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Politics › Re: Nigerian Robbed By The Police; Hundeyin Responds by VBCampaign(op): 8:44pm On Oct 06, 2022
Hundeyin Responds....

Politics › Nigerian Robbed By The Police; Hundeyin Responds by VBCampaign(op): 8:43pm On Oct 06, 2022
A Nigerian with Twitter handle @Ojogbadura was robbed by some men of the Nigerian Police Force today.

After accusing him of being a yahoo boy, they got him to transfer 100K to them.

Fortunately he got wind of some their names.

See tweets.

Benjamin Hundeyin has responded to the tweet.

Family › Re: Complex Marital Issue : Your Thoughts On This Please. by VBCampaign: 4:23pm On Sep 29, 2022
Meteorites,

Everything is wrong with your home and I pray you emerge out of all these unscathed.

1. Marriage in itself is difficult. It is doubly so when couples live apart. Those who counsel that couples should sleep in the same room, bathe together, etc, know what they are saying. No matter the disagreement, seeing each other daily will encourage resolving issues. If by God's mercies, you both sort this out, pack your load and go and stay with that man. How do you leave a man all by himself, without sex or companionship? I pray you have not been replaced.

2. What's this whole idea of your raising the kids by yourself, alone? Those children need their Dad. And the stress of separation is telling on you all.

I wish I could say more but I usually do not like to waste my words on forums like these bc many times they are not heeded. I'll like to have your husband's contacts. DM me if you think I could help.
Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 4:32pm On Sep 09, 2022
CC: lalasticlala
Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 8:58am On Sep 01, 2022
Acehart:
Speechless
Cc: Mynd44
Yes! wink
Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 6:25am On Sep 01, 2022
Thread 4

She Said "NO!"

Chapter Nine of the book reveals the account given by the captured girls, who were all Muslims. You cannot read that account and not see humanity in display; at some point while reading this chapter, I broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. The girls were driven for about three hours to a river in the heart of Sambisa forest. When they got there, they were then transported by boat to the enclave of the insurgents. This trip on the river took three days. When they arrived at the destination, they were taken into a building that had many rooms and they were fed only white rice – no stew, no vegetable, no oil; nothing. One thing the insurgents insisted on, though, was that the girls were to say their daily prayers faithfully. They will herd them to some point, get them to do their ablution and then they will say their prayers. This was about the time that Leah was becoming increasingly distinguished from her colleagues. Leah will just sit there and watch them. Incidentally the terrorists did not discover this until a day before their release. Here is the account by the Muslim girls:

“When Boko Haram realized that she wasn’t performing any of the rites, they asked her why. Leah boldly told them that she was a Christian. It may have been brave, but it was obviously going to make her their target. Sure enough the men hurried off to notify their leader. The leader came marching in with an angry scowl on his face. He leaned towards Leah and demanded her name. Not only did Leah reply with her name, but she also added that she was a Christian. She may have been scared – she had to be – but she didn’t show it. The leader became furious and threatened to kill her if she didn’t renounce her Christianity by reciting the Islamic creed – Kalmar Shahada. Leah refused. The men then gave her a brutal beating, ordering her to renounce her faith in Jesus and join Islam. Though she knew yielding will make them stop the beating, she refused to turn her back on Christianity. We pleaded with her to tell them what they wanted to hear, and even said we would recite the creed so she could voice it out to them, but she remained adamant…”

Now, that is humanity and that is the difference between Boko Haram’s militant Islam and the regular Islam we see around. The captured Muslim girls may not have practiced Leah’s faith, but they could not stand the sight of a fellow human like themselves being beaten like an animal. Their account said that the beating continued and even became more brutal but Leah will not budge. She simply said “no”. Then the terrorists did something that got to Leah. The following day after the beating, and still locked up in another cell, all the Muslim girls were marched out and put into the vehicle that brought them. Leah could see her mates being returned and at this point, she began to plead with her captures to be released. They will not listen. They also said no.

These all happened in 2018 and Leah Sharibu is still in the den of those animals – Boko Haram. A number of girls that have escaped these evil detentions have returned to speak of the fact that Leah Sharibu is still alive and well. She is still holding on to her faith in Jesus Christ. Some other accounts say that she has been married off to an insurgent commander and even given birth to children. Whatever the case is, the account of this young girl’s faith in Jesus Christ is not only intriguing, it is also convicting and humbling. It is convicting because I am certain that very few of us Christians can stand up in our faith against such evil men as this young girl has done. It is also humbling because Leah’s predicament is an indictment on the kind of religion that many of us practice here in the south of Nigeria. We carry on as if there are no troubles in this country; we are selfish and self-centered, and we build a religion of self-preservation and personal prosperity. We forget quickly that militant Islam is taking over Northern Nigeria mainly because those of us who ought to do the difficult work of missions to north, have given up such laudable work for a prosperity Christianity. We forget that if we do not do the work, it is only a matter of time before militant Islam takes over the whole of the north and begin to threaten incursion into the south.

May God use the story of Leah Sharibu to awaken our humanity and our Christian calling. May he cause us to remember that as Christians, we are pilgrim on this earth. Our calling is to be witnesses for Christ both through our words and our lifestyle. Leah’s classmates, who are Christians, said that they were convinced that only Leah Sharibu had the kind of courage to face those insurgents. They said that with benefit of insights, it was as if she was prepared for a time like this. The reality of Christianity is this: God took up flesh and came into the world to die for the sins of all men. The path to this redemption was the crucifixion of Jesus on a Roman Cross. The Bible says that if the devil had known, he would not have killed the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:cool. God has a way of manifesting the greatest work through weak men. I am convinced that the last has not been heard of Leah Sharibu. From the weakness and vulnerability of this dear young woman, will come a manifestation of God’s power and glory. Boko Haram took the wrong person – they just did not know it.

Please remember to pray for Leah Sharibu: that God will manifest his good will through the predicament that has befallen her and her family. We know that God’s greatest work is the redemption of all men. May Leah’s testimony continue to redound to the glory of God and continue to cause for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ to turn to him in repentance and faith. Amen.

Written by Deji Yesufu

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/leah-sharibu-what-really-happened-at-dapchi/

CONCLUDED

Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 10:40pm On Aug 31, 2022
Thread 4 and the concluding part of the story tomorrow. Stay tuned cool
Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op):
Thread 3

"Where are the Christian Girls!"

Patience, one of Leah’s schoolmate, gives the account of events that happened at their dormitory, a day before the attack on their school:

“On the Sunday evening of the very day before the attack, all the Christian students gathered in Leah’s dormitory for normal devotions. As we chatted after the devotion before bed time, Leah’s best friend in school, Liatu, brought up the issue of Boko Haram. As if Leah knew something was going to happen, she asked all of us a question: ‘if you were taken away by Boko Haram tonight and they ask you to renounce your faith in Jesus, would you do it?’ Some said they would if that will help get them released, and said they will later come back to the faith. But Leah boldly said, ‘that is what I will never do, no matter what happens!’…

Quite poignant you would say. True to it, the following day, at the evening, the girls were just preparing to have their dinner, when sounds of gun shots ripped through the air of the school. The children knew immediately that this was a Boko Haram attack. The school had taken them through drills before, in case of such attack, so they quite naturally knew what to do. But in the face of real life guns, it is easy for the lessons learnt to fly off one’s head. Many of the girls began scurrying around for safety. Some were able to run to the staff quarters and found refuge in the homes of some teachers. Others fled into the neighboring bushes and since it was dark, there was no point chasing after them. One girl, Comfort, recounted that she was actually with Leah at the time of the attack. She had been ill and Leah had brought her dinner to her in the room. She was just about trying her hand on the food, when the sound of gun shots began.

Quickly, she and Leah ran out of the dormitory and were headed towards the school gate. At some point, because she was weak, she could not keep pace with Leah and then she tripped over and fell into a ditch which had grasses that covered her. She would later hear some of the Boko Haram militants milling around where she was, asking each other where are the Christian girls. “We thought they said there are Christian girls in this school…” she overheard them say.

Another girl, Vashti, recounts what happened that led to Leah’s capture. The school drill had taught the girls to head out of the school gate and into bushes, hiding until the military authorities came. Alas, as the girls were heading out of the school, there was a military truck by the school gate. There were also men in uniform, holding weapons and encouraging the girls to enter into the truck for safety. Vashti made an attempt to climb in, but in the ensuing pandemonium, someone pushed her and she fell to the ground. It was while she was trying to get up that she noticed that these men in uniform did not have boots on. They wore mostly slippers or scandals. She remembered that the Nigerian soldier always wore his booths. It was at this point she began to make attempt to alert her schoolmates but no one will listen. She then bolted away from the truck and one of the men pursued after her. She successfully hid herself behind a tree and was not caught. Unfortunately for Leah Sharibu, she was one of the girls that was taken into the truck and driven away. It was only after they had journeyed for close to three hours, did the girls realize that they had been abducted. It was too late at that time.

Another thing this book revealed, which unfortunately some of us did not see reported in the news, was that Leah Sharibu was the only Christian girl captured in that truck. You will remember that I had noted earlier that Dapchi town was predominantly Muslim and thus most of the girls in the school practiced Islam. It is safe to say that negotiations to have these girls released came through rather easily because the captured girls were Muslims. The case was a bit different with the Chibok girls because most of the girls in that case were Christians. Besides, going by the account of Comfort earlier, the insurgents had come to the school with the sole purpose of capturing Christian girls and turning them into Muslim by force and it happened that the only Christian girl in that group was Leah.

... to be continued below

Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 6:14pm On Aug 30, 2022
RoyalDiadems:
We're waiting for the continuation. The name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified in the north.
Amen
Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op):
Thread 2

Trained by Persecution

My growing up years were in Zaria, Kaduna State. My father was a staff of the Ahmadu Bello University, so I had all my schooling there: elementary, secondary and even university education – all in Zaria. There is an account in this book on Leah that every Christian in Northern Nigeria can identify with: it is the fact that there is a general antagonism against Christians in the north. In Zaria, where the university offers a lot of liberal thinking, the antagonism was not that much (although we did have instances of Christians beings persecuted and killed for their faith). So when the book opened with the account that Leah Sharibu and her family lived in Dapchi town as minority Christians, I could understand. Their own situation was even more profound because Dapchi, Yobe State, does not have the Zaria liberal bent to Islam. Here is a classmate’s account of life in Dapchi as stated in the book:

"Dapchi is a predominantly Muslim town where only about 10% of the people are Christians. There are only four small churches in the Dapchi area and each church has a congregation of less than 30 people. The pressure to deny your faith and to live as a Muslim starts at a very young age. Generally, in Yobe State it is hard for Christian children to receive any formal education. As for Christian adults, they are often overlooked for jobs or leadership positions at the local or state levels due to religious discrimination. The persecution is real, and we live it on a daily basis. However, this kind of everyday persecution was nothing like what we were about to face…”

Another thing about living in northern Nigeria is that due to this ever present persecution, the nature of Christianity in Northern Nigeria is a lot different from the one in the south of the country. When you live day after day, knowing that one day you could pay the ultimate price for your faith, your commitment to Jesus Christ is real. There is a sense of not holding to the things of this world that is ingrained into your psyche; and then you join biblical accounts that tell you that the Christian life is one that is laced with persecution – including the reality of paying the ultimate price of being killed for your faith. From one’s early commitment to Jesus, the doctrine of never denying Christ no matter what is ingrained into your psyche. A deep Arminian theology also puts the fear of both renouncing faith in Christ and losing one’s salvation on the same stead. So when, in 2014, the Chibok girls were kidnapped in Borno State, all boarding schools in North Eastern Nigeria were put on red-alert. Everybody knew that it was only a matter of time before another school was ransacked by the terrorists.

So, in school, and at the Christian fellowship gathering, the students encouraged themselves in the faith and continually drum the fact into themselves that if ever their school was taken over by Boko Haram, there will not be a situation where any one of them will renounce their in Christ. It was doubly so for Leah Sharibu because she was actually the president of their Fellowship of Christian students. She was the one who taught the doctrine and it was her that must of a certainty live out its reality if ever it happened. Patience, one of Leah’s schoolmate, gives the account of events that happened at their dormitory, a day before the attack on their school:

... to be continued below

Christianity Etc › Re: Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 4:44pm On Aug 29, 2022
Thread 2 to be posted tomorrow...
Christianity Etc › Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened At Dapchi By Deji Yesufu (A Thread) by VBCampaign(op): 11:11am On Aug 29, 2022
Thread 1

Leah Sharibu: What Really Happened at Dapchi

By: Deji Yesufu

Leah Sharibu and a hundred and nine other girls were kidnapped from their school at Dapchi town, Yobe State, on 19th Febraury, 2018, a Monday. Their abduction quickly became world news – with calls from all over the world asking for the release of the young women. The situation was going to prove a disaster for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), especially with the nation’s elections around the corner – the following year, 2019. In 2014, there had been a similar kidnapping of young girls from a school at Chibok town in Borno State and that incident, more than any other, caused much embarrassment to the government of Goodluck Jonathan and might have influenced their failure to be re-elected on a second term. So, a month after the kidnap of the Dapchi girls, arrangement were made and the girls were released. The Nigerian government never agrees that they pay ransom to kidnappers, so it is sufficient to say here that the girls were released because the kind of militant Islam that Boko Haram practice releases school girls kidnapped at no cost. Whatever might have happened, the country was relieved that the girls were returned – all of them, except one – Leah Sharibu.

What the Press reported for all of us to read was that Leah was not released because she did not renounce her Christian faith. This is true. What we however did not know were the little details that surrounded Leah’s decision. In a book titled “Leah: Hero for Jesus”, Dr. Gloria Samdi-Puldu and Rev. Peter Fretheim made a collection of first-hand accounts of events surrounding Leah’s capture. They gave us accounts by Leah’s mother, Rebecca; her father, Nathan; and accounts from her friends and classmates. The account by the girls who were captured with Leah was the most intriguing. If you have the opportunity of finding the book, do read it – it is quite revealing. This article will however reveal some details with the express aim of helping us appreciate a momentous moment in our nation life – a moment that is almost being forgotten by all of us.

... to be continued below

Inset: Painted portrait of Leah Sharibu

For the full article see: https://textandpublishing.com/leah-sharibu-what-really-happened-at-dapchi/

Politics › Re: Why A Muslim-muslim Ticket Is A Bad Idea By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 7:35pm On Jul 11, 2022
Urheadmaster:
APC go collect wotowoto for this up coming general election in Nigeria tongue
Finish grin
Politics › Why A Muslim-muslim Ticket Is A Bad Idea By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 6:42pm On Jul 11, 2022
Why A Muslim-Muslim Ticket is a Bad Idea

That Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the leading individual to become President of Nigeria in 2023 is a fact that cannot be easily disputed. Tinubu is the presidential flagbearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the coming elections and it is not a secret that in our clime the matter of incumbency acts as a great advantage for those who are seeking political power. They have the resources of state at their disposal; they have political structures littering the whole national space; and they have an army of hungry and jobless people at their disposal.

So it was not surprising that the person that will become Tinubu’s vice became a hotly contested matter in the political space in the country in the last few weeks. This afternoon, that debate was put to rest when Tinubu elected Senator Kashim Shettima, a former Governor of Borno State, a sitting Senator in the country and a Muslim, as his running mate for the forthcoming elections. Tinubu is perfectly within his right to choose whoever he wishes as his deputy in government. What he fails to realize, however, is that the matter of a Muslim-Muslim ticket is an issue in today’s Nigeria since he himself is a professing Muslim.

Those who brought about the tradition of presenting two individuals representing the two dominant religions in Nigeria did so in recognition of the reality that the country is divided almost equally between Christians and Muslims. We speak mostly of a Muslim north and a Christian south in Nigeria, even though we are quite aware that there are thriving Christian populations in the north and a large Muslim population in Southern Nigeria.

Yet, the religious divide is almost an accepted reality and when it comes to politics, politicians want to show the electorate that they have the sensitive matter of the religious divide covered. In 2015, Bola Ahmed Tinubu had to step down from being Muhamadu Buhari’s running mate because it became apparent to the APC that religion was quite a sensitive matter in Nigeria and that if the APC will remove the People Democratic Party (PDP) from power, they will have to show some regard to the Christian population.

Thankfully they did this, and the result was the removing of an incumbent from office – something that has never happened in our nation’s political history. It is therefore difficult for me to comprehend why the same Tinubu will dispose of all counsel and still go for a Muslim as his running mate today.

An argument that has been proffered in Tinubu’s defense is that the 1993 elections saw M.K.O Abiola, a Muslim, team up with a Babagana Kingibe, another Muslim, to produce the freest, fairest and most popular election that this country has ever witnessed. What these people who proffer this argument fail to realize is that 1993 is a good thirty years ago. Times have changed: the social realities that we are faced with today are totally different from what was happening in 1993.

In 1993 we had no Boko Haram. In 1993 we had a military government that had been in power for close to a decade and with whom people were quite eager to see leave power. In 1993 the debate over a Muslim-Muslim ticket was brought forward but it was quite easily dispelled by the raging realities on ground in those days. Today, such arguments cannot be easily put aside.

Another reason why the Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a workable plan for Nigeria is because of the raging insecurity that the Boko Haram insurgency has brought upon our country. Just a few days ago, a variant of Boko Haram, the ISWAP, swooped down on Kuje, a community in Abuja, the nation’s Federal Capital City, and effected a prison break that saw more than 60 insurgents, who had been incarcerated by the state, released into the general populace.

As Nigerians come to grip with rising insecurity in the land, we also have allegations of collaborations between government officials and the insurgents. No one has been able to explain how the military checkpoints, situated at major points en-route Kuje, were suddenly replaced with new personals who barely knew their way around the area – all of these happening less than twenty-four hours before the attack.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, spoke of having Boko Haram sympathizers in his government. It is clear to observers that there are elements within government that have sympathy for the ideas of these lunatics. When Nigerians now take the government of their nation and put it in the hands of a Muslim president and a Muslim vice, we are clearly then putting ourselves at the mercies of more individuals who might have sympathies for these insurgents

. This is obviously not a time to disregard cries from the Christian Association of Nigeria that has been telling the APC that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is a bad idea at a time like this. Ignoring calls from Christian organizations and imposing such a one sided religious perspective on the country’s elections will certainly ostracize Christian voters. Tinubu is touted as a master political strategist. Unfortunately, in this one situation he has failed to read the handwriting on the wall and I will not be surprised if this singular action of his prove the deathknell on his ambition to be President of Nigeria.

As the nation approaches the 2023 general elections, the two other leading political figures and parties in contest for the office of the presidency of Nigeria are Atiku Abubakar’s People Democratic Party and the Peter Obi’s Labor Party. Atiku has gone to the South-south of Nigeria and picked a Christian Ifeanyi Okowa, sitting governor of Delta State, as his running mate. While Peter Obi just picked Yusuff Datti Baba-Ahmed, a Muslim, from Northern Nigeria, as his running mate.

These two parties understand the nature of the religious divide in Nigeria and have keyed into it while selecting those who will become their deputies in office. While Atiku may have done well in choosing a Christian as his deputy, he also has a lot of baggage that he is contesting with as he seeks to be President of Nigeria. So that in my estimation the greatest threat to Tinubu emerging as Nigeria’s President is not Atiku Abubakar but actually Peter Obi. And it is this Obi phenomenon that has made the decision Tinubu look like a very bad one. I will conclude this essay by explaining why.

Whether Tinubu envisages this or not, there is a teaming Christian population in Nigeria that have become tired of the way and manner government is run in Nigeria. The eight-year rule of Muhammadu Buhari appears to be one that treats issues of Islamic insurgencies with kid gloves. Besides that, there has also been the raging phenomenon of Fulani herdsmen in the country that has resulted in the death of hundreds of people.

Only recently, insurgents attacked a Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, leaving scores of innocent worshippers dead. The fact is that the ongoing insecurity in the land, coupled with the ruling party’s disregard for the country’s Christian population, has given the Peter Obi phenomenon greater admiration with the Christian voting populace. Churches that were hitherto apolitical, have begun to use their pulpits to campaign for a Christian president and Peter Obi is the only one among the three leading political figure that fit the bill. Tinubu’s action in choosing a Muslim as his running mate has totally ostracize a large voting bloc from the Christian populace.

As I have mentioned already, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is perfectly within his right to choose whoever will be his running mate but it should be noted that in spite of this master political tactician’s wisdom when it comes to elections, he clearly does not know it all. There is a biblical statement that usually follows incidents that don’t appear normal: when Samson went to the Philistines and sought a wife among those who were considered the enemies of Israel, people did not understand why he did it.

But the Bible records that such an event was from the Lord because he sought an occasion of confrontation with the Philistines so that he could destroy them (Judges 14:4). In the same vein, Tinubu’s choosing a Muslim vice at a time like this may just as well be an occasion from God. It is not difficult for God to put an error of judgement in a leading political figure, no matter how minute, that will go a long way in determining who will lead this country. As Christians, we pray daily that God will put to shame the enemies of Nigeria and help destroy them. May God answer our prayers and do what is right for our beloved country, Nigeria.

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/why-a-muslim-muslim-ticket-is-a-bad-idea/

© Deji Yesufu

Christianity Etc › Re: The Inevitable Defeat Of Pastor Tunde Bakare - Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 6:11pm On Jul 07, 2022
NNTR:
I have one more to add, and its 'prophecy' can fail you.
Personal text: Jesus is not a theologian. He is God who told stories.
grin
Christianity Etc › Re: The Inevitable Defeat Of Pastor Tunde Bakare - Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 2:43am On Jul 07, 2022
NNTR:
Jeremiah 6:13
'Because from the least of them and unto the greatest of them, they all commit deceit,
and from the lying Prophet and unto the Priest, all practice falsehood
'

Jeremiah 23:16, 21, 32
'16Thus says the LORD of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you.
They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own mind and imagination
And not [truth] from the mouth of the LORD.
21“I did not send [these counterfeit] prophets, Yet they ran;
I did not speak to them, Yet they prophesied.
32Hear this, I am against those who have prophesied false and made-up dreams,” says the LORD,
“and have told them and have made My people err
and go astray by their lies and by their reckless boasting;
yet I did not send them or command them
nor do they benefit and enhance [the life of] these people in the slightest way,” says the LORD.
'
Personal text: Jesus is not a theologian. He is God who told stories.
Nothing to add
Christianity Etc › Re: The Inevitable Defeat Of Pastor Tunde Bakare - Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 9:08pm On Jul 06, 2022
Kestolove:
nigeria pastors are prophetic gamblers nd dia ticket dey always cut
wink
Christianity Etc › The Inevitable Defeat Of Pastor Tunde Bakare - Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 8:36pm On Jul 06, 2022
The Inevitable Defeat of Pastor Tunde Bakare

By: Deji Yesufu

In my estimation, Pastor Tunde Bakare was the best of all the aspirants that sought the Presidential ticket on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). That Tunde Bakare got zero votes from the primaries is more of an indictment on all of Nigerians. It is a testimony to the fact that the best of us continue to languish at the base of the country, while the worst of the lot enter political office. In a normal country, no one should be pushing an Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu or an Abubakar Atiku as president. Alas, this is not a normal country and we are left again to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. The only ray of hope in the horizon, at least for some of us, is the Peter Obi phenomenon. This essay is not about Peter Obi; I have written quite a bit on him already. Instead, I want to examine something that I choose to call “The Inevitable Defeat of Pastor Tunde Bakare”, while at the same time draw out some relevant lessons.

In the year 1998, my third year in the University, I came to living faith in Jesus Christ. In a dramatic turn of events in my life, I became very religious and decided that I was going to make God, in Christ Jesus, the central focus of my personhood. I have never regretted that decision because it has helped me a lot in decision making. That same year, I met a young man called Israel Badaki. He was studying Geology at ABU, my alma mata, and was a rather reserved fellow. He took a liking in me and began to mentor me in the Christian faith. One of the tapes he gave me to listen to was preached by a totally unknown Tunde Bakare. The first message of Bakare I listened to was “Prophetic Cave Dwellers”. In this message, Bakare drew out lessons from the life of Elijah, particularly that instance where God told him that He had 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal. Bakare said that although the life of the 7,000 that were following God in the days of idolatry in Israel was commendable, there was still that blemish in them: they were God’s prophets who chose to live in caves. That message instilled something in me: Christians cannot afford to be silent in the days when tyranny rules in the land.

Tunde Bakare exemplified this message perfectly because in the days when Sanni Abacha reigned with terror in Nigeria, Bakare spoke frequently against him. Bakare was picked up by the State Security Services (SSS) at various times and was continually intimidated by their presence in his church auditorium. It did not deter Bakare from criticizing them. One day, Tunde Bakare gave a prophetic declaration: he said that by the close of a certain week in 1998, Sani Abacha will be dead. It happened as he said and the relatively unknown pastor was shot into national limelight. Bakare’s popularity was short lived because he soon made another prophetic declaration, in latter months, as the country drew up to its first elections after many years of military rule: Bakare said that Olusegun Obasanjo was not Nigeria’s messiah. He said Obasanjo was Agag and from the biblical account, Agag was hacked down by the prophetic sword of Samuel. Unfortunately for Bakare, Obasanjo finished his two terms as President and the Owu chief is still alive today – having celebrated his 85th birthday this past week. Bakare quickly developed a reputation for being a prophet whose prophecies were not always accurate.

I remained a follower of Tunde Bakare until 2013 when I renounced Pentecostalism as a denomination (today I am a professing reformed Baptist: a subject for another article). I did not leave Pentecostalism because of Bakare’s failed prophecies: I left because of the plethora of defects in the character of many Pentecostal leaders. I also discovered that the Word of Faith doctrines were plain heresies and that at its core is an undermining of the gospel of Christ: which is actually what a Christian must end up preaching, regardless of what we pursue in life and ministry. Along the line of renouncing Pentecostalism, I also renounced belief in prophets and apostles. I came to a realization that only biblical prophets gave accurate prophecies and that the Bible actually warns against individuals giving failed prophecies: scripture regard such individuals as false prophets. Because of my close observation of Tunde Bakare, his life, family, doctrine, etc, I will be very reluctant to call him a false prophet because of his failed prophecies. Rather, I will like to call him a presumptuous personality and the dangers with presumption is that many times it fails us.

This is why when a video emerged on the internet and Tunde Bakare was saying that he was going to succeed Muhammadu Buhari, I knew that he had again ventured on one of his presumptuous statements that are often couched under the title of prophecies. I knew that Bakare will ultimately fail in his quest to get the APC presidential ticket. I followed the primaries keenly and was quite hopeful that maybe I will be proven wrong: maybe this will be one of those one in a hundred prophecies that Pentecostal prophets make that come to pass. Alas, Bakare got no votes from the delegates at the APC presidential primaries and the rest, like they say, is history.

Bakare’s inevitable defeat could be founded on two things: first, the horrible realities of the Christian life outside the confines of a church fellowship. If the primaries were run by Christians, and based on Christian principles: where none of the delegates needed to be bribed with thousands of dollars, it is possible that Tunde Bakare would have gotten a few votes and maybe even won the contest on the mere fact of his character as a leader. The fact still remains that Tunde Bakare is an exceptionally brilliant personality who rose from abject poverty, obtained an education and founded a thriving law practice in 1984. He left law and entered into Christian ministry. He has led that church for many years, influencing many young people in life and ministry. I was personally taught self-development and entrepreneurship through the teachings of Bakare that I got at his church when I attended it briefly in 2004. While at the church in Ogba, I saw how his leadership acumen brought about such order in ministry that could easily be transformed to running an orderly government in this large and disorderly entity we call Nigeria. This is why I began this article by saying that I am convinced that Bakare was the best candidate in the APC primaries. But Bakare’s inevitable defeat lay at the fact that he was dealing with men who know nothing of a Christian worldview and were not willing to allow a level playing ground in their politicking.

The second thing that lay at the heart of Bakare’s defeat are these presumptions he calls prophecies. God did not tell Tunde Bakare that he was going to be the 16th President of Nigeria. If God did, Bakare would have won the APC primaries. Instead he got zero votes. Bakare’s defeat is a pointer to a greater malaise that lies not just in the life and ministry of Tunde Bakare, but at the heart of Christian ministry in general in Nigeria. Christians need to understand this biblical testament: the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of true prophecy. All of prophecy is founded on the pages of scripture and fulfilled in Christ and his calling to save sinners. What that means is this: Christians do not have a sure home in this world. While we may have a commitment to leave our world better than we met it and we have a commitment to social concerns and development, at the heart of the Christian message is a gospel that calls sinner to repentance and faith. Somewhere and somehow in the ministry and life of Tunde Bakare, this message has been lost and I think that God has sent this unusual rebuke to call Tunde Bakare back to true ministry.

One of the messages that Israel Badaki gave me, preached by Tunde Bakare, were sermons that he directed at Benson Idahosa. Bakare will say to Idahosa: “you have lost your vision and calling in life; by pursuing wealth and mundane things, you are no longer serving Christ but your belly”. I will be reluctant to say that Bakare has also lost his vision in ministry. I will rather say that true Christian ministry is calling sinners to repentance and faith. National development, and the redemption of Nigeria is a side calling which should not envelope our true calling. If Tunde Bakare is called to pastor people, he could focus on that calling for now. His advice for national development will always be welcome but it is obvious that he is not the one that God will use to save this country ultimately.

The title of this article is taken from the movie “The Ultimate Defeat of Mister and Pete”. A 2013 American movie that tells the story of two young boys who spent their summer holidays evading arrest from the police after their cocaine dealing mothers were arrested. Ultimately they were caught and with retrospect they realized that the police were not pursuing to arrest them just to clamp them in jail but for their ultimate good and preservation. Perhaps God has permitted this defeat in Tunde Bakare to allow for self-introspection and a whole revamping of the ministry that Jesus Christ has committed to his hands. The Bible says that all things work together for the good of God’s saints. I am positive that if Tunde Bakare is an elect of Christ, the defeat at the APC primaries will only add to him and to his ministry.

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/the-inevitable-defeat-of-pastor-tunde-bakare/

Politics › Re: How I Became Obidient By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 8:00am On Jun 18, 2022
wowcatty:
Is this Mr Aisha Yesuf or there's just something in that name?
not Aisha Yesufu and no relations with her
Politics › Re: How I Became Obidient By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 3:52am On Jun 18, 2022
RuddyFusion:
OBILIFIED IAM
grin
Politics › Re: How I Became Obidient By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 7:23pm On Jun 17, 2022
SEYIKP:
I am also contemplating, soonest I may de-batify and become obidient in the coming election.
Don't be long ☺️
Politics › How I Became Obidient By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 6:33pm On Jun 17, 2022
How I Became OBIdient

By: Deji Yesufu

I have been told that politics is not my calling. I have been told to stick with religion. They say politics is dirty and those who claim to be pristine through the grace of God should not be associated with it. I have heard those arguments before but they have not convinced me. After supporting Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and witnessing his disastrous two terms in office, I made the resolution that I will not be putting my name on any politician again – Nigerians should vote whoever they wish. When I made that resolution, I was almost sure that I will break it. The reason is that I live in Nigeria and I experience everything the average Nigerian is enduring. I am also into pastoral ministry and I understand the need to meet the physical needs of the people you are ministering to before the spiritual message you are preaching can make any sense to them. Churches, like many other social organizations in the land, have become a place of refuge for the poor in Nigeria. The easiest way to unburden oneself in Christian ministry is to call on government to do what they are supposed to do, so that churches can return to their primary duties. It is for this reason why we must join the bandwagon of seeing credible individuals come into government.

Anyone watching the political scenario in Nigeria will understand that it will take a miracle for Peter Obi to emerge the President of Nigeria in the forthcoming elections in 2023. I myself have argued that only the incumbent APC and the PDP can produce who will be the ruler of this country in the coming election. I have however reconsidered the candidacy of Peter Obi because I believe in miracles. I believe that in the 9 months before the elections, an OBI-tsunami can sweep the Nigerian landscape, bringing unprecedented popularity to this gentleman that will deliver for him no less than 20 million votes across Nigeria and thus bring him into the highest office in the land. I am convinced that the same way I became OBIdient, many more Nigerians can become equally convinced too. This is why I must relay my pathway to OBI-ism in this essay.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was an option only as long as former Governor Peter Obi was running on that platform. When Peter Obi jettisoned the PDP and reverted to the Labor Party, I turned my attention to the All Progressive Congress’ coming primaries. Primaries in political parties in Nigeria have been completely monetized and the APC’s primaries was not going to be any different. Even at that I had hoped that Muhammadu Buhari will wield some veto power and convince party men to settle for a consensus candidate – with the hope that they will settle for Yemi Osinbajo. When Bola Ahmed Tinubu scuttled the President’s plans with his now popular emi lo ko speech in Abeokuta, it was clear that nothing could hold back the scheduled primaries of the APC and dollar rain, not workable ideologies, will determine who will emerge the APC presidential flagbearer. Yemi Osinbajo gave a resounding speech to the delegates during the primaries and made a hearty and spirited plea for them consider him. While all these was going on, I understand that some weighty candidates had reached each of the over 2,000 delegates present with $25,000 offers. By the close of the day, the number of votes Tinubu garnered from the delegates was double the amount of votes all the other aspirants got – combined. It was on that note that I settled for the Jagaban of Lagos as the only possible candidate in the coming elections. Atiku was not an option and Obi was not popular enough. Until…

On the night of Sunday, 12th June, I received a call from my cousin in Canada. He asked me what candidates I was considering in the forthcoming elections. The thing about Nigerians in the diaspora is that they have half of their personhood here in Nigeria. They live abroad but their hearts are here and most of them partake in the country’s electoral process by proxy: they get their loved ones to vote sensibly. I told my cousin that I was left with no other choice than to support Tinubu. He agreed with me but he took his time to show me something that I was missing: he said that if the Bola Ahmed Tinubu that is running today is the same individual that ruled Lagos between 1999 and 2007, then he will support him. He said that clearly age and particularly ill health will impede the government of Tinubu. Then he helped me to see how ill health had stood as an albatross to the government of Yar’Adua and even Muhammadu Buhari, and how the general productivity of all human is usually impeded by ill health and aging. No one can cheat nature; we are only as good on a job as our bodies will permit us. My cousin also did not think that Peter Obi was popular enough. He only felt that if we must vote for Tinubu, we must be sure of the state of his health. One thing that I am sure the supporters of Tinubu have not been able to argue for is the state of health of their principal. Bola Tinubu is not well and he is clearly not going to do well leading this country.

It was at this point the possibility of a Peter Obi emerging as President began to appeal to me. First, there is a large section of the Nigerian electorate that are tired of both the APC and the PDP. It is clear to these people that the two parties are one and the same: the same money politics had produced the flagbearers of the two parties. That the call for an alternative to these two, a sort of third force, was actually a popular sentiment being expressed by many people. Then came the individuals who were the minds and brain behind the End SARS protests. Until this day, no one knows who are the real backbone of the EndSARS protests; they appear to work well anonymously. And some of these individuals were emerging and calling for a third force. In their usual manner, they do not say that they were campaigning for Peter Obi; they are only asking Nigerians to head to INEC and get their PVCs. These are the individuals behind the clarion call for every adult in Nigeria to grab a PVC and be ready to vote out bad leaders. Some of them have organized concerts where they made it clear that the PVC was the entry ticket. As a result, young people are converging at INEC and getting their PVC. I was in one of the INEC offices here in Ibadan yesterday and the whole place was filled with young people: they have heard the clarion call for true CHANGE. It was at this point I realized that Peter Obi could be elected on the mere fact that he presents himself as a credible alternative to the APC and the PDP. This is how I became OBIdient.

More than anything else, a Peter Obi presidency will settle the question of the alleged marginalization of the Igbos in Nigeria. Whether we agree or not, the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has gotten the attention of everyone in the country. They have spilled enough blood for us all to ask them: what do you want. If by any chance Peter Obi is elected President it is not likely that there cry of marginalization will end; it will however reduce considerably and the Nigerian government, under Obi, can then fast-track a process of meeting the demands of these aggrieved section of the country. The presidency of Nigeria is not the exclusive right of one or two sections of the country; the Igbo man can also rule the country and if they are suggesting Obi as their man, the Nigerian people should consider him.

Another thing that has endeared Obi to me is this perceived stinginess of his. Fr. Mbaka, of the Adoration Ministries, Enugu, had suggested that Nigeria does not need a stingy person in government. What Mbaka regards as being stingy is what sane people in developed countries regard as being thrifty. There is one major problem that many of us in this country have not been able to identify and that is our penchant for waste. Nigerians are not only corrupt, we are also very wasteful and the place where this waste is most prominent is in government circles – it is incredible. Peter Obi’s success in Anambra State was in curbing waste in government. He was so thrift with government resources that while he met the state in debt, he left huge resources in government coffers when he left. Nothing teaches a people frugality than adversity but Nigerians are unable to learn to use scarce resources well because a culture of corruption has made it impossible for us to think these issues through. Everyone is milking the country and are ready to jump ship the moment the country begins to sink. Thankfully, Peter Obi is of another spirit.

I am not under an illusion that it will be an easy ride for Peter Obi to the seat of the presidency of Nigeria. I believe that as things stand, the best that Peter Obi could get will be a few million – perhaps five million votes – which will stand as an advantage for him in 2027. I also believe that fostering a coalition with a popular individual in Northern Nigeria, like former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwansor, will give Obi a major boost during the forthcoming elections. The last card that I will be banking on will be some sort of tsunami – some kind of realization falling on many Nigerians and helping us to realize that we cannot continue to do the same thing in the same way and expect a different result. If after 24 years of PDP and APC this country has not been able to make any significant progress, and all the options the two parties can give to us are two individuals who are better off in nursing homes than in the highest office in the land, it is time we take our destinies in our hands and do the right thing.

I believe the right thing is supporting the presidential ambition of Peter Obi. This is how I became OBIdient. Would you also consider the Peter Obi option?

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/how-i-became-obidient-deji-yesufu/

Politics › How Nigeria Will Get Better By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 9:16am On Jun 02, 2022
How Nigeria will get Better

By: Deji Yesufu

The political situation in Nigeria is at the moment in the process of throwing out different candidates that will bear the flag of the various political parties in the land. While there are almost 100 registered political parties in the country, only two of them have enough reach around the country. These two are the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). There are a few other parties like the SDP, LP, and APGA but most of them have only regional reach. The PDP and APC have become the behemoth that they are because they have once produced people who became president of the country.

So political parties are in the middle of their various primaries. INEC, the country’s political arbiter, has a few days ago extended parties primaries by another six days to give more time for political parties to mop up everything concerning party primaries. When Nigeria came into the fourth republic in 1999, many people did not pay much attention to things like party primaries and because of this a lot of shady deals were cut and people emerged as party representatives in manners that did not conform to the law. INEC has resolved most of these issues at the courts, and with a new electoral act in place, political parties know that they must do everything by the book or risk loosing at the end.

One area that INEC has failed to fix in these electoral processes, though, is the issue of how party representatives are selected at the primaries. Today, we have the delegate system. What it means is that at various levels of selecting candidates for political offices, individuals are selected by the parties to elect people as party representatives. The people who do these election or selection, as the case may be, are called delegates. Delegates are established members of a political party. They are expected to be individuals that are well known in the party, people who are above board and who can make decisions for the party.

In fact I understand that at the national level there are 3,200 delegates who will choose for Nigerians the people who will represent the country for both the APC and the PDP. Now this is where things get interesting: because Nigerian politics have become heavily monetized and the inherent corruption factor has become part and parcel of us, these delegates no longer make choices based on mere observation alone; they elect the highest bidders to office. Ayisha Osori’s book, LOVE DOES NOT WIN ELECTIONS, brings to fore the problem that well intentioned persons undergo to overcome the larger than life presence of the delegate system. You literally have to pay your way into being chosen by your party. I am told that delegates are collecting as much as $15,000 each to elect people as party representatives for House of Representatives. This should give you an idea of how much these delegates will earn at the presidential level.

Now if what I have written above gives you a bleak picture of the state of things in our country, then I have succeeded in showing you why I am still convinced Nigeria can get better. For the rest of the essay, I want to suggest three things that will fix this country.

Nigeria’s Young People: The EndSARS protests was the best thing that happened to Nigeria in the last few years. It was spontaneous; it had a unity of purpose in it; and it was engendered by our country’s young people. The killing of those young people at the Lekki Toll Gate, which brought an abrupt end to the protests, remains a tragedy and a blight on this country’s conscience. I am confident that either in this life or in the life to come, those who killed those young people will face judgement. I digress.

EndSARS showed some of us that the number one thing that will fix Nigeria is her army of young people. Our youths may not have jobs, they may even be denied education but they have a certain drive for creativity and a commitment to forge ahead and make it like no other sets of youths in the world today. A perfect example of this is seen in what Nigerian youths are doing in the music industry. From the mad face Portable to the calm, cool and collected Kizz Daniel, Nigerian young people are producing music that the world is crazy about. And this creativity is not restricted to music alone. We see it in our sports, media and movie industry also. It is only a matter of time, these young people will rise up and replace the old order of things in this country. Nigeria will get better because her young people will only get better at what they do.

Nigeria’s Massive Human Resources: One day the story of how India moved from being a third world country to first, like that of Singapore, will be told. For now India has placed herself and her people in every sphere of world affairs. Indians are about the leading people in Information Technology and the sciences. India has become a major source for medical tourism, especially for people in Africa. Even in the relatively unknown world of Chess, Indians are becoming the leading players of the game. The penultimate world champion in Chess, Vishy Anand, is an Indian and is still very much playing the game. India is what she is today because of her massive human resource. Human resources is the greatest and the best of all the resources that God has given to the nations. That Nigeria has the highest concentration of black people in the world is an advantage that this country will someday benefit from and this is why some of us do not believe that the breaking up of this country will prove advantageous to us. The world has learnt that countries thrive better when they come together and that is why we have such unions like the European Union and others. The larger the better.

The people that usually set off society in a positive direction do not usually have to be many; we only need to have a few people in places of influence and society will have no choice but to get better. The story of my encounter with a young man leading the vehicle licensing office that operates here in Ibadan, which I published a number of months ago, is a case in point. The young man and his team have ensured that vehicular licensing, at least as far as Agodi, Ibadan, is concerned, must be done properly. If such an individual were to move up the ladder of the civil service, he will bring a similar positive change to the whole system he presides over. Imagine what will then happen if we have such persons occupying the office of President, Governors, Legislators, Judges, and so on – with time, our society will become better. The blessing of population is that society has a greater likelihood of producing such people.

Sheer Providence: For many years, Nigeria was under the iron grip of one man called Sanni Abacha. He killed whoever he wished and left alive only those he decreed so. The Nigerian people were constantly under fear. We could not speak freely; the press was gagged and it was as if this was how things will continue to be. Nigerians woke up one morning in 1998 to learn that the evil military despot, that held the whole nation by the jugular, was dead. There were widespread celebrations and in a matter of weeks, the country began to have a semblance of normalcy. Subsequently Nigerians elected their own leaders into office and since 1999, the country has continued to enjoy uninterrupted civilian rule. Those who are thoughtful understood that what happened with Abacha is what we call providence: it pleased God to take away life from the one that had constituted himself as an enemy of the nation. The God who saved us from Abacha can still save this country today.

In spite of a rising army of atheistic youths on the social media today and the despising of the idea of God saving men through prayers, the fact remains that God answers prayers and he still influences the nations through his kind providences. One other reason why we believe that Nigeria will get better is that we pray daily to God to save this country and we trust that God will, one day, raise up leaders to various spheres of our national life so as to cause for things to work properly in the country. There are rumors that one of the reasons why insurgencies still persists in Northern Nigeria is because certain individuals in the top echelon of the Nigerian army are benefitting from the continued conflict. With wars also come the need for the purchasing of arms and ammunition. The whole process shores up illegitimate gains for certain people and the crisis is made to continue to persist because a few people are making money off the blood of others that are being spilled. It is not difficult for God to change such people in a minute. The Christian church will continue to pray and plead with God to send the right people to lead this country and we know that God will answer our prayers.

Conclusion: There is actually no alternative to Nigeria getting better. Some of us have become too old to go to another country to go and begin to struggle to acquire a better life for ourselves. Even if one manages to go abroad, there is still that nagging pull that Nigeria continues to exact on its citizens all around the world. The constant thoughts of Nigerians in the diaspora is how this country can get better. Those of us who are still here have the opportunity to partake in the fixing of this country. There might be little time left for a few of us; we are not likely to enter the promised land because of age but we can bring the country to the point where we are able to actually see the promised land ahead of us. These three items I have suggested in this essay are points we cannot overlook: we can take advantage of our large population; we must invest in our youths; and we cannot cease to pray for Nigeria. And one day we will wake up to behold a New Nigerian nation.

Amen.
Source: https://textandpublishing.com/how-nigeria-will-get-better/

Family › Re: My Wife Of Less Than Two Years Says It's Over Between Us by VBCampaign: 4:26pm On May 26, 2022
I have not read other comments on this thread but I will advise the following course of actions

1. Tell your own parents what is happenings. Let them counsel you on the way forward.

2. I will advise you take the baby from you in laws and give to your parent. Trust me, there is a reason why God made women mothers. You cannot handle a five month old by yourself, even with a nanny.

3. I think your wife will need psychiatric examination. You might need to get her to see a doctor. It is possible she is abusing drugs or something bc her course of action is not naturally.

All the best.
Politics › Re: Thoughts On A Yemi Osinbajo Presidency By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 9:37am On Apr 29, 2022
ivandragon:
The VP, however articulate & cultured, cannot disassociate himself from the shortcomings of this present administration.
I agree. It is the weight he must make Nigerians understand he can remove when he reaches power
Politics › Re: Thoughts On A Yemi Osinbajo Presidency By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 5:34pm On Apr 28, 2022
Ttalk:
"Osinbajo used very little resources to achieve great reach through the use of a modern medium of broadcast."

When we told them that Osinbajo is a departure from archaic politics that he is a hybrid politician that combines old experience with modern savviness they thought it just a promotion stunt, now it is becoming clearer to everyone that the ingenuity this man is bringing into political space is top-notch.

He is clever, brilliant, intelligent and full of wisdom. If you can't see this qualities in him then you lack any of the quality
Gbam!!!
Politics › Thoughts On A Yemi Osinbajo Presidency By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 4:13pm On Apr 28, 2022
Thoughts on a Yemi Osinbajo Presidency

By: Deji Yesufu

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made known his intentions to run for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 11th of April, 2022. Osinbajo published a short video on Twitter to explain to Nigerians why he was the best man for the job come 2023. The video that Osinbajo made was quite ingenious because rather than spending money gathering a crowd at, say the Eagles’ Square, Abuja, Osinbajo utilized the social media. And in the first six hours of posting that video, there were 345,000 views on it and 3 million impressions – setting something of a record in internet videos in Nigeria. In other words, Osinbajo used very little resources to achieve great reach through the use of a modern medium of broadcast. All kinds of reactions have followed his declaration. In fact, before he made his intentions public, Farooq Kperogi had written a piece labeling Osinbajo as a Christian extremist. Kperogi employed the same religious tactics that was used against Buhari in the buildup to the 2015 elections. Kperogi’s allegations has since been debunked by people who work with the Vice President: Osinbajo is not seeking to Christianize Nigeria.

Probably the most publicized reaction to the declaration of Osinbajo for Presidency were those of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. A journalist asked Tinubu what his thoughts were to his “son’s” desire to run for the presidency. Tinubu replied that he had no son old enough to run. Ahmed Tinubu has long made known his intentions to be President of Nigeria. The reason why his response to Osinbajo is quite telling is because Tinubu is believed to be Osinbajo’s benefactor. During Tinubu’s eight-year rule of Lagos State as Governor, 1999-2007, Yemi Osinbajo was his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. When the All Progressive Congress (APC) was created, with the merger of various political parties, the talk was that Ahmed Tinubu was to be Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate.

But with Buhari bringing the baggage of a religious extremist into the political arena and being a Muslim, he could not afford to have another Muslim as his running mate. It is believed that it is at this point that Tinubu acceded to Osinbajo becoming the running mate to Buhari. Today, however, Osinbajo has made it clear that becoming running mate to Buhari was purely on merit and not because he was recommended by Tinubu. Tinubu’s statement that he has no son old enough to run for Presidency is also an indication of the divide that has come between these former political allies. My thoughts in this article will dwell on the pros and cons of a Yemi Osinbajo Presidency. I want to look at the practicality of his emerging as the Presidential flagbearer of the APC. I will also be offering some critical examination of Yemi Osinbajo himself with the aim of determining whether or not this is a person that the Nigerian electorate can entrust their votes to.

Between the 30th and the 31st of May this year, the APC will be converging to elect flagbearers for various political offices for the coming general elections in 2023. Top on the list of this primaries will be the person who is elected as the Presidential flagbearer for the party. This is where established political parties like the APC and the PDP have distinguished themselves in the nation’s political landscape. The problem with many political office aspirants is that many people do not realize the utmost importance of being elected as a flagbearer of either of these two parties. One fact that cannot be erased is that only these two parties have ruled Nigeria at the presidential level since 1999. They produce most of the nation’s governors and house of assembly members.

There are other parties that elect political office holders too but it is safe to say that the PDP and APC constitute no less than 95% of political office holders in the country. Therefore, if anyone is really intent on getting into political office, they will have to get into either these two parties. If they feel they have such popularity in the grassroots, they can try their luck with lesser known parties but by getting the ticket of either the APC or the PDP, one’s chances of getting into political office in Nigeria has been upped by at least 90%. This is why the likes of Omoyele Sowore, Kingsley Moghalu and the others will not become president of Nigeria. It does not matter what political capital they may have; they still need the party structure of established parties like the PDP or the APC. This is another reason why party primaries at these two political parties sometimes could become a do-or-die affair.

Yemi Osinbajo will have to emerge as the Presidential flag bearer of the APC if he must become President of Nigeria. On his path to this great feat will be standing the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Osinbajo’s supporters are making it clear to anyone who wishes to know that Osinbajo does not owe Tinubu anything. They are asking everyone to go to the party’s primaries and may the best man win. Yemi Osinbajo has the office of the Vice President of Nigeria behind him. He is young (compared to the other aspirants), articulate and has a record of being a technocrat turned politician. If he is ever elected President, he will become the most educated person to lead this country – as a professor. Osinbajo had the good fortune of leading Nigeria at short period when his boss, Buhari, was away to the United Kingdom for medical purposes.

The stability that Nigeria is enjoying in the Niger Delta areas is owing to some deals he reached with oil vandals in that region. The country saw a man of authority when he doused the tension that arose as a result of the DSS invading the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly. Clearly, if he ever emerges leader of Nigeria, this man will do well. The trouble however is that as he goes to the Presidential primaries of the APC, he must also approach it with a money chest – something that he is not likely to have. Already he has been forced to cough out 100 million naira for the Presidential form alone. At the primaries, he will have to wage war – naira for naira – with the man that is said to own Lagos State, Tinubu. Nobody knows the extent of the financial chest that Tinubu will bring to the APC primaries. What is clear is that Osinbajo’s work is already cut-out for him.

On a flip-side though, an Osinbajo presidency may not be the Eldorado that many of us are envisioning. The reasons are many but I will simply mention a few so as to quickly bring this essay to an end and not make it too lengthy. First, is the fact that popularity does not mean effectiveness in office. The testimony of the emergence of Buhari as President and his rather lackluster tenure in office, with Osinbajo as his second in command, lends credence to this fact. Yemi Osinbajo will have to prove to voters that the failures of this administration to curtail insecurity and corruption cannot be traced to his table. Second, Nigeria’s problems are endemic: they are more than what one individual can solve in one tenure in office. The whole Nigerian landscape: from political, to religious, to ethnic and even geographical, needs a total overhaul.

The average Nigerian mindset needs total reset. The Nigerian people need to possess a national identity that we all subscribe to and which we are all trying to realize. The country needs an overhaul. The question of restructuring: what to restructure and how we need to go about it, needs to be attended to. Until then, there is no messianic figure in any political entity that will fix this country. Lastly, Yemi Osinbajo will need to prove to Nigerians that he is different. He will need to show us that he is a problem solver. Already by launching his political ambition to the Nigeria people at little or no cost is proof that he is someone who knows the value of money and can maximally utilize it. He will need to go further by properly articulating his vision for development for the Nigerian people. He will need to employ his youthful vigor and charm to win the people to his side. If Yemi Osinbajo is able to cross the deep crevice of the APC national primaries and emerge their presidential flagbearer, he is as good as the President of the country.

I hope that those who read this piece do not conclude that this is an endorsement of a Yemi Osinbajo candidacy by me; it is not.

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/thoughts-on-a-yemi-osinbajo-presidency/

Christianity Etc › Re: Osinachi: God Still Hates Divorce By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 1:55pm On Apr 18, 2022
Debates debatable cool
Christianity Etc › Re: Osinachi: God Still Hates Divorce By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 10:36am On Apr 18, 2022
NNTR:
Malachi 2:14-17
14But you say, “Why [does He reject it]?” Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously. Yet she is your marriage companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your vows].
15But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.
16“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong and violence,” says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously [with your wife].”
17You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or [by asking], “Where is the God of justice?”


1 Corinthians 7:15
But if the unbeliever separates himself, let him separate himself.
The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases.
But God has called you into peace


A well objective written up piece by OP, of which I cannot really improve on and so just will only reaffirm the sentiments of the original post and stamp likes on the thread where deserving

Yes, the situation that led to Osinachi’s death is one that has many sides to it, and some of the sides to the story, I'll one by one list, as follow

1. We have a wolf in sheep clothing for a husband. An animal in human skin husband. Well now that he's gotten rid of the hen that laid the golden eggs, let him enjoy cooling himself off in the state or federal prison

2. We see what legalism gets one. The bible says wisdom is the principal thing, so you get wisdom, and in your getting get understanding.
How Osinachi didnt get the understanding that one doesnt stay in an abusive and toxic relationship, even marriage, we dont know. Self preservation, the protection of oneself from harm or death, is especially regarded as, a basic instinct in human beings and even animals.

Violence, meaning, any or all behaviours, involving physical force with intent to hurt, maim, or kill someone or something, is not the fruit of the Spirit, so how will anyone explain loving, endorsing or condoning violence?

Malach 2:16, thats been weaponised and used to unduly scare people from escaping toxic, abusive and deadly relationships

3. 1 Corinthians 7:15 is a useful and informative verse, if to list just one verse alone, as its evident that God has not called anyone into violent and toxic relationships. Morever a believer will not maltreat, abuse, assault his/her partner.

4. Osinachi was let down by the same church, now shedding crocodile tears in the aftermath of her demise. Osinachi couldn't by herself, set herself free because she felt she'll be blacklisted, ostracised and made a pariah, by a mean spirited church, who will base their arguments on their flawed excuse of her being a divorced person and so she cant be invited to their events to perform praise and worship ministrations

5. Evil prevails, when the good say or do nothing. Osinachi's twin sister, kept quiet. They sing together, she witnessed her suffering yet did nothing. Fellow gospel singer, Frank Edwards described the husband of late Osinachi, as abusive, yet he too, did nothing. If Osinachi were to be his sister, would he have loved others in the know, keep quiet too, hmm?

As for Dr Paul Enenche and all that his pulpit gra gra. Why DIDNT he get whiff of all this through the prophetic, anointing or something, hmm? Classic case, of having a form of godliness but lacking the power thereof

Sister Osinachi didnt want to lose face and ended up losing her life because of that. Ministers that invited her to come minister at their events, knew about the toxic relationship she had with her husband, but none of them, called out, until after she passed on. They started singing like canary birds after her demise, saying they knew about her abusive relationship but couldn't voice out because Osinachi asked them not to

Well, suffice to say, that, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men/women to do nothing. All in the know, will have to carry the burden on their chest of 'wish I had called out, wish I had snitched'

What a beautiful woman and gift WASTED away just like that. All because of greed. Osinachi RIP, if not, then RIP. Sun re ooo.
- Return if possible, if not soon, then Rest in peace

Personal text: Jesus is not a theologian. He is God who told stories.
smiley wink
Christianity Etc › Re: Osinachi: God Still Hates Divorce By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 5:10pm On Apr 17, 2022
Olaleyeabdullah:
Apt
Gratias
Christianity Etc › Re: Osinachi: God Still Hates Divorce By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 4:57pm On Apr 17, 2022
Malory:
They don start again after they will deny ever saying anything like this
Did you read the article?
Christianity Etc › Osinachi: God Still Hates Divorce By Deji Yesufu by VBCampaign(op): 4:54pm On Apr 17, 2022
God Still Hates Divorce

By: Deji Yesufu

“God seeks godly offspring. Therefore, take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of your youth. For the God Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce…” Malachi 2:15-16

The death of gospel musician Osinachi Nwachukwu, reportedly at the hands of her husband, has elicited all kinds of response among Nigerians in the past one week. The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has taken up the matter – promising justice for Osinachi. I understand that the woman’s husband has been arrested and presently being investigated by the Nigerian police. Most of the virulent response has come from the public – particularly feminists, who continue to postulate their doctrine of “… to hell with all men…”; “… men are not all that…”. Abimbola Adelakun of Punch newspapers adds to these narratives when she wrote “… People routinely shame women’s inability ‘to keep a man’ as if men are a piece of land in Eko Atlantic …” In other words, men are not worth much – a piece of land is much better than keeping a husband.

My article has been elicited by both the death of Osinachi and the article that Adelakun wrote. There is very little for me dispute in Adelakun’s article except that I wish to correct the notion, which the title of her article carries, that God does not hate divorce. Adelakun claims that the position of Malachi 2:16 is not timeless but only relevant for an ancient people – the people of Israel. Our modern liberated world need not submit to such antediluvian notions like submitting to a man in a marriage or keeping the bonds of marriage no matter what might threaten it. To be fair to Adelakun, the Malachi 2 scripture is not a scripture that legitimizes staying in an abusive marriage. In fact, a careful reading of the text, as I have replicated above, shows that God is actually concerned with how men treat their wives in the marriage. One part of the text earlier stated that God is witness of how men treat their wives; then it warns against treacherously dealing with the wife; and finally, it counsels against careless and unthoughtful putting away of the woman.

The context of that scripture is an admonition to men not to break their marriage covenant easily. So when a Christian quotes “God hates divorce”, they are not legitimizing bad marriages as feminists tend to claim; rather they are asking married people to treat their spouses well and not abuse them. I understand that a shallow mouthing of “God hates divorce” could be some people’s way of covering abuse in marriage. The scripture however never had such intentions in mind. In the rest of this essay, I will be arguing for viral marriages in spite of so much abuse that goes on in our society.

The words of the Holy Bible, like those that counsel against divorce, are usually words that are directed at God’s covenant people. In the Old Testament these people were the Jews. In the New Testament, those people are the Church. The place of the Christian Church, a godly society, is one that too many people either take for granted or have no idea what it should be. Besides preaching the gospel and helping the saints to walk lives that are honoring to God, the Church is also called to be a place of refuge for God’s people.

One of the institutions that need the Church covering the most are marriages. And the job of the minister in the Church does not begin with settling disputes in marriages, it begins long before the marriage is put together. Jesus said what God has put together, let no one put asunder (Matthew 19:6). Tunde Bakare thinks that the flip side of that scripture is that if God has not put a marriage together, the natural tendency is for anything to put it asunder. Most marital challenges never developed within marriage; they started long before the couple were married. And this is where the church comes in.

A Christian Church worth is salt must be concerned with marrying only Christians. In fact, the minister of a church must have discernment to know who and who is a Christian in his congregation. So that the moment such individuals want to get married, he knows what to say about the marriage. Christian ministers must marry genuine born again individuals. It is possible that one part in the relationship is saved, while the other is not. A brief period of counselling these individuals should reveal to the pastor the eternal state of this person’s heart. If they are not Christians, the pastor must stand against the wedding.

At least he must ensure that his church has no hand in the union of that couple. It all begins with putting together persons who are possessed of the Holy Spirit; individuals who are have a living conscience; people who can hear God from the Holy Scriptures; and individuals who will submit to God, to the church, to the scriptures and to one another in holy matrimony. The moment a church marries a wolf to a sheep, you should expect that one will devour the other eventually.

After the church has put these two together, the church must take up the responsibility of discipling the couple. Discipling will include teaching the couple the way of Christ and the dictates of a Christian home. A man is taught to love and lead his wife and children. The woman is taught to submit to and obey her husband. Couples must be taught to be truly one in mind, body and finances. Some churches counsel that couples keep a joint account. This is something that I also advocate but this will be impossible if the man is a wolf and the woman is a sheep – or the other way round. It is the process of teaching a couple to live together that many times occasion a minister discerning the state of individual homes. This is where the monster of mega-churches come to play. Where the congregation is too large, a pastor cannot discern the state of peoples’ hearts. When the congregation is small and a minister looks at a woman’s eyes, whether she says it or not, he can tell she is undergoing things in her home.

A little period of counseling will reveal what might be happening, and a good church must step in to protect the woman, the sheep, from the man – the wolf. Where there has been constant, unrepentant abuse, the woman must be separated from the man and the man must be put on church discipline. He will remain in that state until the church can discern repentance in him. The woman can then be allowed to return to him. If the abuse continues, the church may, with discretion, bring an end to the marriage and ensure that the woman is well catered for – along with her children. The church must be able to handle such marital disputes and there is no need for God’s people to take themselves before ungodly men to dissolve their marriage.

The situation that led to Osinachi’s death is multifaceted and such things will continue to happen until God’s people commit themselves to following what the Bible commands them. First, our churches must be filled with converted persons. Second, the gospel must be preached in our churches. Our ministers should live out the truth of holy scripture in all of its ramifications. When these are done, God gives the church wisdom to handle situations that come their way. When scripture said that God hates divorce, the Bible did not have unbelievers at heart. The Bible had a community of gospel believing people in heart. It is such a community that loves God and his word. It is such a community that respects the tenets of the Bible.

It is such a community where sincere love exists among spouses. Even when there might have been disagreements that had once or twice degenerated to disputes, the church can come in and counsel each parties in the matter. Then the Holy Spirit brings forgiveness and healing to hurting heart. At the close of the day, the suffering woman thanks God that she remained in her marriage, because she sees God change the bullish man into a lamb. God hates divorce because divorce too many times is an easy answer to a more complex situation that involves inherent sin, Satan and the struggle between righteousness and darkness overwhelming a home. A situation which left to remain as it is could lead many times to broken homes and broken children.

The world should not rewrite the Bible’s teaching for us because of one or two situations that may give credence for it. Osinachi’s death is very unfortunate but what killed her is a lot more complex than the Church which has committed itself to obeying God’s command for more 2,000 years and has had little reason to regret it.

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/

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