tallceejay:
His favourite candidate is pastor Tunder Bakare. Do well to remember where u first heard it.

osento:
My spouse said her Appartement is 20mm/square. Is this okay or we should get a bigger one .

daambassador:


You don't need to upload certified copies just the original docs, but
after your online application, 'some' schools still expect you to send photocopies to them (certified photocopies including photocopy of your int'l passport). As they will say "please inform your self that you're not sending original copies of your docs but certified photocopies..."

I have like 6-7 schools to send my certified photocopies but still dey reason the money for DHL charges.

baby124:
Onegai, Na correct gist you bring come. I have seen the video of their wedding. Na wa oooo. This now puts that man's credibility in suspicion. He's not well

babie78:
I had to log in to respond. Ronke Bewaji was a beautiful woman in and out. She was a staff of Gtbank before leaving for stanbic and yes she was a victim of domestic violence and like most women she chose to remain in a bad marriage and now she is no more. It had nothing to do with money. She had her own. It's just sad and pathetic

http://tundebakare.com/roadmap-to-successful-change/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QNDuQlgIS8

http://tundebakare.com/roadmap-to-successful-change/

http://tundebakare.com/roadmap-to-successful-change/

http://tundebakare.com/roadmap-to-successful-change/

http://tundebakare.com/roadmap-to-successful-change/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QNDuQlgIS8

tete7000:



If you currently work in mtn after fruitlessly searching for job for five years, I m sure your line of thinking will be different. My grouse is not with fining but with the outrageous fine. A sensible government ought to give a fine that can be easily paid and which non-payment can be enforced. The question you should ask is: 'Come Dec. 31st, what will govt do if mtn fail to pay?' Shut down mtn? It is easier said than done but we will wait and see.
Federal govt has carried lagos attitude of outrageous fine to the centre, maybe because a former LiRS boss is now at the centre. In Lagos lastma charges outrageous fines too. Many motorists who can't pay abandon their vehicles in the lastma yard. It was some of those vehicles ambode released freely when he came to power. Unfortunately while such fines can be got away with with individuals, it is more difficult when we talk about a corporate entity that employs thousands in a country with high level of employment.

“Please recall that four (4) Operators; MTN, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat, were sanctioned in August for non compliance of the directive to deactivate the improperly registered SIM Cards. MTN got a fine of N102.2million, Globacom N7.4million, Etisalat N7million and Airtel N3.8million fine. Others complied while MTN flouted the fine.

Jaffar23:
He can't even collect a winners medal.. Did he play up to 10 games??

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.

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. 2 He 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.

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;
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.

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-. 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.

sttutgart:
Days of the week

Montag is Monday

Dienstag is Tuesday

Mittwoch is Wednesday

Donnerstag is Thursday

Freitag is Friday

Samstag or Sonnabend is Saturday

Sonntag is Sunday

Please note that in pronouncing wednesday, the w is pronounce v. Also in saturday and sunday, the s is pronounced z. Try to pronounce them. If you get any error, tell me.

Fellow citizens of Nigeria:

If there is a New York, it’s because there was an old York. If there is a New Delhi, it’s because there was an old Delhi; if there is a New Mexico, it is because there was an old Mexico. If there’s going to be a New Jerusalem, it’s because there is a present Jerusalem that is in bondage with her children. And so I say to you Nigerians, that out of this one that has become a byword for corruption among the nations, there shall emerge a New Nigeria, a nation built on the pillars of mercy and truth, righteousness and peace; a land of freedom and of justice and a home of equity and fair play, where no one is oppressed and no one is discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity or religion; a nation where women and girls, the young and the old are protected and no one is denied her due on the basis of her gender.

I speak of a New Nigeria where, though creed and tongue may differ, the people will unite in the pursuit of a common national destiny; where faith will be used as a catalyst for integration and nation-building and not as an instrument of division; a new nation with a new spirit in a new people, where differences are settled amicably at the table of brotherhood and where indigeneship shall not be a basis for enjoying full citizenship rights in any part of the country.

I speak of a nation guided by the rule of law where every citizen enjoys liberty and equality under the law; where justice is administered without fear or favour and where the lady of justice will not yield to the temptation to take off her blindfold to see who is at the dock before passing judgment, such that the same law applies to the pick-pocket caught stealing a mobile phone in Osogbo and the pension thief caught stealing billions of naira in Abuja; a nation where executive impunity in the name of criminal immunity will be wiped off our constitution and leadership will set the pace in transparency, accountability and responsibility – one nation under God led by a new breed without greed and a radical opposition to corruption.

I speak of the new Nigeria, a nation of peace and safety reconstructed on the altar of reconciliation and integration, where the returned Chibok girls will grow into accomplished women, and their sons and daughters will sit in the same Nigerian History class as the sons and daughters of the former Boko Haram members who once captured their parents, and both will be taught by a female professor who, as a final year student of Chibok Girls Secondary School, had almost lost all hope of completing her education or of even surviving those dark days that she spent as a captive in Sambisa Forest.

I speak of the New Nigeria where little children can walk and play safely on the streets without fear of being kidnapped; where fathers and mothers will have no need to sacrifice precious time that could be spent with children on the altar of economic survival; a nation where no child is denied access to quality education or health services because of the socio-economic status of their parents and where no child has to engage in labour to afford an education; a nation where no retired or elderly person will be let alone to spend what ought to be the best days of their lives in misery.

I speak of the New Nigeria, a nation where young men and women will be afforded the opportunity to develop and deploy their potential to the maximum and by so doing contribute to the development of the nation and to the wellbeing of their families; a nation where the resources of each part of the land are used to develop that part of the land, with adequate contribution to the centre that binds strongly the constituent parts such that no part of the country will again have a reason to cry marginalization; a nation where the best, the brightest, the fittest and most competent are given opportunity to render service for the good of all and where leaders understand that leadership is all about service to the people; a Nigeria that will fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers by bringing total liberation to Africa and by leading the continent to greatness.

This is the dream that has kept me on the move for this nation. It is a dream that is rooted in the dreams of our founding fathers and which other patriots have lived and died for; but much deeper than that, it is a dream that is rooted in God’s plan and purpose for our nation and whose fulfillment I will see in my lifetime.

It’s why I have fought against the domination of one section of the country by another; it’s why as a young lawyer, I refused to engage in compromises that could bring me to captivity; it’s why as a pastor, I pray, preach and prophesy until revival comes; it’s what led to the formation of International Center for Reconstruction and Development (I.C.R.D) and Save Nigeria Group (S.N.G); it’s what led us to march the streets of Abuja and the streets of Lagos when the seat of power was unconstitutionally hijacked; it’s what took us to Freedom Square at Ojota for five days to resist the plundering of our people; it’s why I stepped into the political arena at the invitation of a man of like persuasion in an attempt to provide leadership for the nation; it’s why I am committed to the Nigerian project, for, in the words of the One who called me and to Whom I owe account, “for this cause was I born and to this end came I into the world”.

At this juncture, let me reiterate for the umpteenth time what I consider Nigeria’s most critical problems and the solutions thereof. As a man who reasons purely in Scriptures and whose navigation system is the Word of God without prejudice to the secularists among our people, let me show you the root cause of the national dilemma that has characterized our struggle for nationhood.

Please come with me to the household of the patriarch Isaac and his wife Rebecca:

Genesis 25:19-28 (NKJV):

19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac.

20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than
the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Just as the struggle of Jacob and Esau began from the womb, so did the struggle of the North and the South of Nigeria. As the parents were divided in their affection for both Esau and Jacob, so were the colonial masters divided in their affection for both the North and the South.

As time progressed the two became so wealthy that the land could not contain them. Let’s see the profile of the family of Esau:

Genesis 36:6-8 (NKJV):

6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob.

7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock.

8 So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.



What follows the multiplication of resources in the land of Edom is the creation of dukes, chiefs and kings, the stratification of the society and the class consciousness that breeds two types of citizens: the haves and the have-nots, the privileged and the despised, and the princes and the almajiris as you largely have today in some of the emirates in the North. See Genesis 36:15-43.

While all these were going on in the camp of Esau, a dreamer was born and was being raised in the household of Jacob. That dreamer was Joseph. Let us read about him in Genesis 37:1-11 (NKJV):

1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the ladwas with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.

6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us?Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”

11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

The resultant effect of these two nations and two types of people dwelling in proximity to each other can be seen in the Book of Ezekiel (chapters 35, 36 & 37).

In Ezekiel 35:1-15, instead of healthy competition, there was petty jealousy and deep-seated hatred.

In Ezekiel 36:1-15 you have the rebirth of the land preceding the rebirth of a nation.

Ezekiel 37:1-11 expose the depraved condition of the people and the role of the Prophet in breathing life, hope and vision back into these dry bones in the valley of despair and despondency.

And for this army to rise and fulfill destiny, rulership must be reconfigured:

Ezekiel 37:15-22 (NKJV):

15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’

17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—

19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’

20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

The best of the North and the best of the South must come together. Instead of mediocres mistakenly labeled moderates, the best, the brightest, the fittest and the most competent must come together and steer the ship of the nation along the path of predictable development and progress.

To the discerning, such an opportunity for reconfiguration occurred in the month of March 2014 as men and women from all parts of the country and different spheres of influence in the society gathered in Abuja to dialogue on the future destiny of Nigeria upon the convocation of the National Conference 2014.

I am grateful to God that I was privileged to serve with statesmen and patriots – men and women of like passion – as a delegate to that conference and I thank the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for finding the courage to convene the conference even when cynics thought it would amount to no good. After months of painstaking deliberations, hundreds of recommendations were made in a bid to catapult our nation closer to the Nigerian Dream. Amongst these recommendations was a Charter for National Reconciliation and Integration into which we distilled the ideals of the Nigeria of our dream. Not only did we pledge our commitment to these ideals, every delegate appended his or her signature to this Charter as the basis of our union in place of the amalgamation, which, we believe, was not a homegrown decision to coexist. Not many Nigerians are aware of that charter or of its significance. By that charter, a new era of nationhood can begin in Nigeria; by that charter; we will cease to be peoples coerced to coexist, instead we will become a people who willingly come together to forge a more perfect union; by that charter, our nationhood shall no longer be the result of colonial amalgamation or military proclamation, instead it shall become the result of a people’s declaration; by that charter, we have the opportunity to evolve a social contract that spells out the principles under which we shall coexist, outlines our responsibilities as citizens and highlights the irreducible minimum conditions under which we shall be governed and below which we shall refuse to fall. In the words of Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, the Deputy Chairman of the 2014 National Conference, contained in his tribute for my 60th birthday: “the 2014 National Conference adopted a NATIONAL CHARTER OF UNITY which was the brainchild of Pastor Tunde Bakare. This Charter which was unanimously adopted fell under the radar of the press and commentators. Yet this may just turn out to be the proverbial mustard seed of national unity and reconciliation”.

It is a declaration of the Nigerian Dream that every Nigerian must become familiar with and whose implementation every Nigerian must rise up to demand. And so, let every Nigerian obtain and digest its articles until they stand out as words on marble and as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen; let its words compel every politician to prioritize the destiny of this nation and the lot of the next generation over the next election; let its creed place a demand on the statesman in the president – a demand on him to seize this opportunity to give Nigeria a new start; let it find its way into the hands and hearts of every girl and every woman held captive in terrorist dens that they may find hope and a reason to live on until they are brought back alive; and let even the terrorists who come across it realize that they need not dwell in dry places anymore for they can still beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and return home to be part of a New Nigeria; a nation of peace and equity.

I am persuaded that if you believe and I believe, and we all work for it, Almighty God will grant us grace and Nigeria will be saved, Nigeria will be changed and Nigeria will become great.

God bless you and God bless our nation Nigeria.

Dr. Azikiwe, himself, as a young man, had visions – visions of Nigeria becoming a great country in the emerging continent of Africa; visions of Nigeria offering freedom to those in bondage, and securing the democratic way of life for those who had been lulled into an illusion of security under colonial rule. At independence, when he had become an older man, he dreamed dreams of the ever increasing prosperity of the people of his Nigeria, dreams which were echoed by my childhood aspiration to overcome poverty and obtain a better life for my mother and me, and to facilitate equitable redistribution of wealth to better the lot of poor and suffering people, many of whom I had encountered in Sokoto and Abeokuta. This aspiration took me from Abeokuta to Lagos with nothing but a few belongings in search of the Nigerian Dream and its promise of prosperity for even the most unlikely as articulated by the founders of our nation.

Indeed, every nation is born in the bosom of founding fathers – men and women who take responsibility for the birthing of the nation and the establishment of the framework of state; patriots who facilitate the emergence of a national culture; political and socio-economic craftsmen who engineer the national structure including the nation’s geopolitical and economic structures; nation-builders who spearhead the building of national institutions; wise men and women who guide the evolution of a national system of laws; and statesmen who set a precedent as far as national leadership is concerned. These founding fathers become the progenitors of the subsequent generation of fathers who are the custodians of the foundational pillars established by the founding fathers. This legacy of fatherhood of the nation is then bequeathed to each succeeding generation so that the national dream, the ideal to which that nation aspires, is preserved from one generation to another.

However, when, in the vicissitudes of national life, the nation is severed from the foundation laid by the founding fathers such that the pillars upon which the national ideal is rested begin to crumble, when the building blocks of nationhood are falling apart and the centre cannot hold, when the principles of constitutionality ascented to by the founding fathers give way to a perverted system of laws characterized by the desecration of the legal institutions and the replacement of the rule of law by the ruse of law, when corruptibility and mediocrity replace integrity and excellence in leadership, then that nation is in need of a transgenerational breed without greed who can reconnect with the creed ingrained by the founding fathers upon the stones of the nation’s founding, men and women who have climbed the shoulders of these fathers to catch a glimpse of the dream and who, themselves, have been transported by grace to behold the end to which the nation has been destined. By the grace of God, I have mounted the shoulders of founding fathers and I have had a rendezvous with the Nigerian dream; I have been to the mountaintop and I have seen the Nigeria of my dreams; I have journeyed to the presence of the Almighty and I have beheld the New Nigeria. I am compelled by a sense of destiny to proclaim what my eyes have seen, my ears have heard and my hands have handled.

I am persuaded that when the North and the South of this nation were amalgamated, the bedrock of a potentially great nation was laid by the hands of the Almighty for a purpose that is soon to unfold to the world. I am determined that the labours of our founding fathers and of our heroes past to build a great nation where our diverse tribes and tongues would stand in brotherhood shall not be in vain. I am convinced that the founding fathers of this nation bequeathed to our generation the call to rise above our differences and forge a more perfect union.

Moreover, I am grieved by the fact that, despite the lofty dreams of our founding fathers, and in spite of the great destiny to which this nation has been called, we have thus far tottered on our journey to nationhood, swerving time and again toward the edge of a precipice, rising up against one another and playing the ethnic and religious cards, destroying lives and shattering dreams. My heart bleeds at the subhuman existence the majority of our people are still subjected to, fifty-four years after independence. There is little need for the grueling statistics that show that the majority of the Nigerian people live below the irreducible minimum standard of living envisaged by the founders of our nation.

I need not remind you that 54% of our young people remain unemployed. I need not remind you that over 9 million Nigerian children have no access to education. I need not remind you that 130 million Nigerians self-generate electricity due to the failure of the power sector. I should spare you the fact that 64 million Nigerian adults are illiterate in the 21st century; I should spare you the fact that 100 million Nigerians live in destitution; I should spare you the fact that 68% of Nigerians lives below the poverty line.I need not bother you with the fact that the life expectancy of the Nigerian is not more than 54 years. I need not bother you with the fact that 12.1m Nigerians live in a state of hunger or undernourishment according to the 2014 African Multiple Scorecard on Hunger and Food Security. I need not bother you with the fact that 158 out of 1,000 Nigerian children die before the age of five.

Oh! Let me not ruin your day by reminding you that over 6,000 have been killed in terror attacks in Nigeria while over 250,000 have been displaced due to the heinous activities of terrorists; let me not ruin it further by reminding you that over 400 bombs have exploded in Nigeria since 2010; let me not ruin it even further by reminding you that there are girls and women still held hostage by terrorists while more are being captured. There is little need for these or other statistical proofs of the sorry state of our nation because evidence abounds all around us.

For a long while, village life has ceased in Nigeria especially in the North where villages have practically become ghost towns taken over by insurgents; neighbourhoods in the South are full of jobless young people, many of whom are engaged in internet fraud, drug dependency, petty theft or even armed robbery, while young girls drown in subtle or express prostitution. All around us are the signs that we, as a nation, are not where we should be. Consider the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops, but the kind of man the country turns out.” What kind of man is Nigeria turning out? And what type of politicians and public servants occupy our landscape?



A CRITICAL QUESTION:

At this sensitive period in our polity when the nation seems to be tottering on the edge of a precipice, is a general election the solution to our crises or will elections aggravate the problem? As strange as the question may seem, there could be nothing more pragmatic than providing honest answers to these posers at this crucial juncture in our national existence.

With parts of the North under the siege of Boko Haram in the form of outright territorial control in some cases and guerilla styled terror attacks in others and with the government failing to bring the situation under control, what is the guarantee that there will indeed be general elections in 2015? Even if elections are held successfully in some parts of the country, would results be conclusive without elections in the troubled parts? How would displaced persons cast their votes or are they automatically disenfranchised? How safe would massive campaign rallies be? With politicians and their militant cronies on both sides facing up to one another ahead of the elections and sounding the drumbeats of war should the elections not go in their respective interests, what would be the aftermath of a general election? We may argue that elections have been successfully held in some states under heavy military presence but let us not forget that we do not hold staggered elections in Nigeria. We are talking about general elections.

If one were to ignore the atmosphere of intimidation and the warlike environment that such massive military deployment across the nation at the same time would create, do we even have sufficient security/military personnel for such a mission? What would be the impact of such a thin spread of our military on the safety of terror-stricken areas? In whatever way the results of the general elections go – North or South – are we prepared for the reactions that could ensue? Against the structural and systemic backdrop of the chaotic state of the nation, what is the wisdom in holding elections without dealing with these foundational problems? If the politicians ignore these salient questions and go ahead to juggle for power in the midst of chaos, then that would seem to lend credence to the allegation that the politicians do know what the Nigerian people do not know and are behind the crises in our nation, competing among themselves to see who can best manipulate the situation for political gains, not caring how many lives are lost in the process as long as personal ambition is achieved.

I have consistently alerted the nation since 2012 that if we fail to fix 2014, there would be no 2015. We need first to address the underlying problems by joining forces to deal with insurgency, seeking national reconciliation and integration, forging a new people’s constitution, developing a blueprint for development along zonal lines, organizing an accurate census and establishing a truly independent electoral commission whose head is not appointed by the President and whose financial allocation will be obtained from the first line charge of the Federation Account. The structural framework for such necessary pre-election reforms is beyond the scope of today’s broadcast.

However, in my capacity as a servant of God and a watchman mandated to warn the nation ahead of impending danger, I have already made it clear to the nation that we need a transitional arrangement to pilot our nation out of this chaos before we can talk about elections. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Ladies and gentlemen, “there is no greater sign of a general decay of virtue in a nation than a want of zeal in its inhabitants for the good of their country.” (Joseph Addison)

Therefore, rather than the usual finger pointing of the past, we must understand at this crucial stage in the history of our nation that this is no time to engage in the blame game that has torn us apart these past one hundred years: the blame game between the North and the South, the blame game between the Christians and the Muslims, the blame game among political parties and the blame game between the leadership and the people.

Having been helped by the Almighty these hundred years, it is time we stopped to ask ourselves why the bush is not consumed amidst the flame of fire; it is time we pondered the purpose of our corporate existence; it is time we healed the wounds of the past in order to forge ahead as one united country; it is time we rose up to the greatness foretold by our founding fathers; it is time we rose up as one country of diverse strengths united by a common purpose, a common ideal and a common destiny; it is time we deployed our diverse strengths to surmount the challenges that we are now confronted with and to build the Nigeria of our dreams. For even though that dream has been blown about by the wind of oppression and the storms of injustice, the dream lives on; even though that dream has been emaciated by the pangs of poverty and the throes of despair, the dream lives on; even though that dream has been threatened by the malicious forces of disintegration and the roaring lion of terrorism, the dream lives on.

Yes! The dream lives on! It lives on in the smile of that teenage child hawking on the streets of Lagos hoping to add a few more naira notes to his mother’s purse so she can afford his school books by the start of the term.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the sleepy eyes of that father who lives in Mowe and must wake up at 4.00 a.m. so he can join the bus, hoping to catch some sleep on the way before he gets to his office in Lekki, the only place where he found a job by which he is able to put food on the table for his wife and children, some of whom may have fallen asleep by the time he returns at 11 p.m..

The dream lives on! It lives on in the drips of dye from the hands of that adire maker in Abeokuta who must keep up the family’s ancient trade in the 21st century but must do so under the same crude conditions in which her ancestors did theirs for that is the only way she can support her cutlass-and-hoe-bearing farmer husband to take care of the home front.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the nets of the fisherman in Okpoma (Okpo-Ama) Kingdom in Bayelsa State who must scout for fish in an oil-polluted river if his aged father and mother and his young wife and infant child must live to see the next day and whose wife must find alternative fire sources, as the family cannot afford a litre of kerosene even though the ground that produces it is only miles away.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the local ingenuity of the shoemaker in Aba who finds a way to weather the storm of power shortage and the inability to access capital as he strives to provide local content in the shoe industry, competing with importers from better organized economies.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the sweat on the face of that yam farmer in Makurdi who, against all odds, ensures that his part of the country lives up to its name as the food basket of the nation.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the voice of that young teacher in that remote village in Sokoto who defies all odds including the dilapidated school building, the unconducive classroom environment where students have to sit on mats and, most of all, poor pay, to ensure that the next generation has a taste of the vestiges of the dreams of our founding fathers.

Yes! The dream lives on! It lives on in the walk to school of that little girl in Bauchi who defies the threat of terrorism as she steps out in pursuit of basic education.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the gallantry of the young men of Borno State known by the name Civilian JTF; young men who put their lives on the line and who, with inferior weapons or no weapons at all, have taken responsibility for the defense of their villages against the evil forces of terrorism.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the bravery of those heroes among our soldiers who would rather die in honour of the fatherland than surrender to Boko Haram or flee to Cameroon for cover and put the Nigerian flag to shame.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the hope of the women and girls still held in captivity and in the relentlessness of Nigerians in civil society and in government, who have continued to hope that one day, the bonds of terrorism will be broken and all captive Nigerians will be returned alive to their families.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the hand-held devices of young Nigerians on social media who keep on the front burner of public consciousness those issues that affect the Nigerian people in the hope that one day a movement for positive change will be ignited.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the drive of young men and young women who challenge the notion of job scarcity to start-up innovative enterprises, creating jobs for themselves and many others like them.

The dream lives on! It lives on in the dedication and commitment of the Nigerian worker who, in spite of poor pay and poor working conditions, has kept alive the dignity of labour.

The dream lives on! It lives on whenever a public office holder, at any level of government, realizes that God has exalted him or her for the sake of the Nigerian people, and decides to set aside selfish interest to serve the people with the integrity of his heart and the skillfulness of his hands like King David (Psalm 78:72).

The dream lives on! It lives on in the hopes and prayers of every Nigerian who believes in, and is working for, the emergence of a New Nigeria.

BEING TEXT OF SPEECH BY PASTOR ‘TUNDE BAKARE

AT THE THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY

ON SUNDAY THE 16TH OF NOVEMBER, 2014.

VENUE: THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY,

END-TIME CHURCH,

4, AKILO ROAD, OFF OBA AKRAN AVENUE,

OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS.



THEME: THE NIGERIA OF MY DREAMS



PROTOCOLS.

Good morning; God bless you.

Say to your neighbour: Peace to you, peace to your household and peace to all that you have.

Now that we are rounding off the week-long Diamond Jubilee Celebration, we can get back to the serious business of nation building. Just before the broadcast today, let me place on the register my sincere appreciation for the magnitude of demonstration of your affection for me, my wife, children and family.

From far and near you have encouraged us to do more in the service of God and humanity in this second half of my earthly journey.

It is impossible to forget your labour of love and we trust God to richly bless you all. How can I thank those who in spite of their lofty positions decided to pour encomiums on me through their tributes? Words fail me to appreciate in this regard the contributions of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari; elder statesmen: Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, General Alani Akinrinade, Dr. Amos Akingba, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, my brother and friend, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II SARKIN KANO, and Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu.

The fathers of faith and generals in the army of God were not left behind. Tributes came from Pastor E.A. Adeboye, Dr. Wilson Badejo, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Rev. Felix Omobude, and Pastor Afolabi Oladele who also brought a timely word from the throne of grace. I must make mention of the tributes of my dear friends and partners in destiny Dr. Jonathan & Helen David far away in Malaysia, Pastor & Mrs. Bank Akinmola who are here present, as well as the CAN President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor who, in spite of his Annual Conference in Warri, flew in to Lagos to celebrate with us.

We also appreciate the active participation of the Ogun State Governor and his wife, Senator & Mrs. Ibikunle Amosun, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope, former Governors of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel and his wife, and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who came in after the service, as well as former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and the trio of distinguished Senators Adefuye, Bajomo and Okurounmu, two of whom came with their wives. The Royal Fathers also honoured us with their presence alongside their Oloris: The Awujale of Ijebu Land and his royal entourage, The Alake of Egba Land, The Olu of Ilaro, The Olowu of Owu, The Osile of Oke-Ona Egba, just to mention a few. May the good Lord lengthen their days and give them rich fulfilment that nothing will take away from them all, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A prominent role was played at the symposium last Monday by the best and brightest of the media, including Chief Ajibola Ogunshola (who chaired the occasion and also came to the birthday reception on Tuesday with his wife in spite of prior commitments that day), Segun Adeniyi who delivered the keynote address, Femi Adeshina, Simon Kolawole, Azubuike Ishiekwene, Edward Dickson, Funke Aboyade, SAN, and Bashorun Dele Momodu. May their tribe increase in the Fourth Realm of the Estate.

In addition, who can quickly forget the contribution of Prof. Pius Adesanmi, a writer with poetic license, who blew the trumpet of conscience at the public lecture he delivered ably on Friday? May this star in our firmament continue to shine brighter and brighter, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The gifts and sacrifices of notable men and women of Commerce, Banking and Industry: Otunba Subomi Balogun and his Olori, Olola Fola Adeola and his wife, Chief Mrs. Nike Akande, Asiwaju S.K. Onafowokan, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, Senator Daisy Danjuma, our own Tunde Ayeni and his wife, Segun Oloketuyi and his wife, Rev. Tunde Lemo, the retired Deputy Governor of the CBN, as well as others too numerous to mention, are deeply appreciated. I am so overwhelmed by the display of love towards us. God bless you all.



SIGNIFICANCE OF BIRTHDAYS

As far as I am concerned, birthdays are not the celebration of the days we were born but a celebration of the fact that we have been able to conquer death for another year. It is also a celebration of the fact that we have been able to overcome numerous obstacles on our life journey. Therefore landmark birthdays should be celebrated as victories over the forces of darkness that everyday bestride our paths in our quest to make a positive impact in this cruel and fallen world.

In Nigeria today, where life expectancy is one of the lowest in the world, where the health sector is more or less comatose, it is always a miracle when one lives for another year.

For this reason, my wife and I are grateful to God who has added life to our years and who we trust to add years to our lives, in Jesus’ name. Amen.



PREMISE FOR TODAY’S BROADCAST

As a premise for today’s broadcast, permit me to quote Ghandi at this juncture. He said: “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly”. Add to that the words of the American author and poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox who said, “To sin by silence when they should speak, makes cowards of men”. I also consider it appropriate to add herein the contribution of our own Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who along with his amiable wife honoured us with their presence at the leaders and choir luncheon yesterday. He said: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny”.

And so as an assembly of the Bold, Courageous and Faithful men and women, we too refuse to keep quiet in the face of impunity and lawlessness.

The theme for today’s broadcast is: THE NIGERIA OF MY DREAMS.This is my 60th birthday gift to my nation. I hope it will be well received by all men and women of good will.



SCRIPTURAL TEXTS:

Habakkuk 2:1-4 (NKJV):

1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.


Ezekiel 12:26-28 (NKJV):

26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

27 “Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’

28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’”



In the past I have had to explain to those around me why I have been so consumed by the burden of my nation Nigeria to the point of putting my life on the line. I would love to lead a quiet life, minding my business and just spending time with those I love as a husband, father, son and friend, insulated from the chaotic environment that we have to grapple with as a nation, but the burden of Nigeria would not afford me that leisure. I would love to take luxurious cruises around the world in the company of those dearest to my heart to savour the magnificence and splendour of the sea and better organized nations, away from the pressures of this environment, but the sense of responsibility for Nigeria would not let me.

By the grace of God, I have the means to leave the shores of this nation to relocate to climes of much greater comfort and never come back here but the promptings of destiny would not permit me. Like a pregnant woman, I cannot sleep like others sleep. Like one in the season of birth, I cannot ignore the pangs that rouse my spirit in the night seasons regarding my beloved nation Nigeria. Like one taken by labour pains, I cannot disregard the quickening of the New Nigeria, a seed divinely implanted in my womb of destiny from infancy, whose delicate life I have grown, with the sense of responsibility to nurture through its full gestation, on behalf of the One who planted it and to Whom I owe account.

Some have wondered why I would rather spend and be spent than take even what may be considered a legitimate compensation. Some have wondered why my teardrops flow at the slightest bruise on my nation’s soul yet my heart leaps for joy as to a story still being told. Some have wondered why I would rather incline my ears to the melody within my reins, as to the beats of a distant drum, than flow with the crowd whose roaring noise seems to make my voice but a silent hum. I am compelled to lay it bare to you and to generations yet unborn why I would rather confront than conform; why I would rather contend than compromise; and why I would rather combat than condone where the destiny of my nation is concerned. Though the landscape seems stricken by gloom, the background against which my hope still blooms, I wish every Nigerian would find their thrill as I unveil the Nigeria of my dreams, for any jewel that’s worth this fight must be a pearl of such great price.

I was a child when Nigeria gained her independence from Britain. I was almost six years old at the time; but I remember the great expectation that heralded that event. I remember the 1st independence celebration that accompanied it. I remember the delicious jollof rice that was distributed to us as children and the green-white-green hand flags that were waved in jubilation. Infants though we were, we were conscious of the dawn of a new era and nothing seemed more symbolic of the promise of national greatness than the lowering of the Union Jack and the hoisting of the Nigerian flag in its place. So melodious was the national anthem whose lyrics and rhythm we subsequently had to learn instead of the British anthem. Our infant hearts were stirred with patriotic fervour as we belched the tune of Nigeria We Hail Thee from our tender bellies. Heroic images of our founding fathers were etched on our minds as we learnt of their great exploits and aspired to be like them. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was my personal hero. I grew up idolizing this colossus of a man who to me was the quintessence of leadership.

On April 10, 1967, as a ten year old, I had a dream in which I was on a mountaintop seated between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. In this rather mysterious encounter, we were discussing the future of this nation. After that experience, a seed of destiny was deposited in me which, though I did not fully understand at the time, I could not deny or shake away. A year before then, in 1966, when Chief Awolowo paid a visit to Abeokuta after he had been released from prison, I struggled through the waiting crowd to give him a warm handshake. He, together with the rest of our founding fathers, the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and, before them, the likes of Sir Herbert Macaulay, had laid the foundation of a nation whose future I had much hope in. The dreams of our founding fathers reverberated in my heart because they gave meaning and offered a promise of closure to my childhood experiences.

Born in Abeokuta, in the South of Nigeria and, at some point, raised in Sokoto, in the North of Nigeria, with relatives across different ethnicities, I could understand what our founding fathers meant when they agreed to the promise of a nation where, though tribes and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we would stand.

Born in the midst of dwindling wealth and raised in abject poverty after the death of my father, the promise of a prosperous nation characterized by peace and plenty with equitable wealth distribution resonated with my aspirations.

Born to a father who died when I was only two, leaving me nothing but the legacy of a name unstained and highly respected years after his death, I could understand the creed that guided our founding fathers as they counted as gain the prospect of handing over to the next generation a banner without stain.

Born by a mother who, after my father’s death, was subjected to oppression and untoward suffering, the kind of suffering many a Nigerian woman goes through in the hands of a harsh socio-economic environment especially when they lose their husbands, my heart resonated with the promise of a nation where no one is oppressed and whose flag shall be a symbol that truth and justice reign.

As I proudly took on responsibility at an early age, engaging in manual labour from the age of nine, hawking kolanut and plantain, hewing and selling firewood, fetching water to earn meagre wages to support my widowed mother who struggled to take care of me and to give me a future she never had, I understood the ethos of our founding anthem that Nigerians are proud to serve the sovereign Motherland.

Through the free education policy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo without which the likes of me would never have gone to school, and through the free health services by the same government, I became a beneficiary of the use of the right public policy mix to achieve socio-economic improvement for families who otherwise have no chance at the better life for which they strive. As the Western Region blazed the trail on the continent in taking developmental strides and as I learnt of the successes of the Northern, Eastern and Midwestern Regions at improving the socio-economic conditions of their people, despite the troubled politics of the era, my expectations were high as to the height that this nation could attain in the community of nations.

When the fabric of nationhood was threatened by the forces of secession and its foundation shaken by the winds of division, the lofty ideals of a nation in peace or battle honoured, painted in our anthem and adopted by the founding fathers, and the corresponding patriotic zeal etched in me as a young Nigerian, stirred me up to offer myself as a recruit in the army that was mandated to keep Nigeria one, believing that I had the mental prowess to execute the assignment even though my little frame would not add any advantage as I was reminded when my offer was refused.

As a Muslim student in a Christian school, I spearheaded the fight against domination of religious minorities by the majority only to end the battle and move on without rancour as soon as equity was achieved. Though I did not know it then, I was only reverberating the ideals of our founding fathers as articulated by Sir Ahmadu Bello whose Sokoto I had been raised in – the ideal of a nation of many different races, tribes and religions knit together to a common history, common interest and common ideas, a society where the things that unite us are stronger than the things that divide us. Like Ahmadu Bello, I was only reminding the staff and students of Lisabi Grammar School that ours is a nation of a firmly rooted policy of religious tolerance where leadership should have no intention of favouring one religion at the expense of another; where, subject to the overriding need to preserve law and order, the aim of public policy should be that every citizen has absolute liberty to practice his belief according to the dictates of his conscience, an ideal which, years later, at the just concluded National Conference, this time as a Christian, inspired my insistence on religious neutrality. I have faith in God. I do not practice any religion. Religion is bondage.

As a young student from Abeokuta, upon relocating to Lagos and representing Zumratu Islamiya Grammar School Surulere at the 1974 National Finals of the Red Cross Society Debates, faced with a formidable opposition from a mixed European student from King’s College Lagos, I refused to be intimidated by the colour of his skin, by the shape of his nose or by the sophistication of his accent and I went on to win the cup for my school. Though I did not know it then, I was simply echoing the ideal espoused by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in his book Renascent Africa published in 1937 which I had earlier read, where he reiterated the words of George Bernard Shaw that the greatest civilization would come from Africa.