LETTER TO ANYIM PIUS ANYIM, SGF (1)

Chief Anyim Pius Anyim

Dear Chief Anyim, I am writing this open letter to congratulate you on your appointment and inauguration as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.  I know you would have received many of such letters – a whole range of them, the fawning, the patronizing, the inspiring and the self-serving – such that by now they are probably just filed away, without being read. I hope this experiences a better fate.

I wouldn’t know how my reason for writing rates this letter, but it is absolutely important to state it up-front, as I am an apostle of full disclosure.  The most important single reason I am writing is to serve you notice that I shall, as much as practicable, be one of the keenest watchers of your activities in office. I shall be one of the cheer leaders when you get it right and one of your loudest critics, if you ever deviate. You know why I shall be doing that? Although, I have never met you, I am one of your admirers - as one of my pastors who was a Law School mate of yours, can testify. I came closest to meeting you last year when you presided at the annual seminar of International Foundation for Christian Unity (IFCU), in Lagos where I was one of the speakers. But I arrived so late; you were leaving as I was coming in! (Not a habit, I assure you).

What I do admire in you is therefore more of a hunch, deriving from your public life and statements. They ooze humility and faith in God. My self-appointment as an observer of your activities in office, therefore takes its root from your public demonstration of commitment to faith in Jesus Christ, and by nature of this column.

It is already well known that one of the things you did when you left office as President of the nation’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate, was attend Bible School. (Interestingly your “good friend”, who shall be unnamed here, also chose to study the Bible after eight years of playing god with our national destiny; though at a distance learning institution).

Your utterances since taking office further strengthen my resolve to embark on this assignment of which I am notifying you. Two of them will suffice as reminders.

First media reports of your inauguration were unanimous that you saw your appointment as the “will of God”. ThisDay newspaper’s report by Dele Ogbodo read partly like this:  “The newly inaugurated Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim…stated that his appointment as SGF by President Goodluck Jonathan was the will of God for him and for all Nigerians. Anyim made the declaration in Abuja, while formerly taking over office from the out-going SGF, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.

“While expressing no regret on his failed ambition of becoming the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)…he said ‘though the office of the SGF is not an arm of Government that I’m very conversant with, as a politician with the legislative arm, l’ m very eager to learn from my forerunner, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, who is a very distinguished and patriotic Nigerian.’ Anyim expressed appreciation to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for the trust reposed in him by giving him yet another opportunity to serve the country, stating that he will not disappoint the president and the nation…”

The other, also a ThisDay report, this time by Sunday Okobi, provides for me, another basis upon which your activities in office can very reasonably be appraised. It reads, in part: “Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF),  Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has enjoined Nigerians to always seek the face of the Almighty God in any decision they make in life adding that the reason man experiences difficulties in life is because he wants to play God. ‘He (God) opposes the proud and gives way to the humble.’

“Anyim made this comment while addressing Akokwa Christian Elites in Lagos at their annual dinner party at the weekend. He reasoned that if man must experience peace, joy and success in life, and also, with the fact that God is not a respecter of anybody irrespective of his status in the society, he (man) should always work and walk in God’s path to curry His avalanche favour.

“’There is no alternative to fearing God, to doing the right thing, to being fair to human beings. The most bankable investment I have on my children is the one I can have on other people. So be good to humanity.’

“The former Senate President who sounded more religious than politician that evening while drawing illustration from the Holy book with the story of the ‘rich fool’ said: ‘The reason man must fear God and always seek his face in his everyday life is because the earth and our individual lives belong to Him; we are just items in his vineyard. If He deems to forget you, he just replaces you with another person. He doesn’t lose anything.’

“Anyim also illustrated God’s supremacy using his life as an example. He disclosed how he wallowed in ignorance when he sought to occupy the People Democratic Party Chairmanship position without waiting for God direction. ‘I took my campaign to Kaduna. While in my hotel room, a voice said ‘this will not work’ I rebuked it thinking it was the voice of the devil to weaken me, the next thing I heard was that the party will choose a consensus candidate. But after constant consultation with God, and without stress, I got to where I’m today…

“He told the Akokwa businessmen and women who gathered at Sheraton Banquet Hall that the best experience he has on earth is a life of total dependence on God adding ‘It’s only God that secures man. No matter the body guards around you, what God says will happen to you, must surely come to past…I never dream of becoming a politician in life. It happened because I believe success comes from God; I now live life confidently, knowing that I have conquered the fear of my tomorrow, ‘Anyim affirmed…” (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK).

WANTED: A CHRISTIAN AGENDA FOR NIGERIA (3)

Rev Dr Daniel Okoh, VP, CAN

"...A Christian agenda for Nigeria is not a christianizing agenda. As stated before, it’s simply setting an agenda for governments at all levels, based on the values that we hold dear, values that are godly and therefore incapable of hurting others who mean well for our nation; it is also about protecting our legitimate interests within the plurality that’s Nigeria, without infringing on the legitimate rights of others. What I canvass here, is the need for the Christian community, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to articulate those values and interests for our brethren, who have been elected at various levels, and encourage them to propagate and pursue them as our agenda".

In concluding this serial, allow me reiterate that a Christian agenda for Nigeria is not a christianizing agenda. As stated before, it’s simply setting an agenda for governments at all levels, based on the values that we hold dear, values that are godly and therefore incapable of hurting others who mean well for our nation; it is also about protecting our legitimate interests within the plurality that’s Nigeria, without infringing on the legitimate rights of others. What I canvass here, is the need for the Christian community, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to articulate those values and interests for our brethren, who have been elected at various levels, and encourage them to propagate and pursue them as our agenda.

Already identified as deserving places in the agenda are the issues of Education, structure of our federation and religious persecution in parts of the country.

Education, it was said must be on the agenda because, the pursuit of knowledge is a God-ordered preoccupation, without which mankind will perish (see Hosea 4:6). Christians should therefore push easy access to education, including free education, wherever and whenever feasible, and insist on the entrenchment in the curricular at appropriate levels, of such character-moulding, world-view shaping subjects as Christian Religious Knowledge, Moral Instructions and Civics.

In making the case for revisiting the structure of our federalism, the point was made that, there is injustice, inequity and even enslavement, in the current arrangement. These are definitely ungodly attributes which must make the system unacceptable us as Christians, children of a just Father. In this connection, the point was also made that the rise of violence in our country is the result of pervasive systemic injustice. Justice, we said, was the only enduring antidote to violence. Christians, as followers of the Prince of Peace, must make it our duty to uproot all systemic incentive to violence. There must be a way of making this a major assignment for Christians in government at all levels.

On religious persecution in some parts of northern Nigeria, it has been said that it is unconscionable for Christians in other parts of Nigeria to be apathetic about the plight of their brethren in northern Nigeria just because we live in relatively tolerant climes. This runs counter to the express injunction of the Bible that “we are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5). Truth is, as has already been emphasized, many of our brethren in that part of Nigeria have died; many have lost loved ones; many have been maimed; very many are living in mortal fear of their neighbours. It is also true that “in some parts, churches cannot own property, including places of worship.” But instead of action, what has been happening is intellectual debate about whether the problem is religious or ethnic, while the Christian has become an endangered species in many parts of Northern Nigeria.  This is indeed a very crucial part of the agenda because lives and the continued existence of the nation are involved.

As I stated in closing last week, corruption and integrity both need to find places in any meaningful agenda. In the article “Election 2011: How-To Guide for Christians,” I wrote: “Everybody agrees that corruption is the deadliest single cancer that’s eaten up our innards as a nation. Everybody agrees that institutions have to be established and strengthened to fight it. But as we have seen, institutions need good people to nurture them to growth. Besides, we need to understand that corruption is sometimes system-induced. For instance, big governments tend to lead to corruption”. As a body, we must take informed stand on fundamental issues such as this, and encourage our brethren in office to pursue appropriate policies.”   

  

I also drew attention to the issue of integrity, which while closely related to corruption, is largely personal and can help or hurt our fight against corruption. I recall addressing the issue in these words: “Integrity is the scarcest commodity in Nigeria. That is because, no matter how brilliant the policies; no matter how convincing a candidate sounds, no matter how seemingly well-thought out the programmes look; if the integrity quotient of the implementers is low, it would be more of the same…”

In the current context, the church has the role of monitoring the performance in office, of those who name the name of the Lord. Christians must be encouraged to live by Christian ethics by their pastors at the personal level, while the church umbrella bodies must not shy away from stepping in where personal pastoral leadership is either lacking or inadequate.

Now, in all of these, there’s the how-to question. How does the church go about drawing up an agenda? 

First, we can and need to take a cue from the political parties. They simply invited their members to seminars and workshops where ideas were broached, discussed and decisions reached. While it is true that the church, not having fielded candidates, does not have the kind of hold on elected officials that the parties which sponsored them have, it also true however that not a single one of those who claim to be Christians can ignore an invitation from the church. Were anyone to, he would simply be repudiating his faith publicly and would not be worth worrying about!

This kind of engagement with the political class has been uppermost in one’s mind for years now. I even suggested it in the serial, “Wake-Up Call for Church Leaders”. Specifically, I proposed that CAN should consider holding annual retreats for Christian politicians, where they all have the opportunity to listen to word-based evaluation of governance; exchange views on anti-Christian pressures and satanic influences, and together agree to prayerfully resist those things. It was also suggested that CAN appoints a legislative liaison and monitoring group armed with a Christian legislative agenda and a check-list of the attributes of just laws. With a legislative agenda of  laws that Nigerian Christians would love to see passed in a particular legislative year, this group can liaise with Christian legislators and even powerful non-Christians where necessary. With a well thought-out legislative checklist Christian members can be guided to oppose or support or propose amendments to bills…” There’s much more along this line, but its “space-up”. God help our leaders to listen. 

WANTED: A CHRISTIAN AGENDA FOR NIGERIA (2)

David Mark, Senate President.

"Next, I mentioned in that piece, the structure of our federation. I argued that “as currently structured, there is so much injustice, inequity and therefore, ungodliness in the way Nigeriais run.” It was my view and it remains so that “whether we wish to acknowledge it honestly or not, God cannot be happy with a situation where the way resources, native to any part of the country, are controlled and managed from a so-called centre. The continued attempt at tinkering with this issue will get us nowhere. What we need in Nigeriais a true federation; one in which no section is treated as, or even remotely allowed to feel like, second-class citizens. Justice is the only enduring antidote to violence.” Can we encourage Christian legislators to engage with this fundamental problem?"

I wrote in part last week: “...Until now, I thought I have been playing my part, and that is not untrue. But, I know that I have to keep at it, up the ante, for indeed, the stakes are higher today than at any other time in our history. That is why I shall not stop calling on the Church, to which I belong, to rise up from its business as usual composure. When I wrote a serial titled, Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders; did an Open Letter series to the president of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor; when I proclaimed, by divine unction that 2011 was the year of the Church, I was trying to point out the need for the Church in Nigeria get up and get involved…”

Continuing, I also said: “To a significant extent, the church did, in collaboration with many other segments of society, and that is why we are where we are today. That is why we can talk about a reasonably free, fair and credible election…However, we cannot stop there; we dare not! People have been elected; a good percentage of them profess faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In other words they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of them are going there with the best of intentions. But so did many in the past, who came back warped by the system. Are there ways the Church can help them?  Are their things that we, as a Church, led by the Holy Spirit of God, can draw their attention to which, they should put on the front burner? My answer is yes, on both counts.”

It was my promise that I shall point out some of those things that ought to be on the Christian Agenda for Nigeria. For the avoidance of any doubt, this is not about “Christianizing” Nigeria, although I’ll gladly do, if I could. It’s about setting an agenda for governments at all levels based on our faith, values and interests that will make the nation better for ALL Nigerians, irrespective of their faith. It is about articulating for our brethren, who have been elected at various levels, those issues that are we, as a Spirit-led body, are persuaded with, as the cliché goes, move the nation forward.

Due to space constraints, I shall mention just a few. And these few derive from some my earlier suggestions on this page, beginning with the most recent, written and published just before the presidential election titled, “Election 2011: How-To-Guide for Christians.”

In that piece, I posited that we should be interested in the various candidates’ position on education. I wrote: “My people, says the Bible, perish for lack of knowledge (see Hosea 4:6). A Christian-friendly candidate would be one who has a clear, comprehensive, feasible and viable policy in education. Free education is good and should be encouraged, but the candidates/parties pushing it must give a clear blueprint about how it would be achieved. Also, there must be a commitment to the three worldview and character-moulding subjects, Christian Religious Knowledge, Moral Instructions and Civics. These will address the yawning gap in the growth of our children, who even when they are taught well at home, find themselves contending with different values out ‘in the real world.’”

Flowing from these, it should be our position that Christians in elective offices should push an educational agenda that supports easier accessibility to or possibly free education, as well as inclusion of character shaping subjects into the curricula at appropriate levels.

Next, I mentioned in that piece, the structure of our federation. I argued that “as currently structured, there is so much injustice, inequity and therefore, ungodliness in the way Nigeria is run.” It was my view and it remains so that “whether we wish to acknowledge it honestly or not, God cannot be happy with a situation where the way resources, native to any part of the country, are controlled and managed from a so-called centre. The continued attempt at tinkering with this issue will get us nowhere. What we need in Nigeria is a true federation; one in which no section is treated as, or even remotely allowed to feel like, second-class citizens. Justice is the only enduring antidote to violence.”  Can we encourage Christian legislators to engage with this fundamental problem?

A third issue that I raised at that time had to do with the seemingly intractable problem of religious persecution in some parts of northern Nigeria. The Bible, I wrote, “says we are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5). It says that when one part hurts the whole body hurts.” I then wondered why it seems like the rest of us Christians are doing little or nothing about the fact that “Christians in certain parts of Northern Nigeria have been hurting for ages.”  I noted that “many have died; many have lost loved ones; many have been maimed; very many are living in mortal fear of their neighbours”, and that “in some parts, churches cannot own property, including places of worship.” I suggested that “the persecution and marginalization has gone on for too long while our governments and intellectuals are busy debating whether the problem is religious or ethnic or both” and then declared, “the bottom line is that the Christian has become an endangered species in many parts of Northern Nigeria.”

This is an issue about which Christians in government have to be sensitized to take a position that will lead to appropriate policy decisions, including legislation, and well-defined timelines for putting to final stop to the tragedy.

In that piece, I also raised the issues of corruption and integrity, both of which are so crucial that if the Church does not step in and offer assistance to the nation, through those who profess faith Jesus Christ, nothing else would matter. So, I shall dwell on these next week and recall some of the structures that can be considered to help the church help its members to help our nation. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK)

WANTED: A CHRISTIAN AGENDA FOR NIGERIA (1)

TY Bello

"I watch this young lady, listen to her rasp her way through the hope-filled words that seem to come directly from deep within her soul, and I feel an urge to do something; to push despair and despondency out of the way; to join her in clearing corruption off our national pathway. She’s daring us all to dream again, to hope again and to begin now, because yesterday is gone and the future is today. How I wish she had written the inauguration address! "

These are very exciting times in our land. President Goodluck Jonathan is pushing what he calls a transformational agenda. He is saying all the right things. His very first appointment, that of a former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), though criticized by some, has been welcomed by many as a sign that integrity will at last play some role in the selection of public officers.

He has met with the leadership of the top political parties, except, unfortunately, Congress for Political Change (CPC), which according to media reports, did not honour the invitation. What those who attended had to say, after the meeting was indicative that we may truly be on the threshold of a renaissance.

The Governors’ Forum held a training programme for returning and fresher governors to prepare them for the job at hand. At least two of the political parties were widely reported to have held seminars for their elected officers. The cliché: “not business as usual”, seems set to have some meaning!

As readers of this column know, I wasn’t a fan of Candidate Goodluck Jonathan, but the elections are over and he’s president now! He is the duly elected chief executive officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with a responsibility to steer the ship of state and, he seems ready and willing to give it his best shot. It’s early days yet, though, and one is definitely taking the risks of speaking too soon, but, you know something? I am willing to give this a try.

As I write, my mind just wonders to this beautiful young lady, who since her days as a member of KUSH, a Nigerian gospel female quartet, never ceases to amaze me with her depth. Her name is TY Bello, a very deep lyricist, creative portrait photographer, wife, mother and my sister-in-the-Lord. Lately, she has afforded me some of my best moments on television, with her latest video. Titled, Future, it is an inspirational and patriotic work of musical beauty.  You’ve got to see and savour it yourself, but here, straight from the song’s official website, is the lyric of a song that has helped strengthen my faith in our possibilities as a nation:

Verse 1

We are the future

We are the dream

We are the nation

We are part of this

Yes, we are so amazing

That’s the least we shall be

At the heart of the nation changing history

Bridge

How can we say that we are finished

We have just begun

When we have nowhere else to run to

We have nowhere else to go

So get out of the way

Of the land of our dream

We are the nation

We are part of this

We are the nation

We are part of this

Chorus

Ohoooo, carry the song

Carry the sound

The future is here

The future is here

Goodbye yesterday

Tomorrow is now for the taking

The future is here

The future is here

Verse 2

I am the future

I am the dream

I am the nation

I am part of this

Yes, I am are so amazing

That’s the least I shall be

At the heart of the nation changing history

I watch this young lady, listen to her rasp her way through the hope-filled words that seem to come directly from deep within her soul, and I feel an urge to do something; to push despair and despondency out of the way; to join her in clearing corruption off our national pathway. She’s daring us all to dream again, to hope again and to begin now, because yesterday is gone and the future is today. How I wish she had written the inauguration address!

However, even as I let myself go, at 62, determined to escape the “curse” of being part of that generation of people, as someone once starkly put it, who lived better than their parents and better than their children, I know that we all have to play our part. TY Bello, for instance, has played and is still playing her part. Until now, I thought I have been playing my part, and that is not untrue. But, I know that I have to keep at it, up the ante, for indeed, the stakes are higher today that at any other time in our history.

That is why I shall not stop calling on the Church, to which I belong, to rise up from its business as usual composure. When I wrote a serial titled, Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders; did an Open Letter series to the president of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor; when I proclaimed, by divine unction that 2011 was the year of the Church, I was trying to point out the need for the Church in Nigeria get up and get involved.

To a significant extent, the church did, in collaboration with many other segments of society, and that is why we are where we are today. That is why we can talk about a reasonably free, fair and credible election, which with all its warts is the best in the history of Nigeria, with the possible exception still of June 12, 1993.

However, we cannot stop there; we dare not! People have been elected; a good percentage of them profess faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In other words they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of them are going there with the best of intentions. But so did many in the past, who came back warped by the system. Are there ways the Church can help them?  Are their things that we, as a Church, led by the Holy Spirit of God, can draw their attention to which they should put on the front burner? My answer is yes, on both counts. And I shall try to point out some next time here.

Meanwhile, let’s “carry the song; Carry the sound; the future is here… Goodbye yesterday; tomorrow is now for the taking; the future is here…” Thanks, TY, you are truly amazing (CONTINUES).