₦airaland Forum

THE Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday accused peoples of the southern part of the country of provoking the north to set the country aflame.

At its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Kaduna, the group urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country, saying Nigeria will overcome her challenges.

National Chairman of ACF, Chief Audu Ogbeh spoke at the meeting,

“The meeting will look at issues confronting the nation and by extension, the region and proffer solutions. What can we do to end the menace of banditry? What can we do to end Boko Haram? What can we do to improve the economy and lives of Nigerians? What can we do to improve our relationships with other regions? These are some of the issues we will focus on. We want to leave a country for our children and grand children and the unborn so that they will be happy with us.”

On his part, ACF Secretary-General, Muktar Aliyu said the North is sick, noting that “We have Boko Haram, we have banditry, we have kidnapping, we have rustling, attacks on Northerners in the South where many lost their property and investments.

“Above all, the southerners are doing so to spark reactions from us so that the country will go up in flames but we are saying no. We are being confronted with agitations for separations and dissolution of the state, demands for Biafra, Oduduwa as well as restructuring.

”But we said there are ways of doing things in conformity with the laws of the land. So, this meeting will look at these things holistically and proffer solutions. Nobody is happy with the current situation.”

Meanwhile, in a communiqué at the end of the meeting, among others, said the “Forum is not happy with the scant attention paid to animal husbandry by state and federal governments in the country. Animal husbandry alone accounts for 6 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product, GDP, Nigeria spends $1.6 on importation of milk alone. If animal husbandry is well harnessed it will save Nigeria this large expenditure.

“Many Nigerians are not aware that those involved in the business of animal husbandry are themselves victims of insecurity. Their cattle are often rustled and they are kidnapped for ransom too. There is need to encourage alternative means of dispute resolution as those involved in farmers/herdsmen clashes are illiterates who sometimes are not comfortable with the police and the modern court system but would prefer traditional way of resolving issues.”

ACF lamented the high rates of interest charged on bank loans in the country, contending that “the interest charged by banks on commercial loans are so high that instead of promoting business, they are killing all indigenous business enterprises. No business can function in Nigeria or anywhere without a friendly environment of loaning from banks. We call on the government to intervene because the collapse of business has direct links with unemployment and insecurity.”

Pentagon007:
Lalasticlala Seun Mynd44 Move to front page

The South South leaders have berated President Muhammadu Buhari over the dot-in-the-circle statement made on Arise Television’s interview on the South East region of the country.

Recall that President Buhari had during interview with Arise Television described the South East as dot-in-the-circle while commenting on the operation of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Reacting to the statement, the leaders of the South-South in a virtual meeting on Monday, disowned President Buhari over IPOB, adding that they did not have any form of discussion or agreement with Mr President.

The leaders further slammed Buhari over his assertion that some South-South leaders told him they won’t allow Ndigbo access to the sea in case they have their separate country.

In the virtual session organized by Njenje Media in Conjunction with Elombah TV and anchored in United Kingdom (UK), the South South leaders present at the Conference said that the derogatory statement used against the Igbos shows the mindset of Mr. President against the region.

The South South leaders that attended the virtual conference titled, “Addressing The Dot In Circle In President Buhari’s Interview, A Return To 1966?” were Asari Dokubo, Annkio Briggs, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, Mr. Tony Nnadi, Lt. Col. Tony Nyiam, Rear Admiral Yanga (retd) among other participants.

Opening the stage for discussion on the matter, Annkio Briggs said the statement in the interview has already shown the mindset of the person of President Buhari.

The Ijaw woman said it doesn’t matter if the Igbo people or Ijaw people or the Itshekiri people are only 10 people or 100,000 people, “referring to them as a dot in the circle, shows very clearly the mindset of the person of President Buhari.”

On the access to the sea, Briggs said, “first of all, I don’t even recall any access or non-access to the sea during the onslaught of the civil war.

“It was the federal government that came through the sea and the creeks. So having settled that, there are millions of elders and there are millions of youths in the Niger Delta, and there are ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta that make up the South-South.”

Separating the IPOB from Igbo people, Briggs affirmed that the ties between the Niger Delta with the Igbos remain ever strong.

“As a South-South person, as a daughter of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, and as a people that have heritage, blood heritage with the Igbo people and other ethnic nationalities, we have to make it very clear to whoever is listening and to whoever is playing these games that they cannot hit the heads of the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta against the ethnic nationalities of Ndigbo.

“We may not agree on things per se, but one thing we do know and have, is a common enemy, a common problem, a common crisis and we do almost have a common desire, which is our collective survival,” she added.

Also in his contribution on the issue, the, former Managing Director of DAAR Communications PLC, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, backed Mrs Brigg’s stance that the South-South and the South-East are united in the struggle for survival against the existential threat of the Buhari led administration.

Obaseki said: “There are 65 ethnic nationalities as defined by some of our leaders in the entire South-South and the man comes on public television and says he speaks to two elders, and some youths, it is laughable. What I see in Mr Buhari or General Buhari is like a rehash of the Amoral B code of law, an eye for an eye.

Dr Obaseki noted Mr. President is trying to be clever by half by trying to play the devil’s advocate between the South-South and the South-East.

“All he said in that interview were lies from the pits of hell, but unfortunately he has created a lie, he believes the lie, he is living the ‘lie’ and on all interviews that he has done, he has made it clear that his agenda is simple, a decimation of those he feels are lesser human beings in this country.

He has made it clear from his body language, spoken language and all else that Nigeria is a different country with different nations.”

On his part, Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd), stated that Buhari’s statement is a threat unbecoming of a President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of all Nigerians.

He noted that it is an open revelation of an unchanging published mindset that was responsible for the 1966 killings of Ndigbo’s in particular, and the people of Eastern Nigeria in general.

Nyiam added that Buhari’s utterance is enough evidence that can be used in a court such as the international criminal court (ICC), adding that the synergy and alignment between the Igbos and the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta cannot be shaken by the mischief of the President.

In his submission, the Secretary of Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS), Tony Nnadi claimed that the President was trying to be mischievous by trying to create suspicion into the minds of the leaders of both regions, adding, “I can confirm from what I know that there is no such promise extracted from anybody.”

He added: “I am happy with what my brother, Don Pedro Obaseki, Ankio Briggs, Col Nyiam, said.

HonNL:
SOURCE

The former minister says T.B. Joshua was close to many world leaders but kept it close to his chest, never flaunting his connections and relationships.

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, discusses his relationship with the late Prophet T.B. Joshua, who died on Saturday at 57. He also provided insights about Mr Joshua’s persona and why he was not liked by some Nigerian pastors.

EXCERPT:
PT: You seem to be close to late Prophet T.B. Joshua. What kind of man was he?

Femi Fani-Kayode: He was my friend and brother and a great man of God whom I had the utmost respect for and who I hold in high esteem. He was deeply courageous, kind, compassionate, gentle, faithful to his own, intelligent, humble, selfless, generous and enlightened. He was also very accommodating of contrary views. I learnt a lot from him and we spent many hours discussing current affairs and the state of our nation. He was a profoundly good man. He was one in a million.

PT: When was the last time you spoke to him and what did he tell you?

Femi Fani-Kayode: Two weeks before he passed. He told me that we should pray for Nigeria.

PT: What were his fears? Why did he ask you to pray for Nigeria?

Femi Fani-Kayode: He was a man of faith and he always prayed for our country even at the best of times.

PT: How did you guys become friends?

Femi Fani-Kayode: It was in 2016. I was in detention. In an underground cell and all alone. I had been detained for the second time and it was quite an ordeal. I had been in for 3 months and was later transferred to a facility in Kuje prison where they keep only Boko Haram terrorists. It is like Guantanamo Bay and I was there with only Boko Haram suspects and convicts.

The place was built by the British Government and it is almost like a secret facility away from the main prison. It was terrifying and a clear attempt to intimidate me and endanger my life. I was sure that they would either maim or kill me in that place because the people there were all Boko Haram except one Okah who was also accused of terrorism.

I prayed to God to give me strength and courage because I would rather die than bow or break before my enemies. I also asked Him to watch over my family in case anything happened to me. The following day one of the wardens came and told me someone wanted to talk to me on the phone. He gave me his cell phone. I asked who it was and he said Prophet T.B. Joshua.

I said but I have never met him and I don’t know him. I thought it was another set-up or that the man was lying. He said that it was really him and that even though we had never met he insisted on speaking to me. I took the call and we spoke. He encouraged me and assured me that all would be well. That I would come out soon and even stronger. That even though we had never met he had been following my ordeal in the hands of the Government and that he was inspired by my defiance and courage. He said he knew that I was innocent of what I had been accused of and that it was nothing but persecution because of my strong stance against the tyranny of the government. He said that he wanted me to know that he was praying for me and that he loved me with the love of God.

He was humble, compassionate and kind and he showed me so much love in those few minutes on the phone. Before he dropped the phone he also told me that he would reach my family and keep an eye on them for me so I should not worry about that. That really moved me because that was my greatest concern. I didn’t really care what happened to me but was worried about how my two wives and children were coping. At such times everyone usually abandons you and yours. People you thought you could rely on and trust will stop taking calls from your wife and family members and shun you out of fear of the Government. You know I have been detained several times over the years by different Governments and this is what always happens. Mostly we were abandoned by friends. However, TB, who I didn’t know, reached out to me and my family and stood by us throughout.

I was really moved by his call and though we never spoke again whilst I was in detention he honoured his word, kept in touch with my loved ones and encouraged and stood by them too. The day I was released I called to thank him and that is how we became friends. From that time our friendship and love for one another grew from strength to strength until we became almost inseparable. I spoke with him on the phone virtually every day and I saw him at least once a month from 2016 until 2021.

T.B. Joshua was my brother and virtually everything he told me concerning my future and life has come to pass. Do you know that he actually told me the day I would eventually get bail and be released and he was right. It blew my mind. He was more than a friend: he was a brother. I learnt a lot from him and I will never forget him.

I will do all I can to honour his memory. Most people live for their pockets and their stomachs but T.B. Joshua lived for God and humanity. He was very different to most. He was a great man who always looked out for the weak, the despised, the vulnerable and the oppressed. It was an honour for me to be considered as one of his friends.

PT: Can we say he was your spiritual mentor?

Femi Fani-Kayode: He was my brother, my friend and my confidante. There was nothing we did not discuss. Our relationship was not really based on spiritual matters. We were simply brothers and that is worth more than anything else.

PT: A lot of people consider his death to be sudden. Did he struggle with any ailment?

Femi Fani-Kayode: I spoke to him two weeks before he passed on and he appeared to be fine. I was in Enugu at the time. I wanted to see him in Lagos but needed to pop up to Arewa first before coming back South. My plan was to go and see him after my visit to Bauchi state after stopping in Abuja to see my children. Alas in the early hours of the morning on the day that I left Bauchi I confirmed that he had passed on. The rumours started from 1.00 am and I could not sleep. Even though a relative of his lied to me that he was still alive at 3.00 am and claimed that he was just feeling a little unwell. By 5.00 am, it was confirmed to me that he was dead and that was it.

I left Bauchi later that day and went home to my children in Abuja. I have been in shock ever since but I will see his wife and children. I will always be there for them because he was always there for me and mine. I do not know whether he was ill or not but his passing really was strange, sudden and devastating to millions of his friends and followers all over the world. Many still cannot believe it. I have had calls from virtually every continent in the world over this issue. Everyone is so sad. I guess it was just his time to go and when God calls you home there is nothing anyone can do about it.

He was only 57 and would have been 58 a few days later on June 12th. For goodness sake that was too young. He was three years younger than me! It is very sad indeed because he still had so much to offer the Church, Christendom, Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world. I just give God thanks for giving me the privilege of knowing this extraordinary man who did such great exploits in the name of the Lord, who put so many smiles on so many faces and who did so much for God’s kingdom.

PT: You have painted the departed clergy in beautiful colours. Then why was it that some Christian leaders were sceptical of his ways and methods?

Femi Fani-Kayode: If that is so then it is misplaced. There is no big man of God in this country that I do not know and respect. Like all human beings they all have their weaknesses and strengths. If they were sceptical about T.B. Joshua, that is their choice and view. That is merely their opinion of him and they are entitled to it. I do not share that view. More importantly, I do not need anyone’s validation to make me feel good about myself and neither did T.B. Joshua. Let God judge us all. He alone sees our hearts and knows what we do behind closed doors. He alone knows whether we are truly good or evil.

All I know is that, from all I saw and witnessed, this man Prophet T.B. Joshua was a good man who served a mighty God to the best of his abilities and he did so well. He shook the world for Jesus and he won many souls for Christ. He was a star in Christendom and like all stars, he was bound to attract a bit of envy and jealousy from his peers. I am not sure any Nigerian living or dead has had as much of an impact on the gospel worldwide as T.B. Joshua did. Go to places like South America and South-East Asia or Israel and you will be shocked by his following and the impact he had on the lives of ordinary people.

He was also close to many world leaders but kept it close to his chest. He never flaunted his connections or his relationships. His legacy is outstanding and many of his peers cannot handle that because they felt that his humble beginnings did not warrant or deserve it. On his part T.B. Joshua did not give a damn, he never defended himself publicly and he just kept looking to God and doing his work. And he did all this with the greatest humility, always being polite and kind even to his greatest detractors. He was much misunderstood, often misrepresented, often falsely accused and often maligned but the truth is that he was a very good man that was totally dedicated to his flock, his family and to his work.

The same way in which the Jews hated Jesus is the way many in the Kingdom hated T.B. Joshua. Even in death, some have insulted him. I do not see or know the basis or justification for such hate and I believe it is evil and divisive.

It is actually a shame and a disgrace for any Man of God to hate another. The Bible says “who is he that lays a charge before elect?” It says “it is Christ that justifies”. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ Himself said, “let he who is free of sin cast the first stone”. Who are these people that speak ill of T.B. Joshua and judge him? Are they God? Are they angels? Are they infallible? Are they perfect?

Unlike many others, T.B. Joshua did not judge others and he did not think only of his pocket. He thought of humanity. And I do not know any man of God in this country or outside this country that cared and catered for the poor and needy like him.

Maybe that is why a few of them hated him. He reminded them of what they ought to be doing but are not doing. I do not know and I do not care. I respected him, I loved him, I admired him and I always will.

PT: Do you have insight into how the work he started will continue now that he’s gone? Who’s likely to step into his shoes in the ministry?

Femi Fani-Kayode: I have no idea because I only ever worshipped in his Church once. Our relationship was one of friendship and brotherhood rather than me being a member of his Church. I watched Emmanuel TV from time to time but I know little about how his Church is run or who is in charge now. What I know is that he has built a great Church, a great legacy with a great and loyal congregation and I have no doubt that his many disciples and excellent team of Pastors will keep the flag flying.

PT: Thank you very much, chief.

Fem-Fani-Kayode: My pleasure

dudusky007:
FAKE STORY!!! SHAME ON MODERATORS IF THIS HITS FP

gasparpisciotta:
Learnt he survived stroke two years ago

Evelyn, wife of the Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as T.B. Joshua, has given details of how her husband died.

Evelyn spoke with select journalists on Sunday.
She said her husband spent about three hours in prayers before the last service on the mountain and was looking very healthy, adding that he never showed any sign of illness or worry and that his main concern was about the prayer line they offered to Indians against the COVID-19 pandemic.

She added: “Afterward, he came up to shower and I left him to have some time to prepare for service as worship had started.
“Few minutes later, he stepped out for ministration.

“While ministering, he spoke about a time to come and time to leave. His statements were spiritual and suddenly he left the stage and went to his inner chambers. I waited a few minutes and thereafter decided to check on him. I met him sitting on the chair like someone reflecting but unconscious."

“I quickly beckoned on his disciples who came and tried to revive him to no avail.
“Of a truth, he went home to be with the Lord and left us with a message: ‘Watch and pray.’

Losing a loved one is never easy; whether sudden or foreseen. It is always heart-breaking. Grief can wreak havoc on our overall well-being,” she wrote. “That’s why it’s important to stay rooted to the Almighty. Only He can lessen our heartache and comfort us in these times. Seek refuge in him.

DryMouth:
Still lying...
Nobody gave us mirror book or any useless cd.

By the way, why impose 5k book and cd money on pple?
Why build a swimming pool and charge pple to baptise there?

Oga forget death, the man is a bad man.
Ask his pple of Arigidi

Anguldi:

Is Church service, vigils,healing programs free to attend or one needs registration?
Are congregants forced to buy some sought of books,oil, water and all of that to gain access to the church auditorium?

DryMouth:
you pple are demonic lairs...
That anointing water is for sale at 3-5k.
I am a first hand witness. You pple keep siding the "man of God" simply because he is dead or because it involves religion.

Nonsense Nigerians.