RANDOM MUSINGS ON CAMPMEETING 2010

Rev Dr Tunde Joda, Snr Pastor, CCIC

The story is told of a man who fell sick and was taken to hospital. On arriving at the hospital, he was amazed at the opulence of the environment. Air conditioners everywhere; marble floors – all real five star hotel standards.  He settled in to enjoy the luxury, thankful to God that he wasn’t going to be picking the bill.

He was ushered in to see the doctor in a well apportioned room, which further heightened his awe. Consultations over, he was to receive some injections as part of his treatment. The nurse asked him if he had eaten anything that morning. He replied in the affirmative. What exactly did you eat, the nurse asked. The man remembered where he was and decided he had to “melt”, with the environment. He wouldn’t have a nurse look down on him for his culinary choice. So, he answered: “I had toast, sausage, bacon, eggs and coffee”. The nurse went on to administer the treatment, and took him to a room for observation.

That wasn’t the end of the matter, however. Shortly after the injection, he threw up. There was no trace of any of those items he claimed he had for breakfast. In their place was “akamu” and “akara”.

Rev Poju Oyemade told this story last week at Campmeeting 2010 of Christ Chapel International Churches. Speaking as one of the two main guest ministers, he was illustrating the sheer self-deceit with which many of us Christians, including many so called born-again, word of faith believers, relate with the word of God. According to him, many of us pretend to know the word enough to triumph by its application. But under pressure what comes out is the “yepa!” exclamation of helplessness and defeat.

Oyemade, who is the Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos was making a point around which virtually every other failing of individual Christians, whole congregations and the Church as a whole, revolves.

Have you ever wondered why good men, I mean men and women who had comported their lives with decency, integrity and the fear of the Lord, suddenly become bad when they go into government at whatever level and at whatever branch? Have you ever wondered why among the biggest culprits in the gargantuan frauds being unearthed in the on-going banking sector reforms are Christians?  Were these people always as bad as they eventually manifested? Were they hypocrites able to present to the world the side of them they wanted us to see; until it could no longer be hidden? Do you ever wonder if, found at the heights they got to and the access to wealth, power and influence they had, you would have fallen too?

Is it the case that some, at least some of these brethren, didn’t have the word grounding that they needed to do exploits at such levels - and genuinely didn’t know it? Or is it that once they got to those heights, they began to lose what they had because they no longer topped up, in a manner of speaking? Are we being defeated because, we are not being properly prepared for the heights we seek to attain? Ponder these with me, dear reader. Where are you? Does the word dwell in you richly enough, such that your recourse, in every situation, is to the word of God, rather than the wisdom of man? I know I need to constantly do this check; I know that I don’t always score very high when I do those checks honestly; but I also know that God’s enabling grace will always be available and sufficient, if I tried to tap into it. What about you?

Campmeeting 2010 theme, “Victory through the Storm,” was itself food for thought, but no matter your thought; no matter the questions you took to the convention, the Holy Spirit was there to answer through one minister or the other.

If you wondered why your victory had to be through the storm and not over it, there was campmeeting co-chief host, Rev Mrs Victoria Ebun Joda to tell you that storms, like an end-of-session examination, are designed or allowed by God to promote you. If your worry was why God seems to be unresponsive to your cry as you experience the storm, she assures you that, having taught his students well, teachers who serve as invigilators don’t talk to their students while tests last.  And there was Rev Mike Olorogun who recalled his days as an instructor in the Nigerian Navy to illustrate the fact that God never leaves you alone, in the midst of any trial. He told you how naval trainees would sometimes be instructed to swim across the ocean from Apapa to Marina in Lagos as a test both of swimming skill and endurance. But although the swimmers are on their own in the waters, he was always there, boat engine on at the ready to rescue any of them he adjudged unable to continue. 

There was also Rev Dr Lekan Babatunde who addressing the same issue ministered from these verses: “And when He had sent the crowds away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when evening had come, He was there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a phantom! And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer, I AM! Do not fear … And when they had come into the boat, the wind ceased (Matthew 14: 24-27; 32).

He pointed out that Jesus here knew his disciples were in trouble; cared enough to end his usual night-long prayer session prematurely to go to their rescue, and had the power to do so even it meant he had to walk on water to do so and the power to actually do so! He is still doing the same today. Going through a storm? Don’t panic; hold on tight to the word; remembering that He knows; He cares; He can and He will.    

“SO, WHO INDEED WAS MRS IBRU?”

I was devastated at the news two Fridays ago that Cecilia Ibru had sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in a plea bargaining deal that would see her spend six months in jail and forfeit assets worth N190billion to the state.

I was devastated because I had never, for once, thought she would be found guilty of anything but corporate governance issues of the poor judgment kind; or at worst some minor misdemeanors resulting from a desire to lend a helping hand to persons or institutions in need of support for which they may have been technically unqualified. In the a three-part serial I did  in 2009,when  the Central Bank of Nigeria sacked her and took over the running of Oceanic Bank Plc, among other persons and banks, I stated my position very clearly. While not giving her a premature bill of health, I certainly was unwilling to associate her with evil.

So enamoured was I of the woman’s mix of secular success and zeal for things of God that I once wrote inviting to her to speak at a Luncheon on “The Place of Christian Ethics in Business and Corporate Governance,” which I was organising as part of the launch activities of KINGDOMPeople. It was a demonstration of the very high esteem in which I held her (and her Intercontinental Bank Plc colleague, whose case is still in court) as a banker who exemplified a commitment to the faith she profess, in her public activities. Referring to that duo, I had written: “For me, they are people who made their name, fame and resources available for the propagation of the gospel and therefore role models who should have things to impart to others”.

I stated in that August 2009 piece: “Penultimate Friday, both banking icons were among chief executive officers and executive directors of five banks made to step down from office, on the orders of the Central Bank of Nigeria. My heart truly goes out to them, and I have joined many others in praying for them. As I perused the facts and figures that have been placed in the public domain, reactions from several quarters and the usual interplay of factors and interests in policy formulation and execution, a number of questions beg for answers…It is important to emphasise that these CEOs and their executive boards have, as I write this, not been accused of any criminal activities. The issues are those of risk management, which is basically one of judgment and its resultant effect on the strength of their operations; they are issues of corporate governance”.

Even CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi at the onset either didn’t know the extent of what he was unearthening or he sold a dummy when he told ThisDay Board of Editors: “…In every capitalist environment, if management loses a lot of money, it will go. It is not a crime. The MDs of all the banks behind the mortgage crisis in other parts of the world took the right action and resigned. They did not steal money. They did not commit a crime. But they ran an institution in a manner that cost it its franchise, or cost its shareholders money or placed their depositors at risk. They put their firms at risk and they took responsibility for it. So, it is in this light that the action that we have taken should be seen. “

However, I admitted to goose-stepping in the second article when charges began to fly around in the media and subsequently in court. I had written in part then: “…Chief Mrs Cecilia Ibru of Oceanic Bank (was) declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC ‘in connection with fraudulent abuse of credit process, insider trading, capital market manipulation and money laundering running into billions of Naira.’...Pause a bit, dear reader and contemplate this dramatic twist to the tale…Ibru, the stately wife of one of Nigeria’s foremost pioneer entrepreneurs, Michael Ibru, top member of one of Nigeria’s biggest Pentecostal churches, whose bank’s board of directors is chaired by the highly respected former capital market icon, Apostle Hayford Alile, being accused of money laundering and capital market manipulation?”

But, as events have now proven, the unthinkable did happen. Chief Mrs Ibru went on a grab binge, cornering for herself and her family as much as she could. In the end, assets to the humongous amount of N190 billion were traced to her. It’s absolutely unbelievable that anyone who sits under the Word of God, even occasionally, could sink to that depth of materialist abyss!

Tolu Ogunlesi put the size of the assets in perspective in his column last week this way: “ N190 billion - legally or illegally acquired - is not ‘chicken-change'. I needed to remind us about that, considering how inured to the word "billion" we have become, the fallout of the way our reckless politicians like to throw it around. Ibru's N190 billion is more than half of the Nigeria Police Force's total budget for 2010; and more than Nigeria's entire federal health budget. N190 billion will get you onto Forbes List. Femi Otedola got onto it in 2009 with roughly that same amount - $1.2 billion…I did a simple calculation: if you gave loans of $1,000 (N150,000) each to one million Nigerian small-business owners, you would only have spent N150 billion, still less than Mrs. Ibru's N190 billion”.

Yet, the culprit here is not a corrupt do-or-die politician, a drug dealer or some other devil’s disciple with no claim to knowing God or serving Him. Tolu recalled how that “a few years ago, at the invitation of a friend”, he “attended an evening fellowship at her home in Ikoyi, where she hosted the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God)…” You can therefore excuse him when he asked this question: “So, who indeed was Mrs. Ibru? Was she a devoted Pillar of the Church and Work of God in Nigeria …or was she a bank fraudster, or both?” If both, how many more of us are like that? I wonder now; I truly do. Lord, have mercy!

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE

As anyone who has read this column for a while knows, unity in the Church is one of our preoccupations. We talk about it, do what little we can to foster it, and enthusiastically join hands with brethren of similar commitment.

It is for that reason that we consider the Annual Symposium of International Foundation for Christian Unity, which held on Tuesday October 5 as very important. This wasn't because yours sincerely was to be one of the discussants, (grateful for the opportunity though I am), it was because of the timing. It came only a few days after the bomb blasts that shattered the impregnability myth we've unwittingly built around the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.

To appreciate the connection, please, let's look at the state of the nation. Elsewhere in the world, events like the bomb blasts serve to unity the people. United in their grief and outraged by the audacity of the enemy, it usually serves to rally behind their leaders. But what do we have? Thanks to the ongoing divisive debate about rotational presidency within ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, a divided nation has had its various cleavages exacerbated, not mitigated by the unfortunate tragedy of October 1. The result, brethren, is that Nigeria is today at its most divided ever, since the civil war.

Now, when a nation find itself where we are today, one of the very few insitutions that can rescue her is the Church. But, you can only give what you have! In other words, a divided church has nothing to give to a divided nation.
Therefore, even if it's only from the standpoint of rising to the rescue of the Nigerian nation, the church has to forge unity urgently.

That's what made the symposium and its timing, in my opinion, so important.

Former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim who chaired the event, was quite forthright in his address "On the Need for Christian Unity."

He began by reminding his audience that of the six billion people on earth today, only about two billion are Christians.. Although he didn't state how many of the remaining four billion were yet to hear the gospel, Anyim emphasised the need for Christians to go out there and tell them about the saving grace of Jesus.

His words: “I am sure that this duty is as much yours as it is mine, because you already received victory from our Lord Jesus Christ to spread the gospel and professing Christianity as it is in today’s world. We have over two million denominations and, of course, you know the implication. The implication is that every denomination has its own doctrine. Every denomination has its own way of heaven and so, I am sure I do not need to remind us that 'divided will fall and only the united will stand.'"

Referring to the theme of the symposium taken from John 17 where the Lord Jesus prayed for unity in His body, Anyim continued: “If our Lord is not concerned about disunity he wouldn’t have prayed to God in this manner. Let me say at this point that the summary of the vision of International Foundation for Christian Unity, is that this prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ for us shall be fulfilled in our own time."

The President of the Baptist Gospel Conference of Nigeria and Overseas, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, who took the role of Guest Speaker in place of former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Peter Jasper Akinola, who was unavoidably absent, was no less forthright. He said the topic of the symposium “Repent and return to the things you did at first” was a powerful reminder to Christians and church leaders of some of the things that they may have forgotten. He urged them to return to the things they did at first.
He traced the history of disunity from the time of the early apostles, saying the real break in the church of God started in the city of Ephesus in 431AD.

He recalled that the Assyrian church broke away following disagreement on the issues of the divinity of Christ and wondered: "Can you imagine some Christians breaking away on account of that, saying that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, he’s not part of Trinity? That basic belief tore the church apart in AD431.”

In addition to such doctrinal issues, however, he stated that pride was among the factors militating against unity in the church. He also called on general overseers, who adorn posters with their pictures and those of their wives to replace them with the photograph of Jesus Christ, who should be the object of worship.

Another discussant, former Treasurer, Christian Association of Nigeria and Director, Social Communications, Catholic Secretariat, Abuja, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, declared that disunity has robbed the Church of the power it has to transform the world.

Ehusani, who is also Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, said: “There is a lot of power in agreement. Now, whether agreement is between two Christian families or a man and his wife, who are praying; if they do not agree their prayer has no power. Be it a Christian community or a particular community where there’s dissension, where one group is fighting another group... or the church is fighting another person then that church will lack power. The Apostolic Creed has ingredients for us to be one.”

The Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, Apostle Alex Bamgbola, said unity has its costs. Implying that Church leaders are unwilling to pay the price, among which are power, money and pride. If leaders will love power less, embrace the truth, be freer with their money where. Church-wide projects are concerned and be humble, unity would be attainable, Bamgbola, who is founding pastor of Zion, The City of the Lord Ministries, posited.

Yours sincerely, called on church leaders to begin to show respect for one another; by stopping the habit of using their pulpit to rubbish the teachings and practices of others that they don't agree with, most of which, they sometimes don't even understand. Unity around issues and projects was also suggested as a practical way forward. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN need to provide leadership in these two basic but practical areas.
PIX: Mr Cyprian Agbazue, President IFCU at the Foundation's Annual Symposium 2010

OBJ, AND THE POLITICS OF NIGERIA'S FOUNDING FATHERS

Welcome, dear Nigerian reader, to a new season; a season of jubilee as the nation celebrates her 50th year as an independent country.

How time flies! It seemed. Only like yesterday that I, as a starry-eyed primary six pupil of St Luke's Demonstration School in Ibadan joined thousands of other to celebrate "ominira" as it was known among the Yoruba people. I remember that off-white coloured plastic cup and miniature flag that we were all given as souvenirs. And yes, there was also the jollof rice meal!

I remember the general air of festivity, the well-lit, festooned streets and my own personal conviction that the world was now at my feet. I remember the happy faces of many of my mates, as we prepared to head for one secondary school or the other, preparatory to taking on the world in the service of the fatherland.

Hope was abroad. Such was the inspirational leadership of the man at the helm in that part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, known as Western Region. Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He had built the first television station in Africa, an ultra modern stadium, a free education policy was in place as a major component of a wider welfarist system. The goal of that leadership came straight from the Bible, straight from the mouth of the Lord Jesus himself: LIFE MORE ABUNDANT. And it loomed large, a distinct possibilty!

Then the dream died... And today 50 years later, we are all asking ourselves what went wrong. The situation is such that we don't even agree on whether we have anything to celebrate or not.
No less a person than Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, for instance, does not think it's drum and dance time. There are many patriotic Nigerians who agree him. Of course, there are many others, no less patriotic, who think we have enough reasons to celebrate. In any case the drums are out and the dance has begun.

But, even if all debates on the appropriateness or otherwise of celebrating has become academic, the jury is still out about who or what was got us here. And this is important because, as one saying goes, if you don't know where you are coming from, you might not know where you are headed.

This is where Chief Olusegun Obasanjo comes into the picture. The former military ruler who ruled as civilian President from 1999 to 2007, last Wednesday had something to say about the subject. He took potshot at the nation's founding fathers. He fingered them as responsible for the nation's underdevelopment which, according to him, is the result of the "regional politics" they played.

Speaking as guest lecturer at the second convocation lecture of the Redeemer’s University, on the topic,, “Nigeria @ 50: What Celebrations?”, 0basanjo was reported to have blamed Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, leaders of the nation’s regions in the first republic for Nigeria's inability to get it right so far. He said if they had made proper efforts at nation building, the country would not have been where it is today

His words: “For a newly independent country, our weak political fabric, diverse and highly differentiated socio-cultural milieu, required a leadership with effective national mobilising capacity, ability to weave together the different ethnic groups, inspire them and provide a broad-minded leadership.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria did not enjoy such leadership at independence and that leadership deficit and weakness of structure militated against Nigeria on independence.”

Continuing, one of the newspaper reports wrote: "He painted the picture of how a more nationalistic group would have improved the nation’s fortunes as he compared Nigeria with nations such as South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia which all had their independence at about the same time with Nigeria but have so far done quite well in comparison.

"Mr Obasanjo did not leave out the military in his retrospective, stating that the 'most retrogressive era for Nigeria was from 1983 to 1999,' when different military leaders steered the nation’s ship recklessly. He alleged that the military leaders did not, during this period, invest a penny in the critical power sector."

It's vintage OBJ - controversial, irreverent and probably self-serving. I have always wondered if Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had his Egba brother in mind when he wrote and performed one of his evergreens, "Opposite People."

To accuse the nationalists who fought for and won independence for Nigeria is clear revisionism. To blame those who worked with such fervency at a feverish pace to develop the part, in other to build the whole is to be at best mischevious. To situate our national underdevelopment in 'regional politics' is to display amnesia about how Nigeria was cobbled together and how we arrived at federalism as the system that could stabilise the flegling entity.

The wrong-headed centralist approach of the military power usurpers, rather than 'regional politics' got us where we are, along of course, with corruption.

How anyone can reasonably describe the emerging ideological politics of that era where Action Group with roots in the West had allies in United Middle Belt Congress beats the imagination. That a political system that saw quantum leaps in education, infrastructure and so on, relative to available resources, can be found guilty of underdeveloping the nation does violence to the truth. And it does injustice to the legacies of those giants whose shoes Obasanjo is hardly qualified to lace.

Frankly, if Nigeria is to experience true jubilee, we must work hard at removing whatever influences this man and those like him have in shaping the direction of our politics and policies. The place to start is expose the lies they seek to pass off as analysis and protect the young ones by being more careful in our choice of speakers to the youth. Our future depends on it.

Happy golden jubilee anniversary, all.

ON THE MARCH (TO THE BRINK) AGAIN?

Adamu Ciroma is a man of great national stature for whom I personally have great respect. Many regard his years at the New Nigerian as the golden era of that newspaper, then mouthpiece of the North. An editorial in the New Nigerian of those days invariably represented the irreversible position of that region on any national issue.

And although, Ciroma went on to succeed in several other assignments, including that of Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria and as head of some federal ministries, it is his New Nigerian days that came to my mind as I read the letter he signed along with five other northern leaders, on the vexed issue of Dr Goodluck Jonathan's candidacy in the forthcoming primary of their party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In logic and tone, the letter written for and on behalf of "Concerned Members" and addressed to party chairman, Dr Nwodo, it's a powerful reminder of the robust intellectual rigour of newspaper editorializing of those days.

I haven't always agreed with him, because even the most intellectual of us can sometimes resort to sophistry when we have interests to protect. And I'll cite just one painful instance when this giant developed clay foot. I am doing so also because it is relevant here.

Shortly after the June 12, 1993 was annulled by the Ibrahim Babangida regime, Ciroma was the lone "establishment" voice who had the courage to declare that M. K. O. Abiola "won the elections fair and square." But, citing ethnicisation of the crisis that followed the illegality, he subsequently drifted from opposition to the annulment to supporting it. I'll return to this presently.

Let's take excerpts from the letter under reference. According to the "concerned members," PDP put in place the "zoning policy," in Article7, section 7.2(c) of our Party’s constitution "in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness," and made it mandatory that it "be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels."

They also pointed out that the policy was " enunciated and in fact reinforced by Preamble 2(c) of same constitution, which states in part that, ‘to create socio-political conditions conducive to national peace and unity by ensuring fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, to conform with the principles of power shift and power sharing by rotating key political offices among the diverse peoples of our country... in the spirit of Federalism."

They recalled that the South benefited from this provision through the Obasanjo/Atiku presidency for eight years noting that: "At all times during the Obasanjo/Atiku ticket, the record reflects that it was Obasanjo from the SOUTH that our Party nominated as its Presidential
Indeed, at the end of Obasanjo/Atiku two term ticket, the Party rotated its Presidential and Vice Presidential tickets and zoned it to the NORTH and SOUTH respectively for the same two terms... the Party nominated Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua from the NORTH as it’s Presidential
candidate and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the SOUTH chosen by Yar’adua, as the Vice Presidential candidate. This tenure began in 2007 as the Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket. It was to end in 2015. Unfortunately, this two term tenure of NORTHERN Presidency was punctuated by the untimely death of President Yar’adua... mid way to the completion of the first term tenure. In strict obedience to the dictates of the Constitution of our country, Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as President to complete the remaining years of the first term tenure".

Continuing, they said: "the first term tenure of the two term Yar’Adua/Goodluck ticket will soon come to an end. It is now time for our Party to conduct it’s primary elections to nominate it’s
Presidential and Vice presidential candidates for the second tenure of the two term tenure of Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket, which is expected to begin in 2011 and end in 2015... If we follow our Party’s practice and constitution, which we must, the Party must nominate a NORTHERNER as
our Presidential candidate and a SOUTHERNER as our Vice Presidential candidate because the existing Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket zoned to the NORTH not the SOUTH. To do otherwise would amount to injustice and the violation of our Party’s grundnorm ...The rotation of power to the NORTHERN zone is not personal to Yar’adua. It is for the entire NORTH... To our shock and dismay, although there are some individuals from the NORTH aspiring to earn the nomination of our Party to complete the second term of the NORTHERN ticket, the intention of
President Goodluck Jonathan to wrongly use the power of incumbency, to arm twist Party members, usurp, misappropriate and confiscate this NORTHERN ticket has now been confirmed... The evidence suggests that the Party leadership may be encouraging this infringement..."

Every fair-minded person will agree with the premise and conclusion of this northern leaders. And I do. Beyond that, however, I urge everyone to take appropriate notice of the following portions of the letter:

"... this constitute great danger to peace, security and stability of our country. We fear that if President Jonathan’s plot succeeds, it will divide and dislocate our beloved Party. It will also cause irreparable damage to the peace and oneness of our country. It will constitute an assault on reason and gross injustice to the North ...Above all, we are extremely worried that our Party’s failure to deliver justice in this matter, may ignite a series of events, the scope and magnitude of which we can neither proximate nor contain. The peace, stability and unity of our country are superior to the personal ambition of one man..."

I feel tempted to tell Ciroma & Co that "regionalising" an issue as national as who our president is invalidates their case as much as so called "ethnicisation" was said to invalidate Abiola's election. The threat of violence, hardly subtle here, more so!

But, I think we should listen to them, not out of fear; but because, as one wise man said, "nothing is ever settled until it is settled a-right."

HELP KEEP "SHEDRACK, MESCHACK & ABEDNEGO" ALIVE IN IRAN!

HELP KEEP "SHEDRACK, MESCHACK & ABEDNEGO" ALIVE IN IRAN!

Remember the three Hebrew children in the Bible?
How can you ever forget! They capture the imagination easily.
They thrill us with their courage and the tenacity with which they held on to their faith.
They were given a choice between, as we say these days, bowing or burning.
It's what the Americans would call a "no brainer". In other words, you
don't need Self Preservation 101 to make the right choice!
But, Shedrack, Meschack and Abednego were "hare-brained" enough to make the "wrong" choice and
ended up in Nebchadnezzar's burning fiery furnace. But, of course, you know that wasn't the end of the story.
They were thrown in the fire alright, but as the book of Daniel recorded it in chapter three, they did not burn.

Now, if you thought that was just a Bible story, please allow me the pleasure and "pain" of presenting to you,
these three modern day equivalents. George Whitten of Worthy News reported their plight in a September 13 report as follows:
"Three Christians are being threatened with the death penalty if they do not renounce their Christian faith and revert to Islam, a well-informed Christian network reported Monday, September 13.
Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), which has close ties with Christians in Iran, said the three Iranian Christians, residents of the city of Mashhad, were charged with apostasy and have been jailed since July 28 this year.

The Christians, who FCNN only identified as Reza, also known as Stephen, his wife Maria, and Ehsan Behrooz were reportedly ambushed and arrested while traveling from the city of Mashhad to Bojnoord to attend a Christian worship service.
FCNN said up to 15 other Christians arrested with them were released after one week when they posted bail and signed written promises to the government 'to refrain from and renounce' their Christian faith. However, Stephen, Maria, and Ehsan reportedly refused to sign the document.

FCNN quoted unidentified sources as saying that the families of the Christians were informed that 'after more than 50 days of re-conversion efforts back to Islam through means of torture and solitary confinement' they remained unwilling to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.
Iranian government officials reportedly demand that the families, during court-approved visitations, must persuade their loved ones to renounce their Christian faith and embrace Islam once again.
The families were informed if their loved ones refuse to cooperate with the government, charges of apostasy will be upheld, and they will be tried on these charges in an upcoming court session, FCNN said.

Iranian officials have not commented. However, under Iran's strict Islamic law, the charge of "apostasy", or converting from Islam to another religion, attracts the penalty of death by hanging if found guilty by the Islamic court. In 1990, Reverend Soodmand was executed by the same district court.

In a recent ranking of countries in which Christians are most persecuted, Iran ranked second only to North Korea, according to advocacy group Open Doors."

Now, how about that?! Dear reader, do you think you can do something about this situation? As for me and my household, we are praying to God to extend to the Iran Three and many more like them accross the globe, the deliverance that He wrought for the Hebrew Trio. Will you please join your faith with ours? It is my birthday today (Friday, September 17); please make this your birthday gift to me. Together we can shame the devil again. Thank you - so very much.

CLIMAXING NOW AT ASO VILLA THEATRE...

As you read this, another of the theatres of the absurd which Aso Villa has had the unfortunate distinction of hosting, would be about climaxing in the public declaration of the presidential aspiration of its star actor.

The total lack of originality of Nigeria's political class makes the piece you are about to read so, so appropriate even though it was first published in April. All you have to do, dear reader, is change "Weeping Generals" to "Five Leprous Fingers" and "Presidential Prisoner" to the its current parody, "Run, Lucky Boy, Run!"

Story, story? Story!!! Not so far away and not so long ago, there was a king. His name was Sain Batcha. He loved dark glasses. Many say, he used the glasses to shield away an even darker heart, though all appearances tended to indicate otherwise. Behind those glasses, those who know said, was a handsome face with a boyish grin. He loved life, you know, the wine, women
and song variety. He was democratic in his own peculiar way. He, some analysts recall democratized corruption, in that he embraced what is known in his part of the world as “you chop I chop.” He also liberalized the use of violence, such that those who styled themselves as activists or refuse to do the will of the king and/or any of his courtiers risked being bumped off
at anytime, whether they be pretty a billionaire’s wife seeking to actualize their husband’s electoral mandate or a rich old man meddling in politics.

But, one of the least remembered of his achievements was his highly successful foray into movie making! Till today, I cannot understand why the flick he scripted, directed and produced with a lot of help from his chief of security, failed to make it to Cannes or get nominated for an Oscar. Yet “Weeping Generals” also known as “Phantom Coup” was watched by the crème de
la crème of Nigerian society, crowned bedecked monarchs in oversized “babanriga” not exempted. And not one of them failed to testify how convincing the production was; how true to life; how the actors were geniuses in projecting the characters they acted and therefore how mercy must triumph over justice if the actors were not to be punished for their excellent interpretation of their roles! Perhaps it’s not yet too late to give the late great producer/director a post-humors award. And we better do quickly, before his legacy is dwarfed and forever forgotten.

If you are wondering what can possibly dwarf such a prodigious work of art, you probably haven’t heard about another production currently running at the same Aso Villa Theatre. It is of course slightly different. The medium is neither celluloid nor video, it is stage! And to make it the most convincing stage production since Professor Dapo Adelugba’s “Langbodo” wowed the world at FESTAC ’77, the play starring none other than President Yar’Adua as “Yar’I-do-or-die” (apologies to Professor Soyinka), the main scene is staged in one of the living rooms of the Presidential wing of the Villa.

Like “Weeping Generals”, “Presidential Prisoner” is showing to a select audience in a series of premieres. First to view the spectacular show is a group of mullahs, one of whom was generous enough to tell the story line to the international media. This, according to media reports ws followed by a team of Christian clerics, who, unlike the mullahs, have not been as generous in their reportage. I understand that leaders of the ruling party, The Peoples Democratic Party, led by chairman Ogbulafor have also taken their turn. As I write this, it wasn’t clear which group is next, but I understand that advance bookings for this special show are rolling in very
fast from across the nation and perhaps internationally. Of the groups, only Soyinka has gone public on behalf of traditional religionists. He might put in a booking for the Association of Seadogs, Nobel Laureates Group and many more. So, I might as well stand up for my own constituency too - the Council of Men’s Ministries of Nigeria. We promise to be as generous or not as we might be debriefed to do at the viewing!

If I know anything about this wonderful nation, peopled by the happiest people in the world, the clamour will reach a crescendo soon! The Association of Witches and Wizards, the Association of Prostitutes and Sex Workers, Ex-Prisoners Fraternity, Kidnappers’ Guild, Militants Forever Club (MFC) will all soon join the fray. God help those vetting the bookings, if they fail to ok those of the last two immediately!

I am laughing at all this theatre of the absurd playing out in this nation, so richly endowed, so fantastically blessed, but so famished of values, morality and good old fear of God!... I am laughing at the antics of people who, having tasted power, have decided that they’ll rather die than part with it! I am laughing at the stupidity of those who mouth godly rhetoric, pray several times daily and thereafter proceed to deny His existence by their every action and
omission.

And I am just following in the steps of my Father. For, He laughs and heartily too, says the Bible: *“In heaven the Lord laughs as he sits on his throne, making fun of the nations”** * (Psalm 2:4 CEV). But let’s get that verse in context and see how so very prophetic of the current scenario in our nation. The first six verses of Psalm 2 read: “*Why do the nations plot, and why do their people make useless plans? The kings of this earth have all joined together to turn against the Lord and his chosen one. They say, "Let's cut the ropes and set ourselves free!" In heaven the Lord laughs as he sits on his throne, making fun of the nations. The Lord becomes furious and threatens them. His anger terrifies them as he says, "I've put my king on Zion, my sacred hill*."

They gather, they make useless plans, plans they are incapable of actualising, they do not seek the will of God and where they do, they ignore it unless it tallies with their own plans! God laughs first and then acts. When He does, I wonder who of this motley crowd of power-mongers would be standing. Until then, let the nightly drama continue! Can I have my group’s ticket please? Thank you.