, before coming back home. How many of those everyday dancers you’re talking about have that kind of opportunity? I know of only about two.” He said.

    So then we concluded that he must have made a lot in terms of material gains. But here, his answer was sublime.

    “I can’t seem to come to terms with the Nigerian concept of success. For me, success is fulfilment; joy; it is nothing material. I don’t even like mentioning material things when I’m talking about success in the industry. My successes are the people who are making it in the industry; people that I’ve trained all over the world and who are making it through their skills.”

    Without being immodest, he went on to disclose that he has imparted the skills of dance and knowledge to a lot of people around the world in his 27 years romance with the profession, who are growing under his influence, making waves around the world and constantly talking about him.

    “That,” he says, “is big success for me. Not the building big mansions and driving the best cars.”

    Going quickly down memory lane, Liadi said dance as a profession really began for him in 1991, when he first started mixing with the crowd at the National Theatre, Lagos, making little bucks. Then, he was involved in an annual Centre-stage Production, produced and directed by prominent actor and teacher, Sola Fosudo.

    He recalled that his dad, an industrial engineer never approved his romance with dance. He actually wanted him to be an engineer and in fact ensured that he enrolled at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, for an engineering course. The lack of fulfilment in that endeavour for him however meant he was always going to drift the way of his passion. Hence Liadi says “During intervals and at my free times, I was always going to explore my passion. I was going to dance, just to catch my fun, and it was during those wild explorations that I met people like Muyiwa Oshinaike, Yemi Remi, Debo Alexander, Isioma Williams, and a few other people, who were already involved in the pastime at the National Theatre. Lest I forget, that was where things used to happen.”

    Thereafter it began to dawn on him that he could actually make a living from dance, until the big break happened and he got the biggest pay cheque of his life at the time.

    Expectedly, Liadi did not want to talk about the worth of that big pay, but when reminded that it was a long time ago and that youngsters would love to know how much and probably get inspiration from it, he sighed and dropped his hands in capitulation.

    “Imagine N50,000 in 1994. And that was just one production. And imagine N300 per day for about two years, and sleeping in 5-star hotels! The show was called Franco-Nigeria Project and it was sponsored by the French government through the French Cultural Centre.”

    By this time, his dad who had maintained his stance had begun to pipe down. “Understandably, he was afraid I could turn out a bad boy, until he started seeing me in newspapers and TV. And then I started winning scholarships to study dance and choreography.  I studied in three different schools: ICC in Nantes; and Montpellier, both in France.  I also studied at the first dance school in Africa, the biggest one International School of Dance & Choreography Ecole Des Sable (JANT-BI) in Senegal. I also schooled in Austria. All these were scholarships, courtesy of the French, German and Austrian governments. The last course I went for was in Kung e Hee University in South Korea, where I studied for two years.”

    But have there been times he felt like quitting?

    “Yeah, and many times too.” He said.

    “Nigeria as a country can be frustrating sometimes. Imagine what my friend Seun Adeleye of WAJO said about finding it hard to get sponsorship for his fully packaged and ready-to-air 13-episode dance show. That is not the kind of story that will encourage you. Those of us in the industry know that there is dry season and rainy season.  When dry season comes, it gets so bad that you even begin to think that you’re doing nothing and that people have forgotten you; and then when the rainy season comes, people start trooping to you and you feel again like you’re the best. So of course we try to save during those rainy seasons.”

    His dance exploits also earned him the highly revered diplomatic title, Ambassador, hence one should not be surprised to hear fans and comperes referring to him as Ambassador Dayo Liadi. He explained that he came by the title on one occasion after he was picked ahead of 45 other artistes, due to his positive impact on the continent, using dance to propagate peace in Nigeria, Africa and around the world.

    Going by his exploits and the glowing manner in which he talks about dance, one is almost tempted to think that he has seen it all and is in fact fulfilled. But alas, his answer disappoints.

    “I’m not fulfilled yet. The way I talk about dance is beyond the ordinary, yes. And that’s because dance for me is highly spiritual. It’s because I have a special passion for it. When I’m dancing, I feel very close to God. And that is the feeling you get when you’re doing what you love to do. You just feel like a small god in your own world.”

    Another reason he remains unfulfilled is because he has not been able to actualise his dream of “establishing one of the biggest dance school in Nigeria.”

    For many years, he has hungered to start a huge dance school, going as far as acquiring lands, only to realise that he needs government’s support, which is not forthcoming. He regrets that even his effort to rally round colleagues and up-coming artistes to come together and do things right for the collective benefit of the industry has not yielded the desired result. This, he ascribed to poor education of a good number of practitioners in the industry, which he thinks needs to be addressed, and their poor understanding of his message.

    When reminded that people like Ali Baba of the Nigerian comedy fame have single-handedly nurtured an industry to limelight, Ijodee, as his fans love to call him, quickly replied that that was because Ali Baba had the fund. He added that “if you don’t have money, you can’t undertake such a mission. If I expend all the personal fund that I’m using to take care of my family on a project like that, I’m likely to be where I don’t want to be.”

    In the meantime, he remains committed to the growth of the industry, hoping that one day, the industry will get it right and the Nigerian public and the corporate world would come to appreciate dance like they now appreciate Nollywood, the comedy industry and the music industry.

  • ‘Who does God expect to solve these problems?’

    Could the controversial rescheduling of the country’s general elections have taken God by surprise? This question is worth contemplation in the context of the concept of divine intervention in politics. A few days before the rationalised rearrangement of the dates by the electoral authorities under the not-too-subtle influence of the political authorities, the Benin monarch, Oba Erediuwa, drew attention to the all-knowing attribute of the Almighty.

    Significantly, the occasion was a promotional visit by President Goodluck Jonathan to the king’s palace. The Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, who represented Oba Erediuwa, reportedly said: “God and our ancestors already know your (President Jonathan) aims; whoever God has chosen is our choice.”

    Who knows whom God has chosen? How is God expected to communicate the divine selection to the electorate? How will the voters be certain about the divine source of the endorsement?  How true is the saying, “God does not play dice with the universe,” meaning “The course of all events is predetermined?”  Does the introduction of God into politics amount to a mystification of the fundamentally unmystical?

    It was equally intriguing that former president Olusegun Obasanjo brought God into the picture. The former Board of Trustees chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was quoted as saying: “I have said I will not speak again regarding the forthcoming election until it is over. After the election, then we will talk. But as for me, I have spoken with my mouth, eyes, nose and other body languages. It is now left for your understanding.” He added: “Whichever one that you do not understand, I will just put it in prayers for you that God Himself may make you understand all that I have said fully.” It is interesting that Obasanjo expects God to do the work of clarification, not necessarily the work of communication. Or perhaps to put it more specifically, God is expected to clarify Obasanjo’s communication.

    Speaking of clarity, the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, made a clear-cut presentation showing the country’s pathetic level of development in a lecture he delivered in Lagos to mark the 73rd birthday of the General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye. In his talk titled “Harmonising virtues to gain heaven and earthly prosperity,” Osinbajo said: “Our challenges are poverty – 112 million extremely poor despite being the largest economy in Africa. We are one of 33 of the poorest countries in the world; infant mortality – 3.9 million children have died between 2009 and 2014; maternal mortality – 55, 000 women die every year; diarrheal diseases – 110,000 yearly deaths; literacy – 10.4 million children out of school; 80 per cent graduates jobless; corruption; missing funds – N2.6 trillion NNPC petroleum subsidy scam; $7 billion kerosene subsidy scam; $1 billion missing excess crude fund; 400,000 barrels of oil stolen everyday…”

    According to Osinbajo, “Our challenges present personal and communal obstacles to prosperity and happiness. Who does God expect to solve these problems? According to Mathew 5: 13-14, we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth…we are the solution to Nigeria’s problems.”

    It is reasonable and important to understand Osinbajo’s definition of the solution in a wider and all-encompassing sense beyond the narrowness of a particular faith or belief system. In other words, it should be clear that the victims and casualities of the social problems highlighted by Osinbajo belong to all religions and to no religion. Indeed, the indiscriminate nature of these problems means that the solution providers must rise above discrimination. Didn’t Mahatma Ghandi say “God has no religion”?

    Certainly, the business of governance belongs to the secular space, which is not to say that it may not be influenced by the spiritual. Indeed, politics may benefit from spiritual enlightenment; given the reality that excessive materialism and materialist excesses exhibited by the political leadership have taken the country nowhere.

    The echo of Osinbajo’s striking and penetrating question just won’t go away: “Who does God expect to solve these problems?” It is also possible to ask: Who do the people expect to solve these problems? It is fascinating that while the people seem to expect God to provide the solution, God most likely expects them to fix the problems themselves, especially since these problems are man-made and man-sustained.

    Power to the people is a catch-phrase that must be actualised by the people themselves for meaningful change. Fundamentally, the country’s historically significant 2015 general elections represent an unquantifiable opportunity for the electorate to demonstrate not only discerning political consciousness but also confident mastery of its ultimate sovereignty. In other words, the elections are better appreciated as a People Power Project.  The people have the power to vote for change. The question, therefore, is whether this would happen, not whether it could, because it is always a democratic possibility based on people capacity

    Against this background, probably the main the challenge facing the progressive camp in the countdown to the defining elections is people mobilisation, which will likely come with the difficulty of spreading political awareness and enlightenment as well as delivering the crucial message of the need for game-changing political action within a population that is usually fatalistically absorbent. Indeed, how far the people are ready to go to protect the sacredness of their votes will be decisive.

    It is always too easy to declare that the voice of the people is the voice of God. It may be more important to find out whether the voice of God is the voice of the people. The logic of divine good and perfection means that, in the final analysis, God’s intervention is always excellent and faultless. Based on this deduction, can the electorate logically enthrone an ungodly model in God’s name?

    When the voice of man is equal to the voice of God, there will be no room for the champions of corruption; there will be no space for the despisers of the dispossessed; there will be no atmosphere for power-drunk oppressors; there will be only the rule of the righteous.

  • Subomi praises God at yearly prayer

    It was all dance and praises for the Asiwaju Onigbagbo and the Olori Omoba of Ijebuland, Otunba Subomi Balogun, when he hosted at his Ijebu Ode residence, the 2014 Christmas Carol and the annual New year prayers.

    At the two-in-one event were members of the local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ogun State and many others, including traditional rulers.

    The programme was oragnised to celebrate and appreciate God for what God did in the family of the doyen of financial institution and commit members of the family to God’s hand this year.

    In his remarks, Subomi spoke of his resolve to praise God and contribute his quota to the development of his home town, pointing out that he has to spread what the Lord had deposited in his life.

    Recounting God’s favours in his life, the octogenarian commended the contributions of the CAN for its usual contributions to his life and the annual carol in Ijebuland and the state at large.

    His words: “All that I want to do for the rest of my life is praises. I cannot but appreciate God for what He has done in my life and I have to transfer such gesture to the less-privileged in the society. I want to continue to contribute to the development of Ijebuland. I give thanks to God. I will always praise God. I also pray for good health and long life.  “At this juncture, I want to commend the leadership of CAN in Ogun State, especially the Ijebu-Ode chapter for setting up a committee that held the Christmas carol. On behalf of my family, I want to express my profound gratitude to the men of God here presence today, may God be with us all back to our various destination.”

    The CAN chairman in Ijebu-Ode, Bishop Ebenezer Bankole who said the sermon entitled: “Christ in your Christmas”, prayed to God for long life and God’s wisdom for Subomi and the royal fathers.

    The cleric said many of the people celebrating Christmas today refused to allow Christ to rule in their affairs, a development he alleged, often lure them to commit atrocities.

     

  • Voice of God or man

    When is the voice of man equal to the voice of God?  This must be the central question in the controversy over the priestly intervention by the Enugu-based Catholic Rev Father Camillus Ejike Mbaka. His intrusion was unanticipated because the country had grown accustomed to the silence of those who claim to represent the divine when faced with the influence of political power.

    So, it was food for thought when Mbaka’s New Year message to the congregation targeted President Goodluck Jonathan. Mbaka said: “I’m not saying that Goodluck is a bad man. He is a good man. But he cannot lead Nigeria. As things stand right now, from the oracle of the Holy Spirit, Jonathan should honourably resign quietly and let Nigeria be.” He also said:  ”The way Nigeria is going right now, the office of Goodluck Jonathan let another take…We need change. May the Holy Spirit help me to vocalise what he has shown to me while I was waiting on him to give me a message for my people.”

    Indeed, Mbaka’s appeal to authority, more specifically, to the believed infallibility of divinity, may appear mystifying, but that is understandably the nature and character of priesthood. Priests are expected to be peculiarly connected to the metaphysical realm, but it is difficult to prove when a priest is metaphysically correct. It is the fundamental uncertainty of spiritual integrity that complicates a priest’s claim to oracular capacity.

    However, when a priest, by his pronouncement, is on the same page with the people, it may suggest a definitive divine influence; and this is Mbaka’s appeal. In the sphere of public opinion, there is little doubt about Jonathan’s abysmal governmental performance, and his pursuit of a second term in office has all the ingredients of a defiant and unrealistic venture. The context gives credence to Mbaka’s words and to his claim to being a messenger of God.

    It was striking that in reaction to Mbaka’s remarks, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Metropolitan See, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, was quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised if most people are not happy with the statement he made. From my reactions, you should see that I do not agree with him. I don’t believe a priest should be doing that.” He added: “If he was in my archdioceses, I will have sanctioned him long ago for the kind of things and utterances that he makes.” Interestingly, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, also said: “There are more than 30 million Catholics in Nigeria; Fr Mbaka is just one Catholic; if he makes a statement, it cannot be the voices of more than 30 million Nigerian Catholics speaking.”

    For the avoidance of doubt, Mbaka never claimed to be speaking for anyone but God. It is noteworthy that he said: “It is so unfortunate that pastors are becoming vultures around the president. Pastors are becoming hawks around him, eating the porridge of Jacob and selling their prophetic rights.” He continued: “Listen, this is the voice on the pulpit: all these men of God, who are telling Jonathan to continue because they are benefiting one thing or the other, you should question your apostolic, prophetic anointing.”

    It may be relevant to highlight the fact that when Jonathan went on a pilgrimage to Israel last year, the second time in his four-year term, he had with him the Chaplain of the Presidential Villa, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba; Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide; Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh; and President, Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor.  It is not difficult to guess that Jonathan’s repeat pilgrimage was probably inspired by his pursuit of reelection this year.

    Mbaka’s difference speaks eloquently when considered against the background of a “Primatial Award of Excellence in Christian Stewardship” given to Jonathan last year by the Anglican Communion. From the testimony of Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh who led a delegation to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Anglican Church is proud of Jonathan. Listen to Okoh’s words in justification of the unprecedented award: “By this award, we affirm that you as the leader and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has shared, allocated, distributed the resources of Nigeria fairly, equitably, and judiciously to the East, West, North and South of Nigeria to all, including the traditional religionists, Muslims and Christians alike, to men and women, to the youth and children, including the Almajiri. This is the essence of this award. Congratulations. May God honour you.”

    In a revelatory moment, Jonathan said on the occasion: “I grew up as a member of the Anglican Church…I have been a part of the church from the beginning. I attended the Anglican Primary School as a pupil. So I have to be very grateful to the Anglican Church that brought me up. I am what I am today because of the Anglican Church.” If Jonathan sounded like a proud product of Anglicanism, then the questions should arise as to what he was taught in that framework, if he was taught anything, and whether he is practising what he learnt, if he learnt anything.

    Just imagine how colourful and reinforcing it would be for Jonathan to be given awards by the representatives of the categories defined by Primate Okoh: “the East, West, North and South of Nigeria…including the traditional religionists, Muslims and Christians alike…men and women…the youth and children, including the Almajiri.” It would be a carnival of highly favourable publicity and praise, which Jonathan would, no doubt, enjoy.

    Seriously, isn’t it confusing? Who is speaking on God’s behalf?  It may be clarifying to quote Jesus on the Mount of Olives. In Mathew 25, he spoke to his disciples about the judgement of the sheep and the goats. Jesus said: “Then he will say to those at this left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me…Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.”

    If Jonathan’s record in governance should be judged by the words of Jesus, he would probably be qualified to be where Jesus referred to as “at this left hand”. In other words, his performance in office, which has observably deepened the country’s harrowing socio-economic conditions, places him among “the goats.”

    This must be the point of Mbaka’s sermon. It was an impressive and commendable instance of speaking truth to power, and deserves to be emulated by genuine priests in the interest of the country.

  • 2015 Politics: Oh God our help in ages past…

    2015 Politics: Oh God our help in ages past…

    As we pray for divine help in relation to the 2015 presidential and other elections, let us not forget that choosing a leader through elections is basically a terrestrial and not a celestial endeavour

    For a society that is world famous or notorious for having more prayer warriors than any other country of its size on the planet to have gone in the last few weeks into a higher praying gear must mean  that citizens are more apprehensive than they normally are. The source of apprehension appears to be the polity, particularly the conflict between the politics of tradition and change. So manifest is the perceived threat to Nigeria’s peace and progress that even the Pope found time to ask for a special prayer for Nigeria.  Obasanjo has also called for special prayers and fasting for Nigeria. Political and religious leaders and their followers are calling for divine intervention from various corners of the country in matters that are essentially human constructs. Those with the courage to recognise separation of church/mosque and state are calling in their own recommendations for caution and restraint on the part of politicians, as a way to save the country from the abyss in 2015.

    Given the stridency of calls on God to save the country, first-time visitors to the country would have thought that Christianity and Islam had just come to the country and that those in positions of leadership in the country have just known Jesus or Mohammed. Such people would not realise that there had been no time since 1960 that the country’s leaders had not been persons of Christian or Islamic faith. Even during the decades of military rule, all the dictators from Gowon to Abacha and their assistants were Christians or Muslims. Nothing is new about the current enthusiasm of political and cultural leaders to push political issues to God. This practice is in consonance with the habit of the average Nigerian to give unto God what is Caesar’s. Buck passing is an aspect of the proverbial Nigerian Factor.

    There seems to be no cogent reason for the palpable fear and tension that have enveloped the nation since the emergence of Buhari and Jonathan as presidential candidates of the country’s two major political parties. It is hard to find any reason for the panic that has become manifest in all sections of the polity, particularly among direct and indirect spokespersons for the status quo. Many young people are wondering why elders and adults in public life are worried stiff about 2015,  to the extent that those not calling frantically for prayers seem compelled by the look of things to call for  special protocols to replace the constitution.

    Just recently, a one-time minister of foreign affairs called  (apparently out of concern for peace and stability in the country) on presidential candidates and their parties to sign a special memorandum of  understanding in which they pledge not to allow their supporters to get violent after the presidential  election. One wrong assumption about post-election violence is that it is candidates and party leaders that allow voters to protest against election malpractice when citizens perceive that their votes have been stolen. In all the elections that had led to violence on account of rigging in this country: 1965 Western Nigeria’s parliamentary election; 1983 Ondo State gubernatorial election; and the spontaneous one at the end of the 2011 presidential election; there was no evidence that it was candidates or party leaders that instigated voters to get on the streets to defend their votes.  A more realistic and dependable way to prevent post-election violence is for INEC to ensure that the elections are not only free and fair but are also seen by members of all political parties to be free and fair. This is a surer way to prevent any violence than making candidates sign special Memorandum of Undertakings.

    It is INEC that is charged constitutionally to conduct free and fair elections.  It is not the job of the president to promise free and fair elections.  All encouragements should be given to INEC to do its job in such a way that it does not throw Nigeria into avoidable crisis on account of poor or substandard performance of a task that is crucial to the country’s peace and stability. The constitutional responsibility of the president vis-à-vis election does not go beyond ensuring adequate funding of the agency charged with conduct of election. It is not the job of the president to conduct election; he only needs to guarantee the independence of the electoral body. President Jonathan also has no reason to be promising that the election will be free and fair, as doing so implies that there is a role for the president in conducting an election constitutionally assigned to an independent electoral commission.

    Given the erratic nature of release of PVCs to registered voters, INEC does not appear to be doing enough to give citizens time to collect their PVCs.  The system of giving out PVCs on and off in different parts of the country at different times does not make for the efficiency required for the important task of ensuring that no duly registered citizen is disenfranchised. Part of the tension in the air must be related to the fact that there are still thousands or even millions of voters who are yet to collect their permanent voter cards six weeks to the election. For example, Elebu in Iddo Local Government area of Ibadan still had at the beginning of this week thousands of permanent voter cards waiting to be collected by their owners. There may be many more of such wards all over the country that are yet to release PVCs to potential voters.

    Instead of asking for memorandum of undertaking from candidates, efforts can still be made to ensure that INEC is able to give out all permanent voter cards before the elections. PVCs that are not collected by the end of January should be invalidated and their numbers published in national dailies. In other words, the best way to assure Nigerians that their votes matter is to ensure that INEC is able to conduct free and fair elections in an atmosphere that is devoid of any form of intimidation of voters. What happened in Ekiti and Osun States earlier in the year should not be a model for the 2015 elections. It is reassuring that President Jonathan had promised in his New Year message that INEC would be given all the support it needs to conduct free and fair elections in 2015.

    Our democracy must be prepared to experience whatever difficulties are part of electoral democracy. We should do everything to organise a credible election and have the courage to abide by citizens’ verdict at the polls. The strength of democracy is that candidates-be they incumbents or not-have the same chance to persuade citizens to vote for them at elections. And once an election is free and fair, any party that becomes violent then becomes an enemy of democracy and the country. And citizens should be up to the task to resist any senseless violence driven by any individual’s inordinate ambition. In other words, what needs to inspire pundits and citizens about the elections of February of 2015 is the imperative of free and fair election.

    Furthermore, media pundits need to avoid misleading the average voter through sensational headlines about perfect candidates for the presidency. There is no candidate anywhere in the world that is perfect for any office. It is not part of the culture of democracy to look for perfect candidates or messiahs.  Let our media assist our people to do what people do in other democracies: choose the best fit for the job at hand out of the many candidates presented by political parties. As we pray for divine help in relation to the 2015 presidential and other elections, let us not forget that choosing a leader through elections is basically a terrestrial and not a celestial endeavour. Putting electoral matters in hands of God may not be enough to guarantee free and fair elections.

    Let us remember that our responsibility as citizens and leaders is to ensure that the election to choose the next set of leaders to govern the country is transparently free and fair. Once an incontrovertibly free and fair election is assured, we can be sure that all the gods that 160 million Nigerians worship in different ways will be around to help shame anyone who opts for violence.

  • Kumuyi: God has not written Nigeria off

    Kumuyi: God has not written Nigeria off

    •‘2015 a year of turnaround’

    Nigeria is still in God’s plans for liberation from security challenges and economic reversals, the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi, has said.

    He urged citizens not to be like the complaining, critical and murmuring Israelites in the Bible.

    They should magnify God’s promises and plans rather than focus on present and past crises, the cleric said.

    His words: “God has not written you off. God has not forgotten you. There is a glorious day awaiting you; things will turn around… the bright future is starting today. God has come to visit His people… nothing will stop you onward journey.”

    He spoke at the church’s 2014 December National Retreat and Miracle/Revival Programme with the theme: “Lifted up to Higher Ground and Enrichment through God’s visitation.”

    Addressing a mammoth crowd, Pastor Kumuyi declared that 2015 is the year of God’s visitation, adding that the Almighty would give His people a cause to celebrate in the New Year.

    He said: “God will visit you in the New Year. Everything holding you down, the Lord will break it. You will step into your Promised Land. Things will turn around in your life. It is not what you see yesterday; it is not what you see today; a brighter day is coming.

    “The coming days for you will be better than the good old days. The things of the past may be wonderful, the things of today and tomorrow will be more wonderful.”

    Pastor Kumuyi urged Christians to prepare for life beyond the immediate, as, according to him, the Lord’s return is imminent. Nigerians, he said, must not seek powers outside the confines of God’s word.

    “We do not need to kill ourselves to have worldly and ephemeral powers. This should moderate our conducts on earth,” he said.

    He emphasised that worldly attainments would fade away, while the word of God remains forever.

    According to him, Christians and saints must, therefore, constantly feed themselves on the word of God.

    The cleric stressed that it was pointless to fight for things that would not last beyond 60 to 70 years “when we can strive for the ideal of righteous and unblemished life through the grace of God, and through a life that is well-pleasing to God, to eventually attain a life that has no end, which is as blissful as it is glorious.”

    He blessed the people and urged them to be satisfied with God’s goodness and kindness, which he said were more than sufficient to take care of them both here and in the hereafter.

    Kumuyi added that God, at all times, must be their pillar of strength and corner stone and abiding refuge for every situation.

    The programme also featured seminars under which several topics were considered. The miracle/revival segment featured power ministrations and healings by Pastor Kumuyi.

    There were also orchestra and song performances by the church choir.

    The programme provided opportunities for people to share their testimonies.

    For instance, a woman named Toyin Adeyemi, who had been married for 19 years without a child, climbed the stage to tell her story of how God took away her reproach.

    Samuel Olubiyi from Isolo area of Lagos told how he and his wife were blessed with a baby after four consecutive years of miscarriages. He also testified to his divine promotion after seven years of working without recognition.

    It was the same for Mr. and Mrs. John Chijioke. After several years of miscarriages, the woman conceived. When she was due to put to bed, all efforts by the medical team for her to have a normal delivery failed. After 13 hours of labour, she was wheeled into the theatre for an operation.