YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE

When Chief Olusegun Obasanjo assumed office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in 1999, he put a Council of Ministers together that did not include a Minister of Petroleum Resources. That effectively made him the head of that pivotal ministry.

Now, this was unprecedented. Not even the military regimes, including the ones he was either part of or which he headed dispensed with the services of a cabinet rank overseer for the most important sector of the national economy. So, inevitably questions were asked. But, Obasanjo had an answer, which back then seemed satisfactory to all but those who, even back then, had smelt a rat.

Speaking on one of the earliest editions of the television programme, Presidential Media Chat, I recall his explanation went something like this. He told the story of how, on a visit to Cuba, he had a leisurely stroll with the then President of that country, Fidel Castro. On their way, Castro pointed to a particular tree or plant (memory fails me here) and told his visitor all about it, its contribution to the national economy and all that. Obasanjo was impressed and wondered aloud how Castro, in spite of his high office as president, could know so much about just one product. His host told him that, that was his job; his was an agricultural country and he was the minister of agriculture. Like a good student, Obasanjo decided to adopt the Castro Formula. He reasoned that since Nigeria derives virtually all her revenue from petroleum resources, it made sense for him to be in charge.

That was the beginning of what many saw as an aberration which concentrated so much power in the hands of one man, with all the potentials for abuse. It was the beginning of a situation which somebody very recently analysed like this: The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, which runs the industry, is supposed to have a board, headed by a chairman; in the absence of a board, Obasanjo was both board and chairman. The board was supposed to report to a Minister; Obasanjo was that minister. The minister was supposed to report to the President; Obasanjo was the president. It was therefore the beginning of a journey that culminated in the Federal House of Representatives’ motion on Tuesday to probe the activities of the Oil Sector since 1999.

If newspaper reports of the House plenary, where the motion was tabled, passed and implemented, are to be believed, the representatives would seem to consider this as their most important assignment to date.

The Daily Independent report, for instance, spoke of a “joyful mood in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as a committee of 26 members was set up to probe the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)”.
The report continued: “The committee, according to Speaker Dimeji Bankole who announced its composition at the plenary, has Igo Aguma (PDP, Rivers) as Chairman. Aguma is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Gas.The probe panel equally has as members the Chairmen of the Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Upstream, and Intergovernmental Affairs; all of whom are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There are members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and Action Congress (AC) as well. The announcement of the committee members elicited instant applause from the House.

“Aguma said those who have had dealings with the top echelon of the NNPC between 1999 to date would be questioned at the public hearing that would soon begin. They include Minister of Energy (Petroleum), Odein Ajumogobia; former Minister of State for Energy, Edmund Daukoru; as well as former NNPC Group Managing Directors, Gaius Obaseki and Funsho Kupolokun, he said. Oil firms and contractors, among others, would also be called in for questioning. The hearing, which may be aired live on television - as was the case with the one conducted by the Power and Steel Committee - is expected to unravel the mystery about the operations of the NNPC and the DPR.
“The investigation was requested in a motion moved by Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta) and 92 others, who drew attention to discrepancies in the two agencies since 1999. Agoda said there are complaints that the NNPC, DPR, Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) all parade conflicting figures on oil revenue…”

Another thing that can be gleaned from newspaper reports is that this may well be the ultimate trial of former President Obasanjo’s claim to probity in the handling of the national treasury during his eight-year tenure. This much was reflected in Daily Sun’s version of the report. Headlined, “The Noose Tightens” with a file photograph of the ex-president praying, the report said by the House of representatives decision “has become apparent that Nigerians would know how former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo presided over the nation’s oil wealth, as he was de-facto Minister of Petroleum for eight years.“

The paper also noted the House Speaker Dimeji Bankole’s warning to his colleagues not to use the exercise to witch-hunt anyone in these words: “Do you really have an idea of what we are about to start? My advice before we start is that there will be no witch-hunting of any individual. Please, there must be no witch-hunting of any group or individual. The credibility of the House is on the line. We must not trivialize a serious issue. We must let our debate be in line with what will improve the conditions of the people that we are representing.”

Against the background of the two on-going investigations: the power and steel sector probe by the House and the Federal Capital Territory’s by the Senate, one can only say, these are truly interesting times. The current probes, which have been a mixture of the hilarious, the absurd and the saddening, with twists and turns of soap opera proportions, have done nothing to help the image of the former president, and it is doubtful that this new one would be different.

Without prejudice to the eventual finding of the committee, it is clear that the sage who said ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ knew what he was talking about. That is why many wise men deliberately leave the door of accountability wide open.

When anyone becomes accountable to nobody, danger looms large! Ask David, the king and priest of Israel, the man after God’s own heart. The bible records that he stayed at home “at the time when kings go forth to battle …And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child…”(2Samuel 11: 1-5).

No innuendos are intended in the choice of analogy, please! It is quite appropriate. David had sent everybody else to war; all he had around him were servants, who dared not counsel the king. And soon he added murder to adultery and thought he had it all covered up. But of course, even if he could hide it from men, could he also do so from God? Read the rest of this instructive story in 2Samuel 12.

God’s judgement upon David was severe, but the most instructive is this declaration by Prophet Nathan, the messenger of God: “You did your deed in secret; I'm doing mine with the whole country watching!" (2Samuel 12:12 MSG).

The Lord Jesus was to emphasise this principle later in his earthly ministry when he said: “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

Does this tell you anything about the real source of the spate of exposures, on-going and coming? Whoever said, you can run, but you cannot hide, must have spoken the mind of God.

COME, LUNCH WITH MISTER ONOSODE

The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! (Psalm 16:3 NLT)

The other day, I was quoting the late founder of Christian Men’s Network, Edwin Louis Cole as stating his convictions about the place of godly heroes in his life. He had vowed that only the godly would be his heroes; that only such people would he associate with, invite to his home; allow to influence members of his family and so on. I had in that piece aligned myself with this position and urged it on us as a people. In doing that, although I had been familiar with the word of King David, the psalmist in chapter 16 of the book of psalms in the King James Version of the bible as follows: “But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight” (verse 3); I was blissfully unaware of the New Living Translation of the same verse as quoted above - which obviously gave life to Ed Cole’s convictions.

You can therefore imagine my joy as I prepare to join my colleagues on the coordinating team of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria to receive yet another of Nigeria’s undisputed godly heroes on Saturday (April 26). We will, if the Lord tarries, be gathering once again at Sparkles Hall, along Joel Ogunnaike Street in the Ikeja GRA area of the Lagos state capital for yet another Real Men Luncheon. It promises to be a wonderful experience and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am.

Now, let’s try to background this a little. I was in the audience one Sunday evening in the year 2000 at a programme, Possession 2000 hosted by Rev Jake Epelle and his Salvation Broadcast Network. There were four speakers including the subject of today’s piece. Four years later the impression the speakers left on me was still so strong that I found myself reporting that event in the “Opener” section of KINGDOMPeople magazine.

In that piece titled WHODUNNIT, I had recalled how each of the speakers had repudiated all claims to personal achievements and ascribed their various enormous credentials to God. The three featured in that piece were Bishop David Oyedepo, Rev (Dr) Segun Agbetuyi and Mr Gamaliel Onosode. I had described CMNN’s next guest speaker as a man who “speaks with the eloquence and elocution of the classicist that he is and made his name both as an industrialist and as public policy expert.”

In a segment of that report which was sub-headed “Who Owns the Accolades?”, I wrote as follows: “ Gamaliel Onosode is a respected economist (he’s never claimed to be one!), industrialist and an ordained minister of God. But it is his passion for integrity and his simple lifestyle that ring loudest. In a title crazy society, Onosode has remained a “mister” and has had the distinction of being able to walk away from big positions when issues that could threaten his integrity rear their heads. Yet he’ll rather distance himself from the accolades.

“Reflecting upon his life at a public forum a while ago, he wondered why he always got introduced in high sounding words. What people don’t seem to understand, he said, was that he was an ordinary person depending wholly on God. He said: ‘I am depending on God. The more I relate with my God, the more inadequate I see myself in the light of Him.’ Putting whatever his achievements were in context, he said: ‘all of us should see ourselves as ambassadors of Jesus Christ wherever we find ourselves. Every one of us should allow God to use us wherever we may find ourselves. Every calling is a vocation, a divine call to serve.’”

That piece ended on this note: “…Onosode says all those accolades belong to God. That is the kind of humility that God honours, because, of a truth, without Him we can do nothing. These three is good company!”

That was eight years ago, although recalled some four years later. But time changes everything, doesn’t it? So perhaps this man has changed too? Well, you’ll find out for yourself if you make it to the luncheon on Saturday; and I think if you are a man reading this, and would be in and around Lagos that day, and are desirous of drinking from a deep well of godly wisdom, you should.

As for change, perhaps this little story about how he accepted our invitation will give you an idea of what to expect. We wrote a letter of invitation. One of the coordinators, donning one of his best suits, took the letter to his office in Surulere. He was received by a lady, Toyin Yussuf, who took the letter and promised to get back to us. She did soon after. Her boss wanted us to choose the Saturday before or that after the date we had requested. We complied and the date was eventually fixed. That’s how we come to be hosting this man of many parts on Saturday. To date, he has not met any of us, and as you can see, it didn’t matter to him.

But, let me tell you a little more about this man. Described in a Nigerian Times profile as “a marvel of God’s grace”, Gamaliel Oforitsenere Onosode was born in Sapele, Delta State on May 22, 1933. He began his formal education at Baptist School, Oginibo, Delta State in 1940. He finished primary (or standard, as it used to be known), school in 1946, and was at Government College Ughelli between 1947 and 1952. He read Classics at the University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan) graduating B.A (Hons) in 1957. His introduction into management began immediately. He was employed as a Management Trainee at the Commonwealth Development Corporation in 1957 and was there till 1960, the year of national independence

Any wonder then that he became renowned for his expertise in management, which saw him even in those early days holding various management positions in reputable organizations like Northern Nigeria Investment Ltd, Nigerian Housing Development Society Ltd, Nigeria Industrial Development Bank and Financial Holdings (Nigeria) Ltd.

After 10 years as a director, Onosode became Chairman/Managing Director of NAL Merchant Bank Plc. He also chaired many private and public sector businesses, including Dunlop Nigeria Plc, (1984), Cadbury Nigeria Plc, (1977-1993), Presidential Commission on Parastatals (1981), Nigeria LNG Working Committee on NLNG Ltd, (1985-1990), Niger Delta Environmental Survey (since 1995), Econet Nigeria (later Vmobile and now Celtel).

He was Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget (1983), and a former Pro-chancellor of University of Uyo. He is an honorary fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and holds honorary doctorate degrees of Obafemi Awolowo University (1990), University of Benin (1995), and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (2003).

Onosode, most important of all, is what you’ll call a devout Christian. A Baptist, he founded that arm of the church known as Good News Baptist Church in his sitting room on February 1, 1984. It has grown considerably, becoming highly rated within the Nigerian Baptist Convention for its activities in the areas of missions and evangelism. He has served and continues to serve the church in diverse capacities.
He was the inaugural Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. In addition, Onosode is Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria's oldest degree awarding theological institution, which would, in this year be marking 110 years of its existence while the University of Ibadan would be 60 years old. A Deacon of the Baptist Church, Onosode also holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity (2002) of the Seminary (2002).

In closing, let’s give the last word to Deacon Onosode himself. Asked by Pini Jason, the journalist, in a rather cerebral interview, to relate his status to the part of Lagos he has chosen to reside, he answered:

“But what is my status? I don’t think in those terms. I am just a human being, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. God has placed me, at different times, in different situations in which He expects me to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Every single individual, particularly in adulthood, has the opportunity to exercise leadership; as a matter of fact, so do children. So it is not the cassock that makes the priest, as they say…it is not where I live that is material. It is how I live my life that is the issue. Therefore I have lived along this Ogunlana-Adelabu axis since 1959, apart from a short break of four years when I lived in Victoria Island. I moved from this house to the house in Victoria Island, and back after four years to this same house! You will now realize that I am more of a grass roots person contrary to whatever impression has been created by the media.”

FIGHTING CORRUPTION, THE MBFC METHOD

And so Professor Adenike Grange, erstwhile Minister of Health of the federal Republic has appeared in court, along with several others including her former Minister of State colleague and the Permanent Secretary, also, a professor. As I write this, she is in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. By the time you read it, however, it is hoped that she would have been out on bail for two days. What a difference a few months made in the life of this world-renowned paediatrician! What a sad twist of fate!!

As the Ministry of Health Eleven were being arraigned, Representative Ndudi Elumelu and his colleagues on the House Committee on Power and Steal, sorry Steel were criss-crossing the country visiting the sites of multi-million dollar power projects signed, sealed but undelivered by the Obasanjo regime. I understand that in some cases the ice-cool Committee chairman needed radars to locate the sites and at some sites telescopes to see the work done! It would have been comical were the effect of these shenanigans not sometimes tragic. And I know you know what I mean.

All of which reminds me of what Dr Christopher Kolade told the men at the Real Men Luncheon of Christian Men’s Network Nigeria in January. He has posited that although, everybody falls victim of corruption, it is the lowly, the poor, those who cannot help themselves who suffer the consequences most. The current power sector investigations illustrate this truth very graphically. So graphically that it hurts the eyes.

It therefore cannot be overemphasised that the battle against corruption is indeed the battle of our lives. And like Dr Kolade said, on that occasion, the true Christian soldier, which is what all Christians are supposed to be, must fight against corruption because it hurts the people Jesus came to save. That much was clear from his mission statement in the bible where he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” (Luke 4:18-19).

Incidentally, Dr Kolade has been doing much more than preaching about fighting corruption; he has been working with a team of committed people on how to nip it in the bud. He has been working through his ministry, Managing Business For Christ, established to bring business people and business practices to Jesus.

Come to think about it, if all the Christian business persons involved in the power sector contracts had business practices influenced by the teachings of the Lord Jesus, would the Elumelu’s committee have found the sordid things they are uncovering?

Permit me to give you a glimpse into what Dr Kolade has been telling the people, who gather every first Saturday of the month, at Golden Gate Restaurant, Kingsway Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria to rub minds with him.

At the February edition of the meeting styled, Breakfast with the Lord, the former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom said, success in all endeavours must start with a decision about whose agent you want to be and therefore in whose power you’ll succeed in that venture – Christ’s or yourself.

He reminded his audience that in Numbers chapters 13 & 14, when the children of Israel were confronted with that kind of decision on their way to the Promised Land, they had to choose between a majority report which saw them as going in their own strength, and a minority report which boldly declared, we can make it, if the Lord be pleased with us.

Children of God, including members of MBFC, he said, face the same choices today. “Like the majority who said let’s go back to Egypt where, although we were slaves under hard labour, we had all that we wanted, it is tempting to focus on having the basic things of life irrespective of what it does to our self-worth. It is easy to lapse into all of that in the business world. It is easy to disgrace, scandalize the name of Jesus to clear your goods at the port. It is easy to excuse yourself by saying why doesn’t Jesus change the heart of this man hindering me from clearing my goods? When we get home, we are satisfied that we have put food on the table but, in the process we have been unprofitable servants of the God we claim to serve.”

Providing a pointer to the direction the Christian business person must follow Dr Kolade said we must never forget that “God brought us here; He has an agenda, the programme belongs to Him; you don’t know when he is going to take you out. So, it seems reasonable to ask Him, what am I supposed to be doing today? Some of us are saying, ‘I’ll get into business with you, Jesus, when I have satisfied myself, when I have it all’, rather like the man in Luke 12: 16-20; the fool who prospered. Yet every plan we make is in the hope that the plan will materialise and that we would be here to see it materialise. So, it all depends on Him, you see.”

He then asked rhetorically, what then is the way forward for the Christian in business and the professions? His answer: “we must adopt the Caleb Report which says we can do it, ‘if the Lord be pleased with us’. So everything we do, we must do to please God; we must do as agents of the Lord Jesus.”

At the March meeting Dr Kolade posited that those who wish to have good success in business must adhere strictly to a set of rules. The rules follow the pattern set by the Lord Jesus Himself in the book of Luke chapter 10.

He pointed out that even as Jesus sent out the 70 disciples because “the harvest is truly great”, it’s the same way that Christian businesses and business practices are being sent to the world to prosper and influence. Therefore the rules are the same.

Dr Kolade said, “Jesus sent them out as ‘lambs among wolves’. So are you. He told them and he is saying to us today: you won’t find it easy, those I am sending you to will make you uncomfortable, they will try to devour you. They will attack you where you are most sensitive, your moral courage. Yet He says go and don’t take anything with you. It’s going to be dangerous, but go, only in my strength, in my wisdom. As long as I am with you, you will overcome. In spite of everything, go out there and do the assignment; do business as I have directed you. The Lord Jesus said to them and He is saying to you, if they reject you, move on. But don’t leave without a word for them; that they are in a bad way for rejecting you and whom you represent.”

Continuing, Dr Kolade drew attention to what happened when the disciples returned. They were very successful and were naturally excited at their success. Of course Jesus was proud of them, but He cautioned them: “…rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

Why did Jesus have to caution them? Dr Kolade explained: “they went out, did as they were told and came back to report joyfully. If you are faithful, if you do as he said you should, your success is sure. But please don’t rejoice for the wrong reasons. Your joy should be, not in the result, your joy should be that you are approved of the Lord. If you speak and God does not touch the heart of the hearers, nothing can happen. So, you cannot take any credit. All you have been is a good instrument in the hand of God. You are part of a mysterious adventure. The way things happen, the way things change is mysterious; you don’t know how. That’s because it was done of Christ. Don’t allow yourself to be deluded that your skill does the work. God uses your skill for His own purposes. When you go out, never forget you are only His instrument. He’ll speak through you, if you’ll let Him.”

Dr Kolade concluded: “Jesus is saying to all of us, go out and do it my way; be my agent and I will get things done wherever I send you. Remember Paul plants the seed, Apollos waters, but neither of them can bring the increase – only God does.”

For the good of our land, more people must hear this message; please spread the word and attend the next MBFC meeting on Saturday May 3, 2008.

LET’S LISTEN TO “THE BISHOP”

Rev Bayo Oniwinde is one of the most self-effacing men in ministry that I know. Although, he has been in ministry under the tutelage of Rev Dr Tunde Joda almost like forever and he is well-known in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, he had generally been in the shadows. Until recently!

Rev B, or “the Bishop,” as he is more widely called, began an international ministry about seven years ago after many years of forth-telling the vision. As I write this, he somewhere outside our borders teaching the undiluted word of God with signs and wonders following. Yes, that took him out of full-time employment with Voice of Faith Ministries, but no, it did not take him out of Christ Chapel International Churches where he still worships at the Ikeja Centre, and he still teaches at Patmos Bible School of Faith.

Rev B’s story has to wait another day, however, because this wonderful man of God has a message that I personally believe all who name the name of the Lord, including those in the leadership cadre, ought to hear and hearken to urgently.

First, Rev B says what passes for praise and worship in many churches today is little more than Christian entertainment - plenty of soul with no spirit in it. As he sees it that is why very little is happening in our churches. When we fail to worship God “in spirit and in truth,” we do not enter into the holy of holies and so cannot richly receive from God

Rev B would go on and on about how worship leaders can only lead under the anointing. And the anointing, though available, cannot manifest without necessary preparation. In his view, too many of those who function in the office of psalmists don’t touch the heart of God, because they are so busy pursuing things of the flesh and tend to want to rush in and out of the presence of God. It doesn’t work that way, he insists.

Talking about rushing in and out of the presence of God leads me to Rev B’s grouse with what he sees as the incursion of the fast food, or microwave culture into the church. This, in his opinion, manifests in one hour services consisting sometimes of no more than twenty minutes of the word. In a situation where most Christians attend churches only on Sundays, he wonders how much grounding such people can have in the word of God. Like he says again and again, we go to great lengths to ensure that our bodies are fed, but we starve our spirit. Yet we know that what you starve cannot grow. The result is we have healthy bodies, but poor spirits.

Yet another area of great concern for the man we love to call ‘Bishop’ is the dearth of the gifts in today’s church. The only gift that seems to be in evidence aplenty is the gift of speaking in other tongues. Where, Rev B would ask, is prophesy which the Bible clearly rates above speaking in tongues particularly during congregational worship? Where, he would further ask, is the gift of the interpretation of other tongues?

To appreciate his concerns here he would read from I Corinthians chapter 14. My own favourite translation of the relevant verses comes from the Message. Verses 22-25 puts in perspective, the place of tongue-talking and prophecy in church like this: “…So where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues no one understands? It doesn't help believers, and it only gives unbelievers something to gawk at. Plain truth-speaking, on the other hand, goes straight to the heart of believers and doesn't get in the way of unbelievers. If you come together as a congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as you're all praying in tongues, unintelligible to each other and to them, won't they assume you've taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as they can? But if some unbelieving outsiders walk in on a service where people are speaking out God's truth, the plain words will bring them up against the truth and probe their hearts. Before you know it, they're going to be on their faces before God, recognizing that God is among you”.

The Holy Spirit, desiring order in the church and emphasising the importance of interpretation of tongues spoke through Apostle Paul in verses 26-33 of the same book of Corinthians. Again the Message paraphrase: “So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight. If prayers are offered in tongues, two or three's the limit, and then only if someone is present who can interpret what you're saying. Otherwise, keep it between God and yourself. And no more than two or three speakers at a meeting, with the rest of you listening and taking it to heart. Take your turn, no one person taking over. Then each speaker gets a chance to say something special from God, and you all learn from each other. If you choose to speak, you're also responsible for how and when you speak. When we worship the right way, God doesn't stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. This goes for all the churches--no exceptions.”

Rev B’s message to the church can be surmised like this: because praise and worship is largely not “in spirit and in truth”; the gifts are not flowing; in spite of pockets of powerful manifestations here and there, the church is generally weak; orderliness is in short supply and many, if not most, of us are simply playing church!

His insight is that we are rather like the Laodicean church to which the Lord Jesus sent this message in chapter 3 of the book of Revelations: "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot--far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. "Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see (Verses 15-19)”

But this is not doomsaying. This is simply a wake of call from the One who loves us to the ones he loves, through the mouth of one of his servants. Which is why Rev B would always end with the words of verses 19-22 of Revelations 3 which I again quote from the Message as follows: “"The people I love, I call to account--prod and correct and guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God! "Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors! Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches."

I think we should listen to “the Bishop.”

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FROM MY INBOX
RE: IDAHOSA, TEN YEARS GONE
I was pleasantly reminded of one of God’s great Generals in Africa and indeed the world. I experienced a feeling of nostalgia as I pictured him ministering on various pulpits across the country including the church where I worship. Like him or hate him, he was a Man of God, period. When Jesus was accused of casting out devils in the name of belzebub (the devil), the bible account of Jesus answer is instructive. You cannot cast out demons in the name of their master for a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Anyway, I believe Idahosa is/was (anyone you like, since I know that he is alive and well in the Lord’s bosom) one of the saints of God triumphant and he surely paid his dues long before his time of announcement. Stories have it that at the time he married his wife, he had no decent suit of his own. His wedding suit was borrowed and all other accessories he wore at the occasion. In due season, God blessed him and made him famous and his boldness and confidence in His God he always demonstrated against the powers/forces of evil which were heavily arrayed against him.
He was a supporter of up and coming Men of God in his time regardless of their denominations or church affiliations. We respect him and wish he had lived a little longer than he did, though I believe he had fought the good fight of faith and finished his course and chose to gain more in Christ Jesus.
Uche Biosa (Mrs) Lagos, Nigeria

PROFESSOR ADENIKE GRANGE!

“The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! “(2 Samuel 1:19)
The resignation last Tuesday of the Honourable Minister of Health of the Federal Republic, Professor Adenike Grange and her Minister of State for Heath colleague, Mr David Aduku over allegations bothering on scam is simply unbelievable. Professor Grange came into the job with impeccable professional and personal integrity credentials. I am still in a state of shock. A perusal of her biography should make my shock understandable, if not perfectly in order.

Until her appointment on July 25, 2007, as the first female Minister of Health ever in Nigeria, she was (and still is) the President of the International Paediatrics Association, the first African woman and second person from sub-Saharan Africa to hold the office. By her performance in this office, she is reputed to have acquired the status of an international stateswoman and is widely respected as a resolute advocate of the children and an unshaken defender of their rights.

With nearly 45 years in the practice of medicine, she had garnered widespread experience spanning more than three decades at such top levels as consultant paediatrician, post graduate medical and nursing trainer, departmental and medical college administrator, program manager, strategic planner and technical adviser on child, maternal and reproductive health issues at national and international levels. Such had been her reputation for efficiency, competence, commitment and integrity that she is ranked next to the late highly revered paediatrician, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.

A Professor of Paediatrics at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, since 1995, the first woman to be so appointed, she had served that institution in various capacities. She was Head, Department of Paediatrics; Director, Institute of Child Health and lastly Dean of the School of Clinical Sciences. She had also served the nation creditably before her short-lived tenure as Health Minister. She was a consultant to the Federal Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation, United Nations Children Education Fund, United Nations Fund for Population Activities and United States Agency for International Development. While serving in the various capacities, she was said to have been instrumental to the formulation and implementation of a number of training and practice guidelines. These include, diarrhoea management guidelines, breastfeeding guidelines, immunization monitoring guidelines, and most recently strengthening adolescent health programme in Nigeria.

Author of more than fifty scientific papers mainly on diarrhoeal and nutritional
conditions in children, Professor Grange still serves on the board of many national and international expert committees including the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI).

That, dear reader, is the antecedent of the woman who had to leave office in such a scandalous circumstance. Presidential spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi was at his dignified best announcing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s acceptance of Mrs Grange’s voluntary resignation. Although, never given to glee in such circumstances, his sobriety was touching as he told State House correspondents: "Both ministers are leaving the Federal Executive Council following charges of corruption brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It is expected that without the burden of their ministerial duties, they will be better placed to respond to the charges against them.

“Charges of corruption brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)...” That is the heart of the matter: “charges of corruption brought against” Professor Adenike Grange! Incredible. Unbelievable. There are two versions of the story making the rounds. One states that the sum of N300million unspent part of the Health Ministry’s budget for 2007 which was supposed to have been returned to the treasury was shared among officials of the ministry. The other version said rather than return the money, contracts were hurriedly awarded from which the officials benefited. No matter which version is correct, graft would still be the name of the game with insubordination as its twin since there was an express presidential order to return all unspent funds to the treasury.

Some legislators, notably, Dr Mrs Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, chairman, Senate Committee on Health; and her House of Representatives counterpart, Dr. Alaba Ojomo Oladoyinbo, are also being mentioned in connection with the scam and may have a date with the EFCC.

Now, given her antecedents, the question that would normally come to mind is: Did Professor Grange share in the money or in the proceeds from contracts hurriedly awarded in defiance of presidential directives? EFCC will unravel that, if they have not. But the former minister herself seems to be saying that she has done nothing wrong. In her public statement, she was quoted to have said that she accepted responsibility, but not blame for “recent events” in the ministry. Her words:

“I am leaving this cabinet because I consider my dignity, reputation and legacy - values that I have worked hard for and hold dearly. I am returning to my unblemished career which I have assiduously laboured for over the years with resounding success nationally and internationally and to the business of which I am familiar with – saving the lives of mothers and children across Nigeria and the world in general.

“As a professional and a technocrat, I must admit that the level of decay and corruption within the Ministry and the whole Nigerian system as we all know glaringly need to be decisively tackled and purged. I saw my invitation to serve on this cabinet as an opportunity for professionals to join in the extirpation and re-engineering of the whole system to move this great country forward expediently.

“I wish to clearly state that while I am not the chief accounting officer to the ministry; the fact is that the recent episode involving contracts and welfare packages happened under my leadership for which I accept responsibility but not the blame. However my acceptance of responsibility should not be misconstrued as an admission of guilt but rather a path of honour for lapses and intrigues under my watch for which I unfortunately was not well versed in.”

I have read those three paragraphs again and again and I am none the wiser. Mrs Grange says she is not guilty and that’s fine. In fact nothing would make me happier than to for the courts to find that she did not benefit from what she described as “recent episode involving contracts and welfare packages” Nothing will make me happier than for the courts to find only “lapses and intrigues…which I unfortunately was not well versed in” and so tell her to “go and sin no more.” But I am disappointed at the feeble attempt of offering the technical defence of not being the chief accounting officer, even while taking the commendable step of accepting responsibility as chief executive. However, as Adeniyi pointed out, with the burden of ministerial duties out of the way Mrs Grange “will be better placed to respond to the charges against” her. That is what she should do and do speedily and unequivocally. I wish her well.

Of course there are those out there wondering, what is there in high government office that seems able to destroy its occupant? What stronghold is there that seems to be able to warp up people or eliminate them? Who or what are the perpetrators of the intrigues that Mrs Grange spoke about? What can be done about them?

The answer is simple. The bible says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). That is why our weapons must be spiritual! The bible puts it like this: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

So, every child of God who wants to make an impact for the kingdom, in high office, must take a decision to be led of God’s Spirit in every action, big or small, because the serpent is still as subtle as he was in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). As the scriptures also say “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8). Our academic and other credentials, including good grounding in social and cultural ethics can only take us so far. For the kingdom person, Christian ethics ingrained upon the heart with the help of the Holy Spirit is the quintessential qualification. If we seek this in tandem with our other qualifications, we won’t have to lament: ““The beauty of Nigeria is slain upon her high places: how are our best fallen”

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IDAHOSA: TEN YEARS GONE, ALREADY!

>“The work, witness and outreach of CGM (Church Of God Mission Int’l) are in great shape and obviously growing at a consistent rate. When Archbishop Benson died in March 1998 CGM had one hospital, it now has four! It had one bible school, it now has six! It had 98 primary and secondary schools, it now has 104 …”

It all seems like yesterday, but believe it or not, Archbishop Benson Andrew Idahosa has been with the Lord for ten years…one decade! It sure seems like yesterday when news of the departure of the flamboyant charismatic preacher and great mentor of many of today’s great men of God, began to make the rounds on March 12 1998. He was six months shy of his sixtieth birthday and had been in ministry for about 35 years! Reports had it that he died from a heart attack while chatting with a visiting delegation from Oral Roberts University.

Of course the Pentecostal preference for celebrating life rather than death makes any fanfare unnecessary, particularly as his 70th birthday on September 11 provides ample opportunity to remember and honour the life of one of God’s generals from this part of the world. Still a little reflection won’t harm, will it?

Founder and Presiding Bishop of Church of God Mission International, Idahosa was unapologetically flamboyant. His long flowing robes made of the best fabrics and his sharp suits, whenever he found it necessary to wear one, made him the butt of many attacks from the secular press. His appearance ran against the church rat characterisation of men of God, you see, and so many liked to see him as a con-man who cajoles his congregation for money. To all such critics, Idahosa’s answer was simple and direct: “My God is not poor!”

So, you’ll be right to describe Idahosa as the first of the so-called prosperity preachers. He was however much more than that. He was a bold demon chaser, if ever there was one. Many Nigerians would recall how a group which called itself the World Council of Witches announced they were planning to hold their conference in Benin, which houses Idahosa’s headquarters. Now, you must understand that the fetish was commonplace in that ancient city and so it seemed a natural place for witches to seek to congregate. But, Idahosa told them: “no, not in my territory”. For a while the newspapers were full of “yes we will” and “no, you won’t” reports. In the end, the conference never held! Not only was Idahosa’s God not poor, He wasn’t a weakling either.

Idahosa’s reputation as being the pioneer in local content in evangelism on radio and television in Nigeria was not earned without a fight either. It was reported that attempts were made severally to yank his programme off air for flimsy reasons which were calculated to hinder the spread of the gospel. In a particular instance, a certain producer got in the way and he paid for it dearly.

He began his ministry at age 24, having given his life to Christ as a football playing prankster in Benin City, in Edo State, south-western Nigeria. He had gone to play football at a pitch near a Salvation Army church on a Sunday afternoon when he succumbed to the temptation to aim his shot at the head of the pastor through one of the open windows. Five attempts to hit his target had failed, then he made what proved to be his sixth and last effort. It wasn’t clear what the ball hit, but it came ricocheting back to hit him on the chest and knock him flat on his back. He was in such pain that a crowd soon gathered round him. This drew the pastor’s attention; he came out, prayed for him and his chest that was rapidly swelling returned to normal. It was the hand of God and young Benson realised it. He followed Pastor Ogolo back to church and later answered the altar call. He thus became the very first Bini, as Benin sons and daughters are called, to join that largely Igbo congregation.

Idahosa hit the ground running, as it were. Listen to him as he testified to one of his earliest exploits for God as recorded by a chronicler, Elijah Akinwunmi:

“As a young Christian, I once heard my pastor say during a morning service that Christians could raise the dead in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believed it with all my heart. And flying around on my bicycle in those days, I went through the city of Benin in search of a dead person to raise to life. After about five hours of hard searching I found a compound where a little girl had died a few hours before. The corpse had been cleaned and prepared for burial. I walked boldly up to the father of the dead child. "The God whom I serve can bring your baby back to life," I told him. "Will you permit me to pray for the child and bring her back to life?" The man was startled, but he agreed. With great enthusiasm, I walked into the room and up to the bed. The child was cold and dead. With strong faith in the Lord, I called on the Lord to restore the child back to life. I turned to the corpse and called it by name, "Arise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Oh Glory to God! The corpse sneezed, heavily, alas. The child had come back to life!”

It was also recorded that it was a similar death and life issue that won the heart of the young lady who was to become his wife, become his partner and take over the running of Church of God Mission after his departure. One report stated it like this:
“…Margaret was the daughter of a princess of juju, steeped in witchcraft and black magic. At first the relationship was purely platonic but things changed one remarkable day. A young cousin of Margaret’s had fallen sick and died despite the family sacrifices at their juju shrine. Benson arrived in the grieving household, “Will you permit me to pray for her?” he asked, “The God I serve can bring your baby back to life.” Emptying the room of all but his Christian companion, Benson prayed for the baby and suddenly, the relatives heard the little girl sneeze.”
Raising the dead was to become one of the hallmarks of his ministry. In all, it was recorded that he raised 28 persons from the dead at different locations including his meetings and crusades.
Other statistics were no less impressive. According to a piece on the website of the USA branch of his church, he pioneered the establishment of over 5,000 churches in Nigeria and parts of Africa; took the gospel to 143 nations; pastored the fifth largest church in the world in his time; hosted his daily and weekly "Idahosa and You" television and radio programmes for 20 years; through the programmes he reached millions of people in Africa and impacted lives in the Muslim territories, garnered four degrees, including two doctorates from four different institutions; authored many books and produced thousands of audio tapes and videos of his messages.
If you are wondering what has become of the church he left behind, the answer, in the words of a 2006 report by Bishop Harry Westcott, an Australian pastor and associate of the late Idahosa is this: “the work, witness and outreach of CGM (Church Of God Mission Int’l) are in great shape and obviously growing at a consistent rate. When Archbishop Benson died in March 1998 CGM had one hospital, it now has four! It had one bible school, it now has six! It had 98 primary and secondary schools, it now has 104…” Rest in peace, Nigeria’s own God’s General.

OMOLAYOLE AND INTEGRITY IN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Dr Mike Omolayole, remember him? Remember him of the dapper suit and stylishly parted haircut; him of the hilarious but message-laden after dinner speeches; him who did great exploits as the helmsman at the behemoth, Lever Brothers Plc? How can anyone forget, you might counter, until you realise that this management guru and boardroom icon, actually retired from Lever Brothers a whopping 24 years ago!

But this is not a piece about the man. This is about something he said recently that got me thinking and returning to an issue we had partly raised in this column before.
This is a piece about Dr Omolayole’s take on integrity in the corporate world and its possible effect on what I would like to call the creeping recolonisation of the Nigerian economy. In a piece titled “Corporate Management: More Questions than Answers,” this veteran of the board room and corporate management trailblazer reviewed the corporate landscape and wondered what had gone wrong.
Backgrounding his concerns, Dr Omolayole recalled how during “the last quarter of the 19th Century to the early 70s of the 20th Century” conglomerates and multinationals in Nigeria “were managed by expatriate personnel especially at the top” and how “the Indigenisation Act in Nigeria in the 70s helped in no small measure to change the status quo.”
So helpful was the Act, he said, that “where there was only one Nigerian CEO of a Multinational Company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange” in 1973, “by 1980, the picture had changed. The country had four or five Nigerians who were CEOs of multinational companies quoted on the Stock Exchange. By 1990, the country probably reached the highest number and quality in terms of progress made”.
Continuing, Dr Omolayole wrote: “However, between 1990 and 2000, some large multinationals somehow did not seem to find it easy to sustain an indigenous management succession or decided outright to turn back the hand of the clock. Some of these companies are Guinness Nigeria Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, and Nestle Nigeria Plc. We are now more than half way into the first decade of the 21st Century and the picture is more gloomy. Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, WAPCO and PZ Industries have joined the groups that are now managed at the very top by expatriates”.
He then posed the questions: “What has gone wrong and still going wrong? What exactly is happening? Have the majority owners of multinationals lost confidence in Nigerians? A situation where the two biggest Confectionery Companies, two biggest Breweries and two largest detergent companies are being managed by expatriates is worrisome. Are all Nigerian top managers non-performing or adjudged by expatriates to be bitten by the bug of lack of integrity?” (Emphasis mine)
Although he went on to raise issues like whether “this phenomenon is going on unnoticed or is being swept under the carpet” and how “this trend calls for a public debate by all stakeholders including the Federal Government “etc, it is the latter part of his questions above that caught my attention.
No, I do not dismiss as unimportant the other issues that he raised. How can one say it is unimportant to reflect on and find answers to such posers like:”What future projections can we make? Has it occurred to multinational owners of large manufacturing outfits, that 99 per cent of the consumers of their products are Nigerians? Is economic nationalism dead, killed by globalisation? Is there now an artificial glass ceiling in the Corporate Boardroom for nationals? That is, a level beyond, which nationals cannot rise. What answers could we possibly give to such questions from our children and grandchildren with regards to this phenomenon?”
Neither can one fault his conclusion that: “The future of our great country still lies in its ability to harness the potential of its abundant human resources (Human Capital) at the very top levels, be it in Management or Public Service”.
But I wish to state unequivocally that the issue of integrity is critical. I know it because, I know that if there is a grave national drought in Nigeria; it is in the integrity department. And I am sure you and I know it. I know also that Dr Omolayole knows it, otherwise, he would not have raised it. In fact, so acutely aware of it is he that his contribution to Marketing Memoirs, one of the works of the prolific Nigerian journalists and authors, Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe, centred on integrity. In chapter seven of that book, he was quoted as saying: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. We stand for integrity, we stand for transparency.” And the authors commented: “It is interesting and commendable to note that Omolayole and Associates insists on not offering or receiving bribe to induce patronage whether making profit or loss. Dr Omolayole is a role model to leaders in private and public sector in Nigeria”.

So, whilst we debate the glass ceilings and the consumer statistics, I wish to state that we need to take a closer look at the subject of integrity in the work place, at ALL levels. This is because, I believe in the injunction of the bible that says, “…if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31).

Readers of this column will recall my reports of the Christian Men’s Network Nigeria’s luncheon addressed by Elder Felix Ohiwerei last October. During the interactive session, a number of the speakers raised the issue of integrity in the marketing departments of major companies particularly as regards sponsorships and related matters. It was clear that where outright bribes were not being demanded, over-invoicing was rampant and the sponsorship seeker who refuses to cooperate does so to his peril.

I recently requested a few of my friends who operate in this area to react to an earlier piece, “Corporate Nigeria and the Secularity Bogey”. One of them wrote and I quote: ”It is true that values of jobs is are jacked up by sponsors. It is really sad. I even have a friend’s account of how he submitted a proposal with a certain amount, executed the job and was paid a much higher amount. The instruction he got was to CASH THE CHEQUE AND RETURN THE BALANCE. And that if he protested the entire sum will be tied down for God knows how long. In the course of running my own programme, I’ve found out that even NGOs collaborate with some company officials to defraud companies, because donations for charitable purposes are not taxed. So they write a N2million cheque and turn round to get, say N1million; give the NGO N1m and N2m is reflected on record. I tell you this is deep…”

The significant thing here is that the marketing departments have tended to produce the CEO of major companies. With antecedents like this, what is the integrity level that can be expected of such CEOs? When you recall Elder Ohiwerei’s account of his brush with the Customs as NB Plc’s CEO and how he had to airlift raw materials rather than pay a bribe, it should be clear that the issue transcends one department. For, had the director in charge been around, CEO Ohiwerei would never have known about it!

So, as we debate the recolonisation of Nigeria’s corporate world, and focus, as we have been doing lately, on corruption in political governance, let’s open up an equally urgent and important debate on integrity in corporate governance in our land.

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From My Inbox
RE: SHEPHERDS, THIEVES …

Lawyers have a saying that "nothing can on nothing stand" You cannot build a concrete mansion on a wooden foundation. Without being born again, no amount of "holy living" can take a man to heaven. If the Devil could carry out some humanitarian activities, will that make him acceptable? Is it in order to dine with the Devil, with or without a long spoon?

You hit the nail on the head with that biblical quotation about the shepherd and the sheepfold. Morally and spiritually, the end does not justify the means. "You cannot steal a goose and offer God the gosling" - C.H. Spurgeon. Amalekite oxen are unacceptable as burnt offering. Might is not right but right is right. This is the way forward for the country.

Akintunde Makinde,
Lagos