I should
probably adduce by letting you know that there has been no country that went to
civil war two times and survived it, Sudan and Korea are examples. Okay, maybe
it is not even about whether Nigeria divide or not, maybe it is what follows
the war. In 1970, it was estimated that about 3million people died, a country
which was said to be about 60 million in 1960, after independence. We might say
1967 is a long time. In Rwanda, the fight between Hutus and Tutsis is an
example; that was in 1994. I read a book, titled “left to tell”, by Immaculee
Ilibagiza, one of those who survived the Rwandan genocide. She was Tutsi, the
minority group in Rwanda. She narrated how she watched her brothers and father
murdered in front of her eyes.
What precipitated
the Nigerian war? In 1967, after the 1966 military pogrom where a lot of igbos
were murdered in the north, Colonel Emeka Odumegu Ojukwu advocated for the
secession of the Eastern Region of the country from Nigeria, but it did not
come with ease, rather, it came with war. You might have heard that the
militants in the Niger Delta are stealing oil and using the money realized from
it to buy arms or weapons, in any way you will understand it, those were the words
of the governor of Bayelsa, Seriake Dickson.The one who says he is not a
militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, was recently interviewed and he
said he is from Ijaw, he is not a Nigerian, and this is the same tribe of our
president, or am I missing anything? He once said that if President Jonathan do
not win in 2015, there will be no Nigeria. Some groups broke up from PDP and
formed another party, some merged and became APC. What is that telling you?
2015 is going to be a do or die affair. Now, this is it, everyone seems not to
be concerned right now. Let me reiterate at this juncture, that my specialization
at Masters Level was criminology and penology, so I didn’t seek out to know everything,
its inconsequential, neither did I seek out to compete with anyone in what I do,
that is why I will give you dates and references, so you can check. Please note
that when we pray for Nigeria, it is a wrong approach, Nigeria is not sick, but
individuals that make of Nigeria, I will come to that in a minute.
2011 election
was plagued with cataclysm. I am not telling you what I read on the pages of papers,
I am telling you what I saw in the North, because I was fully involved in the
election at that time. Those who were not concerned did not see it as anything,
but saw it as normal things that could happen in an election. Corp members were
murdered, churches were burnt, a lot of them, at least the ones I saw with my
eyes in Potiskum and Damaturu in Yobe, and Sabo in Kaduna, maybe the media exaggerated,
but they were burnt nonetheless.
It is high time we
changed our focus from being greedy to people with knowledge. Let me tell you
what knowledge will do. Knowledge will tell you that if you made so much money
in an environment that is not conducive, you will not spend it. In the east during the civil
war, what Nigeria did was to make a blockade of food from going to Biafra, many
of them were starved to death, how can you buy what you don’t see? Knowledge will
tell you no tribe is superior to the other(s). General Murtala Muhammed was
extremely knowledgeable. His government was the best we have had. The reason is
this: Nigeria became neutral in international affairs. He reappraised foreign
policy, in line with OPEC, stressing Nigeria first. Other African countries
were not happy. Nigeria backed the Soviet Union for the People’s Movement for
the Liberation of Angola, against the National Union for the Total Independence
of Angola, which United States and South Africa were backing at the time, which
was the 1975 war in Angola. He delivered a speech in 1976, before he was
murdered. I read the speech and I concluded that only one person can make the
difference in this country, just like General Rawlings did in Ghana in 1979,
where those who were wealthy and could not account for their possessions were
executed. There is no way a country will not depend on another, but General Muhammed
made them depend on Nigeria, no wonder he was murdered.
The International
Bank of Reconstruction and development, which is also called the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund were not created or established to help African
countries; as a matter of fact, African countries were not even in their
agenda. They were created in 1944 to give loans to European countries that
suffered losses in the Second World War that ended in 1945. So why do we go to
them to borrow money? Does is mean Okonjo-Iweala does not know the stiff and
unfavourable terms of agreements in borrowing money from these people? Definitely,
they will know, they are just not concerned about the outcome because we can
never finish paying, and we still keep borrowing, despite the fact that we make
so much money daily.
Nothing is meant
to favour the masses, except the few, that is why the summary of Marx’ position
in law is that the law is made for the weak. In the constitution of Nigeria,
section 180 (1) it says and I quote: “when more charges than one are made
against a person and a conviction had been had on one or more of them the
prosecutor may, with the consent of the court, withdraw the remaining charge or
charges or the court, of its own motion, may stay the trial of such charge or
charges”. Let me interpret it in a lay man way. When someone is brought to
court on a 156-count charge, the court has the legal right to dismiss 155 and
leave it to 1-count charge. How about the poor man who is brought to the court
with a 1-count charge?
Maybe you will
understand with this. In section 14 (2) of the EFCC Act, it states: “Subject to
the provision of section 174 of the constitution of the Federal republic of
Nigeria 1999 (which relates to the power of the Attorney-General of the
Federation to institute, continue or discontinue criminal proceedings against any
persons in any court of law), the commission may compound any offence
punishable under this Act by accepting such sums of money as it thinks fit, not
exceeding the amount of the maximum fine
to which that person would have been liable if he had been convicted of
that offence”. Do not mind that law jargon, what they are saying is that if you
stole N100 million, the court can collect N80 million and set you free. Or what
do you think happened in Ibori’s case? Please enlighten me. If you however stole
a goat, since there is no fine to pay, you are going to prison for two years. This
is not to incite you against the government, but that you should be knowledgeable
on this. Some have already said they are not Nigerians, which means they are
ready for anything, even war. I can hear you say God forbid. Well, I have seen
those words as a mere phrase, which is borne out of a religious act, what we
have been known for as Nigerians.
I should at this
point recap that no one is justified by any religion, but by the way they live.
For example, I heard that Nigeria is the second most religious country, and at the
same time second most corrupt, how is that? No wonder, you know someone has won
election with fraud and you still pray for them. Would our Lord and savior Jesus
Christ have done that? Our religious leaders say God institute every
government, I do not believe, don’t confuse the people, God is not the author
of confusion (1Corinthians 14:33). God does not have part in any corrupt acts
and practices. These religious acts have so much permeated everywhere to the
extent that someone who is doing fraud and embezzling money will think God will
accept tithe from them. It is either they are fooling themselves or someone is
fooling them. Or do you think there is any justification for bad actions
because you go to church?
Now, this is
where I am going, in the philosophy of Karl Max, he posited that the superstructures
are contingent on the economic structure. Let me rephrase, the economic
structure is what the superstructure depends on. It is different here, the
religious structure seems to be the most important, that is why we are
religious, but not godly. In the Child-not-bride hullabaloo, I didn’t make any
comment because I know some other things in the constitution that an average Nigerian
does not know. This thing has been in the constitution, I really didn’t know
why there was so much uproar. However, they said “act like you are dead and
know who your lovers are”. It was disheartening that it was only the voices of Pastor
Tunde Bakare and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor
that I heard, maybe others were not called to save Nigeria.
In 1973, Gustavo
Gutiérrez, the Peruvian priest used the pulpit to liberate the poor from the
wicked and greedy government. On 28th of August, 1963, Martin Luther
King Jnr in his I “have a dream” speech was concerned about how blacks only
assumed subservient positions in the United States of America and were being
treated with so much disdain. His dream has come to pass, and he was a Reverend
too. In Matthew 14:15, the disciples came to Jesus asking that the multitude be
sent away, Jesus could have easily done that, he could have said he was called
to preach to them, but He replied immediately, “they don’t have to go, give
them something to eat”. That was compassionate. 5000 people, apart from men and
women could have gone home hungry. That was not fallacy, where people are only
told to be blessed, not speaking of the need to live a Holy life. Proliferation
of religious institutions is a bane to development. Everyone God called in the
past were doing something, He didn’t call the idle, maybe that is why there are
so many churches doing nothing. Peter and his brother were professional
fishermen (Mattew 4:18), Apostle Paul was not only educated, but learned,
because he studied law.
Someone said I am
a critic, and I said maybe it is because the word has 70 other words that can
replace it, so it depends on the context you are seeing it. Our houses are not
set in order, “your church”, “our church”, “their church” as we use them are the
worst things in Christianity. There is no church representd in the world that I
haven’t been to, not for miracles, but I just walk in wherever I want. I was
born into Anglican, grew up in ECWA, attended Praise Assembly as a result of
relocation, and now Rhema Chapel. I attended Deeper life in Adeniji Adele, CAC in
Ojota and Marine beach, Lagos, RCCG Damagum, Living Faith Potiskum, and Living
Faith Damaturu, all in Yobe state, and Living Faith SABO, Kaduna. So I don’t criticize
churches. In Acts 14:36(b) “Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, it was necessary
that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it
from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
gentiles”. How can we talk about the gospel when our houses are not in order? Jesus
didn’t come to establish any religion, but to introduce a way of life. In a
woman’s testimony, the words “do not judge” and “God is not wicked” are right
and correct words, but have been hijacked and used by those from hell. When someone
tells you those words, what they simply mean is that you keep quiet even when
someone has done wrong. The whole of Matthew 23 was used to reprove the Pharisees,
because Jesus saw their hypocrisy.
The crux of the
matter is, if our problem is only prayer, then the occurrences in 1929, 1966,
1967, 1976, 1983, 1985, and even 1993 wouldn’t have happened. Maybe what is
happening now, had happened earlier, but what was the result? On the 2nd
of July, 1982, Chief Obafemi Awolowo wrote a letter to Alhaji shehu shagari,
telling him about so much corruption in the system, in his exact words “It is
generally agreed that Nigeria is seriously ill. The economy ails critically,
and the body-polity aches in every part of its organism. Everywhere there is
hunger, depression and discontent”. I can’t possibly read everything. However,
Alhaji shehu Shagari replied, telling Awolowo he knew the kind of person he was,
instead of acknowledging what he said and proffer solutions. Few weeks after,
in a confidential letter to 19 governors, the president acknowledged that what
Awolowo said was true, but couldn’t admit it. Well, in 1983 there was another
coup, whose main reason was that the economy was sick and corruption has
permeated everywhere. There are so many oppositions speaking, maybe we are not
concerned, until something happens. We need genuine prayers, not selfish one
where a single individual will ask for N100 Billion, and do what with it? Our prayers
should be directed to individuals, not the country, one politician once said,
for Nigeria to go forward, He and few others must die, this is not a rhetoric. There
are a lot to say, but I have to put a halt to it here.
