BRETHREN, TIME TO SWITCH ON THE LIGHT

So, is the global economic crisis therefore, a punishment from God? Not necessarily. It’s the inevitable repercussion of the choices of a people who have sold their souls to the devil; it is an affliction from the god of this world whose own ministry is to kill, to steal and to destroy. That is why I once said here that the divide is no longer geographical, as in North versus South or the West against the East. Nor is it along the old traditional socio-economic lines, any longer. It is not even racial or political. The new divide is spiritual. The Bible said of this divide in Isaiah 60:2 “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee”. In other words the divide can be said to be that between revellers in darkness and carriers of light. What we are seeing today is the beginning of darkness that’s covering the earth, and its people; but children of the light cannot be covered by it. Darkness, after all, is simply the absence of light!

That the global economic crisis is already taking its toll on the Nigerian economy is incontrovertible. Even when you concede the position of being so vigorously canvassed by the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo that all the banks are healthy, which is doubtful, there is still considerable cause for anxiety.

As I write this, bank lending rate is a whopping 27% and as usual only big ticket transactions qualify; one US dollar exchanges at the unofficial market for N170; and prices of many essentials are heading northwards, in response. Crude oil price have remained on the floor. Though it rose marginally to about $45 during the week, this is still a great distance from the $147 height it crashed from a few months ago.

The situation on the stock market is not in hurry to improve. Market capitalisation of many of the big operators remains at five-year lows. The banks are still carrying those toxic assets known as margin credits on their books with little hope of recovering them, unless government steps in. A sizable percentage of the emerging middle class which responded to the lure of mouth watering returns from the capital market is still reeling from the crash aftermath, with grave consequences for the consumer goods market.

The rank of the unemployed is swelling already, with the addition of new entrants from the tertiary institutions at home and abroad; and the usual big employers, already considering downsizing, and therefore with no appetite for new recruits.

There is restiveness on the labour scene. Teachers in the Southern states are on strike to force the hands of governments to pay them the new Teachers Salary Scale; oil workers are still dissatisfied with the security situation in the Niger Delta which has over time taken the lives of many of its members; and labour and civil society are warming up for resistance against the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw subsidies on petroleum products in the name of liberalisation.

It is already well known that government workers are likely to take pay cuts in the coming weeks in order to reduce its estimated N1.3 trillion annual wage bill. It may therefore be incongruous to expect that same government to accede to any pay rise agitation, which inexorably follows every sharp rise in price levels. Were the government to want to accede to wage increase and/or other spending stimulation stratagem, it has paucity of funds to contend with. What with dwindling foreign reserves, depleted excess crude oil account, nose-dived oil revenue and threats to the revenue from Customs and Excise! A resort to ways and means, which is official jargon for printing money, is one way out; but traditionally, nothing fuels inflation more effectively!

So, as the journalist, Ray Ekpu would have put it, it’s a hunchback problem, no matter where you touch it, it hurts! In other words, all facts considered, we may as well hang out the sign “bumpy road ahead”! And as we pointed out in No Hiding Place (January 11), there is really nowhere to run to. We wrote in that piece: “The situation used to be that if things got tough in Nigeria, you endured whatever humiliation they heaped upon you at the United States embassy, get a visa and bolt. If the United States won't do, you tried the United Kingdom or Ireland, or Japan, or China or wherever else seemed likely to provide succour. But, just look around you, virtually every major economy in the world is either on the verge of recession, already in recession or is unofficially already in depression”.

Now those are the stark physical realities, the facts of the case. But are they the truth, from a spiritual standpoint? Are you, as a child of God, subject to these facts and figures, permutations and conjectures; well thought out as they are? The answer is an unqualified ‘No’. Why should you trust the economic wisdom that could not prevent the set of circumstances from arising to correctly predict its outcome?

You see, the truth is that we are where we are because the wisdom of man has failed as the Bible has said it would. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1Corinthians 1:19 &20)

This truth leads to another inevitable truth, the current global recession seemingly triggered by the financial market meltdown has its roots in the spiritual. We’ve said it here before, the wise men of the western world build a gargantuan financial and economic structure based on greed and fear, fuelled by the unholy trinity of me, myself and I and operated on the principle of “everyone for himself; the devil take the hindmost”. They called it the free market system and it became attractive because of its seeming success. Itself an offshoot of the free market of ideas in the field of politics, so successful did the system become that pride set in. Freedom became the object of worship. God took back seat, wherever and whenever He had a place at all. The West became so proud of this system that it began not just to export to willing importers but also to the unwilling by share force. My Bible says God resists the proud!

So, is the global economic crisis therefore, a punishment from God? Not necessarily. It’s the inevitable repercussion of the choices of a people who have sold their souls to the devil; it is an affliction from the god of this world whose own ministry is to kill, to steal and to destroy. That is why I once said here that the divide is no longer geographical, as in North versus South or the West against the East. Nor is it along the old traditional socio-economic lines, any longer. It is not even racial or political. The new divide is spiritual.

The Bible said of this divide in Isaiah 60:2 “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee”. In other words the divide can be said to be that between revellers in darkness and carriers of light. What we are seeing today is the beginning of darkness that’s covering the earth, and its people; but children of the light cannot be covered by it. Darkness, after all, is simply the absence of light!

In very clear terms therefore, there is absolutely no reason why a child of God should be consumed in the darkness of economic recession whether they live in the United States or sojourn in China; whether they be Negroid or Caucasian, whether they be Nigerian or Pakistani.

How so? That is because God’s children have access to resources that children of the world do not. First you become a child of God because you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Apostle John puts it like this: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12 ). Then your regenerated spirit opens up to be led of God’s Spirit. This is powerfully stated in chapter 8 of the book of Romans: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God…The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (verses 14,16). Access to the wisdom of God through the Holy Spirit is one of the things that makes the child of God able to prosper even in the so-called difficult times.

Another thing that marks us apart from the world and which should insulate us from the hard times is dominion power. The book of Genesis records that “God created man in his own image…And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” (Genesis 1:27-28). The will of God is here clearly revealed: that His children should not just multiply and replenish the earth, they should subdue it! To subdue is to conquer, subjugate, bring into bondage, force, keep under, bring into subjection. So, nothing on earth should be able to hinder your success and prosperity in whatsoever your hand finds to do, even in the midst of economic meltdown. So, don’t let the economic crisis reach you. Reach for your key resource; listen to your spirit and do what the Spirit of God is saying to your spirit, whether it makes sense or not. When you have, go right ahead and exercise dominion, like your Father does: speak your success into manifestation. Arise don’t melt with the darkness, switch on your light!

DON’T TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

Do you get the picture? It is one of the challenges of social engineering that on the one hand we complain that most of the people, who are celebrated, held up as heroes and therefore as potential role models, are charlatans. But on the other hand, those who deserve to be honoured and held up for the generality of the people to emulate, do not want to be celebrated! They shy away from the limelight out of humility; which is the Christ-like thing to do! Yet, even the Lord Jesus said that candles are not meant to be placed under tables and He wasn’t talking about the potential for setting off a fire! He was talking about the illuminating role of the candle. So what do we do? We play the leper as often as we can! The Bible recalls that as a result of the fact that the leper “…went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter,” people “came to him from every quarter.”

Please don’t tell this to anyone. Do not share it with even your closest confidant, lest it be noised abroad. But if you must, please do not say that you read it here that Rev Dr Chris Tunde Joda, President, Voice of Faith Ministries and Senior Founding Pastor, Christ Chapel International Churches will turn 50 on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

If you are wondering why I shouldn’t be quoted, let me just put it this way: I am kind of playing the leper here… and you don’t want to join me in that, do you? You don’t want to join me in behaving exactly like that leper in chapter one of the Book of Mark. His story read like this:

“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter” (Mark 1: 40-45).

Do you get the picture? It is one of the challenges of social engineering that on the one hand we complain that most of the people, who are celebrated, held up as heroes and therefore as potential role models, are charlatans. But on the other hand, those who deserve to be honoured and held up for the generality of the people to emulate, do not want to be celebrated! They shy away from the limelight out of humility; which is the Christ-like thing to do! Yet, even the Lord Jesus said that candles are not meant to be placed under tables and He wasn’t talking about the potential for setting off a fire! He was talking about the illuminating role of the candle. So what do we do? We play the leper as often as we can! The Bible recalls that as a result of the fact that the leper “…went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter,” people “came to him from every quarter.”

In other words, for the true heroes to be known and appreciated; for the true role models to take their place for the betterment of society, there would seem to be the occasional playing of the leper. That is what I have found myself doing in this column now and again; and that is what I am doing again today.

Yes, Dr Tunde Joda, my Senior Pastor, my coach, my teacher and spiritual father is 50. I can hear many say, only 50? Yes, only 50, although he seemed to have been around and in our consciousness like forever! That’s partly because he has spent more than half of that, precisely 26 years, in ministry, having founded CCIC in 1983.
That is also because, he pioneered a new move of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, a move that not only took young people out of the formalism of denominationalism, but also weaned many of them from the not-so-informed fundamentalism of the Scripture Union era.
His punk hairstyle, which he still wears today, his sartorial choices, his general mannerisms and most important of all, his teachings on faith were all revolutionary at the time. His philosophy was come just as you are. This deemphasised the dress sense, or lack of it, of the potential Christian, which he sees as being outward manifestation of the state of the heart and which, he knew the Word was capable of changing. This drew a huge crowd of youths even if it opened the church to criticisms from either extremes of Christendom.

It is already well known that he gave up what was clearly a promising career in medicine, a profession he pursued with vigour at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, as someone put it out of “his natural love for humanity.” In the words of a piece published last year during the 25th Founders’ Day commemoration, “God had a greater plan of using him not only to heal men’s physical bodies but to make men totally whole by healing them spiritually, emotionally and financially.”

Since yielding to God’s plan for his life there has been no going back; no looking back and no turning to the left or to the right. He has kept his focus; daring to blaze trails here and there as he feels led of God. If a school room was what was available to “church” in, he took it. When it was a cinema hall that was large enough, he didn’t allow the social stigma associated with such a premises affect his judgment. Indeed many men and women who were later to become Spirit-filled pastors and leaders in many churches gave their lives to Christ at the Super Cinema in the Surulere area of Lagos.

It is incontrovertible that this man of God, has his imprint in a sizeable part of the word of Faith movement in Nigeria and beyond. This was demonstrated last year when a group of alumni of Christ Chapel decided to put together what they called a Home-Coming event. It was a spectacular reunion of men and women who cut their spiritual teeth under the ministry of TJ and Sister Ebun as the man of God and his wife are fondly called. And they came from all walks of life – Ministry, the academia, the professions etc.

There are no shortages of testimonies about how this man of destiny has been used of God to touch lives in diverse ways over the past 26 years, but space, the tyrant, would allow me chip in only this one.

Her name is Faith. Understandably. She is a product of faith, the God kind of faith, so powerfully propagated by this man of God. At the time of telling her story, last year, she was already 23 and a final year student in one of the universities.

Her mum had been had been prone to miscarriages of pregnancy. Of course you can imagine that she would not have been sitting pretty, doing nothing; there must have been regular visits to doctors and clinics of all kinds. Then one day a young doctor turned pastor came calling at the campus of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOLY) as today’s LACOSTECH used to be known. She attended the meeting, answered the altar call and thus became born again.

Then she started attending follow-up classes as the church located at Ibidun Street where she was counselled and encouraged to live by faith. The pastor during one of those meetings prophesied that there would be a turn around in the life of this aspiring mother before the end of that year. Here is how it played out in Faith’s own words:

“My mum conceived before the end of 1984. The pastor made sure she attended the ante-natal clinic at LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital), where he worked. To the glory of God and the joy of my parents, my mother carried the pregnancy to full term. I was that baby.”

Now, in spite of everything that God has done through this pastor of pastors, he has placed an embargo on celebrations! You organise or do anything to celebrate him at your own risk!! I can only pray that this piece is not seen as a violation of that embargo.

But if, like me, you were at that point where in place a buoyant spirit, all you were feeling was emptiness; where, you had started chalking up defeat after defeat and failure after failure in place of victories and successes; where it dawned on you that you had been foolishly taking credit for God’s wonder working power upon your life and he seemed to have decided to let you “do it your way”. If in that state He leads you to a flock where, led by his chosen under-Shepherd, you are fed with the engrafted word of God, taught to worship Him and nurtured back to spiritual buoyancy, you’ll probably, understand why I have chosen to play the leper and publicly acknowledge the coach at the golden age of 50. Thanks for letting God use you to touch lives, including mine, and glorify Christ.

NIGERIA AND THE WORLD WATCH LIST

Nigeria (North) featured among the next twenty countries rated as having Severe Limitations. Also among this group are such countries as China, India and Libya, apart from a host of former Soviet republics. The reported also listed Nigeria (North) among countries where the status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2008. Others in this category are, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Mauritania, Algeria, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan.

In a lot of senses, it is inevitable that our nation, Nigeria, will always be in the news, internationally. The Bible says that a nation built on a hill cannot be hidden. And so are we. We may not be exacted seated on some mountain, but think about our land mass, our population, the fact of being probably one of the top five best endowed countries in the world in terms of mineral and natural resources and our great leadership potentials already manifesting in the international arena.

That explains why we are always in the news, unfortunately though, for the wrong reasons. From advance fee fraud to drug trafficking to human trafficking to official corruption, the name of Nigeria is notoriously high on league tables.

A couple of weeks ago, we were among those invited to the UN to defend our human rights record. Allegations of torture as a weapon of the police during investigation of crimes, unlawful detentions and many other violations of civil liberties were leveled against a nation that has returned to civil rule for nearly ten years. It would be interesting to hear what official had to say in our defence.

It is however to a league table with a difference that I want to draw all our attentions to today. It is known as the Open Doors World Watch List, and it lists countries where Christians suffer the greatest persecution.

Now there are two significant things about this report. One, Nigeria did not make the Top Ten, thankfully. In fact, we didn't make the Top Twenty either. We even missed the Top 25, ranking 26 among the 50 countries cited in the report. The second noteworthy thing about the report is that our nation had to be listed as Nigeria (North), obviously to stress the fact of relative religious freedom in the south of the country.

The report compiled by Santa Ana, California, USA-based Open Doors Ministry which touts itself as "serving persecuted Christians worldwide" graded countries into five, namely, those with Severe Persecution cases; those which manifest in Oppression; countries where there are Severe Limitations; some with Some limitations and others which simply have Some Problems.
Explaining its rating methodology, Open Doors said the World Watch List (WWL) "is compiled from a specially-designed questionnaire of 50 questions covering various aspects of religious freedom. A point value is assigned depending on how each question is answered. The total number of points per country determines its position on the WWL."

Open Doors International continues, in its preamble to this year's report: "The questions differentiate between the legal, official status of Christians (e.g. Does the constitution and/or national laws provide for freedom of religion?; Are individuals allowed to convert to Christianity by law?) and the actual situation of individual Christians (Are Christians being killed because of their faith?; Are Christians being sentenced to jail, labor camp or sent to a psychiatric hospital because of their faith?). Attention is paid to the role of the church in society (Do Christians have the freedom to print and distribute Christian literature?; Are Christian publications censured/prohibited in this country?) and to factors that may obstruct the freedom of religion in a country (Are Christian meeting places and/or Christian homes attacked because of anti-Christian motives?)."

North Korea rates highest in the 2009 report retaining its 2008 position as the world's worst persecutor of followers of Jesus Christ. It's the only case of Severe Persecution on the list. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives and Yemen in that order also retained their 2008 second to seventh in the 2009 report. Theirs are the six cases of Oppression listed.

Nigeria (North) featured among the next twenty countries rated as having Severe Limitations. Also among this group are such countries as China, India and Libya, apart from a host of former Soviet republics. The reported also listed Nigeria (North) among countries where the status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2008. Others in this category are, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Mauritania, Algeria, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan.

Substantiating its ranking of Nigeria (North), the Report said in part: "Twelve northern Nigerian states have imposed Islamic law in the past eight years. Repeated outbreaks of religious violence have erupted ever since, claiming thousands of lives. Muslims accusing Christians of blasphemy led to violence in the Sharia states of Bauchi and Kano in February…" Figures of the dead, the injured, the displaced and of worship facilities destroyed were freely used in the report, which included those from the mayhem that followed the local government elections in Jos, Plateau state in November. There was also reported cases of girls said to have been abducted in Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Niger and Yobe states allegedly with the aim of Islamizing them.

We may sneer at this categorization of Nigeria; indeed we might even call to question the veracity of the figures since crisis arithmetic has never really been a national forte. But it should be food for thought to our leaders that, of the last 23 countries listed under the category of Some Limitations; about half of them are officially Islamic States. We must never forget that this nation is too important to be ignored by anyone and therefore the days of playing the ostrich are over. The investigations going on about the last Jos crisis must be thorough and their reports honestly implemented. That is the way to get out of league tables like the World Watch List

Indeed the World watches.

ADIEU, A TRUE SERVANT LEADER

Carter, in a February 3 statement he sent to the Fuller Centre, described Fuller as "one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known…He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing…As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership."
Among them is former President Jimmy Carter, who soon after leaving office joined the Habitat for Humanity team of volunteers on the Tijuana Housing Project, in Matamoros, Mexico.

Millard Fuller, founder of world renowned Habitat for Humanity, a worldwide house-building ministry, died on Tuesday February 3, after a brief illness. He was aged 74.

Fuller, acknowledged by family and friends as "a true servant leader with a genuine heart" was already 41 and a millionaire when he founded the ministry in 1976 with the objective of eliminating homelessness, which he saw as the most dehumanizing element of poverty, across the globe. And at the last count Habitat for Humanity had constructed about 200,000 homes in nearly 100 countries.

Announcing Fuller's departure on behalf of the family, his son, Chris said: "We are truly overwhelmed with the love and support from family, friends and supporters of my father's work from all over the country and the world…Despite the loss of a beloved husband, father and grandfather, our spirits are high. We know that Dad is in heaven now, and we will celebrate his life's accomplishments and continue to carry out his vision."

Fuller expanded his missionary vision for helping the poor build houses four years ago, when he opened the Fuller Center for Housing in Americus, Ga.

He dedicated the Fuller Center as "a Christ-centered, faith-driven organization witnessing the love of God by providing opportunities for families to have a simple, decent place to live."

More than thirty years of criss-crossing the globe with his unique ministry endeared fuller to people internationally, but most especially in the United States where Presidents count among his admirers.

Carter, in a February 3 statement he sent to the Fuller Centre, described Fuller as "one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known…He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing…As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership."

Former President Bill Clinton, is also on record as having said of the man: "Millard Fuller has literally revolutionized the concept of philanthropy."

Funeral services were held on the morning of Wednesday February 4 at Koinonia Farm in Americus, a Christian pacifist community dedicated to social justice, where he's believed to have been buried. He had been laid in state the previous night at the First Presbyterian Church in Americus, Georgia.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Linda Caldwell, their four children: Chris, Kim, Faith and Georgia, and nine grandchildren. KINGDOM Perspective joins his teeming admirers and millions of beneficiaries of his ministry all over the world in saying thank you and good night to a man who followed the footsteps of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, and made his mark where it matters most, lovingly meeting the needs of the helpless. He will be sorely missed.

THE AX-HEAD PRINCIPLE & OUR ECONOMY

Putting some names to some of the figures Ojediran pointed out that big names have in fact lost significant market value. Among them: First Bank - 38 per cent, Union Bank - 62 per cent; Nestle - 31 per cent and Dangote Sugar - 51 per cent. And brokers are not left out. According to Ojediran “many brokers have also had their figures burnt through the offer of margin facilities. Big Trouble! Yes, brokers too are in trouble... Even without counting the billions of naira that went into underwriting and private placements, the sum of N899 billion has been confirmed as the total stockbrokers’ exposure to the banks. Put differently, the banks are owed that amount, which represents a large part of the total shareholder funds of the banks.”

Of course, you have heard the announcement. President Umar Musa Yar’Adua has asked the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review the remuneration of political, public and judicial office holders downwards. According to media reports quoting from a letter to the Commission dated February 10, President Yar’Adua acknowledged that our country “like other nations is going through difficult times because of the global financial meltdown and unprecedented economic crises”.

Noting that a “critical evaluation of the impact of the crises on our domestic economy shows that declining oil sales and shrinking foreign direct investment flows are twin threats to our ambitious development programmes,” the President was quoted as proffering that the situation “can only be mitigated through a responsive review of current costs to maintain the momentum of our development”. In the thinking of the President, the place to start that cost review is with the provisions of the so-called “Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008.” His words: “Accordingly, in my opinion, it would be practically impossible and unrealistic for us to continue to implement the current provisions of the said Act. Indeed, it would amount to insensitivity on our part to continue to implement the Act under the circumstances.”

Making the new thinking public, Presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi had quoted his principal as calling a meeting of ministers, special advisers, senior special assistants and special assistants to intimate them of the need for them to be ready to make some personal sacrifices. He also reported that the President emphasized the need for all his appointees to embrace “honesty, dedication and commitment to selfless national service in the discharge of their official responsibilities”.

It is of course tempting to dismiss gestures like this as cosmetic and unlikely to contribute much. But, if I know anything about anything, I know that the President’s move is a departure from the norm around here where belt tightening is reserved only for the poor. And when it is realized that a whopping N1.3 trillion is the estimated annual expenditure on salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of Nigeria’s political office holders at all tiers of government, even a 5% cut could save the nation N65 billion.

But possibly the most important aspect of the rhetoric from the seat of power is the linkage the President sees between crisis and opportunity. According to Adeniyi, his principal emphasized that “despite the fresh challenges to national development which it had thrown up, the current global economic crisis would also provide fresh opportunities which insightful and perceptive leaders at all levels could utilise to ensure that Nigeria’s 20-20-20 vision is not derailed.” He also expressed his “confidence in the capacity of Nigerians to seize the moment by using current challenges to reposition the country for peace and prosperity.”

What makes this particularly important is the fact that functionaries of this administration do not seem to agree on the nature or extent of the challenges facing us. That is not surprising because economics is such an imprecise science and in any case, economies with some of the world acclaimed specialists are also largely feeling their way through the current crisis. So we need perception, we need insight. But most of all we need not just the facts, but more crucially, the truth.

Now what are the facts? I do not claim to know, but facts and figures contained in a February 3 piece written by Bisi Ojediran in his ThisDay column, Tolling Bells under the headline “Big Trouble” should throw some light.

Bisi, an erstwhile Shell executive, pointed out the “it doesn’t rain, it pours” scenario that seems to be playing out in the national economy. According to him, just as the government was coming to terms with “the effects of the recession-induced fall in oil prices on the foreign exchange earning of the country,” “micro-economic indicators that had stabilized over the last few years are now hopping in wrong directions.”

He noted Central Bank of Nigeria’s courageous move to stabilize the external value of the Naira which resulted in “a brief rally” in the last few days of January only to be followed by a fall to N148.60 to the dollar from its N148.10 level the day before. This of course fuelled fears of a further decline. He pointed out that “for an import-dependent country, the depreciation of the naira means high prices of goods and services”.

His take: “Prices are also rising because there is cash crunch. Afraid of the future, and cautioned by increased default in loan repayment, banks are holding on to their funds or doing selective lending. Debt levels are too high and fiscal capacity is hard pressed by contingent liabilities in the banking system. Consequently, interest rates are climbing for the roof. Big trouble! Around the world, governments are desperately trying to restore the confidence of banks to lend to boost consumer consumption and also jump-start production.”

Turning to the stock market, Ojediran wrote: “Perhaps the greatest pain is felt in the stock market. Hopes that the Nigerian stock market will rebound are crashing. Since March last year when share prices began a downward slide, they have refused to look back. Between then and now, the market which was enjoying a boom has lost over N7 trillion in capitalization. In 2008, market capitalization fell by 45.8 per cent, a sharp inverse growth from 2007, when the market grew by 74.7 per cent. The slide has continued in the new year. The market has lost some 30 per cent capitalization in the first four weeks of 2009 and there are no hopes of a rebound anytime soon..”

For those who might see this as mere number crunching, he said, ”These may look like mere numbers, but the price of shares is an important part of the dynamics of economic activity. It can influence or be an indicator of social mood. The stock market, an important tool for capital formation, is often considered the primary indicator of a country’s economic strength and development, and share prices also affect the wealth of households and their consumption. Behind the numbers, I know about five people who borrowed money to invest in stocks during the 2007 boom. With the share prices tumbling, their investment is now worth far less than the principal. They can only hope for the prices to rise to sell, but they have to service their debts. The situation of one of them, a friend who borrowed about N1 million, is so critical that his wife has detailed his brother to keep him under watch so he doesn’t take his life. These people’s loss is part of the N7 trillion.”

Putting some names to some of the figures Ojediran pointed out that big names have in fact lost significant market value. Among them: First Bank - 38 per cent, Union Bank - 62 per cent; Nestle - 31 per cent and Dangote Sugar - 51 per cent. And brokers are not left out. According to Ojediran “many brokers have also had their figures burnt through the offer of margin facilities. Big Trouble! Yes, brokers too are in trouble... Even without counting the billions of naira that went into underwriting and private placements, the sum of N899 billion has been confirmed as the total stockbrokers’ exposure to the banks. Put differently, the banks are owed that amount, which represents a large part of the total shareholder funds of the banks.”

Now you can see why we need leaders with insight and perception. You can see why Yar’Adua correctly admitted to not being the sole custodian of these virtues by setting up a national economic management team which cuts across political divides including Edo State’s Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Lagos State’s Babatunde Fashola, to explore and exploit such opportunities.

The President, to my mind, is spot on in this respect. But permit me to state that all of these would simply be palliatives unless we are willing to deal with the fundamentals. In the area of political structure, Nigeria’s best days were in the days of true federalism. There was healthy competition that led to rapid development. Similarly, her best days were in the days of the so-called mixed economy, when government had its role and played it; and the private sector went about its profit making role. Barack Obama seems to understand this and he’s going back to basics. The ax-head principle applies here too. Let’s return to where we lost it. That is the direction our insight and perception should lead us.

WHO WILL SAVE NIGERIA?

But all of this pale in significance to the grave implications of the melodrama playing itself out at the National Assembly in Abuja. On the surface, it is a battle for supremacy between the two Houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives with the so-called lower house claiming equality with the upper chamber. You’ve heard it said that its all in the interest of deepening our democratic practice and that a certain group, has in fact taken the matter before a court for determination. It would be interesting to see how the law sorts out the issue. I have no doubt in my mind, however that it more politics than law; that what we are seeing is but the early stirrings of anti-Constitutional Review strategy. Whether the Representatives in the vanguard of the battle are willing tools or unwitting pawns is at this moment be a matter of conjecture, but there could be both in their rank.

It is difficult to be optimistic about the future of this nation. All you need to increase your heartbeat is read the newspapers, listen to the radio or watch the television. And even when you have allowed for the possibility of sensationalizing in many of the reports, you are still left with a sense of foreboding.

The other day, I chanced in on a discussion programme on one of the television stations. There was this guy reeling out the many incidences of violence in the South Western part of the country. It was simply unbelievable that this was happening in a civilian setting which by its rule of law essence ought to inspire peaceful resolution of conflicts. It is one of those seemingly inexplicable contradictions in the Nigerian setting.

Recall the mind-boggling violence that occurred as the immediate aftermath of local government elections in Jos, the Plateau State capital recently. The scenario still playing out in that part of the country, with the State and Federal governments competing on the rights to investigate the incidence, and Governor Jonah Jang alleging impeachment and assassination plans against him, and you cannot but wonder how it will end.

The crisis in the Niger Delta remains something of a low-intensity civil-war with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the government’s Joint Task Force making bloody claims and counterclaims, while sundry freelance hoodlums kidnap just about anybody in sight including, children, clergymen and assorted other relations of dignitaries.

But all of this pale in significance to the grave implications of the melodrama playing itself out at the National Assembly in Abuja. On the surface, it is a battle for supremacy between the two Houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives with the so-called lower house claiming equality with the upper chamber. You’ve heard it said that its all in the interest of deepening our democratic practice and that a certain group, has in fact taken the matter before a court for determination. It would be interesting to see how the law sorts out the issue. I have no doubt in my mind, however that it more politics than law; that what we are seeing is but the early stirrings of anti-Constitutional Review strategy. Whether the Representatives in the vanguard of the battle are willing tools or unwitting pawns is at this moment be a matter of conjecture, but there could be both in their rank

This issue is of great importance because, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, what we do or fail to do with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, has everything to do with the future well-being, not to say, the continued existence of the nation. To put it mildly, it is a bad document, put together by a confused military, driven into disorderly retreat by a civil uprising gradually approaching a crescendo. But, because as one of my friends used to say, even a stopped clock is correct twice every 24 hours, it did serve two purposes. It returned Nigeria to civilian, even if not democratic, rule and; it put some people in office, some of whom would otherwise never have smelt office. It is this latter purpose that is at the root of today’s challenges.

Now, truth be told, it takes class suicide for a group benefiting from a given state of affair to work at changing it. That takes selflessness, courage and a zealous commitment to the greater good of the greater number within the polity. In this respect, I regret to state that in Nigeria, as the novelist would have put it, the beautiful ones are not yet born. In other words, it is unlikely that the 1999 Constitution will be reviewed. If it is, it will not be far-reaching enough to make any difference, because it is not in the interest of those currently at the helm of affairs to do so. Of course, there might be among them patriots willing to lose some privileges, if necessary, but they are in the minority. All of that is if we discount the fact that what Nigeria needs is a new Constitution and a sitting assembly is not equipped for such an assignment.

President Umar Musa Yar’Adua had the opportunity of boldly steering the nation along the right path when he assumed office in May 2007. He passed it up. In the June 17 2007 edition of this column, I dealt with the subject of the way forward then, but of course, it was probably unrealistic to expect a politician of any hue to accept the kind of suggestions made then. But because they are as valid today as they were back then, I shall quote from that piece which was titled, “THINK ON THESE THINGS, MR PRESIDENT”

I said then that he must be able to think out of the box, extra-constitutionally, if you like. I pointed out that the Interim National government option was worth exploring in these words:
“…Some have suggested an Interim National Government. This has been shot down by those who equate it with military president Ibrahim Babangida’s disingenuously constructed booby trap. According to those who argue this way, if it goes by the same name, it must have the same content and end up the same way! Many of this same people say that the ING has no place in our constitution. How simplistic! In a particularly disappointing intervention, a respected constitutional law teacher and columnist, writing in a respected newspaper on two different occasions hid his personal preferences under so much intellectual verbiage and ended up speaking from both sides of the mouth. ING, goes his argument cannot hold because it is unknown to our constitution which is our grundnorm. Then faced with examining whether Nigeria as was being run could be described as a constitutional democracy, he deadpanned: not quite! Now this later is the truth, the unemotional truth that must guide our search for solution to the existing situation.”

I did recognize that for Yar’Adua to even give thought to an idea like that would have amounted to throwing out his chance, and that of his part of the country, to rule the nation – with all the privileges involved. That is class suicide! That was why I counseled as follows:
“A time like these call for men; leaders with vision, able to see beyond self and own-group interests. The Lord Jesus Christ, who for us Christians, is the model (or ought to be) is the best known example of true leadership. He gave up himself for the good of mankind. In the men’s ministry in which I am deeply involved, it is said that “manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous”. And believe me it is true. You have to resort to self sacrifice in this matter…You must now voluntarily go out of your way to vigorously work for restructuring of this blighted federation. Our current constitution is faulty.. You must find it in yourself to engage with civil society, the opposition and conscientious elements in the international community to put something more concrete, more enduring in place. You must do it quickly; within the shortest possible time, possibly within 18 months. We can then hold fresh elections. If the new arrangement allows you to run and you wish to, I am sure your people will give a clean mandate. On the other hand, if the new arrangement excludes you or you decide not to run, you would not have been the longest serving President in Nigeria, but you would be her greatest.”

As I write this, whether at the Presidency or at the National Assembly, all I see are people more interested in sustaining the status quo; with a bit of tinkering here and there. But it is not going to work.

One wise man said, no matter how far you’ve gone on a wrong road, turn back! There is a Biblical principle for it - it’s called the ax-head principle and it’s based on an incident recorded in the second book of Kings Chapter 6. The so-called children of the prophets had lost the head of a borrowed ax. It fell into River Jordan in the process of cutting trees for use in the building of a new camp. They sought the help of Prophet Elisha. The story climaxed in verse six like this: “Where did it fall?" Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float.” It is generally agreed among dispassionate observers that we lost our way when we buried true federalism, and concentrated virtually all powers at the centre. We need to return to that spot to find our way forward. Will the beneficiaries of the aberration preside over the dismantling of their privileges? That is the question.

BENNY HINN, ISRAEL, HAMAS AND THE PROPHETIC

Benny Hinn recalled as “another major fulfillment of prophecy”, the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and three immediate neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria subsequently supported by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and how “against overwhelming odds, this tiny nation defeated the best armies, navies, and air forces in the Middle East.” He cautioned: ”Today, as the conflicts of 2009 heat up, it is apparent that we are living in times as momentous as 1948 and 1967.” Of course, there are no shortages of other viewpoints on these issues, but to my mind, the uncanny, pin-point accuracy of Biblical prophecy should be food for thought for us all. It should lead us all to the one conclusion, which is the raison detre for this column: that there is a kingdom perspective to every issue and that is the perspective that endures.

By the time you read this, it is a possibility that another ceasefire could be in place in the undeclared, yet costly war in Gaza. Being canvassed by George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East who arrived the region during the week, it would be a desirable turn of event in the bloody operation which began as the year 2008 was winding down.

How long such a ceasefire will last and how rapidly it takes the gladiators to the negotiating table can only be speculated about, but if you believe in prophecy, you probably have an idea how it will all end! It is precisely the prophetic element that has made the Middle East conflicts nightmarish for peace-seeking diplomats and even military strategists. And this phase of the conflict is already being situated in the prophetic.

Benny Hinn, the world renowned evangelist has been doing just that. According to him, the Lord showed him “early in the morning of December 26…through this dream that the nation of Israel would be involved in a serious military operation in Gaza and that a part of Hamas, the terrorist organization supported by Iran, would be destroyed at the cost of many lives…” Shortly after waking from his dream, he said “to my amazement I began hearing and seeing the news bulletins about the attacks and air-strikes taking place primarily in Gaza…”

Flowing from the dream and its tragic accuracy, he said he felt a leading to head for the region to “gather footage… to present a clearer view of what is happening in the Holy Land, but especially because of the need to talk and mediate with many of the leaders in this region.” One is not sure how much mediation he has succeeded in doing, but from what he has seen, he reports that, “it is as if we are literally seeing prophecy come to life in front of our eyes. What has happened during recent days has been amazing as my December 26 dream has also come true. The infrastructure of Hamas has been literally destroyed…”

To supporters of Israel, that would be good music to the ears, but what the man of God said next should be of greater concern and interest to all. “Still”, he continued, “any student of history knows that hatred toward Israel will continue. Already, reports are pointing toward a desire to rebuild and re-arm Hamas and other anti-Israeli terrorist groups as soon as possible.…That is also why I have taken such an interest in what is happening right now in the Middle East, for I believe these recent developments in Israel are signaling a hot, accelerated, and unprecedented prophetic season that will quickly change the course of history.”

In making the huge claim that the current relatively small military exercise “will quickly change the course of history,” Benedictus Hinn went down history’s lane drawing parallels between Biblical prophecies actual events. Urging the world, particularly the church to be alert to and seek to understand the “prophetic significance that these events are signaling,” he quoted from the Bible book of Ezekiel chapter 36, verses 22-24 which reads in part: “ Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went… and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

He noted that this prophecy was fulfilled with the restoration of the State of Israel in 1948, which in his words saw the Jews “being gathered out of all countries into their own land after twenty centuries.” He recalled “those momentous times leading to 1948…including the 1947 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, which sought to resolve the Arab-Jewish conflict by partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab”; the conflict that followed that partition and Israel’s declaration of its rebirth as a nation. He declared: “The miracles that led to Israel’s defense of its independence are truly remarkable, even to the fact that they had only one plane for its entire air force and only seltzer bottles for bombs, yet they stood against the enemy in such amazing ways and began establishing themselves as an increasingly strong nation.”

“Isn’t it remarkable” he asked “that God inspired the prophet Jeremiah to write these words around 26 centuries before 1948: ‘Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness’ (Jeremiah 31:23). When they left the land of Israel, they spoke Hebrew. When they returned, they still spoke Hebrew. Do you know the chances of that happening? In most cultures, people who move into a new culture discard their old language within two generations. Yet God preserved the Hebrew language, despite the fact that His chosen people were displaced throughout the world.”

Benny Hinn recalled as “another major fulfillment of prophecy”, the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and three immediate neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria subsequently supported by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and how “against overwhelming odds, this tiny nation defeated the best armies, navies, and air forces in the Middle East.” He cautioned: ”Today, as the conflicts of 2009 heat up, it is apparent that we are living in times as momentous as 1948 and 1967.”

Of course, there are no shortages of other viewpoints on these issues, but to my mind, the uncanny, pin-point accuracy of Biblical prophecy should be food for thought for us all. It should lead us all to the one conclusion, which is the raison detre for this column: that there is a kingdom perspective to every issue and that is the perspective that endures.

KAKA, THE MODEL AGAIN!
The football world is still reeling in amazement at the collapse last week of a transfer deal between AC Milan and Manchester City. According to intense media speculation, the deal would have seen Kaka, the Brazilian soccer superstar move from his Italian San Siro base to the English Premiership club for a whopping £100million, which would have handed him an estimated weekly wage of about £500,000.
In an industry where deals are hatched and crashed with considerable frequency, the collapse of the deal is not unprecedented. What is unique is why it failed. It failed because the young man at the centre of the deal, the 2007 European and World Footballer of the Year, whose current weekly wage is around £150,000 had the courage to turn down such a mouth-watering offer. His reason: “I listened to my heart.”
If you are wondering what that means, here in Kaka’s own words, as reported on BBC Sports website is his explanation:
"I believe I have made the right choice. To have gone to Manchester City could have been a great project but in the past few days I have prayed a lot to understand what the right team would be and in the end I have decided to remain here.
"I don't want anything else, I just want to be well and be happy in the place where people love me. From this story I have understood how people love me at Milan, the fans and my team-mates have helped me make this choice. ..
"No member of my family has pushed me to go anywhere. I have not had any arguments with my father. My family has been very supportive and at no time have they forced me one way or the other…”

Did you read that? He prayed, listened and responded, not to the pull of lucre, but to the voice of God and the love of the people. That is true Kingdom living; true Christianity. Indeed, out of the life of this young man, God is revealing and perfecting wisdom; the kind that will stand all who confess to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, out in these days of threatened global recession – whether we be young or old; sportsmen or businessmen, politicians or professionals, tradesmen and clergy men. God bless you, Kaka