JONA’S METAMORPHOSIS (2)

"'... and I say Nigeria is being piloted by God himself.  It is not going to be easy, but with God using you and us, we will get to where we want to go…' Now, as a Christian and a minister to men, who has been taught and teaches that it is God, who wills and works in us to do of His good pleasure; a statement like that gladdened my heart when it came from my president. It did then because I thought it meant that this president was going to trust and depend on God, who brought him into office, to keep him in office only for as long as He will. I thought that it would mean avoiding desperation to remain in office. I thought it would mean neither participating in nor allowing abuse of power under his watch."

In likening President Goodluck Jonathan’s current mutation to King Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka said he was predicating his choice, not on its aptness, but more on the president’s earlier attempt to repudiate any similarities.

That earlier attempt, we noted here last week, was at a church service in September 2011, where he said, among other things, that he didn't need to be a Nebuchadnezzar to govern Nigeria. 

For ease of reference, here again is the relevant part of that statement: “Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am not also a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, the Pharaoh, all - powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the president to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. I don’t need to be a lion. I don’t need to be Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt. I don’t need to be an army general but I can change this country without those traits.”

'Kongi' went on to imply that those words have not been matched by the president’s actions when he told Nigerians through the media: “Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am no Nebuchadnezzar’. Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.”

As proof of that, he pointed to various acts of impunity by the government led by Dr Goodluck Jonathan including what he described as “this latest outrage” - the November 20 attempted lock-out of national legislators from the premises of the Parliament. Describing it as “one in an escalating series of impunity”, he argued that “the buck stops yet again at the presidency and that incumbent, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan” whom he said “continues to surprise us in ways that very few could have conjectured.”

Readers may recall that I expressed my own surprise that the professor or anybody else could have been surprised by Dr Jonathan’s resort to impunity; my reason being that his very ascendancy to the president was the product of impunity.  I had written in part: “… I agree absolutely that his support for the minority in the matter of the NGF election was indeed the clearest indication that the age of innocence was gone for good. Truth is the age of impunity, which, in my dictionary, is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my book, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else - including the presidency.”

So, perhaps Goodluck Jonathan has really not metamorphosed at all, then. Perhaps we had simply known him “in part” and we are simply just nearing fullness of knowledge? 

As I said last time, one other thing that he said at that September 2011 church gathering caught my attention then and now. The president, in continuation of his defence of his governance style, said:

“You know these days for you to be an intellectual and for people to listen to you, you have to abuse government. Somebody was asking, is Nigeria on an auto pilot? Meaning a plane without a pilot and I say Nigeria is being piloted by God himself.  It is not going to be easy, but with God using you and us, we will get to where we want to go…”

Now, as a Christian and a minister to men, who has been taught and teaches that it is God, who wills and works in us to do of His good pleasure; a statement like that gladdened my heart when it came from my president. It did then because I thought it meant that this president was going to trust and depend on God, who brought him into office, to keep him in office only for as long as He will. I thought that it would mean avoiding desperation to remain in office. I thought it would mean neither participating in nor allowing abuse of power under his watch.

Three years down the road, it is clear that I thought wrong! 

JONA’S METAMORPHOSIS (1)

"Truth is the age of impunity, which in my dictionary is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my books, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else including the presidency."

 

I am sure most of my readers know that the headline of this piece is not original. It is simply an adaptation of the title of one of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka’s two plays on a certain beach preacher, Jeroboam.

Jona, of course, refers to our dear president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, whose metamorphosis has surprised many including the deeply insightful globally celebrated Soyinka, who spoke about it, in a statement titled, “King Nebuchadnezzar – The Reign of Impunity”, which he read at a media meet last week.

Likening the president to Nebuchadnezzar here and his successor, Balthazar there, the Nobel laureate pretty much lent his weighty voice to the rising tide of in your face impunity in the way Nigeria is run. The trigger was a subject treated in this space last week, the November 20 invasion of the National Assembly by the Nigeria Police under the title, Hon “Justice” Suleiman Umar (which should have been HON “JUSTICE” SULEIMAN ABBA – error deeply regretted).

Signposting, in my thinking, the point when the larva became an adult and began to suck blood,  Kongi told the media, “…this latest outrage, one in an escalating series of impunity, the buck stops yet again at the presidency, and that incumbent, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, continues to surprise us in ways that very few could have conjectured. Peaking at his own personalized example where he set the law of simple arithmetic on its head – I refer to the split in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), and his ‘formal’ recognition of the minority will in a straightforward, peer election – democracy has been rendered meaningless where it should be most fervently exemplified.”

Although I am surprised that the professor, or anybody else, is surprised by Jonathan, I agree absolutely that his support for the minority in the matter of the NGF election was indeed the clearest indication that the age of innocence was gone for good. Truth is the age of impunity, which in my dictionary is the good old habit of doing things, anything at all, just because you can, dawned on us the day Jonathan decided to and ran for office the very first time. In my books, if any man would violate the rules in his age-grade group or boys and girls club because he has the power to, he’ll do it anywhere else including the presidency.

But, please, let’s go back to Soyinka’s powerful intervention in the matter.

In likening President Jonathan to “King Nebu”, he had filed the caveat that it was simply referring to the president’s earlier effort at characterizing himself and his presidency a couple of years back.  His words: “I shall not insist that the historic/biblical figure of Nebuchadnezzar is uniquely apt for the pivotal figure of the ‘democratic’ history in the making at this moment – for one thing, Nebu was a nation builder and a warrior… However you should easily recall why I opted for King Nebu –the figure that currently sits on the top of our political pile himself evoked it, albeit in a context that virtuously disclaimed any similarities, even tendencies. Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am no Nebuchadnezzar’. Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.”

The playwright was of course referring to the president’s statement at a church service in September 2011 where he said in part:

 
“Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am not also a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, the Pharaoh, all - powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the president to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. I don’t need to be a lion. I don’t need to be Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt. I don’t need to be an army general but I can change this country without those traits.”

Once again, I agree with the learned professor that the president, by that statement and subsequent actions, invited the comparison. But for me, it was what else the president said in that statement and his actions and omissions since then that demonstrated his metamorphosis and I shall address that next time. Stay tuned, please.

IT’S THE MEN, STUPID

KMEN'S Great Company members (from left):
Odinaka Uruakpa, Stella Sawyerr, Gbenga Osinaike,
Lekan Otufodunrin and Segun Otokiti. 

Wednesday, November 19 was International Men’s Day 2014. It providentially coincided with a major activity of the Lagos, Nigeria-based ministry to men that I have the priviledge of leading, KINGDOM MEN.

KMEN, as the ministry is called for short, had a two-in-one media event.  The KMEN Great Company, the ministry’s media support group was launched. Coordinated by Dennis Onwuegbu, a journalist and member of the leadership team of KMEN, the team, comprised of Christian journalists with track records of “using their calling to serve their faith… placing their time, talent and influence to propagate the gospel.

The inaugural team consists of Lekan Otufodunrin, Online Editor of The Nation newspaper, who founded and coordinates Journalists for Christ; Segun Otokiti, a veteran Faith writer currently of National Daily and Gbenga Osinaike, founder and editor of Nigeria’s most consistent Christian publication, Church Times. Two women who kindly consented to serve on the team are Stella Sawyerr, Associate Editor with TELL Communications, publishers of TELL magazine and Broad Street Journal and; Odinaka Uruakpa who heads the National Mirror newspaper’s Faith Desk.

The second part of the day’s event was the launch of what the ministry styles as the fix the Men, fix Nigeria Initiative. With the hash tags #fixthemenfixNigeria and #fixthemenfixthe nations, the initiative is designed to draw attention to the hardly recognised but unassailable truth that MEN ARE THE PROBLEM AND MEN ARE THE ANSWER.

Through the initiative, the ministry plans to start public campaigns to draw attention to the need for the nations to begin to pay attention to the spiritual health of our men, if we are to reduce the social, political and economic challenges we face, because most of the challenges emanate from the actions or omissions of men as husbands, brothers, fathers and leaders. That explains the headline of this piece, which as you may know was adapted from Bill Clinton campaign slogan when he was seeking office in 1993.

The ministry plans to do much more: take the campaign to churches in particular to encourage pastors to take ministry to men more seriously; place more emphasis on discipleship and mentoring.  The first phase will climax with the ministry’s second MEGA-SUMMIT on the theme, Fix the men, Fix the Nations, holding in Lagos, Nigeria, April 30-May 3, 2015.

A cross section of attendees: 3rd left is Madam Elizabeth Alabi, who
 unveiled the #FixthemenfixNigeria Initiative.
 

Let’s go back to the International Men's Day.  Founded in 199, it was inaugurated in Trinidad and Tobago by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh in 1999. A piece on IMD.org,  official website for the event stated: “The new event received overwhelming support in the Caribbean and due to the persistent networking and invitations sent to individuals in other nations International Men's Day has taken root on the international scene. The Caribbean initiative is now independently celebrated in countries as diverse as Singapore, Australia, India, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Hungary, Malta, Ghana, Moldova, and Canada and interest in the event is increasing rapidly.”

Incidentally, prior to this, the website noted, that since at least the 1960's  it was reported that many men had “been agitating privately to make February 23 International Men's Day, the equivalent of March 8, which is International Women's day" (New York Times, Feb 24 1969). Since this time there have been persistent international calls for the creation of an IMD, calls in the form of rhetorical questions about gender equality, eg. "Why do women have an international celebration and not men?" and more commonly in the form of statements like "Men's contributions and concerns deserve a day of recognition in their own right" i.e. not merely by analogy with International Women's Day. Proposed objectives of an International Men's Day include a focus on men's and boy's health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is also suggested as an occasion whereby men may highlight discrimination against them and celebrate their positive achievements and contributions to communities, places of work, friendships, families, marriages, and child care.”

During last year’s event, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, the founder said: “the annual observance of International Men’s Day on November 19th indicates a deep concern for the numerous problems plaguing our world. It is annually observed by both men and women who are eager to assist the troubled, help the dysfunctional and promote positive role models in our society. It is hoped that celebrating International Men’s Day will ultimately produce a more peaceful world with responsible and caring fathers, brothers, nephews, grandfathers, husbands and sons.”

The “deep concern for the numerous problems plaguing our world” the Caribbean scholar spoke about simply confirms what we at KINGDOM MEN have been saying to date - that the nations are the way they are because of the quality of men they have.  Or  in Clinton-speak, it’s the men, stupid.

 

FIX THE MEN, FIX THE NATIONS

I was at a conference in Newport Beach, California recently. Organised by Kingdom Global Ministries, KGM, the ministry founded by veteran global mentor of men, Rev Dr Larry Titus and run alongside his wife, Devi, it is a two-yearly event that draws ministry leaders from all parts of the globe. As the name suggests, among the major objectives of the conference is to afford men and women laboring in love in diverse departments of God’s vineyard the opportunity to connect with one another and leave God to do whatever he wills in the process. 

This is however not my World Connect 2014 report. That will come someday, perhaps, if the Lord leads. What reminded me of the conference is a piece I read during the week just gone by. Written by Bro Dayo Adeyemi of Catalyst Christian Men Network, it was titled Men are the Issues or Bringbackourmen NOT Bringbackourgirls.

Reading him reminded me of the enthusiastic endorsement of that truth by visitors to the Kingdom Men table at World Connect. As each person told us about their assignments, their vision and the successes they had achieved, we would nod in approval, congratulate them and then ask if the problems they are working hard to solve would exist or be of the magnitude it is, if men were really men as God called them to be. Usually, there was a pause and then,come, “no, of course not”.  

That was Kingdom Men’s  message at our Mega Summit 2014 earlier in the year here in Lagos; it was our  message at World Connect; it is the quintessence of our ministry

Here, very slightly edited  for space, is what Bro Dayo wrote: 

“Girls were kidnapped. Women were hysterical. Mothers were crying. First Lady was acting. The world was watching. Six months later, tears are still rolling. God has not changed. He possibly has nearly 2 billion people to deal with than a mere 250 something girls from one hell of a religious nation tucked away in a forgotten corner of the map. 

“It’s not about the girls. It’s beyond the first lady. No woman can bring back our girls. They can do all the cries and the dramas and the magic. It’s about the men. Where men are men, girls don’t get missing. They prime their wives and protect their daughters. There is no difference between the men who kidnapped the girls and the men who politicise the kidnapping of the girls. They both have one agenda! What is in it for me? Both want power. The girls are just the commodity by which both sides trade off their ego. Men are the issues.

“Men have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; …. they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. - Romans 1:28-32

“You may not be an insurgent but you are a ‘boko haram’ or ‘ISIL’ in your home, work and in the church. You inflict violence, murder and certain death by lack of compassion. You pay for the next abortion, lure the next girl, steal the next money or carry out evil acts. How do we know a ‘boko haram’? What he wants is what he wants! The feelings of the next person do not matter. He is utterly or subtly wicked and he knows it.

“How do we bring the men back? Men must return to the altar, the place of repentance, not eldership in the church, not politics with God. Men must ‘cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause’.

“Men have only one place to turn to. You can be in Eden and yet be out of touch with God. You can be in power and be as hardened as Pharaoh! You can be wealthy and be as proud as the rich fool. Men all over the ages have egos, huge egos that blinded their rationalities and rationalises their criminalities. Whether in church or in power, men compete, men kill, men make compassion second option, men’s heart are desperately wicked. It’s all about me, money and more me. 

‘The love of Christ wipes wickedness from the heart of men. When men come to the knowledge of Christ, then righteousness, justice and compassion flow. Yield your heart to Christ today and become the Catalyst that will not only bring back our girls but will restore sanity to our nation…”

Thanks Bro Dayo. And thank God for voices like yours. Incidentally, KMEN, the ministry I have the privilege of chief stewarding is launching a major new initiative reflected in the headline to this piece.

 .

WHERE TO MEET LARA GEORGE ON SATURDAY (TOMORROW)

" 'Your songs blessed me and helped me through my trying time. That was the last time I had to go into emergency till we had our baby boy on the 16th of June...'YOU TOO CAN HAVE A TESTIMONY."

There are two super Saturdays in October – at least for Chapelites, as members of one of Nigeria’s earliest word of faith churches are known, and other interested believers.  

October 11, 2014 was the first of the two this year. It heralded CCIC Campmeeting, perhaps Nigeria’s most consistent annual gathering of believers out to camp around the word of God in order to retool, refuel and re-fire for another year of godly abundant living. As is usual, Chapelites walked for Christ in one accord to create awareness for the campmeeting, proceeded to compete with one another at sports and games and then broke bread in an atmosphere of agape, the God-kind of love.

I’ll save you all the details of what you missed. I’ll tell you instead about that which you can still be a part of - Super Saturday Two.  In fact, please take this as my invitation to attend. It is our annual Campmeeting Gospel Music Jamz and it holds on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere. (CONTINUES BELOW)

Poised to take their turns to minister life to the people through gospel music and humour at their most inspirational and entertaining are CCIC Levites, Tim Godfrey of Agidigba fame comedian Koffi and Lara George. Space does not permit me to tell you about Tim Godfrey; Koffie and anointed star-studded CCIC Levites.  

Permit me to focus on special guest, Lara George, undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s leading female artistes. Classy, immensely talented and with a spellbinding voice, she was formerly a member of the popular gospel group KUSH. She released her debut solo album in 2007 with the hit single 'Ijoba Orun.' This was followed by the self-titled  'Lara George,' with such massive tracks Halleluyah, Kolebaje and Komasi (Nobody Like You) two years later, which she released with videos for these three top songs.

In 2012, while pregnant with her second child, Lara George went on to release her 3rd solo album titled 'Higher - The Dansaki Album.' Although this album was released without any fanfare, the song 'Dansaki' became an instant hit, closely followed by other tracks like 'Higher' , 'A Yin O', 'A New Day' and 'We Praise You.' The entire album is a testament to God's ability to make better all things of which He is a part.

Her recent work, Love Wantintin  is commemorating the tenth anniversary of her marriage last month. This is a prelude to a planned double album release in 2014, as she prepares to commemorate her 10th year wedding anniversary , as well as continuing with the pleasure of singing the most heartfelt and sincere inspirational songs ever heard. 

Lara is an often decorated gospel music megastar, whose many awards include Trailbazer of the Year 2013 and many more.  

Her songs have touched so many live in so many diverse ways to the glory of God such that testimonies abound. One such testimony reads:

“Your songs blessed me and helped me through my trying time. That was the last time I had to go into emergency till we had our baby boy on the 16th of June. I looked forward to sing "Dansaki" to the most high when this child was born and the day I brought my baby home it was the first song I heard. It brought tears to my eyes...I acknowledge His faithfulness in my life.

Thank you for those great songs. I am sure they have inspired many people across the globe but I just had to share my testimony…” You too can have a testimony; come expectant on Saturday (tomorrow). Time is 3pm.

TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER

"It is for this reason that somebody or group has to rise up to the challenge in some other ways. One such ways is to go the way of Christian leaders in the United States (through the Manhattan Declaration) and those of Britain (though the Westminster Declaration) and codify a set of principles by which those who fly the Christian flag should be encouraged to comport themselves or forfeit the right to expect our support and those of like minds."

I do not remember who said it, but, it’s been ringing in my head lately that “if you want anything done badly enough, you do it yourself.”  Perhaps you’ve heard it said before too. However, I am fully persuaded that in the matter of the urgent need for a Nigerian Christian Charter of Conscience (see last week’s column), it is incumbent upon those who are concerned about the direction of public conduct of those in leadership positions in our land, to rise up and let’s ‘just do it’.

When in 2010, I did an open letter serial to the President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and mentioned the subject in the fifth part; I had hoped that something would get done about it. My hope then was not baseless. As President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, he had much earlier convened a meeting of Christian Consultative Forum of Nigeria. As we reported in another serial in February 7 & 14, 2010, the forum was said “to have been borne out of ‘an apostolic summit held by some of Nigeria's front running Christian leaders on November 2, 2009’. Pastor Ayo stated the objective then as to enable ‘the body of Christ to transform the nation into a progressive, equitable and developed nation….’

That forum was attended by such eminent Nigerian followers of Christ, with years of incontrovertible Christian witness, ‘as former Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade; board room icon and one-time presidential aspirant, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode; a former Chairman of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Elder Felix Ohiwerei and university don, Professor Adamu Baikie, (who) addressed the long neglected issue of the role of the Church in nation building…’ 

That forum issued a communiqué, which, at the time excited this writer so much because it was answer to prayer and public advocacy through a serial titled “Wake-Up Call to Church Leaders.” That all-important document posited in part:

“The Forum noted that for the church to lead in the turn around, it must get itself to a level of building a new Nigeria on integrity, which involves attributes like competence, faithfulness, probity, transparency, commitment, courage, ethical values and behaviour and accountability.

“…Therefore, reiterate that the church is neither a social institution nor a political party, but a spiritual fellowship for Christians and its only agenda is that of God. And that is, through this agenda, that our Christian leaders must be consistently courageous to teach all men (both leaders and followers) to observe all things that Christ has commanded;

 “…Concluded that the church must lead in the transformation of our nation, its leaders must lead with integrity, honesty of purpose, and speak out forcefully against the ills of country’s leaders. The church must also teach and develop its members into leaders and must promote integrity and discipline, encourage austere living, and generosity and discourage prosperity and materialism.”  

“…Recognised that the church cannot be transformed if it has not been working to develop its own leaders, and (raise) champions amongst its members. The church must therefore instil discipline amongst its members, sanction erring members and develop new leaders in the way of the Lord. We therefore, need to restore the right values, re-establish high standards in corporate and public governance and social behaviour, and to adopt good discipline, and establish a reliable system for ensuring consistently good performance. In addition, the church should not promote materialism and prosperity gospel, but encourage austere living and generosity.”

We stated then that the communiqué was “pointing in the way that the Church must go if it will take its place in providing the leadership in every sector of our national life as indeed it should.”

Pastor Oritsejafor went on to contest a very bruising election for the presidency of CAN, won the first and subsequently the second term and the forum and all that it stood for simply went to deep sleep. You would have thought that his new position offers a stronger platform from which to push the forum and its ideals, but it hasn’t been like that. I do not judge him, particularly, against the background of the upsurge in terror in our land, which, unacknowledged by many, is first and foremost formed and fashioned against Christians and Christianity, seen as coterminous with western values.

It is for this reason that somebody or group has to rise up to the challenge in some other ways. One such ways is to go the way of Christian leaders in the United States (through the Manhattan Declaration) and those of Britain (though the Westminster Declaration) and codify a set of principles by which those who fly the Christian flag should be encouraged to comport themselves or forfeit the right to expect our support and those of like minds.

Kingdom Men has accepted that challenge and we will pursuit it with all that we have in Christ. We will knock every door, including those of Oritsejafor and the eminent leaders in the Christian Leaders Consultative Forum (CLCF) and corporate bodies owned or led by Christians who are not shy to be associated with the name of Christ – and that may include you and yours – as the Holy Spirit shall direct. So, help us God.

WANTED URGENTLY: A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER

"As a step in that direction, it was decided that Kingdom Men should, with the support of and in collaboration with sponsors hold this special roundtable three months before the elections on the theme, TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER. The content of the charter, which will derive from the event, will set out minimum moral standard expected of those seeking their votes; commitment to carefully thought-out policy positions on politics, economy and social issues. Religious freedom, corruption, rule of law, marriage, children and women rights  are among issues expected to feature at the roundtable and ultimately on the charter."

Seventeen men, collectively known as the King’s Men, came together for about 20 hours from Friday evening to Saturday morning penultimate week for a retreat to discuss the next phase of the activities of Kingdom Men, the ministry they steward. As always when these men meet, the role of the nation of Nigeria and the place of Christian men in its growth and development was a major consideration in charting the path forward.

One of the highlights of the decisions taken at that meeting was to hold a special edition of one of the programmes that featured at the last Mega-Summit – Politics and Governance Roundtable. The special edition has become necessary, the men concluded, because the spiritual and moral content of activities leading to the fast approaching 2015 General Elections is, thus far, virtually ZERO. A deliberate redirection and infusion of these critical elements is therefore urgent.

As a step in that direction, it was decided that Kingdom Men should, with the support of and in collaboration with sponsors hold this special roundtable three months before the elections on the theme, TOWARDS A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN CHARTER. The content of the charter, which will derive from the event, will set out minimum moral standard expected of those seeking their votes; commitment to carefully thought-out policy positions on politics, economy and social issues. Religious freedom, corruption, rule of law, marriage, children and women rights  are among issues expected to feature at the roundtable and ultimately on the charter.

Incidentally, this issue featured prominently in the fifth part of an open letter to Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in August 2010. I am quoting extensively from that letter below, because it offers the reader insight into the origins of the charter idea. Here goes:

“As you most probably might have read, a number of Christian leaders in the United States widely recognised for their ‘public witness on behalf of justice, human rights, and the common good’ came together in 2009 and subsequently came up with what has now become known as the Manhattan Declaration. Described as a ‘Call to Christian Conscience’, the declaration, in the words of one of its proponents, ‘speaks to the church just as much as it speaks to the larger culture’. Originally signed by about 150 prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars including Nigeria’s Most Rev Peter Akinola and released on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington , DC , its focus was on three issues that the enemy is using powerfully to destroy the Christian heritage of that country.

“In the main, the signatories affirm in the 4700-word declaration: ‘The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.’

“As we write this, well over 460,000 persons have signed on to the declaration. But that is not the story. The big deal is that it caught the eyes of Christians in the United Kingdom, made so great an impression on them, that on the eve of the last General Elections, they launched the Westminster Declaration of Christian Conscience 2010. A former Archbishop Canterbury, Lord Carey, was among 30 senior Christian Leaders, who signed and launched the declaration last Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010).

“Both in timing and content, it was widely seen as the Christian Manifesto for the election; deftly designed to send a clear message to all parliamentary candidates that Christians will be supporting only those whose politics do not conflict with Christian beliefs and interfere with their right to live according to those beliefs. Towards this end, the declaration articulated those range of policies around which churches in the UK are united, including support for marriage, opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for the rights of children born and unborn, and support for all those who are sick, disabled, addicted, elderly, poor, exploited, trafficked or exploited by unjust trade, aid or debt. In other words Christians were being galvanised not to vote for candidates whose previous records or current platforms conflict with these minimum.

“Mr President, it is my view that CAN, under your leadership, ought to spearhead a Nigerian Christian Charter along these lines, articulating the Christian standpoint on issues such as corruption, violation of voters’ rights through election rigging, freedom of worship and etc with a view to guiding our brethren in the choice of political party to join and candidates to vote for.  Thanks for your time, sir.”

It’s been four years since I made that case, in vain, it seems. You can therefore understand my excitement that Kingdom Men has accepted the challenge. Won’t you please join us? For inquiries please send email to info@kingdom-men.org or phone 08034502888.

AN ELIJAH RISES IN AMERICA

‘If Mr. al-Baghdadi won't convert to faith in Christ, then he should have no problem calling on his god "allah" to answer by fire. It will be a great stage for the world to finally see whose God is the one true God…"Allah" worshipped by the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Bible!’

Yes, you read that right; an Elijah has arisen in the United States and he is ready for a Mount Carmel-type showdown! His name is William Keller and he runs liveprayer.com, an internet-only church. In other words, what PUNCH’s Jide Ojo was asking of Nigeria’s prophets; what I had myself always wondered about, is set to take place if the other party thinks it fit to accept the challenge.

In concluding a two-part serial, Descent Into Darkness (June 29 & July 6, 2014), I alluded to the silence of Nigeria’s many Christian leaders in the face of increasing tyranny in the land. I wrote as follows:

“Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo. He wrote in part: ‘Just imagine (Christian) clerics…jointly or individually challenging Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, to a spiritual duel like Elijah of old did.  Just imagine what the defeat of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups by Christian leaders will do to the growth of Christianity and restoration of peace in Nigeria…Will our Christian leaders seize the moment to demonstrate their much talked about God-given spiritual prowess?’ I sometimes wonder too, but how can God use people who keep quiet in the face of evil be used by God? How can servants of God who are obeying the orders of the powers that be to “…See not… prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:10), operate as God’s agents?”  

You can therefore imagine how excited I was at receiving a bulletin in my inbox recently. Here’s the news slightly edited by me to remove any potentially offensive word:

“Liveprayer's Rev. Bill Keller has sent a personal video message to the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, encouraging him to renounce Islam and inviting him to convert to Christianity. In his video message, Keller goes on to tell al-Baghdadi that if he refuses to renounce Islam, he is challenging him to a modern day "whose God will answer by fire" showdown like the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of baal to on Mt. Carmel in the book of 1 Kings, Chapter 18.

“Keller stated, ‘As an evangelist, my life's work and desire is to lead lost souls to faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says it is God's desire ALL come to repentance, that none be lost. The fact is Jesus died for the sins of ALL men, even Mr. al-Baghdadi’.

“When asked about his challenge to a modern day Mt. Carmel showdown, Keller smiled, ‘What Elijah did on Mt. Carmel was to expose the prophets of baal and their "god" as false prophets who believed in a false god…

“Keller went on, ‘If Mr. al-Baghdadi won't convert to faith in Christ, then he should have no problem calling on his god "allah" to answer by fire. It will be a great stage for the world to finally see whose God is the one true God…"Allah" worshipped by the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Bible!’

“When asked about fears for his personal safety Keller said, ‘Jesus said don't worry about the man who can kill your body, worry about the man who can kill your soul. You can only be killed once, and I have no fear of dying since only God will say when my work is finished. When He does, I will be ready to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. I trust God to protect me and when He answers by fire, the world will see Him in all of his glory and Islam will be exposed for the lie it is. This could start a true worldwide revival.’

“Rev. Keller has given al-Baghdadi until the end of July to either convert to Christianity or work out the details for the showdown to see whose God will answer by fire.”

Concerned that it might be a hoax, I, in line with journalism’s best practices, scoured the net for the video and for a while couldn’t find it, so I sent Bill Keller an email asking him to confirm the existence of the video and its supposed content. His reply was: ”I am..I did..and it is still there..here is the link..if I can help you answer any questions..be happy to..just email me..blessings” I checked the link he provided and yes the video was live on youtube.  I wrote to acknowledge the link and he followed up with this: “Blessings my friend..please help get this to various media sources in your country...it is time people stood up to a bully like this..like Elijah stood up to the false prophets of baal on Mt. Carmel..of course..you never know..al-Baghdadi might get saved..:)..

Is the stage set for a Mount Carmel type showdown somewhere soon, then?

WORLD CUP 2014: DID GOD FAIL BRAZIL?

“Faith, in this week of all weeks (the week leading to semi-final match), has come to the fore once again for Brazil and its beloved Selecao. In the hours before the semi-final against Germany, Scolari will find a chapel in Belo Horizonte and pray. Before emerging into the cacophony of noise at Estadio Minerao, the players will stand together and recite the Lord's Prayer as one. In churches and homes across Brazil, pictures of the players hang next to crosses and other religious symbols. These two pillars are inescapably intertwined here. Brazil's footballers - and the wider population - believe it is their destiny to win the World Cup in the City of God on 13 July.”

FIFA World Cup 2014 climaxes today with what promises to be an explosive intercontinental clash between Germany and Argentina. Did you read that? It’s Germany versus Argentina. Host, Brazil and almost everybody’s pre-tournament favourite for the trophy are not in the final. By the time you read this, they would have fought for top place against Holland and may won. But not even that is sure, as I write this.

Now, as you already know, unless you live on the moon, it is not just the failure of the team to qualify for the final, tragic as that is to Brazilians, it is the manner of their ouster; a whopping seven goals to one from the hands, or more appropriately, the legs of the German machine team. Humiliation, demolition, massacre, disgrace are some of the words that have been used to describe this new World Cup record – the most humiliating defeat at a World Cup semi-final. Incidentally it’s the only other record Brazil now holds, besides having won the cup more times than any other country.

How did the world’s best footballing nation come to suffer such devastating defeat? How did a country that did not anchor its expected victory only on skill, but also on the God factor fail so woefully?

Yes, the God factor was always a major part of Brazil’s strategic thinking for this and all previous championships. Let’s substantiate that.

In a BBC Sport article, “World Cup 2014: Faith and Football as Brazil Unites to Pray for Glory,” Ben Smith, writing from Rio De Janeiro reported incontrovertible evidence of the place of faith in this all-important national enterprise.

“It is hard to think of a country that combines sport and spirituality quite like Brazil”, he wrote. Beginning from the general, Smith noticed that “religious imagery is everywhere you look…. Close to where Brazil have trained in Teresopolis, there is a mountain range called God's fingers. Sao Paulo is named after Saint Paul, Salvador is named after Jesus, while Copacabana got its name from the Patron Saint of Bolivia, Virgin of the Candelaria.”

He proceeded to the particular: “Faith, in this week of all weeks (the week leading to semi-final match), has come to the fore once again for Brazil and its beloved Selecao. In the hours before the semi-final against Germany, Scolari will find a chapel in Belo Horizonte and pray. Before emerging into the cacophony of noise at Estadio Minerao, the players will stand together and recite the Lord's Prayer as one. “In churches and homes across Brazil, pictures of the players hang next to crosses and other religious symbols. These two pillars are inescapably intertwined here. Brazil's footballers - and the wider population - believe it is their destiny to win the World Cup in the City of God on 13 July.”

Prior to that stage of the tournament, the players had pressed faith into action to successfully. Ben reported that “before the penalty shootout in their last-16 game against Chile, Brazil captain Thiago Silva prayed alone on the sidelines. ‘I asked God to bless our players, especially [goalkeeper] Julio Cesar. He deserved that,’ he said.”

Continuing, Ben wrote: “What no-one knew was Cesar had placed a religious charm in his goal before the penalties began. It had been handed to him at the end of extra time by reserve goalkeeper Victor. ‘There is faith and there is superstition,’ Victor said. ‘In my case, it's faith. I am religious and I try to reinforce my spiritual side before every game. It is a way to strengthen myself and support my friends with my prayers. I had not planned to give it to Julio, but it happened on the spur of the moment. He welcomed it. It was a kind of reinforcement. I want to stress the importance of Julio as a goalkeeper. Faith is important, but we can't depend on faith alone. God does his part and we have to do our job on the field. Julio was well prepared.’”

Ben finds that Coach Scolari is also in the “victory by faith” business. Scolari, he wrote “has used it to bond and motivate the players. Before the victory over Colombia, he visited a chapel in the grounds of the team hotel in Fortaleza. In the dressing room before the match, the squad repeated the Lord's Prayer. And at the final whistle, defender David Luiz sank to his knees and prayed again.”

That brings us to the faith of the players. David Luiz typifies that. He told Ben: "My faith in Jesus gives me strength to keep on going out onto the field and to do my best…But I also want to inspire others - that is what God inspires me to do. For me, true life is found in the relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that everything in life belongs to God and he has a clear plan for us if we follow him."

With all of these, why did Brazil fail to win the World Cup? Why did they fall so badly to Germany? Did God fail brazil? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

DESCENT INTO DARKNESS (2)

"My conclusion, then as now is: “when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected officials with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent, that is darkness visible. Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo..." 

June 2014, I wrote last week, will be remembered for a number of actions taken by agents of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration “portend danger to our democracy and the corporate existence of our nation, Nigeria.”

Those actions, mainly infractions on civil and fundamental rights, not just of ordinary citizens, but also, of political leaders who belong to the opposition camp.

There was what I characterised as “an ill-explained clampdown on newspapers by the military authorities, which began on June 6 in Abuja and continued for almost two weeks spreading to some other parts of the country.” I pointed out that there had been no “report of the presidency distancing itself from this unconstitutional attempt to intimidate the media” and described as “portent number one”.

Portent number two was the Thursday June 19, well-coordinated exclusion of at least two governors from of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) from the final campaign rally of the incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi at Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. While Edo’s Adams Oshiomhole was not even allowed the privilege of living his Benin City base by helicopter that he had legitimated hired, River’s Chibuike Amaechi was “luckier”, he was allowed to land in Akure, Ondo State. But what happened thereafter was simply unthinkable in a democracy. He was hounded out of the area by military operatives.

The Presidency’s reaction through spokesman Reuben Abati, as I noted, evasive, at best: “…security agencies had a duty to stop those who might be able to compromise the process from achieving their aim…”

Another party chieftain, ex-Governor Ogbonnaya Onu related his experience to an interviwer this way: “I also had a personal experience. I travelled in an aircraft which does not have facilities for night landing to Akure. We had to travel on road to Ado Ekiti and as soon as we concluded what we were doing in Ado Ekiti we rushed back to Akure Airport only to find out that our plane was not allowed to take off. It happened to me and some others who travelled with me.  Chief Audu Ogbeh was one of those affected. 

Also affected at that time was the governor of Imo State. When we saw the military and the three aircraft at the tarmac and were prevented from taking off we had to drive back, which was another one and a half hour. By then, it was already late so we decided that we must come back to Abuja because some of us travelled with just the dress on our bodies and there was no way we could pass the night in Ado Ekiti. So we had to leave Ado Ekiti around 7:30pm to arrive Abuja by 2am. So you could imagine the risk we took, although we thank God that the journey was safe. Those who went to Owerri got there around 11pm. It is really sad that the Federal Government can use the military to prevent Nigerian citizens from using the airports when they are in good condition from exercising their fundamental human rights. “

There was also the experience of House of Representatives Speaker, Tambuwal in which in brazen violation of protocol, a military operative insisted on searching his official vehicle before he could be allowed to enter the venue of a conference in Kaduna.

In concluding that piece, I raised the following posers: “…who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!”

My conclusion, then as now is: “when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected officials with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent, that is darkness visible.

Please note the emphasis above on the prophets’ silence. It reminds me of a brilliant piece titled, “Where are the Nigerian prophets?” by PUNCH’s Jide Ojo. He wrote in part: “Just imagine (Christian) clerics…jointly or individually challenging Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, to a spiritual duel like Elijah of old did.  Just imagine what the defeat of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups by Christian leaders will do to the growth of Christianity and restoration of peace in Nigeria…Will our Christian leaders seize the moment to demonstrate their much talked about God-given spiritual prowess?

I sometimes wonder too, but how can God use people who keep quiet in the face of evil be used by God? How can servants of God who have are obeying the orders of the powers that be to “…See not… prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:10), operate as God’s agents? Let him that has ears hear.” CONCLUDED