Full text of Pastor Bakare’s speech for which
Channels TV pulled his broadcast
THE GATHERING STORM & AVOIDABLE SHIPWRECK: HOW
TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC EUROCLYDON
Theme: Sunday’s Service | Minister:
Dr ‘Tunde Bakare | Created Date: Sun 04, January 2015
BEING
TEXT OF SPEECH BY PASTOR ‘TUNDE BAKARE
AT THE
STATE OF THE NATION BROADCAST ON SUNDAY THE 4TH OF JANUARY, 2015.
VENUE: THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY, END-TIME
CHURCH,
4, AKILO ROAD, OFF OBA
AKRAN AVENUE, OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS.
THEME:
THE GATHERING STORM & AVOIDABLE SHIPWRECK: HOW TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC
EUROCLYDON
CENTRAL
TEXT: ACTS
27:1-25 (NKJV)
ACTS 27:1-25 (NKJV):
1 And when it was decided that we
should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named
Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. 2 So,
entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts
of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with
us. 3 And the next day we
landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty
to go to his friends and receive care. 4 When we
had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus,
because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we
had sailed over the sea which
is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a
city of Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an
Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.7 When
we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with
difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not
permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the
shelter of Crete off Salmone. 8 Passing it with
difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the
city of Lasea.9 Now when
much time had been spent, and
sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised
them, 10 saying, “Men, I perceive
that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not
only of the cargo and ship, but also our
lives.” 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more
persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken
by Paul. 12 And because the
harbor was not suitable to
winter in, the majority advised to set sail
from there also, if by any
means they could reach Phoenix, a
harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and
winter there.13 When
the south wind blew softly, supposing that they
had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close
by Crete. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head
wind arose, called Euroclydon. 15 So
when the ship was caught, and could not
head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And
running under the shelter of an
island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When
they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship;
and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they
struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because
we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they
lightened the ship. 19 On the third day we
threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now
when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small
tempest beat on us, all hope that we
would be saved was finally given up. 21 But
after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of
them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed
from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And
now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among
you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood
by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I
serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must
be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who
sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I
believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
INTRODUCTION
Fellow
citizens of our country, gentlemen of the Press, ladies and gentlemen:
At this
crucial juncture in the history of our nation, I bring to you a word in season
which, in time to come, may turn out to have been a final warning regarding the
imminent storms threatening to hit our nation. At the same time, this is a word
of hope; the assurance that despite the looming chaos, Nigeria in the hands of
God is going to be the biggest miracle of the century.
First, I
must reiterate in unequivocal terms that my position in the unfolding political
situation of our nation is that of a nation-builder and not a politician, and
that my desire is to see a nation that works in my lifetime. On the 16th
of November, 2014, as I stood on this platform to share with you “The Nigeria
of My Dreams”, I laid it bare to all and sundry why I would rather incline my
ears to the melodies within my reins as to the beat of a distant drum. Although
the position I stand here today to declare may appear as controversial to many,
I do not go about seeking controversies. It is the Lord who has a controversy
with the nations, with the inhabitants of the land, and with His people,
because their counsel is contrary to His, according to Jeremiah 25:31(NKJV):
‘A noise will come to the ends of
the earth – For the Lord has a controversy with
the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh.
He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’
says the LORD.
Let me
therefore declare upfront my desire for a successful transition exercise
irrespective of political party interest. About this time five years ago in
2010, when the nation was engulfed in a constitutional crisis that bordered on
the refusal to transmit power to the current president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, and the hijack of presidential powers by a cabal following the
incapacitation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, as I was inspired by God to
take action, I gathered the heroes of democracy with the help of civil society
organization leaders at The Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, and the Save Nigeria
Group (SNG) was born. We marched the streets of Abuja and Lagos until the
Doctrine of Necessity paved the way for the restoration of constitutionality.
After
President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in, we, at the Save Nigeria Group, had a
series of meetings with him in the bid to chart a new course for our nation
offering him what we termed “A Contract to Save and Transform Nigeria”, which
we consider an irreducible minimum standard of governance below which the
Nigerian people should not be subjected. We sought to lend capacity to a man in
whom both God and the people had great expectations. We thought that, having
come from a part of the country that had borne the brunt of our lopsided
political structure, Mr. President would understand, like the Biblical Queen
Esther, that “for such a time as this he was brought into the kingdom” to be
the facilitator of geopolitical restructuring and national integration.
However,
when we could not find fruit of genuine commitment to these ideals at that time
and when it appeared to us that the president had chosen a path that could lead
to the antithesis of what we consider his unique role, we went across the nation
talking to leading political contenders in search of the most suitable
candidate to whom we could lend our support. On the 31st of July,
2010, we brought together those we called ‘Arrow Heads’ who could constitute a
team of transformational leaders for our nation, including the likes of Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, ex-governor of Cross River State,
Donald Duke, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu, Fola Adeola, Jimi Lawal, Hon.
Wale Osun, Yinka Odumakin, amongst others.
Meetings
were held in my home where I made it clear that I would not be seeking
political office so that people would not think I convened Save Nigeria Group
for that purpose. It was thereafter some of us found General Buhari to be the
most suitable of the leading presidential contenders. When, months later, he
invited me to be his running mate on the platform of the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC), I flatly refused until after much persuasion and
corroborating counsel. Details of what transpired in that period will be out in
my book, Strategic Intervention in Governance: Volume I, which
will be presented to the public on the 4th of February this year by
God’s grace.
I say all
of this to make it clear that I do what I do just because I desire a Nigeria
that works, not because I seek any political office. However, it is my
considered opinion that capable men and women who love God and love the people
must offer themselves to serve when the opportunity arises, for, as Plato said,
“the price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by
evil men”. That is why I am so grateful to God and thankful to General Buhari
for offering me the opportunity to break the jinx and forever eliminate from
our consciousness the notion that no pastor should have anything to do with
politics. The fact that another pastor who has never won an election is running
mate to General Buhari in the 2015 elections is a testimony to that.
As we
approach the general elections few weeks from today with President Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) pitted against General
Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the second time around,
there have been questions regarding my political leanings. It is clear except
to the mischief makers where my loyalties lie but this broadcast is not about
political endorsements; it is about alerting the nation of the storms ahead. If
you must know, my political loyalty lies with General Buhari and I cannot claim
not to know the issues surrounding the APC Primary and the processes that led
to the selection of his current running mate. Nevertheless, this broadcast is
about the counsel of the Most High who rules in the affairs of men and gives
rulership to whoever He wills.
THE WINDS
AND THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF NATIONS
First, I
would love to remind you that the Most High cannot be crowded out of history
because history is His story. Kingdoms have emerged or disappeared, nations
have risen or fallen, great leaders have mounted and exited the stage, but none
of these have occurred without the direction or permission of God Almighty. Not
only has He authored history, He has also ordered the times and seasons for the
unveiling of the content of its pages, having predetermined the appointed time
for each nation. As though opening the pages of a book with His hands to reveal
its content, God orders and unveils the story of the nations with the stirring
of the winds. In the Bible, we see the destiny of nations unfold in response to
this stirring of the winds upon the earth and the sea. Whenever these winds
blow, changes occur in the governance of nations, for good or for evil.
In the
Book of Daniel we see the Four Winds of Heaven stirring up the Great Sea which
represents the people, multitudes, nations and tongues (Daniel 7:1-8).
In response to this stirring, four beasts came out of the Great Sea. These four
beasts were four kings and their kingdoms known today as the Babylonian
Kingdom, the Medo-Persian Kingdom, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire. The
Four Winds of Heaven are the attributes of God: Mercy, Truth, Righteousness and
Peace.
Psalm 85:10-13 (NKJV):
10 Mercy and truth have met
together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. 11
Truth shall spring out of the earth, And
righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yes, the Lord will
give what
is good; And our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness
will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
Ironically,
when these forces impact upon the earth, they expose the beasts in the rulers
of nations. These beastly rulers leave behind them a trail of devastation and
dryness after which the Four Winds of the Heavens are again prophetically
stirred to expel these beastly forces and bring restoration to the Valley of
Dry Bones and its content (Ezekiel 37: 1-14).
In the
parallel Book of Revelations, the Four Winds of the Earth are revealed as
forces affecting the nations. These forces result in the troubling or change of
governmental orders. The Four Winds of the Earth are politics, economy,
military and religion. These forces could be channeled to either
the making or ruining of nations depending on the dispositions of the leaders
and the people. For instance, national ruin was the result in many African
states with the emergence of tyrants after independence – the likes of Idi Amin
Dada of Uganda, Mobutu Sese Seko of Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean Bédel
Bokassa of Central African Republic, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of
Equatorial Guinea, General Sani Abacha of Nigeria, and many other ambitious men
whose dreams, drives and delusions unleashed a devastating storm into the
political space of their respective nations. This political storm resulted, or
has resulted, as the case may be, in economic ruin as these men enriched
themselves at the expense of their respective nations.
At some
point in Uganda, for instance, currency was printed just to satisfy the whims
and caprices of Idi Amin without recourse to any principle of monetary policy
management. Mobutu, on his part, amassed so much wealth through corruption that
he was reportedly richer than his country and appropriated many of his
country’s assets as it plunged into infrastructural collapse. Bokassa,
intolerant of opposition politicians whom he allegedly killed and ate or fed to
crocodiles, diverted and squandered the little wealth his country had. General
Sani Abacha became the most brutal dictator in the history of Nigeria,
eliminating perceived opponents by means of a deadly killer squad and stashing
away over $3 billion of public monies in foreign accounts. Obiang, who is still
the president of Equatorial Guinea, is reportedly worth $600 million. He is
said to have taken full control of his country’s national treasury and
deposited more than half a billion dollars into accounts controlled by himself
and his family claiming that he did this to prevent civil servants from being
tempted to engage in corrupt practices.
It will
be observed that the emergence of these African dictators was as a result of
the invasion of the military wind manifesting through coup d’états or civil
wars which, in some cases, resulted in counter-coups or extended civil wars. In
more recent times, especially since the turn of the century, the wind of
religion and the wind of the military have been unleashed upon the continent
and upon the nations of the earth like a genie in a bottle, manifesting in the
form of terrorist organizations from Boko Haram in Nigeria to Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Shabab in the Horn of Africa; from Osama bin
Laden’s Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); and from
Hezbollah in Lebanon to Hamas in Palestine.
Conversely,
the Four Winds of the Earth have also served in ushering nations into seasons
of genuine or perceived transformation. For example, the formation of the
United States of America was preceded by the stirring of the combined winds of
religion, economy, politics and military in Europe as well as in America. Many
of the colonies which formed the United States were created by settlers who
fled religious persecution in Europe. This quest for religious freedom and the
discipline that characterized the puritan migrants became the fuel for the
highly profitable agricultural and commercial activities that produced economic
prosperity in the colonies. The political wind blew when the colonies declared
independence and this declaration was accompanied by the war of independence
upon which was laid the foundation of a prosperous nation that has become the
most powerful country on earth today. Similarly, the formation of the Islamic
kingdoms, the largest of which was the Ottoman Empire that later transformed to
modern day Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was inspired
by this interplay of the four winds of the earth. Other cases in point include
the economic miracle of the Asian Tigers including Hong Kong, Taiwan, South
Korea, and Singapore as well as the Asian giant, China.
It is
gladdening to know that the Four Winds of the Earth, no matter how ferocious,
are under the God’s control:
Revelation
7:1-3
(NKJV):
1After these things I saw four
angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four
winds of the earth, that the wind
should not blow on the earth,
on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I
saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying,
“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the
servants of our God on their foreheads.”
NIGERIA
AND THE FOUR WINDS OF THE EARTH
Let us
now bring this back home by taking a brief look at the interplay of political,
economic, military and religious winds in the journey of the Nigerian nation so
far. Our pre-independence history saw the emergence of empires, kingdoms,
fiefdoms and communal political arrangements whose rise and fall were driven by
military expeditions motivated by economic interests and, in some cases, clad
in religious motives. Since independence, these winds, operating through
political power blocs, have produced governmental change from one regime to
another. Between 1966 and 1999, it was often a case of one military government
taking over from a civilian government or from another military government
citing, amongst other factors, economic mismanagement and political corruption,
and expressing a messianic mission to correct the blunders, even if
insincerely. In the democratic arrangements that preceded the return to civil
rule in 1999, such as the 1993 elections, religion was a much more silent
factor among the four winds in the determination of political outcomes. That
was why the June 12, 1993 elections could produce victory for a Muslim-Muslim
ticket. However, following the return to civil rule, religion has become a
major factor in the determination of election outcomes especially since the
2003 elections in which General Muhammadu Buhari first contested for the
presidency, as he has often been erroneously associated with religious
fundamentalism. The import of this factor got to what some might have thought
would be a crescendo in the 2011 elections when, for the first time in
Nigeria’s history, a pastor stepped into politics as running mate to General
Buhari.
Nevertheless,
in the year 2015, a crucial year in the unfolding history of our nation, the
Four Winds of the Earth are about to hit the nation in one combined storm that
will not leave her the same. The purpose of this broadcast is to give a timely
warning before the storm arrives like Apostle Paul did on that journey to Rome
in the Alexandrian ship (Acts 27) as well as to proffer an alternative
pathway even if the warnings and the proposals are rejected as occurred in
Paul’s case. But first, let us examine the state of the nation and show how we
have stirred the ship of state with difficulty (verse 7), ignoring the
warning signs, laying claim to fictitious economic achievements, celebrating
political institutions with weak foundations, allowing criminality and rebellion
to fester in the guise of religion, and denying the seeming comatose state of
our military and its inability to withstand the pressure, thereby subjecting
our nation to a depth of instability never before experienced since the Civil
War.
THE STATE
OF THE NATION
Today,
Nigeria is supposedly the largest economy in Africa, surpassing South Africa
and Egypt with a GDP of $522 billion, a value obtained since the rebasing of
the economy in April 2014. With this nominal GDP, Nigeria is now the 26th
largest economy in the world. It would appear, then, that her aspiration to
become one of the twenty largest economies in the world by 2020 is within
reach. However, whenever the GDP figures are brandished by the government as
signs of achievement, red flags start emerging as the people look around them
and wonder if GDP stands for garri don peme because even staple foods
are becoming unaffordable to the so-called ordinary Nigerian. In any case, we
need not go into those socio-economic realities that challenge the bogus claims
of economic growth; let us simply dwell in the realm of economic statistics
with which experts have often attempted to blind the eyes of Nigerians.
According
to the National Bureau of Statistics as well as Trading Economics, a resource
centre for economic indicators for countries the world over including Nigeria,
there was a decline in average GDP growth rate between the third quarter of
2011 and the first quarter of 2014 with growth declining to an average rate of
4.5% within that period compared to earlier rates as well as a 2014 rate of 6%.
Were these not signs of a staggering economy; signs that were strongly denied
by the government until recently when the fact could no longer be hidden
following the fall in oil prices? One also wonders if this decline was not the
pointer to the fact that the economy could no longer sustain the massive
corruption in the fuel subsidy regime which then informed the attempted subsidy
removal and the increase in fuel price in January 2012, a policy which the
people protested, defying intimidation until the protests were crushed by a
combined force of political intrigues, economic sell-outs and military
deployment with no action taken against the major culprits in the subsidy
fraud. Also, one wonders if, despite all the acclaimed benefits of the rebasing
exercise, it was not mere recourse to plastic surgery as an attempted solution
to an internal disease in a last-minute effort to window-dress the economy and
attract investments rather than address the problems fundamentally, considering
the fact that it was done in the first quarter of 2014.
The gap
between the bogus GDP claims and the economic realities of Nigerians is seen in
the fact that Nigeria, according to the World Bank, has one of the lowest GDP
per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) in the world at the 123rd
position out of 185 countries, thus revealing that the value of our currency as
an import-dependent economy makes our GDP claims of little worth. Worse still,
the level of inequality in the distribution of wealth that shows that a select
few have cornered the wealth of the nation is seen in a Gini coefficient of
43.8 which is one of the highest inequality indicators in the world according
to World Bank statistics. To explain to Nigerians what this means,
the Leadership newspaper of March 1, 2014 revealed that in a
population of about 170 million people, only about twelve Nigerians
control one-eighth of the entire Nigerian economy!
More
damning revelations were unveiled in an article titled “Bitter
Truths about Economy the Jonathan Govt. Does Not Want Nigerians to Know”, published by Premium
Times on December 22, 2014. In it, inconsistencies in statistical
indicators being brandished by the government were unveiled. The fact was revealed
that in the first five years of civil rule, oil prices were not as high as they
were between 2009 and 2013. Yet, whereas in those first five years, we had
fiscal surpluses, we have been having fiscal deficits despite the relatively
more favourable oil prices between 2009 and 2013. It will also interest
Nigerians to know that within the same period when oil prices were high, all
other oil producing countries recorded surpluses and deployed those surpluses
to long-term infrastructure projects while Nigeria was recording deficits and
borrowing to service the deficits. Again, despite the fact that only about 70%
of the budget is implemented annually in Nigeria, we keep borrowing and
accumulating debt supposedly to service the contrived deficit. Also, whereas
growth has supposedly remained strong, we have never been as indebted as we are
now since our exit from the Paris Club with a $3.5 billion external debt and a
N2.2 trillion naira domestic debt even though what the debt has been used to
achieve remains to be seen. Considering the negative correlation between growth
and public debt, does this not suggest a statistical window-dressing of our
claims of growth? Why do we store our excess earnings in foreign reserves that
give us a paltry 3% interest while we accumulate debt at an average interest
rate of 13-15%? Even worse is the fact that, according to Chatham House, oil
theft averages $3-8 billion annually. Yet, this monumental loss of an
industrial scale does not reflect negatively in our growth claims. Definitely,
some voodoo economists are cooking our books.
Furthermore,
earlier in 2014, the then Governor of Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi Lamido
alleged that about $20 billion was not remitted to the federation account by
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – a claim that was later
dismissed. Was this allegation thoroughly investigated without bias?
Considering the fact that this allegation was made in a year preceding general
elections, and just before a fiscal era where Nigerians are being asked to
tighten their belts, we are compelled to ask where recent huge campaign
donations are coming from and for what purpose such humongous donations in
clear violation of the law are made. It appears the PDP campaign slogan for the
2015 election is “to hell with the poor”.
In the
midst of these provocations, a supposedly successful Transformation Agenda is
being peddled as the basis of re-election for four more years. We have failed
to admit that our economic growth is not so much the result of astute fiscal
and monetary policy as it is of the global stirring of the Four Winds of the
Earth. In our mono-product economic structure, international political and
military crisis, especially among oil producing states, has been the cause of
our acclaimed economic growth due to the resultant high oil prices brought
about by a shortfall in the supply of the product. Now that the prices have
fallen, with some of our erstwhile major importers abandoning our crude and
with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) vowing not to cut
production output even if the price falls to $20 per barrel, we are
face-to-face with an economic crisis that an austerity budget based on
uncertain income projections cannot address.
These red
flags of economic upheaval are being raised alongside an alarming security
situation that has so far cast serious doubt on our military capability. Who
would have thought that Nigerians would one day be displaced from their homes
and would become refugees in countries like Chad and Niger? Who would have
thought that entire communities in one geo-political zone of the country would
one day be under the control of terror groups or that the time would come when
hundreds of women and children would be carted away by terror groups on more
than one occasion with no intervention by security forces? Who would have
expected that Nigerian soldiers would one day be helpless against insurgents to
the extent of abandoning inferior weapons and fleeing to neighbouring Cameroon?
Who would have thought that Nigeria would one day be classified alongside Iraq
and Afghanistan on the list of terror-stricken nations? In the recent Global
Terrorism Index, based on 2013 incidents, Nigeria ranked 4th among
162 countries with 303 reported attacks, 1,826 fatalities and 457 injuries.
Terrorism was said to have cost Nigeria $28.48 billion in the year 2013.
Nigeria is surpassed only by Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq in this index.
Given the dastardly activities of Boko Haram last year, the 2014 index would be
even more damning for Nigeria.
WELCOME
TO FAIR HAVENS: A TRANSITIONAL HARBOUR
ACTS 27:7-8 (NKJV):
7 When we had sailed slowly many
days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us
to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone 8 Passing
it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the
city of Lasea.
With
great difficulty, the Alexandrian ship in which Paul travelled arrived at a
place called Fair Havens and, in verse 8, we notice that there was
contemplation to temporarily harbor the ship in that location but the harbor
was not suitable to winter in. In like manner, the journey of the ship of the
Nigerian state has thus far been difficult and we have largely been drifting
under the influence of the winds. It is clear that a great storm lies ahead as
we are approaching elections without addressing the fundamental flaws in the
polity. These flaws include:
- the awkward geopolitical
structure that has the form, but lacks the substance, of federalism;
- the consequent lopsided
economic structure in which a single product from one region of the
country contributes the bulk of the revenue of the entire nation despite
the abundant resources spread across the nation;
iii.
a constitution that lays claim to the phrase “we the people” but to which the
people made no input;
- contentious population
figures that have been the harbinger of election disputes since the
pre-independence era; and
- an electoral body that wears
the label ‘independent’ but is practically under the control of the
presidency.
These
factors have directly and indirectly contributed to the current economic
crisis, the political instability, and the security situation. We managed to
trudge on in this condition, advancing with great difficulty until we got to
our Fair Havens. We arrived at our Fair Havens when, for the first time in the
history of our nation, a person from the South-South, the region worst hit by
the fundamental flaws in our polity, became president. One would have expected
that being from the Niger Delta and an academic for that matter, President
Jonathan would understand the role carved out for him, lay aside transient
political ambitions and champion the cause of restructuring while pursuing
national integration, and then go down in history as Nigeria’s greatest leader
hitherto; but this is yet to be seen. However, President Goodluck Jonathan came
close to living up to this when he convoked the 2014 National Conference – a
gathering of nobles, elders and the young from across the nation in which these
issues were critically examined and recommendations made. Fellow Nigerians, I
speak expressly to you that the report of the 2014 National Conference is the
Fair Havens in which Nigeria must winter to avoid the storms that are ahead.
Just the
way Paul on the Alexandrian ship perceived that the voyage would end in much
loss and warned the centurion, helmsmen and ship-owner (Acts 27:9-10),
I warned the nation through a broadcast and press conference held at the Latter
Rain Assembly on Sunday, July 22nd, 2012. I told the nation that I
perceived that there would be no 2015 if we failed to fix 2014. Indeed, those
perceptions were signals I was picking at the time but there are practical
pointers in that direction today even if faintly perceptible to the discerning.
Between 2012 and now, the signs have become more visible though stakeholders
still refuse to pay attention. Like Paul, our counsel has become unpopular. As
it was in the Alexandrian ship (verse 12), the majority has asked that
the ship of state set sail towards the general elections rather than winter in
fundamental reforms such as those proposed in the 2014 National Conference and
the reason is obvious – just like Fair Havens was an inconvenient place for the
Alexandrian ship to winter in, change or reformation is a difficult process and
is often not suitable to the comfort zone mentality that prefers to do the same
thing over and over again and hope for a different result; a mentality which,
according to Albert Einstein, is the very definition of insanity.
WEATHER
FORECAST: OMINOUS SHADOWS AND GATHERING STORM
In Acts
27:9-10, Paul warned that the voyage would end in disaster.
But the centurion, the commander of the army that was charged to take Paul to
Rome, was persuaded more by the opinion of the ‘experts’ – the helmsman and
owner of the ship – than by what Paul was saying. One would want to ask:
were there no visible signs of the impending storm? Was it just Paul’s
spiritual perception that was at work? We will find that the journey all the
way to Fair Havens from the coasts of Asia, beginning from the ship of Adramyttium,
was laden with difficulty because of contrary winds that caused difficulty in
navigation and obstructed procession (verses 4 and 7). Likewise,
in our nation, despite the warnings, Mr. President is more persuaded by the
assurances given him by the experts – including the managers of the economy,
the organizers of the elections, the heads of the armed forces and security
agencies – as well as the expectations of the majority than by a lone voice
charging him to camp for a while in order to fix the fundamentals. However, the
same question applies in the case of our nation: is it just my perception and
those of others in the minority that have prompted this warning of an impending
storm? Are the signs not visible? What is the weather forecast saying?
Weather
forecasting entails the gathering of quantitative data and the application of
an understanding of atmospheric behavior to predict the changes in weather.
Jesus made reference to this practice in Matthew 16:1-3 (NKJV):
1 Then the
Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would
show them a sign from heaven. 2He answered and
said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather,
for the sky is red’; 3 and in the
morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky
is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the
sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
When I
first alerted the nation that there would be no 2015 if the fundamentals were
not addressed, I was asked if I was giving a prophecy in the order of “thus
saith the Lord”. Even now, many are asking the same question. At that time,
like Paul, I told you that I had perceived it. But, I would want to ask, are
the signs not there? If we can predict the weather, would it not be
hypocritical to feign ignorance regarding the foreboding state of the nation?
Can we not see the clouds gathering ahead of a major storm? Warning!
There is too much turbulence ahead! A competent helmsman knows not to
sail in such a situation instead of ignoring the weather forecast only to
subsequently shipwreck, kill himself, the crew and the passengers,
as well as destroy the ship and cargo!
I will
briefly highlight certain crucial developments that we may be disregarding as
we set sail into the general elections but I must first point out that the
purpose for highlighting these red flags is to challenge decision makers and
political stakeholders as well as security, military and intelligence agencies
to take the steps necessary to avert crisis before elections, during elections
and after elections whenever they hold. I must also warn that if we sail into
general elections at this time without fixing the fundamentals, no matter what
precaution is taken by the helmsman and the owner of the ship, once the ship
sets sail from Fair Havens, an encounter with Euroclydon would be inevitable.
Against this backdrop, I present the signs of the gathering storms:
Sign 1: Poor Level of Election
Preparedness
Reasonable
people are inclined to ask how prepared the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) is for the upcoming general elections. Despite the desperate
efforts of the Commission to manage pre-election logistics, the tales of woe
that have trailed the Permanent Voters’ Card collection exercise have raised a
lot of questions as to the level of preparedness of the Commission with many
Nigerians fearing disenfranchisement. The Vanguard of November 15, 2014,
in an article titled “Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVC: How INEC Failed Nigerians”,
reported that more than 75% of the PVCs in rural areas in Lagos were left
uncollected. Similar and even worse tales of woe trailed the exercise in other
states such as in Edo State where PVCs were stolen. The Nigerian Pilot
of November 17, 2014 reported a collection rate of less than 50% in Abia State.
A survey conducted by News Agency of Nigeria on public perception regarding
INEC’s preparedness for the elections, including the organization’s handling of
voter registration and card collection exercises and the adoption of
recommendations to forestall the challenges of the 2011 elections, gave INEC a
low scorecard.
Similarly,
acts of lawlessness on the part of political parties and seeming partisanship
on the part of security agencies have raised questions as to the readiness of
stakeholders to conduct or to allow the conduct of free, fair and credible
elections. How else can one explain the fact that in violation of section 99(1)
of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), political campaigns commenced long
before the opening of the window? How else can one explain the invasion of the
secretariat of the APC by the Department of State Security? Either a political
party was devising unlawful schemes in which case culprits ought to be
prosecuted and details exposed or the DSS was acting out a script written to
repress opposition parties. Whichever may have been the case, it questions the
readiness of stakeholders to operate by the rules.
Sign 2:
Safety and Security Risks
A study
on Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria in the period between 2006 and 2013 by Chatham
House in the United Kingdom revealed that 17 states in the North were terror
prone and recorded varying degrees of violent attacks leading to violent
deaths. In terms of frequency of attacks, Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa
and Bauchi, in that order, led the other states. Further compilation of
recorded incidents from other sources showed that towards mid-2014, Boko Haram
attacks had become an almost daily occurrence in Borno State. Terror attacks or
threats of same were also reported in northern states that had previously been
free of such, including Kogi and Nasarawa, as well as in southern states such
as Lagos, Delta and Imo.
Given the
new tactics being adopted by the Boko Haram sect especially suicide bombing by
teenage girls who, it appears, the sect is increasingly targeting for
abduction, the risk factor in massive political rallies and polling units
across the North of the country and, to a lesser extent, in the South, is dangerously
high. Let us not forget that in December 2014, a female suicide bomber arrested
by vigilante forces in Borno State revealed that 50 other female suicide
bombers had been let loose.
As INEC
has requested of the Federal Government a massive deployment of armed forces
and security agencies for the general elections, a proposal that is being
opposed by opposition parties, I challenge the Federal Government to conduct an
honest assessment of the capability and numerical strength of each of the
security agencies and armed forces and assure Nigerians that the ratio of
forces to polling units across the federation is such that can effectively ward
off potential attacks and guarantee security. The logic would be to deploy more
forces to areas that are highly prone to terror but security tacticians must
not forget that deceit is a weapon of war. Terrorists might seek to take the
nation by surprise and target less protected areas which, ordinarily, might
have been less terror prone. Let the security agents also be mindful of what I
will refer to as the Ziklag factor (1st Samuel 30). If
security agencies are to be massively deployed to polling units on Election
Day, it would be risky to leave the home front unprotected in terror prone
areas as terror attacks might be unleashed on homes to target the non-voting
population. Worse still, with their antecedents of becoming partisan and
getting caught up in politicking during elections, can our security agents
maintain the level of alertness required to quell potential attacks? We might
have succeeded in organizing some gubernatorial elections in the South, and the
aborted gubernatorial election in Adamawa due to the subsequent swearing-in of
the deputy governor, by massively deploying military and civil defence forces;
however, we cannot ignore these threats ahead of the general elections.
Sign 3:
Likely Minority King-making
Nigeria
has a history of low voter turnout. For instance, the 2011 parliamentary
elections recorded 25.8% turnout while the presidential elections recorded
48.32%. In essence, electoral decisions in Nigeria are made by the minority.
Given the state of the nation, in spite of the excitement trailing the
emergence of candidates, the 2015 elections threaten to record an even worse
turnout. Aside the problems associated with voter registration and PVC
collection, if the reported hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in
terror prone areas are considered with respect to their status as part and
parcel of the electorate, and if terror-stricken towns are considered in terms
of polling units involved, then we are faced with the likelihood of massive
disenfranchisement and voter apathy that could render the elections disputable
and inconclusive.
Sign 4:
Looming Constitutional and Legal Crisis
The constitutional
provisions for election into the office of the president as articulated in
section 132 of the 1999 Constitution provides a window for challenging the
validity of any presidential election if elections cannot be held in some parts
of the country as might be the case if the security situation is not addressed
before the elections. Section 132(4) provides that:
For the
purpose of an election to the office of President, the whole of the Federation
shall be regarded as one constituency.
Section
47 of the Electoral Act 2010 further provides that:
Voting in
any particular election under this Act shall take place on the same day
and time throughout the Federation.
By these
provisions, it is clear that any presidential election that excludes certain parts
of the nation will result in constitutional crisis and legal battles that may
further heighten sectional tensions.
Sign 5: Impending Post-election
Tension
This
necessitates a look at those pointers to possible post-election tension. First,
like the gathering of the clouds, the utterances of vested interests from the
northern and southern sections of the country as to how they will react if the
election turns one way or the other is a pointer to an impending storm that the
nation must not ignore. In recent times, direct threats in this regard have
been coming from vested interests in the South-South with a history of
militancy. This should give the nation a grave cause for concern when
considered against the massive oil theft in the region as well as reports
suggesting arms build-up with ex-militants allegedly linked to a botched South
African arms deal that was widely reported, and to the purchase of six warships
as reported in The Punch newspaper of December 13,
2014. Mind you, the Global Terrorism Index report identified 6 terror groups in
Nigeria. Contrary to public perception, according to the report, even though
Boko Haram is currently the deadliest terror group in the country and has laid
claim to about 90% of the terror attacks in the period covered by the report,
the largest terror group in Nigeria is the Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta (MEND) with a membership strength of about 15,000 despite its
having recorded much fewer attacks than Boko Haram. Ladies and gentlemen, one
does not need a soothsayer to know this is a red flag!
On the
other hand, the readiness of the multitude of northern youth to violently
defend what they perceive as theirs, rightly or wrongly, is well documented in
our recent election experience. The nation would not want to be caught-up in
violence involving two regions. Another civil war in addition to terrorism
would be too much weight on an ailing nation. Why not first address the root
causes of these tensions that mount up every election year – root causes that
elections themselves cannot resolve but aggravate?
Sign 6:
Looming Economic Collapse
Alongside
these pointers to political upheaval are the signs of an impending economic
collapse. Any of the following scenarios is possible:
- Inflation
With the
proposed diversification of revenue base from oil to taxation and with the
devaluation of the naira in an economy that is largely import dependent,
cost-push inflation is likely to occur. Also, the flow of money into the
economy through politics within the first quarter of the year ahead of the
elections could as well facilitate a demand-pull inflation. The so-called
average Nigerian who has no place on the dinner table would bear the brunt. It
is even doubtful that they can access the crumbs that fall from the master’s
table.
- Deflation
With the
expected reduction in government spending for a nation whose financial sector
is still largely government supported and with likely reduction in purchasing
power due to taxation and possible job cuts in the public as well as private
sector, a fall in aggregate demand would eventually lead to deflation. An
inflation-deflation transition could result in losses for investors in volatile
markets such as securities and property.
- Monetary Collapse
The
depletion of our foreign reserves, the dip in crude oil prices and its downward
impact on our foreign earnings, the weak state of our manufacturing sector, and
our import dependence could lead to a sustained downward spiral in the value of
our currency.
We are
therefore faced with the challenge of managing a volatile transition process
and a looming economic downturn at the same time. It will interest you to note
that the same fundamentals that must be addressed in the political dimension of
our challenges also hold the key to economic stability and prosperity for our
beloved nation. However, before we take a look at these fundamentals, it is
necessary to point out one more sign of the gathering storms that has to do
with my constituency, the church, and its interaction with the political space
in 2015.
Sign 7:
Potential Religious Confusion, Betrayals, Scandals and Persecution
In 2011,
when I was selected by General Buhari as running mate, there was a gang-up
against that ticket by a substantial section of the church which preferred the
candidate that was perceived as Christian, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Not only was
the church not convinced about General Buhari’s non-fundamentalist stance, it
also refused to give support to the running mate who, in its perception, is
controversial and non-conformist. At that time, the mantra amongst many men of
God was that a pastor had nothing to do with politics. Reports also have it
that Christian clergy received financial inducement from their preferred
candidate who is again contesting against the same General Buhari in 2015. To
compound the matter, General Buhari’s running mate is another pastor who should
ordinarily have the support of his home church, a very influential denomination
in and outside the country and whose head is highly respected in the Christian
establishment. Therefore, ordinarily, for those to whom religion means a lot in
the making of electoral decisions, the current running mate of the APC should
be tiwa n tiwa, that is, “our own” and should be massively supported by
the church. But it is not going to be that easy. What would be the implication
of turning away from the incumbent who was massively supported in 2011 by the
church establishment?
How about
those for whom the president has done one favour or another, such as waivers,
contracts, soft landings, protection of vested interests in one form or
another, or even outright monetary gifts – not necessarily bribery, just a
‘harmless’ gift? Would these pastors, priests and prophets now turn against
their benefactor, the president, to give support to “our own”? What will be the
position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal
Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), organizations that have been massively behind the
president and who are likely biased against APC as PFN’s 2015 round-the-clock
circulated prayer bulletin reveals? Would there be reminders that this same
incumbent has knelt before us at our conventions where we laid hands on him and
supposedly endorsed him? Or, would we make a u-turn now that this is “our own”?
Would such a u-turn not come with dire consequences reminiscent of the
Abimelech experience with the men of Shechem in Judges 9:22-24
(NKJV)?:
22 After Abimelech had reigned over
Israel three years, 23 God sent a spirit of ill
will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the
men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 that the
crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be
settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech
their brother, who
killed them, and on the men of
Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.
Let us
not forget that the men of Shechem paid dearly for it – with their lives, in
fact. Do we see persecution looming for the church? Do we see high profile
scandals emerging if the church makes such a u-turn? Or would the church simply
deny or betray its own or, like the ostrich deprived of wisdom, treat its young
harshly and choose to support incumbency in order to stay safe and protect
interests and investments? Would the question of support and endorsement pitch
major religious leaders against one another with brothers fighting against brother
whether in secret or in the open? See Job 39:13-18 (NKJV):
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave
proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly
stork’s? 14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms
them in the dust; 15 She forgets that a foot may
crush them, Or that a
wild beast may break them. 16 She treats her young harshly, as
though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain,
without concern, 17 Because
God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with
understanding. 18 When she lifts herself on
high, She scorns the horse and its rider.
Challenging
as all these may be, our confidence is in the fact that no matter the degree of
shaking that will occur, it will only produce a glorious church without spots
or wrinkle, for Jesus, the true Head of the Church, said He would build His
church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Alleluia! (Matthew
16:18)
Having
said that, let us take a look at the options available to our nation, that is,
the alternative to setting sail in spite of the imminent storms of a political,
economic, military and religious nature – the stirrings of the Four Winds of
the Earth upon our nation.
OUR
PROPOSITIONAL ALTERNATIVE
What I
have said in the past to our nation and our leaders, I will repeat here once
more. To avoid the gathering storms, the following steps should be taken:
- Activate the constitutional
provisions for the suspension of elections
Section
135(3) of the 1999 Constitution provides as follows:
If the
Federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is
physically involved and the
President considers that it is not practicable to hold elections, the National
Assembly may by resolution extend the period of four years mentioned in subsection
(2) of this section from time to time; but no
such extension shall exceed a
period of six months at any one time.
The
argument against this would be the notion that the country is not at war. If
indeed the country is not at war, how can one explain the invasion and
annexation of Nigerian territory by insurgents launching attacks from our
borders and neighbouring countries? Let us not forget that on May 14, 2013,
while declaring a state of emergency in three states, President Goodluck Jonathan
said of the activities of terrorists:
“These
actions amount to a declaration of war and a deliberate
attempt to undermine the authority of the
Nigerian state and threaten its
territorial integrity. As a responsible government, we
will not tolerate this”.
Records
indicate that since that declaration, the situation has only worsened.
Therefore, if the country was at war then, according to the president, it is
even more so now.
I do
recognise the fact that opinions are divided on whether or not the Boko Haram
plague can be described as war or just an act of insurgency. Truth be told,
this is mere semantics. As Aesop said, “the injury we do and the one we suffer
are not weighed in the same scales”. Depending on which side of the divide one
belongs, the difference between war and insurgency can be likened to the
difference between terrorists and freedom fighters. One man’s meat is another
man’s poison, just as one man’s music is another man’s noise. Those that are
condemned as ‘terrorists’ by one group are hailed as ‘freedom fighters’ by
another.
Therefore,
I submit that if the President considers that a part of the federation will be
disenfranschised by reason of the Boko Haram plague, a postponement of the
election may not be out of place. In my view, the litmus test to arrive at the
type of war contemplated by the constitution is the practicality of getting
people in the affected states to line up to vote for candidates of their choice
in situations where they cannot predict when the next attack will be launched
by insurgents. I hold the view that the drafters of the law feared for mass
disenfranchisement of Nigerians who will refuse to risk their lives, hence the
requirement that the nation wins the war before conducting an election.
Be that
as it may, there is yet another argument. It goes thus: “Since the government
has demonstrated a very high degree of incompetence as far as combatting
terrorism, is it not better to have a replacement, particularly in terms of a
new government led by the person of the APC candidate, General Muhammadu
Buhari, which can only happen through elections?” This reasoning seems valid,
for though the president has made several attempts at tackling the issue, his
avowed political will has not yielded fruit and the situation has only
worsened. It is perhaps too complicated for him to deal with. But what is the
guarantee that there will be free, fair and credible elections and the
opposition will not be rigged out of victory once again? What is the guarantee
that the power of incumbency will not successfully manipulate the presidential
elections? Even if General Buhari wins, what would happen if, in response to a
Buhari victory, another wave of insurgency explodes in the South-South in such
proportion that will completely ground the Nigerian economy? Is that what we
want as a nation?
However,
I must state that the proposal for suspension of elections is not with a view
to giving the president an avenue for undue tenure elongation but for the
purpose of building a coalition that will bring lasting solutions to our
problems.
- Create a Transitional
Government
In
suspending the elections, to gain the support of all stakeholders, the
president must not act with the intention to seek re-election. Rather, he
should, within the period, commit himself to building a non-partisan coalition
comprised of major stakeholders and competent statesmen from each geopolitical
zone. This coalition, headed by the president, will constitute a combined force
that will tackle terrorism and address what I have earlier referred to as the
fundamentals, within a time frame of two years or less.
- Address the Fundamentals
Addressing
the fundamentals calls for immediate implementation of the report, or
part thereof, of the 2014 National Conference especially as it relates to:
- Restructuring with a view to
achieving true federalism under Zonal Commissions as well as fiscal
federalism ensuring, as proposed by the report of the National Conference,
that adequate allocation is given to a Solid Minerals Development Fund in
addition to other recommendations geared towards economic diversification.
- Achieving national
reconciliation and integration by adopting, constitutionalizing and
propagating the National Charter for Reconciliation and Integration.
- Conduct accurate census
Aside
facilitating development planning, an accurate census will lay the foundation
for a sound identity management scheme, facilitate effective and efficient
local government administration, provide the basis for proper constituency
delineation and enable the conduct of well-organized voter-registration
exercises.
- Establish a truly
independent electoral body
A truly
independent electoral body whose head will no longer be appointed by the
president and whose funding will be drawn from first line charge on the
federation account will guarantee the conduct of free, fair and credible elections.
- Create a true people’s
constitution that will reflect the aforementioned features
A true
people’s constitution, rather than being preambled by a military decree, as in
the case of the 1999 constitution, will be preceded by the people’s expressed interest
to co-exist as a nation and be governed under agreed principles as espoused in
the Charter for National Reconciliation and Integration adopted at the 2014
National Conference.
- Conduct free, fair and
credible elections in the consensually accepted constitutional arrangement
In the
end, as an integrated rather than regionally and religiously divided nation, we
will arrive at the same juncture we are currently but, at that time, better
prepared with the fundamentals in place and with the nation set for the
leadership of the best of the north and the best of the south while the
federating units, truly federal, are constitutionally empowered for
collaborative and competitive development.
SETTING
SAIL IN SPITE OF THE STORM CLOUDS
Despite
this timely warning which includes the way forward to credible elections and to
a stable and prosperous nationhood, I am almost certain that, like the helmsman
and owner of the Alexandrian ship in Acts 27 as well as the majority in
the ship, the handlers of our nation will prefer to set sail rather than winter
at Fair Havens. From the 13th verse of Acts 27, we
understand that the decision to set sail was fuelled by the fact that the
southern wind blew softly and gave the illusion of safety. It reads:
13When the south wind blew softly,
supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea,
they sailed close by Crete. [Please note that Crete means carnal
or fleshly.]
Ladies
and gentlemen, the south wind blew recently, when Gen Muhammadu Buhari against
formidable contestants and money bags won with a landslide majority at the APC
primary in the heart of Lagos, South-western Nigeria – and that against all
odds.
Added to
that, the relative peace in the South has kept us from seeing the severity of
the crisis rocking our nation and its potential to be aggravated by premature
electioneering. However, in the 14th verse of Acts 27,
we find that, not long after, a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon arose and
hit the sea and the ship was caught in the midst of it until it could no longer
be controlled. That ship drifted until it was wrecked.
Euroclydon
is a cyclonic,
tempestuous north-east wind. It is reminiscent of the wave of terror
attacks bedeviling the nation from the North-East as though reminding us that,
going by precedent, an incumbency-rigged election could cause the volatile
electorate in the region to take advantage of the Boko Haram crisis which has
snowballed from the North-East to unleash a storm on the nation from the North
and that likewise, a Northern victory will only resuscitate a South-South
resistance.
AFTER THE
STORM:
NIGERIA, THE BIGGEST MIRACLE OF THE CENTURY
It is
noteworthy that, after all was said and done, just as God assured Paul, no life
was lost, though the ship was wrecked and property was lost. It is very
gratifying that, in the end, the majority that was wrong became the minority
and the lone voice minority that was right became the majority.
Paul, the
prisoner, became the commander with a clear blue print on how to salvage lives
from the avoidable wreckage. And as he instructed the centurion, he had no
choice but to comply.
Ladies
and gentlemen, my heartfelt prayer at this juncture is that our leaders will
listen and do the needful to avert an avoidable disaster, so that there will be
no need for anyone to say at the end, “we told you so”.
I find it
very useful to repeat the words of Paul here with all humility, trusting God
that all men of goodwill in and outside of government will hear, heed and act
accordingly.
Acts 27:20-26 (NKJV):
20 Now when neither sun nor stars
appeared for many days, and no
small tempest beat
on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally
given up. 21 But after long abstinence from food, then
Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you
should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred
this disaster and loss. 22 And
now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of
life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there
stood by me this night an angel of
the God to whom I belong and whom I
serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must
be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has
granted you all those
who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I
believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However,
we must run aground on a certain island.”
Paul
further said in Acts 27:30-36 (NKJV):
30 And as the sailors were seeking
to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff
into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, 31 Paul
said to the centurion and the
soldiers, “Unless these
men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then
the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let
it fall off. 33 And as day
was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying,
“Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and
continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34 Therefore
I urge you to take nourishment, for this
is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from
the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these
things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in
the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began
to eat.36 Then
they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.
Ladies
and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, let me at this juncture encourage you all,
those within the country and those in the Diaspora, to join us at The Latter
Rain Assembly as we observe a 14-day solemn assembly – a time of
corporate fasting and prayer from Sunday the 1st of February to
Saturday the 14th of February, 2015 to entreat the God of heaven for
the survival of our nation. We shall meet daily for corporate prayers on all 14
days from 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
In
closing, let me place on the register my full persuasion regarding the outcome
of our present dilemma. I am fully persuaded that, no matter how dark it
becomes for Nigeria, there is a silver lining beyond the dark clouds and this
nation will overcome the storms and rise to fulfill her destiny. I believe that
no matter how unstable the polity may become, we will transit from shame to
fame in the name of Jesus. Amen. I am persuaded that no matter the level of
economic collapse, the economy of Nigeria will recover. So, in preparation for
a previous prophecy, let us begin to expect the emergence of the tender plant
from the side of the North, afore-prepared before the foundation of the world
to steer Nigeria into her prophetic destiny. We are in the season of his
emergence. What the mouth of the Lord has spoken, the zeal of the Lord will
accomplish. Amen.
I am
further persuaded that our national reconciliation, integration and full
recovery will be a wonder to the world and that leaders of nations will beat a
path to our doorstep to understudy God’s power at transforming nations.
Our
authority for this assertion is God’s word as recorded in Psalm 126: 1-6
(NKJV):
1 When
the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like
those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with
laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has
done great things for us, And we are glad. 4 Bring
back our captivity, O Lord, As the streams in the South. 5 Those
who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. 6 He who continually
goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, Bringing his
sheaves with him.
Therefore,
come rain, come shine, by the grace of the living God, Nigeria will be saved,
Nigeria will be changed and Nigeria will become great in my lifetime.
Thank
you, God bless you and God bless Nigeria. Happy New Year to you all.
