₦airaland Forum

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who's from South West Nigeria has been tagged to the tweets, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has been called into too, and the attention of the incoming Governor has been sought too.

There is nowhere in the world this sort of nonsense is done.

"Save our roads in Ibadan." Residents cry.

A thread commenced on Twitter by @Dwitters showed how neighborhood roads were destroyed by telecoms company who dig up these roads, put network cables in them but refuse to place the tar back.

Some of these roads are beginning to deteriorate, firming gulleys in the process.

The State Government had spent a lot of resources to rehabilitate those roads before the elections, only for these companies, with active connivance of LGA officials, to destroy them.

The people of Oyo State are saying "enough is enough!!!"

CrescentMoon:
An angelic man visited me in a dream. Before him, two others claimed to be angels but they failed my tests (I asked them random questions). When I was satisfied the last man was an angel, I asked him how to test spirits and he led me to 1John 4:2. I was very excited. Then I asked for his name and he told me. I know what that character is well known for in the Bible and I asked for his gift. He touched my head and said "done". I forgot to ask for every other things I wished for in this life. Then he said, "Your have been given a new name which is " - - ". I googled that name and didn't find any meaning for it except that it's a surname in Indonesian language. I connected Indonesians on Facebook who bear the surname to tell me the meaning. None of them granted the request. What do you think, bro?

MuttleyLaff has met his match in mysticism

The Joshua Iginla Matter

By: Deji Yesufu

It is no longer news that another Pentecostal Pastor has bitten the dust regarding moral matters in the conduct of his ministry. Joshua Iginla, a leading Charismatic/Pentecostal Pastor in Abuja, Nigeria, some weeks ago, made an open confession in his church about engaging in extramarital affairs. Some individuals had been blackmailing Mr. Iginla, threatening to expose his sordid lifestyle – so he made the open confession to evade blackmail. But that was not all. Iginla, in his confession, succeeded in blaming his wife for his moral failure. He claimed that his wife had gotten pregnant for another man and had brought an “unholy child” into their home. He said the frustrations he was under as a result of his wife’s actions led him to also father a child out of wedlock. Following the confession, he has now put an end to his marriage.

After his confession, the media was again inundated with yet another story on the Iginlas. Pastor Iginla, while narrating his story in church, left out the fact that he had long been married to his baby mama – a South African “Prophetess”- who was expecting their second child. Mrs. Iginla, who resides in far away United States, also published a video on social media where she sought to wash herself clean by blaming “Stella” (who is Mr. Iginla’s baby mama). Mrs. Iginla said, among other things, that Stella had requested that she share her husband with her. And that if she does not agree to this, she would collect her husband from her. Somehow, as Mrs. Iginla would have us believe, Stella has now succeeded in her plans.

My grouse with this whole Joshua Iginla magana is not with the sordid stories that are emanating from the home of a leader of a Christian organization. For me, scandals is the norm in Pentecostal churches. In the decade that we are completing, the Nigerian church has been immersed in more than enough stories of sexual scandals from these new generation churches, such that no one is surprised by them anymore. When Ese Walters revealed her sexual philandering with Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA, the nation had more than enough to talk about. But Mr. Fatoyinbo wisely left everyone hanging by simply stating that he would give a “robust response” to his accuser. It is six years now and he has said nothing. Mrs. Oyakhilome, wife of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, filed for divorce some years ago. She stated in her written statement to the courts that her husband was having unholy relations with female pastors in the church. The divorce came and went, and the church returned to business.

Nigerian Pentecostal churches are places where scandals thrive. That a pastor in these churches is involved in sexual sins is not a big deal. It is simply stated that the minister “fell” and it is the duty of the church to cover him up and ensure that he is restored to ministry again. There is no discipline and where there is one it turns out to be a pat on the back. Nigerian Pentecostal churches have a low view of holiness and do not give premium to leaders being examples to followers in moral matters. It is the reason why in such churches all sort of sordid things go on there. It is simple: the things that these churches give premium to are prosperity and miracles. And somehow they understand that a high moral standard in church would not affect these things that they seek after. So there are manifestations of all kinds of demonic activities in their midst.

Sometime in the early part of 2018, an American minister by the name Art Azurdia, came out openly to the board of elders in his church that he had been involved in moral failure twice in his ministry. The second one was what led to his confession but he also made it clear to the church that there had been another occasion, some ten years earlier. While the church board considered what they would do to him, Pastor Azurdia wrote an open letter to the church board, members of his church and to the whole Christian community around the world. He affirmed publicly what he had told his elders in private. He then resigned his job as a pastor. He requested that all his retirement benefits be withheld from him. He explained that he needed to leave town to go along with his wife to attend to some family needs. In short, he disqualified himself from ministry. The church has since moved on. The story of Art Azurdia and his response to his own moral failure is what one would refer to as true repentance. He might have lost his ministry but he surely has returned to a relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The leading reason why there are few Art Azurdias in Nigerian Pentecostal churches is because many Pentecostal Pastors have no relationship with Jesus Christ. To say it succinctly: many of these Pastors are not Christians. They have no changed life; they are not born again; they are sinners heading to an eternity without God without Christ. My argument against Pentecostalism has been that very few Pentecostal churches still preach a Christian gospel. And where there is no gospel message preached there can be no conversion of sinners. It is the gospel that saves sinners. When men understand why Jesus Christ lived and died and rose again; when they understand that Christ died to save them from their own sins (and not salvation from sin AND sickness and poverty); when people see the crucified Christ in the gospel they hear; it is then they would turn to God in genuine repentance and find sincere faith in God. Pentecostal churches, particularly those that have been taken over by the Word of Faith heresy, would preach all kinds of warped message and call it the gospel. Then they would give an altar call. People who have not understood their state as sinners would come out, “give their lives to Christ” and then begin a journey into a false Christian profession. With time they would receive some experience with speaking with tongues. Those that have some education would be invited to leadership positions and ministry begins.

There has been no conversion experience that is definite and that show one leaving a life of sin to a life of godliness. There has been no careful discipleship in the word of God. There has been no process of learning to deal with one’s own lust and personal iniquity – to the point of mastering one’s own sins. There are no examples in ministry for these men to imitate. Rather the preponderance of tithes and offering makes ministry attractive for these men and with time they come into leadership position and all kinds of hell break loose. The kind of evil works going on in these churches in the name of “ministry” cannot be described. Only eternity would reveal them. Those who have young daughters would do well to warn them against going to Nigerian new generation churches. Except you want to breed a sex slave under your roof.

What has piqued me the most about the Joshua Iginla matter is not the fact that the man fell; that is really not news. The number of Pentecostal pastors still “standing” in Nigeria can be counted on a person’s fingers. What is most annoying about the Iginla matter is that people think it is not a big deal. Our sense of moral outrage has been so lowered in this country that nothing shocks us anymore. Even as I write, Mr. Iginla is still doing ministry. What a shame.

There is little that is worse than a Pastor, who ought to be teaching moral standards and exemplifying them through his own practical life, to be found having failed in morals and to also be making efforts to cover his tracks in the process. It is evil. It is worse than armed robbery. It is a betrayal of people’s trust. And quite naturally, as we saw in Azurdia’s case, such a person ought to willingly resign his ministry. If he has truly shown repentance and has exhibited such fruits, his church may consider him for reinstatement. But he ought not to continue to preach to people. What exactly would he be saying?

In Nigeria, he very well can continue to preach because morality is not the message our pastors teach anymore. They do not live nor do they have any moral sense left in them. Besides, the church is their own. They built it. “It is my ministry” and no one dare take it away from them. They do not have anyone overseeing their work. They are accountable to no one. This is the making of Joshua Iginla and the days to come will reveal more and more of these sordid matters in Nigerian Pentecostal churches.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

http://mouthpiece.com.ng/the-joshua-iginla-matter/

“How Pius Are You?”

By: Deji Yesufu

Last week Wednesday, 13th March 2019, students and lecturers of the University of Ibadan had a processional walk in memory of the Prof. Pius Adesanmi who died in a plane crash in Ethiopia on the 9th of March this year. Pius Adesanmi had a Masters Degree in French from the University of Ibadan and he had since developed friendship with a number of people at the university. He was billed for a conference at the university this June; unfortunately the cold hands of death has cut short those plans now.

The procession began at the university’s general car park by the school’s main gate. Students, lecturers and well wishers, numbering about four hundred, walked from the car park to the Faculty of Arts – where Pius had obtained his degree. The procession later moved on to the Institute of African Studies, where a candle light walk was held in his memory. At the Faculty of Arts, people who knew Pius Adesanmi, spoke glowingly about his person. Students read from his essays and lecturers eulogized him. One particular statement, made by Prof. Remi Raji, a very close friend of Pius Adesanmi, forms the heading of my article today. Remi Raji, after giving a glowing tribute on Adesanmi, stating among other things that with the death of Pius Adesanmi a library has been burnt down, he went on to admonish his listeners by asking the question: “how Pius are you?”

Remi Raji made this statement to show in one hand that Pius Adesanmi was such an accomplished academic that other people could measure their own life accomplishment by his. At only 47 years of age, Pius’ works stood at a staggering height with other literary geniuses in the world. Thus Remi Raji asked “how Pius are you?” to remind us that we also could pursue great heights in life and accomplish great things.

Despite economic challenges that Pius Adesanmi had to grapple with while he was an undergraduate at the University of Ilorin (in one article, Pius wrote about how his mother sold her jewelleries so he could buy a required textbook for school), yet he came out with a first class degree in French. If a student would be “Pius” in life, he should never allow his economic circumstances deter his educational pursuit. One may not make a first class but one can achieve something worthwhile regardless of one’s economic circumstances. Those who claim not to be able to get an education because they lack resources are not being “Pius” at all. If a Pius Adesanmi can emerge from school at a point of near penury, everyone of us can get an education and emerge with good results. “How Pius Are You?”

At a memorial gathering held for Pius Adesanmi in Abuja, one of the people that attended was the ignominious Dino Melaye. The organizers of the event even allowed him to speak! Is it that no one realized how Pius Adesanmi castigated wasteful and unthoughtful politicians like Dino Melaye? Would Pius Adesanmi have supported a politician who spends all of his free law making time displaying his wealth on social media? There is nothing “Pius” about Dino Melaye and the organizers should have known that Pius Adesanmi would never have wished to be associated with folks like Dino.

Pius Adesanmi maintained a truism that Nigerian politicians are against the Nigerian masses getting quality education because they that if the people’s minds get enlightened they would not be available to be used as political thugs nor would they fall for the peanuts they give them at polling booths. Pius Adesanmi sought for Nigerians youths to get quality education; he believed that there was no greater wealth a person could possess than to have an enlightened mind. Pius spoke often about his father who was a secondary school principal and who taught him to read books that expanded his mind even as a child. Nigerian students would be “Pius” if they spent less time watching television and more time reading books that would enlighten their minds. “How Pius are Nigerian students?”

The kindness and generosity of Pius Adesanmi has been testified to by many Nigerians. Pius came from a middle class family who had to endure the economic crunch instilled on Nigerians by the corrupt military administrations that led Nigeria in his growing days. Because he knew what it means to be poor, he was quite generous with his resources, talents and time. Many have spoken of how he encouraged them to pursue further education in their fields of study. On the night of the memorial held at University of Ibadan, I met Mrs. Olutope Amudipe who told me that she reached Pius Adesanmi through Facebook inbox and he had encouraged her to pursue a Masters Degree at the African Studies. She eventually settled for Traditional African Medicine as a course and is almost completing her studies now. She never met him; they were billed to meet for the first time in June before the cold hands of death put an end to it all.

Since his death, so many people have published screenshots of their private conversations with Pius Adesanmi. At some point I began to wonder if the man had nothing else to do than counselling people online. Yet, he was a full time Professor with Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. There he was the head of their African Studies unit. He was an editor with Saharareporters and other online news portals. And he kept being guest to hundreds of conferences around the world. One of which he was attending when he perished in a plane crash. Most people who knew Pius Adesanmi said he was always in a hurry. It was as if he knew his time was short; he sort to do so many things at the short time available for him. How Pius are we all in the use of our time? Do we realize that we would not be alive forever? One day would come and we would be dead. Would the world have anything to read about us? Shall we still be speaking through our letters, articles and books, even as Pius Adesanmi is doing today? How “Pius” are we really are?

As we mourn the untimely death of Prof. Pius Adesanmi we should realize that everyone of us can be a lot more productive with our time as Pius Adesanmi was. We can pursue knowledge and seek to enlighten the minds of people around us, particularly children to whom the future of this country belong – as Pius Adesanmi did. We can detest the sought of warped politics in Nigeria that Pius Adesanmi condemned all his life. We can choose to be good citizens and paint a good picture of Nigeria in the diaspora as Pius Adesanmi did. We all can be “Pius” in our own right.

May the memory of Pius Adesanmi remain blessed in the hearts of all who knew him. Amen.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He may be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: http://mouthpiece.com.ng/how-pius-are-you/

UceeGod, I though this was your personal testimony. I'll return to it after church. Very powerful...

Until I meet MuttleyLaff in person I'll probably always be in awe of his wisdom - even when he disagrees with me.

This picture was gleaned from Facebook. Photographer is unknown. Yet picture speaks a million words.

Would you caption the photo?

I think "Sweet Mother" does.

UceeGod:
Postmodernism has creeped into the Church. Christians no longer keep to the Word for direction. It's even evident from the responses here.

Thank you

MuttleyLaff:
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children;
and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you."
- Genesis 3:16

"¹⁰When Jesus had lifted himself up, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her,
Woman, where are those your accusers? has no man condemned you?
¹¹She said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more."
- John 8:10-11

https://vimeo.com/11058446
Watch this "Called and Gifted" testimony video clip

VBCampaign, I don’t agree with what you say and though it feels like a kick in the stomach, I still, will defend to the death, your right to say all the ill-informed, quasi-misogynist and male chauvinism views, posted up here.

Joyce, Paula and Juanita arent exactly poster women in leading roles, I agree but I see you are still caught up in the latter part of Genesis 3:16 pitfall and forgotten to accept the truth and/or admit the existence of John 8:10-11


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf0WTUAM_Rk
I wonder how God felt when Mary laid her hands on Him, cleaned His bum etcetera. Even went to the extent of sleeping on her chest and suckle at her bosoms

I'll view the video and revert

Why Women Should Not Be Pastors

By: Deji Yesufu

A recent discussion on social media led to a focus on the question of whether or not women should be pastors in our day. As I engaged a particular lady on the question, two words emerged that I needed a dictionary to find out what exactly they meant. They are: misogynist and patriarchal. A misogynist is a person who despises or is strongly prejudiced against women. Patriarchal, on the other hand, is a system of government run only by men. So, quite naturally, I was called a misogynist and the Bible, from which I was taking my authority from, was labelled patriarchal. When a debate is reduced to such fundamental definitions and the other side is unable to see that they just may be wrong, it is better to call an end to the discussion. While I have ended the debate on social media, I thought I could express my thoughts clearly here in my column.

While it is OK for anyone to refer to me as misogynist, I would humbly state that I am not. I do not despise nor am I prejudiced against women. I had a lovely mother and I am married to the most beautiful woman on earth. I have a daughter whom I am hoping to train up to be the most powerful woman on earth. But no matter how powerful my daughter becomes, she would still remain a woman and that is a lesson I hope I would drum into her as I train her up into adult life. The other misconception that must be put aright is that the Bible is not patriarchal. The Bible is the word of God. Indeed the extent to which Christians and the congregations they belong to hold the Bible as inspired and inerrant, is the extent to which they would understand the peculiar place of the woman in the world that God made.

Let me state it up front that I hold that a woman cannot be a Pastor solely because the Bible teaches this. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12, and 1 Timothy 3:2 are scriptures that speaks expressly to the issue: women cannot exercise authority over men; women cannot teach men in church; women should be silent in church; a woman cannot be “husband of one wife” – only men can be that; etc. These are biblical and authoritative statements and in a world where the inspiration of the Bible had not be attacked, such a statement would be obeyed and not argued with. Besides, it is certainly in the spirit of these words that led Christ to elect men, and not women, as his disciples. The argument that the system of Christ’s day was patriarchal would certainly not hold water because in that case every other command of the scriptures can be wished away in the name of the culture of those days. We do ourselves a lot of good by simply obeying biblical commands and not debating them.

Then there is the fact that even nature dictates this. The family is the smallest unit of a society. Most people are agreed that the man is the head of a family and that a family functions best when a man leads it. On the other hand, the church is a conglomerate of families; gathered together to worship Jesus Christ. If the man leads the family, why would anyone expect that a woman would lead a conglomeration of families? It would clearly be out of place and even nature would abhor it. The matter of women seeking to lead churches in pastoral ministry is a reflection of the decadence in society that is creeping into the church. When men have failed to be men in their homes and have relinquished their responsibilities to their wives, it is no surprise that the women are seeking positions in church too.

In other cases, when churches have become a place of stardom, women would also be also seeking to enter into the limelight - to become celebrity pastors too. If pastoral ministry consisted of the weight of responsibility that it ought to be, women would not dare to be pastors. The fact of the matter is that God who made the man and the woman, designed them for certain roles. The man provides for his home. The woman gives birth to children. Would anyone suggest that a man should come forward and give birth to a child? If this is not practical, then it should equally be impractical to ask women to lead churches as pastors. It is just not the role that the creator has made them to occupy.

Then there is the matter of authority. As the leader of the home, a man comes into society with a sense of responsibility that is equipped with a God given authority. It is a similar authority that a man brings to pastoral ministry. A pastor’s primary duty is to preach the gospel and he should declare this message with authority. He should reel out God’s holy standards to men and demand that they believe the gospel as well as repent of their sins. This is no mean task. In the days of Jesus, it was said that he spoke with authority – an authority that the Pharisees lacked. It is clear that when gospel content begin to diminish on the pulpit and preaching becomes an “appeal” or a “suggestion” and not a declaration, it quickly becomes an all comers affairs.

When matters that are serious are to be discussed in a normal family, members tell themselves that these matter cannot be resolved outside the father’s presence. The same goes with preaching: the father, the Pastor, the man, must be the person declaring the counsel of God to a conglomerate of families in the churches. When the gospel has lost its power, it quickly becomes an all comers affair. This is why women can very easily be suggested as pastors. In the days when gospel preaching came with paying a heavy price; if by preaching a message one risked being incarcerated, the wheat would long have been separated from the chaff. Women would never have found pastoral work attractive.

In my meditation into women in ministry, I find one person that stands out. She is the woman missionary to Calabar, Nigeria, in the late 19th century – Mary Slessor. The biography of this woman records that she had an exceptional ministry in her lifetime. She brought the gospel to communities in present day Cross River State and helped establish social reforms – one which ended the killing of twins in that part of the country. Does Mary Slessor put to nought my argument in this piece? I do not think so.

I think that Mary Slessor was an exception in the work of God, rather than the norm. I think that eternity would show that Ms. Slessor was called into that ministry when men failed to take up the task – and the task must be done; even if God would raise up stones to do it. Another thing that I see in her case is that Ms. Slessor remained a man in a sense since she never did get married. I am convinced that a married woman, that is bearing children, has her ministry already cut out for her: to help her husband in family life and to take care of her children. She is to endeavour to raise those children up to godly seeds. Working to ensure that the boys become responsible men in society and the girls responsible wives to their husbands. A woman who is married has no business in pastoral ministry. The mere fact that Ms. Slessor never married freed her to the evangelistic work that she did in Calabar. Lastly, I think in a sense Mary Slessor was an evangelist and not a pastor. Her biography records that she often set out to break new frontiers for the gospel in those days – while the men she had trained carried out the work of pastoring the congregations gathered.

I am convinced that the quest for women to be pastors today is not unconnected with the vain glory that pastoral ministry comes with in our day. It is just like politicians who do everything to get into political office. This happens because the gains of office far outweighs the responsibilities of office. Very few people realize the enormous responsibility that comes with pastoring the souls of men. They do not realize that pastors would give account, before God, of every soul that passed through their ministry. They do not realize that God would hold many men responsibly for the eternal ruin of many who ought to have been taught the way of salvation but had spent most of their ministry doing frivolous things. If women realize that God has created certain gender for certain roles, they would not be seeking to be pastors. The waterloo of many in the eternal state would be doing things that God never called them to do.

I am thoroughly convinced both by the testimony of the Bible and by the witness of nature that women are not crafted by God to be pastors. Therefore women should not be pastors. Those that are already pastors have the opportunity this day to repent and to find some other useful thing to use their lives for. Those of you going to women-led churches, you would do well to find a truly Bible believing church to go to – for thine eternal soul sake.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2035147543228112&id=1505609702848568

sisisioge:


A won omo oyinbo adorable

Thanks

Esther Oluwadarasimi and Grace Oluwatofarati are 4 and 7 years old. They are daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Reilly in Ireland. They are here wishing all Nigerians happy and peaceful elections.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzyETRuaiqI&feature=youtu.be

Oyo Politics: The Race to Agodi

By: Deji Yesufu

Oyo State was one of two states in South West Nigeria were the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won in the Presidential elections that held on February 23, 2019. Most political observers who saw the mode of voting in the state that Saturday, had predicted a wide margin of victory for Atiku Abubakar in Ibadan. It however turned out that he won by a little over a thousand votes only. This result has sent shock waves down the spine of political warlords in South Western Nigeria. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) leader, has determined that Oyo State is not lost to the opposition – particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

In Oyo State the leading contenders for the seat of power in Agodi (Ibadan) are Adebayo Adelabu, the one called Penkelemesi, of the APC; Seyi Makinde of the PDP; Femi Lanlehin of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). Since the results of the Presidential elections emerged, the APC has been pursuing an alliance with Akala of the ADP. The reason is because Akala has a block of votes from the four local government that make up Ogbomoso that are usually game changers for any contender for the governorship in the State. Akala is an Ogbomoso man and he is known to cart away no less than 95% of the votes from that part of the State. If Adelabu is able to reach an alliance with Akala, his march to Agodi is almost sure.

This scenario is however threatened by the rising profile of Engr. Seyi Makinde of the PDP. Seyi Makinde entered into Oyo politics in 2007 as a very young man. In fact, the only thing that the people of the state tended to hold against him was his seeming lack of experience. He has however remained dogged in his ambition to be Governor of the State and has sought the seat at Agodi at every election these twelve years. In 2018, he outsmarted Rashidi Ladoja in the Oyo State PDP and gained control of the party. He eventually emerged as the party’s Gubernatorial candidate. His profile has been on the rise since then. Seyi Makinde also continued to increase in popularity in the light of the miscalculations of the incumbent Governor, Abiola Ajimobi. When Ajimobi moved bulldozers and destroyed the radio station of Yinka Ayefele, a leading gospel musician in South West Nigeria, Seyi Makinde was about the first to pay him a condolence visit. The picture of Mr. Makinde standing by a distraught Ayefele went viral and was indeed suggesting to the people of Oyo State that he was a better substitute to whoever would succeed Ajimobi. The Ajimobi government made all efforts to rebuild both Ayefele’s house and their own ruined reputation after this, but the damage had been done. Ibadan people had taken note and they were going to pay back to whoever sought to run on Ajimobi’s party.

Thus entered Adelabu. Adebayo Adelabu is the grandson of the Ibadan political warlord of the 1950s – Adegoke Adelabu. He has since inherited his grandfather’s nickname – Penkelemesi. Adelabu has done extremely well in the cooperate world. He was a top manager at First Bank before going on to become deputy Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank. He has since resigned his job to run for political office. One down side of Adelabu is the resurrection of political violence that his campaigns seem to bring everywhere he goes. His supporters are mostly transporters who are known to utilize guns to threaten their opponents and cower people into submission. It is feared that a vote for Adelabu shall be a vote for a return to the dark days of brigandage in Oyo State political life.

To give Adelabu an edge at the polls, Tinubu has sought an alliance with Adebayo Akala. It is very likely that the Ogbomoso old political fox would give in. Then the Asiwaju of Lagos has called Abiola Ajimobi to take a back seat in Oyo State politics this week of the elections. Tinubu’s argument is that Ibadan is not necessarily unhappy with the APC; it is Ajimobi they cannot stand. For this reason, the people of Oyo voted in two Senators from the APC but refused to give Ajimobi a seat to Nigeria’s 9th senate. The same fate befell the President, making him to loose the State to Atiku. Tinubu is determined that this would not happen again.

If there is a state that has the possibility of going into a run-off come March 9th, 2019, it is Oyo State. The race to be Governor in this state would be close and stiff; only the strongest will survive. The opposition would need all the resources to monitor the votes that come in for them. They would need to ensure that there are no stolen votes. At the close of the race, this writer predicts that Seyi Makinde would emerge Governor of Oyo State. It would be the beginning of the end of the political dominance of Tinubu in South West Nigeria. This would be happening even as power will be removing from the APC to the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Ogun State, the party backed by the incumbent Governor - Ibikunle Amosun.

In Oyo State it would be fight to finish.
Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2026423364100530&id=1505609702848568

May God help our soldiers in this NEXT LEVEL...

I FEEL SICK.......really sick right now

I think I'm in SHOCK...My friend is gone. My very own guy is dead today as we're out on a mission, my course mate and my brother just died like that #tears. A father who's wife jst put to bed and a graduate � of B.sc Chemistry who probably out of the frustration of the useless condition of this country put his Degree aside and joined the military to defend his country and support his family........

Now he's dead and mom n dad still home praying for safety. Now he's gone and young wife probably breastfeeding little princess right now singing "Daddy is coming home soon"

Not long he came up to me and asked what's my plan cuz he's planning dropping the Army job to do something else with his Degree and be close to his two little daughters. I told him I'm leaving too but wanna fix just one thing b4 I resign.

See the risky lifestyle we living out here. It's like we're on an Island surrounded by a big ocean full of sharks. We are in the middle of the whole demons and nobody even give a Bleep! We gat to go out everyday and they constantly waiting everyday to try kill us all.

I'm jst wondering, how is it that One minute we were talking and laughing as I joke and yab him and the next minute he's blown away into pieces as he stepped on a mines.

My tears dropped with so much pain and anger as I stood there Looking at his shattered Body parts scattered all over the place.

Every part of his body is torn into pieces except his chest up to his head and I could still see the calmness on his face like he's still alive. His eyes were still open and it's like he was looking at me and wanting to say something nice.

Hmmmm... Life is nothing...and As soon as that God's breath is gone out of us we become nothing but meat.

Today I only pray that this BREATH in my friend return to God in Heaven... But I still hope u will come back to life bro cuz I totally disagree with you leaving this way at this time. "For God sake you just had a baby gal and she's gonna be needing her Dady! "

But what can I do?

RIP BRO.... May God accept your soul in Jesus name...

WE GONNA MISS U FOREVER ...

ogawisdom:
Sex is cheaper than pure water these days so any woman denying his husband sex will learn from his experience Las las

Other related matters:

WHY MARRIED MEN PREFERRED US TO THEIR WIVES – SEX WORKERS

Visits to some of brothels and hotels within the Lagos metropolis had revealed that sex workers engage both single and married men in romps with the greater number of their patrons were married men who they also preferred dealing with.

P.M.EXPRESS correspondent who had observed for weeks decided to find out why married men patronize sex workers despite that they had in most cases beautiful wives in their various homes.

It turned out to be shocking revelations from both patrons and workers.

Some of the brothels and hotels our reporter visited were located at Agege, Idimu, Shasha, Mushin, Ikotun, Igando, Yaba, Ejigbo and other areas in the state.

One of the commercial sex workers, simply known as Jenifer and who operates in Shasha area of Lagos said that most of her clients were married men.

According to her, though she used to collect good money from them, she still pitied them as she learnt their wives were not really taking care of their emotional needs at home.

Jennifer narrated that one of her clients opened up and complained that he got married some years ago and they had three children. But after the birth of their third child, the wife had practically abandoned him and faced the children without knowing that he needed care as well as the children.

She said that as a graduate, she knew what those men needed and they were not getting them in their different homes and then decided to work on them.

She revealed that these men mostly stuck to her and had been paying reasonable money unlike the single men who came with many fake stories.

The lady further narrated that she had three regular married clients and whenever they came, she made sure that she treated them well.

She said that she usually spent good time with them, chatted them up generally, and then attended to their sexual needs which they lacked in their homes and at the end they paid her reasonable money.

Another lady, Grace, revealed that married men were preferable because they considered and appreciated the workers more than the single men who may not want to pay at all or pay more.

She however noted that dealing with married clients was a huge task, as such workers must have patience in order to treat such clients well and at the end the patience will be worth the pay as they will pay good money for the service and become regularly clients eventually.

Grace observed that married men preferred them because of the attention and time they usually gave to them which they were not getting from their wives in their various homes and once they got them from the workers, they get stuck to them.

She said that some even got carried away and proposed to marry her but she usually declined because marriage was not part of why they became workers but money to cater for other things.

Another worker, Miss Chizoba, equally agreed with her colleagues’ assertion on married men but added not all were good clients as some may come and start telling woes of their wives at home; even making terrible demands and may not have the money to match what they want from them.

Some other workers who spoke to our correspondent had almost the same opinion and noted that the married clients preferred to stay longer with them because they find solace and enjoy themselves more any time they come around unlike in their homes.

However, a sex worker by name Anita noted in a chat with our correspondent that not all married men was worth the time because some may come and after wasting a lot of time may end up not paying the appropriate amount worth the time wasted.

Some of the patrons our reporter met at some of the joints declined to comment on the matter as they considered their coming there to patronize the workers top secrets and these aspect of their private lives should be far away from their wives which should not be made public.

However, a patron at a popular hotel along Ejigbo/Ikotun Road, simply known as Emman, said that there were many reasons married men patronised those sex workers and most times they were full of excitement and fun.

He noted that the workers had a lot to offer when men have issues with their wives.

He said that the workers exploit the situation to the fullest as they reckon that they had become immediate alternatives.

Emman explained that he was not getting the needed attention from his wife at home and when he mentioned it to one of his friends, he introduced him into that kind of lifestyle.

He said that he embraced it and since then had been enjoying it.

He noted that it was not that he did not love his wife but there were things he was getting from the workers which he realised that he was not getting from her.

Emman cited that sometimes he may prefer to forget all the financial and family pressures which he will not get when he was with his wife as she will only help compound them.

Hence, he will find his way to the hotel and will temporarily forget them.

Another patron, Peter said that no man will ordinarily like to go to the hotels to fraternize with sex workers if his wife was rightly taking care of his emotional need at home.

He noted that hotel life was expensive but it was also fun and difficult to give up.

http://pmexpressng.com/why-married-men-preferred-us-wives-sex-workers/

- culled from Nairaland

I once heard a Pastor say that during counseling, a couple told him that they had been without intercourse for seven years!

The day I learnt that this could happen to a husband and wife is the day I knew that marriage was trouble.

There are Christian disciplined men who would never touch a woman besides their wives. Yet, these wives, for reasons best known to them deny their husbands sex for long periods of time.

I would like to know how such men handle being denied sex.

Having a side chick is out of the question for me.

Maybe if one can learn from one or two older men, it would give life to the discourse.

A Christian Perspective to Nation Building

By: Deji Yesufu

Most Nigerian Christians had preferred that Muhammadu Buhari would not win the 2019 Presidential elections. Many felt that under him there were too many religiously induced violence in the land. The herdsmen attacks in various parts of the country had not helped Buhari’s course. In fact some notable Pastors openly identified with Buhari’s biggest rival in the elections, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, and called on all their followers to vote the President out. In a very slim manner, particularly in South Western Nigeria, the elections was almost becoming a contest between Muslims and Christians. In Oyo State, where I reside, the anti-Buhari sentiments were so high that it was not surprising to see the President loose the state. What was more surprising was to see the high numbers given to Buhari after the election. In this essay, I shall be attempting to suggest a Christian perspective to nation building, as I call my fellow Christians to look beyond petty partisan politics and utilize a more spiritual strategy to building our country.

The New Testament, the Christian manual, does not give too much attention to the matter of nationalism. In fact in Acts chapter One, the disciples of Christ had asked him if God would be redeeming Israel from the hands of the Romans at that time. Christ said those were not his concern: instead he pointed them to the crucial matters of evangelism. Thankfully, however, the book of Proverbs, which offers all round wisdom for godly living, tells us something about nation building. It says that “righteousness exalts a nation but sin brings it reproach” (Proverbs 14:34). If Christians would genuinely benefit Nigeria, we should continue to uphold righteousness in our midst. Christ calls this being the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and wherever it is found in meals the food would not rot. The mere presence of Christians in a nation, upholding righteous standards would preserve that country from going under. Not only this, we would also bring a blessing to the land where we are; such that even the wicked would benefit from the blessing God sends to the land where we live. Nations like the United States of America are still reaping the fruit of the godly standards that their Christian founders laid as foundation of that country. This is what Nigeria should be pursuing to do today: to lay foundation for nation building that is godly. This way our nation would know continual prosperity.

Christians would also benefit this nation when we lead in the matter of work and nation building. Unfortunately Nigeria is a country that thrives on public amenities run by its government. But the most prosperous countries are those that are run by private entities, while government only ensures that there are functional infrastructures for the public to use and that there is security. The Christian world view, where it is properly taught, is one that encourages work and productivity. Christians have very little time to use their minds for vices, thus the Holy Spirit directs them to industry and productivity. This leads ultimately to wealth coming to the country and increased resources to do more for society. Modern society are so intertwined today that there is nothing that is produced in one part of the world that cannot be sold in another; all that is needed is just to make the connection. Therefore wherever a nation is producing, that nation is coming into wealth; no matter how gradual. While Christians should champion political courses, we would do better to work, produce, and build a wealth machinery that would benefit society eventually.

Throughout the history of the world, Christians have always led in championing the course of the weak. Christian churches have sought to help the poor, the sick, the ignorant, the elderly and so on. Thus the Church brings a perspective to society that encourages helping the weak. And God is the God of the poor; wherever such a spirit prevails, God always brings a blessing. Nigeria has had a long history of corruption and the taking of advantage of the weak by public office holders. Christians should however be at the vanguard of either exposing these evils or helping to ensure that they do not continue. Christians would find themselves in public offices. When these principles are etched on our hearts, we would ensure that such evils do not continue to be perpetrated while we are in office. If public institutions then have these kind of principles running them for years, it becomes a tradition within them. Such that even when non Christians come to office, these tradition cannot be reversed. Corruption is perpetrated by a group of people. If the leader is corrupt but the people in the finance department choose to uphold righteousness, such a leader would have no other choice but to fall in line.

This leads to the inevitable point that Christians can influence the moral compass of society. Indeed if society is known to be evil, we should question the genuineness of the faith of the Christian majority that that society consists of. We cannot expect a standard of good and evil to be maintained by the world. In fact what the world would do is to continually change the standards of righteousness: making evil to be good and turning good to evil. It is Christians that insists on the standards of right and wrong to remain as they are. Today, the United States of America is being threatened by its increasingly liberal standards. But that country remains what she is because Christians have refused to lower the moral compass of that country. Whatever else may be said of Donald Trump, his administration has restored so many dwindling Christian standards to that country. Nigerian Christians can do the same for this country.

Lastly, Christians in this country would do this nation a great deal of good if we place our eyes on the eternal than on the temporal. The Bible tells us that our sojourn on earth is like that of a pilgrim. Our stay here is temporary. While we are here, we are expected to leave the world a better place. We are expected to leave godly standards that will influence generations to come. One of the biggest evils of our country Nigeria is for people to behave as if there are no other generations coming. We seem to eat up the future of our children. Nothing depicts this more than the way and manner the people of this country consumed the oil wealth that the 1970s brought to Nigeria. Even up till this moment, we still live as if oil will last in this country forever. Everything in this country is built around the black gold. Yet we are being warned daily that oil is going out and we ought to be diversifying. If no one is leading the campaign for diversification of this economy, Christians should. So our eternal perspective helps us to build on the temporary.

This is also the reason why Christians pray. We pray to God, our unseen Father, to show mercy on the land we live in. We know that if Nigeria prosper, we would prosper as a people. Christians are what they are because they have found mercy with God through Jesus Christ, who died to obtain eternal redemption for sinners. We take advantage of this mercy in the place of prayers and many times God shows mercy to the nation because of Christians. The Christian community in Nigeria may not have gotten their choice of a leader but if we continue to pray for Nigeria, God’s good pleasure for this country would come to pass. Amen.

Deji Yesufu is author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: http://mouthpiece.com.ng/a-christian-perspective-to-nation-building/

What Buhari Should Do Differently in His Second Term

By: Deji Yesufu

In the early hours of Wednesday, 27th February, 2019, four days after the Presidential elections held around the nation of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the 2019 presidential election. Buhari polled a little over 15 million votes, while his runner-up Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had 11 million plus votes. Buhari had won 19 states in the country, as against 17 for Atiku – including the Federal Capital City, Abuja. The celebrations are ongoing in the camp of the All Progressive Congress (APC), but the PDP has rejected the results of the polls. The PDP are claiming that INEC had allowed for figures to be changed. At the moment they are putting together a team of lawyers to challenge the results at the courts.

This essay is however directed at the President and his victorious party the APC. Like they say: to whom much is given, much is expected. Going by the results published by INEC, the Nigerian people have again entrusted their lives into the hands of Mr. Buhari for the next four years. It is a big responsibility and it is hoped that the APC do not betray this great trust given to them. A few things stood as an albatross for the administration of Muhammadu Buhari in his first term. I hope to delineate some of them here and suggest that the ruling party work at avoiding a rehearsal of those things in their second term in office.

First is the nation’s National Assembly. When the 8th Senate was being constituted in June 2015, for some reasons best known to Mr. Buhari, he was out of the country. Reports have it that the President displayed a total nonchalant attitude to who was elected the President of the Senate. With the emergence of Bukola Saraki, it became clear to the APC that a very big mistake had been made. Mr. President spent a greater part of his administration waging wars against the National Assembly and could not get salient bills passed into law. In the long run, the leadership of the two houses of the National Assembly, Saraki and Dogara, left the APC and joined the PDP. The good news now is that Saraki was not re-elected to the Senate. While the APC now has majority in both houses. Buhari would need to take full advantage of a house populated by loyal lawmakers. He would need to get the leadership of his party to elect officers into the National Assembly that would be loyal to the Presidency. This way, he can get his laws passed easily. The National Assembly has gained full autonomy from the executives; thus we need not fear a situation were the executive would become autocratic.

Buhari would then need to overhaul his cabinet. He would need to work at removing Ministers who did not meet a minimum standard and replace them. He would also need to pay attention to how his ministers are performing. He may need to empower his Vice, Osinbajo, to keep watch over the ministries and ensure that Ministers are meeting targets in, say, six months periods. In his first term, Buhari seem to have been at sea with the way his Ministers were working. Mr. Solomon Dalung, the Minister of Youth and Sports, should be the first to be removed from this present cabinet. The man brought no small embarrassment to the Buhari government. The ministries and various agencies around the nation are the President’s performance outposts. If these people are not doing well, Mr. President is underperforming. By the time one or two scape-goats are made, others would sit up. The APC must realize that Nigerians have truly been gracious in giving them another shot at governance. They must not disappoint the people of this country.

One other thing that stood as an albatross to the first term of Muhammadu Buhari was the obvious nepotism he brought to his government. The trend to put only northerners as head of agencies and parastatals around the country must not continue. Mr. President should realize that every part of this country put him into office and every section of the nation need to be represented in governance. For example, putting people of eastern part of this country in office has the potential for reducing tension in those parts where there are ongoing call for session by neo-Biafrans. It would also help the bring an end to the notion that many of us have that Buhari seem to see nothing good in others except people from his own part of the country.

Lastly, Buhari would need to step up his fight against insecurity and corruption in the land. The Nigerian army should be given some kudos for ensuring peace and safety in volatile parts of the country, particularly Borno and Zamfara, throughout the period of the elections. We however hope that the fight against insurgency in the land would pick up a notch and an end may be brought to the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria. As we speak, Leah Saribu is still in the den of these animals and the President would be bringing much relief to Christians in the country if this girl is rescued. There is also the need for the incessant killing by Fulani Herdmen to be brought to an end. The President needs to prove to Nigerians that their lives are important to him and thus they should be protected. As the President works on insecurity, he must also work on ensuring that the fight against corruption is genuine. The tendency to only prosecute members of the opposition and to allow those in his party to go scot-free should stop. Justice must be seen to be fairly administered in the country.

If Buhari would pay attention to these things, he likely to succeed in his second term as President. He would be able to build on his ongoing efforts and consolidate them. This way the President and his party, the APC, would be able to rebuild the good will they had when they first came to power in 2015. It would be a testament to the gracious works of fortune that Buhari entered into office on a high note, survived a near removal from office in his re-election bid, and concluded his second term on a high note. If this happen, Nigeria would be the better for it.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://www.facebook.com/1505609702848568/posts/2018366594906207/

As predicted by Deji Yesufu...

Nigeria’s Elections and God’s Providence

By: Deji Yesufu

By the time you would be reading this, Nigeria would have concluded her Presidential elections for the year 2019. Results would have begun to trickle in, rumours of a particular candidate having upper hand in certain sections of the country would begin to appear, there would be worries, shocks and great anticipation. I say this because this is about the third election I would be participating actively in and this is usually the drama that greets the day following general elections in the country.

In 2011, I had supported the Presidential candidature of Muhammed Buhari and Tunde Bakare. I was influenced to support the duo because of Pastor Tunde Bakare whose ministry I had followed for a long time prior to that election. Buhari’s party, the CPC, had just been inaugurated and it was clearly an underdog in the race against the well established and incumbent PDP. Nonetheless, Buhari had a cult following in Northern Nigeria and we were hoping for a miracle. The miracle did not come. Jonathan trounced Buhari at the polls. Unfortunately there was violence in the North and some of us supporting Buhari were eventually labelled as being blood thirsty. It was a nasty period but it was my first foray into Nigeria’s politics of mudslinging.

In 2015, Buhari emerged from political retirement to run again for President. He had been elected the presidential flag bearer of the APC; a party that had been formed from a coalition of political interests in Northern and Southern Nigeria, including a break away faction from the PDP. Goodluck Jonathan was very unpopular at the polls and his defeat was almost a forgone issue. Buhari, on his part, was turned into a demi-god by his followers. All kinds of things were said about him and we were positive that if elected, Buhari would save Nigeria in a messiah-kind of leadership. It should be stated that no person has ever been elected to leadership in the history of this country with as much good will as Muhammadu Buhari. In less than six months in office, a lot of people had lost hope in Buhari’s presidency. I publicly renounced Buharism a year after he came into office.

As we face another election, I bring a new attitude into observing Nigerian politics and I hope to share this with you in the rest of the article.

Nigerians should realize God gracious hands upon us as a country. This country has been through a great deal and it is safe to say that we are heading towards a great future too. If Nigeria would be anything in the future, it would be based on what its people do and what God permits for this country. This is why the article’s title divides between human responsibility: the people coming to vote their conscience; and divine sovereignty: God gracious mercy in electing a leader for us that would move this nation forward.

At the moment the leading Presidential candidates at the polls are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. Choosing between these two has been described by some as choosing between six and half a dozen. Having spent four years in office, Buhari has simply not met up to the high standards that the people of this country expected of him. He himself had said that age was likely to hamper his performance in office; yet, he has not only finished a four year tenure, he is seeking another. We do not need a soothsayer to tell us that Buhari, with nothing at stake in a second term, would underperform. The next level that his party is promising is likely to be a next level to greater hardship. In spite of the gloom, Buhari’s personal integrity has still not been thwarted. He has an excellent person in his Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and he has certain ministers in his cabinet who are working assiduously to make this country better.

At the other end of the spectrum is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The consistent testimony against Atiku has been his alleged corruption. Atiku Abubakar is a wealthy business man but many have claimed that his wealth is unconnected with his association with the Nigerian government. As the campaign rage, certain elements have been found around Atiku that give his personage a bad face. For example, there is the President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, who stood as a major albatross to success of the Buhari government, and who has allegations of corruption trailing his person also. There is Dino Melaye who was again found dancing at the PDP exco meeting that held after the postponing of the elections. One wonders why a politician should be dancing at this time in our national life. Yet, only Atiku, of all the Presidential aspirants, is talking about restructuring. He alone possesses an arsenal to challenge Buhari at the polls. And having been Vice President for eight years, he comes to the polls with much experience.

I have purposefully painted this picture to show the kind of dilemma that Nigerian voters have found themselves in. To say the honest truth, a good number of voters do not know who to vote for. Knowing this, I also refused to make public who I would be voting. The fact is that while I would be voting one of the two aforementioned persons, I cannot vouch for them with all certainly and thus I cannot put my name on any of them. This is where I turn to God.

I would be at peace with the decision of majority of the Nigerian electorate on whomever they eventually vote to be President. This is because I see the invisible hands of God in electing a President for this country. That God chooses a President for Nigeria is not an indication that all will go well with us but it is a pointer to the fact that his mercies would prevail over this country and his good purposes would be fulfilled for Nigeria in the long run. Therefore I would not be worried, I would not stay up late in the night to follow results updates, I would not argue with anyone on the social media; I would simply trust that God’s will would be done.

I am saying that following the people’s responsibility in electing a leader at the polls, Nigeria would have God appoint a President for them and all will be well with this country. Following this, this column would be returning to thank God for the elections and I would be praying that God fulfils his good purposes for us through whoever becomes President.

May Nigeria succeed. Amen.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2011597118916488&id=1505609702848568

MuttleyLaff:
Namaste! Namaste! Namaste! One thousand times namaste! You are a god for writing this very beautiful post. Jesus never forced Himself on people or anybody nor forced fed the gospel. Believers should learn not to give others information after they have expressed a will against it

Thank you

A Reflection on Christian Evangelism

By: Deji Yesufu

Two totally independent events informed this piece. A few days ago, a colleague approached me and requested that I share thoughts with her on the subject of evangelism. Just about the time we had that conversation, I saw this update on Facebook by Dr. Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde. He is a Psychiatrist with the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and he wrote this piece on the 12th of February, 2019:

“One Nigerian nurse in the UK was busy preaching to her patients who wasn’t interested in her religious message and said as much. The nurse continued to try to ‘win her patients soul’. The patient reported her to her superiors and after several warnings and continued refusal to mend her way, she was fired… Healthcare workers need to be trained to separate their own personal opinion or religious philosophy from scientifically sound medical care of patients. It is a matter of ethics and professionalism. ‘Winning souls’ of patients at their weakest and most vulnerable moments is an abuse of professional powers and privileges. That is the job of chaplains and Imams, and there are provisions for inviting such professionals trained in working with sick persons to assist the physicians in his work.”

Dr. Ayinde is a known critic of Christianity. Thus his submission in that update was clearly clouded by that mind-set. Nonetheless one cannot refuse to see the force of sense in that piece. What struck me the most was his stating that healthcare professionals should not take advantage of their patient’s vulnerability to preach to them.

Having said that, I now refer us to a statement by the great 20th century evangelical Pastor, Dr. D. M. Lloyd-Jones, on the subject of evangelism. Lloyd-Jones, himself once a medical doctor but turned preacher, said in a series of lectures published in a book “Preaching and Preachers”:

“Every Christian should be able to give an account of why he is a Christian; but that does not mean that every Christian is meant to preach. This distinction is brought out in a most interesting way in Acts 8:4,5. There we are told in the first verse that a great persecution of the Church arose in Jerusalem, and that all the members of the Church were scattered abroad except the Apostles. Then we are told in verse 4 and 5, ‘Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.’ That is the KJV translation, and in both cases you have the word ‘preached’. But in the original the same word was not used in the two verses; and this is the vital distinction. What the ‘the people’ who went everywhere did was, as someone has suggested it might be translated, ‘to gossip’ the Word, to talk about it in conversation. Philip on the other hand did something different; he was ‘heralding’ the Gospel. This is, strictly speaking, what is meant by preaching in the sense that I have been using it…”

Lloyd-Jones made this point as he drummed out a fact that there is a difference between preaching by ordained ministers and the kind of preaching that the laity do. He was saying that preaching, in the real sense of the word, is something that persons who are called and trained are meant to do. On the other hand, while the laity may give a reason for their hope in Christ as stated in 1 Peter 3:15, most of what untrained people do as far as gospel preaching is concerned is to witness the gospel either by their lifestyle or by the testimony of their mouths. A kind of witnessing that comes as an overflow of a life filled with the work of Christ. A testimony that would usually follow a fellow worker asking about one’s hope in Christ, all because they have seen a clear difference in our lives in comparison to others around them.

This is the distinction that I think Dr. Ayinde clearly recognized when he said that professionals should face their work. And if ministers of religion are needed in the hospital, they would be invited by the hospital authorities to minister to patients that need those or that ask for them.

Let me make this point here: there is something distasteful about modern Christian practices that have continually attracted reproaching criticism from many quarters. From the matter of churches collecting monies from poor church goers, to pastors abusing their ministerial privileges at oppressing people, up to Church people unable to make clear cut distinctions between what is meant for church and what is meant for professional life, the stories are quite unending. The testimony of Hebrew 11:2 was that God’s people always brought a good report to wherever they find themselves. There is something essentially wrong with a kind of Christianity that attracts reproachful criticism from the world. Christian may be made fun of and so on but it is not in keeping with our religion, for such reproachful reports be made on us.

To round up this discussion, I will therefore state what I think Christian evangelism is.

In the days of yore, Christianity came to many countries not by direct missionary endeavours but by people who had been influenced towards the Christian faith in other places that they went to. History has it that Christianity was taken to new lands by soldiers, traders and travellers who had encountered the gospel in their journeys. When they returned to their home lands, there was often a clear difference in whom these people were and what they had now become. They were usually asked: what happened to you? In response, the individual who had encountered the gospel responded by saying he had met the Christ of the Bible. He then went on to enumerate his experience. This is what happened in Acts 8:4. These testimonies may convert the listeners but most of the time it does not. Rather, a seed of the gospel is sown in the hearts of these men.

Then, by God’s kind providence, a missionary may come to town. Whose job, as stated in Acts 8:5, is to proclaim the gospel in all its ramifications. This is what brings people to lasting faith in Christ Jesus.

This essay is not asking people not to preach in their private lives. Rather, I am saying that Christians should face the business of work when they are at their work places. It is not our duty to convert people at work. However, we may give an account of our lives if we are asked by either a fellow worker or someone we are attending to. And this would usually happen if we are genuinely living out the Christian tenets at our places of work.

Secondly, Churches need to pay careful attention to the matter of gospel preaching. Ministers need to be reminded that preaching the gospel, that saves sinners, is their primary calling. They need to know that unbelievers come to church and many of them are there to find out whether or not this Jesus is worth following. It is a sad testimony that many churches today have turned the house of God to a place for raising money, rather than a place for the careful enunciation of the Christian message.

In the final analysis, no one can win anybody’s soul to Christ. It is God the Holy Spirit alone that converts men from being dead in sin to becoming alive in Christ. The false notion that people can win other people to Christ, is usually at the foundation of this work place preaching that Dr. Ayinde criticized. The Christian worker commends the gospel to others the most by his manner of work. This sows a testimony of Christ in the hearts of those who see him. In God’s own time and way, he may send a minister to complement that witness with the gospel. Which, if understood, can bring the hearer to faith in Christ. Thus the Holy Spirit wins a soul to God in the process.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: http://mouthpiece.com.ng/a-reflection-on-christian-evangelism/

A Call for Free, Fair and Credible Elections

By: Deji Yesufu

The general elections have come upon us in Nigeria once again. The people of this country shall be trooping out tomorrow to vote various persons who shall be ruling them at the Federal level. It is pertinent to note that Nigeria has made great strides in her democracy. This country has gone on for 20 years without a break in our democratic rule. In 2007, the country experienced her first civilian to civilian transition of power when former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed power to the Late Umaru Yar’Adua. Since then this country has witnessed the removal from power of an incumbent – which brought in the present administration: the government of Muhammadu Buhari.

In today’s piece, I wish to remind the Nigerian government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian people as a whole that we all owe ourselves a collective duty: we must ensure, in whatever sphere that we operate, that the coming elections are free; that they are fair; and that all that observe them can testify that the elections are credible. For the first time in my voting life, I do not have a candidate I am campaigning for. I however think that one thing that is worth campaigning for is for this country to have credible elections. While I understand that a 100% credible election does not exist anywhere in the world, we can however have something that approximates to it.

To achieve credible elections, the Nigerian people would need to be enlightened about what democracy is. Now, there is nowhere written in the world that Nigeria must be governed by democratic ethos. We may choose to elect a monarch to rule us as a people. We may also look into our military and elect a General who would choose to rule this country in a fascist manner. But, in the last three hundred years, the Western world which incidentally colonized Nigeria and brought us into the league of civilized nations, having experimented with varied systems of government, have come to the conclusion that democratic rule is about the best system of government.

Democracy originated in ancient Greece where the people of that land would elect Senators to represent their interest in their government. Although they had a maximum ruler, the Senators made decisions that had extensive influence on the direction that their society took. However, in the 18th century, after the American revolution, that saw the United States of America rid itself of the stranglehold of the English Queen, the USA built a virile society around democratic ethos. Following the American revolution was the French revolution that saw peasants oust the French monarchy and replace it eventually with democratic institutions. By the time the British would colonize Nigeria in the 19/20th Century, democracy had come to be a widely accepted system of government worldwide. By adhering to free, fair and credible elections, Nigeria is preserving her democratic institutions.

The INEC also has a responsibility to ensure that elections held on the shores of this country are free, fair and credible. Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, has been accused by some of harbouring animosity to one of the leading Presidential candidates in the coming elections. As of the time of this writing, that allegation has not been refuted by him. The INEC chair would need to realize that he owes Nigeria the duty of conducting an election that is credible. In 2011, Prof. Jega conducted an election that saw incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan hold on to power. In 2015, the same Jega presided over an election that saw Buhari emerge as President. Prof. Jega, unlike many other past electoral officers in this country, has written his name in gold. Thus, Prof. Yakubu has the duty of ensuring that the coming elections are credible. He must be seen to have done his utmost to provide Nigeria with a fair electoral exercise and posterity would look down on his name with pride.

When former President Goodluck Jonathan said that his presidential ambition were not worth the blood of a Nigerian, many of us thought he was grandstanding. But he put his words to actions and graciously accepted his loss to Buhari in the 2015 elections. The whole world was prepared to see Nigeria go into flames – thinking Jonathan would not leave power. He however did and whatever else we may think about his government, that singular action has beatified him in some sort.

President Muhammadu Buhari owes Nigeria the same duty. When Kadaria Ahmed asked him whether he would accept a loss in the coming elections, President Buhari did not answer the question directly. He rather said he could not loose. That response is an indication that the present government may not be as willing as that of Jonathan to hand over power to another if they loose. Prof. Farooq Kperogi has accused Buhari of saying he would rather hand over power to the military if he looses. Up till the time of this writing, Mr. President has not responded to that allegation.
President Buhari needs to be reminded that his ambition to rule this country is subordinate to the people’s desire to see him rule them. Buhari’s leading opponent is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. What Nigerians are voting for is not whether or not Atiku is corrupt. What they are voting for is who would be their president. It is a court of law that can adjudicate the matter of Atiku’s corruption. And until one does it and convicts him, it should be incumbent on the President to handover power to Mr. Atiku if Nigerians choose him as their President. If Buhari holds on to power at all cost, even when it is clear he has lost an election, he would be plunging this country into chaos and the blood of those who die would be on his hands.

Again, the President, INEC and the Nigerian people deserve to give this nation credible elections. Everyone of us have one thing or the other to do to ensure that democracy succeeds in this country. The destiny of this nation is in our hands. As we head to the polls on Saturday, we must keep these facts at heart. As we do this, may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Amen.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1997448776997989&id=1505609702848568

2019 Elections: My Endorsements

By: Deji Yesufu

It is practically a week to Nigeria’s general elections and all the political gladiators are putting finishing touches to their campaigns. Nigerians need to appreciate the fact that this country has made much progress democratically. There was a time in this country when the results of elections were almost certainly sure even before people went to the poles. But things are a lot different today. Whatever gains the Buhari administration has brought with it, it remains to our credit that Nigerians removed an incumbent, while the good man from Otueke, Bayelsa State, did not plunge the country into chaos by hanging to power at all cost. Goodluck Jonathan relinquished power to Buhari and handed this country a new lease of democratic life. This singular episode is a pointer to the fact that incumbents can be removed in Nigeria today. In fact some people have suggested that Nigerians should continue to vote out their Presidents every four years until we find one who is deserving of a second term. I think there is wisdom in that suggestion.

In making my political endorsements public, it is my desire to influence the voting public toward right decision making. It has been by a stroke of Providence that I branched into political commentaries. My forte is gospel writing. But the publishers of this blog felt that I could take up writing on politics and I have since been at the job for a little over a year now. One thing that goes with writing politics is the unenviable duty of taking clear cut political positions. I had thought I could avoid it and one of my publishers had suggested that there was no need to make my position public. I however think that the task of nation building, which for me is opinion molding, demands that I do this. I do sincerely hope that we all make the kind of decision that will make this country and not mar it. I will begin my endorsements from small to great.

I do not have anyone I shall be endorsing for State House of Representative in my constituency. The reason is simple: I do not know these people at all and their efforts at marketing themselves have not reached me. I do sincerely hope that the best men emerge for office at these level. I do however shall be endorsing Simon ‘Tunde Adewumi, who is running to be State House of Rep under Accord. He is of the Ibadan North Constituency. I cannot vote for him because I am not in that constituency but I urge those who are there to do so. I know him as a selfless gentleman, committed to helping people. And I am positive he would add value to the Oyo State House of Representatives.

For the governorship of Oyo State, I endorse Engr. Seyi Makinde of the People’s Democratic Party. I have observed Seyi Makinde’s effort to be the Governor of this State since 2011 and I have been impressed with his doggedness. One day running up to the 2015 elections, I was driving through traffic. Seyi was talking with Edmund Obilo on radio. Engr. Makinde spoke of some efforts he made to help somebody. Right there on air, the person was called and he confirmed it without knowing that Makinde was in the studio. Testimonies are replete of how he helps people. Oyo State needs help and I do sincerely hope that if he becomes Governor, he would save these State from the hands of those who have turned it into their personal fiefdom.

I come now to whom I shall be endorsing for Presidency. Permit me to write this in bold: I, Deji Yesufu, shall not be endorsing any candidate for the 2019 Nigerian Presidential seat. I would use the rest of the article to state why.

My preferred candidate would have been someone other than Buhari and Atiku. That is why as early as December 2017, I had reached out to Donald Duke to find out about his Presidential ambitions. He replied the public letter I wrote him and my hopes were high about him. Later in March 2018, Omoyele Sowore came to Ibadan and I met him one on one. I was won over to support him and I did work with his Oyo State team for some six months until I left his campaign team. I have written why I left Sowore but I would reiterate it again here: Before joining the Take It Back Movement, I had made it clear to the guys there that a coalition with other third force, likeminded fellows, was the only way to wrest power from the big two. Efforts were made to achieve coalition but after PACT failed, there was no point remaining with Sowore. So I left. Since leaving Sowore, I have not been able to find a candidate to support.

The next viable option was to return to supporting Buhari whom I had supported in 2011 and 2015. But I cannot in all good conscience either vote for Buhari or ask people to do the same. Mr. President has nepotism clearly running in his government. He does not seem to have a hold of his cabinet and the testimony from his own wife is proof of this. Mr. Buhari is also clearly advanced in age and seem to be reducing in cognition, as the interview he had with Kadaria revealed. Buhari’s only strong point is his Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. But it appears that Prof. Osinbajo is not allowed a say in this government, except when he is acting President. Nigeria can do better than Buhari as President of this country.

I come now to my last option: Atiku Abubakar. I also cannot with every good conscience recommend Atiku to Nigeria’s voting public. The allegations hanging on Atiku’s neck, while they remain unsubstantiated, are too grievous to toy with. Atiku also has gathered around himself persons who are known in this country to have very little scruples. I therefore cannot endorse Atiku.

Thus, in my endorsements, the only person I can put my name on is Engr. Seyi Makinde as Governor of Oyo State. I do sincerely hope he wins. I would still be voting for the other candidates too. I would however not be making my choice public because of the aforementioned reasons.

One last thing: a word to the third force. It would be my delight to see Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye and Omoyele Sowore go into the poles and get whatever numbers they can gather out. The person with the highest number of votes among them should be considered to lead a coalition after the elections. If they can do this, they would have my support for 2023. I wish all Nigerians a peaceful and productive election ahead. Thank you.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://www.facebook.com/1505609702848568/posts/1987457424663791/

What Farooq Kperogi Said About Buhari

By: Deji Yesufu

On January 24th, 2019, Prof. Farooq Kperogi wrote the following update on his Facebook wall:

“I am closer to the power brokers in this Buhari regime than I can persuade many people to believe... In the wake of the gale of defections that hit APC around August last year, Buhari was overwrought with intense grief. Days later, as the relentless certainty of his electoral defeat stared him in the face, he called members of his inner circle and swore, in a fit of anger and frustration, that he would never hand over power to PDP's Atiku even if Atiku wins fair and square. He said he would rather invite the military to take over than hand over to Atiku. I've confirmed this information with several trusted sources in the Villa. It's precisely because of this that the buzzwigs of the regime have gone into overdrive in perfecting strategies to rig the election. They're no longer even making any pretences about it, and are compelling all government agencies to contribute financially to Buhari's reelection campaign. For them, the options are just two: military take-over or rigging. They've chosen rigging.”

On the same day this alarming revelation was made, the Muhammadu Buhari government suspended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and installed Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed in his place in acting capacity. Since this action of Mr. President, the whole country has been plunged into a national debate. Very few people however noticed what Farooq Kperogi said.

Farooq Kperogi is a Nigerian of Northern extraction. He teaches English in an American University but he has an undying love for Nigeria, like most Nigerians in the diaspora. Prior to the 2015 elections, Prof. Kperogi was a die-hard Buhari supporter. Sometimes into this administration, the Prof. turned against Buhari. He has since become one of the most caustic critic of the Buhari government. Sometimes in December 2018, the Prof. informed his readers that the Buhari government allegedly convinced the publishers of the Daily Trust Newspapers, a leading newspaper in Northern Nigeria, not to publish his articles anymore. And since government is about the highest advertiser in that paper, they had no choice but to cut him off. Kperogi now writes for the Nigerian Tribune.

In the light of recent developments in the country, can it be sufficiently proven that the Buhari government wishes to rig the coming elections? And if rigging is not sufficient to retain power for Buhari, is it true that this government is thinking of handing over power to the military? Before we examine the possibilities behind these statements, it is important that we remember that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had also raised alarm around the forthcoming elections. Obasanjo had made it clear that we are in Abacha days again. He claims that machineries have been put in place in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the election in Buhari’s favor. Obasanjo has also insinuated that Buhari is quite reluctant to hand over power if he looses. Now we have the Farooq Kperogi allegations.

It is my sincere hope that these allegations remain what they are – mere allegations. I also do hope that Kperogi and Obasanjo are just playing to the gallery and that there are no elements of truth in what they are saying. Let us give the Buhari government the benefit of doubt that her critics and haters have allowed rage to make them take leave of their common sense and that they have simply not rightly represented the Nigerian President. In short, I hope all of these is a joke.

But the fact remains that it just may not be a joke and to be forewarned is to be fore-armed.

The Buhari government might need to be reminded that Nigeria has now run a twenty year democratic institution without incursion by the military. They would need to be reminded that the idea of the military restoring order to society is a farce, as the history of this country has shown that the Nigerian military is more inept at ruling the country than their civilian counterpart. This government would need to be reminded of the various gains this country has made in its democratic experimentation: how we now have two formidable democratic parties that are giving each other competition; how in 2015 the people of this country routed an incumbent and installed this very Buhari; and how for no reason at all this democracy cannot be endangered by anyone.

Lawyer Femi Falana, in an interview, has rightly stated that Justice Onnoghen was wrong in not declaring his assets fully and that he could not also preside over his own case. The CJN should simply have stepped aside before this whole brouhaha started. In the same vein, said the respected Lawyer, the Buhari government failed to follow due process in suspending the Justice. A nation is built on and held together by a system of laws that ensure peace and order within its body polity. A nation would therefore be putting law and order at risk when its number one law officer is removed from office without due process. Buhari is wrong and Onongen is wrong – and as they say, two wrongs cannot make a right.

In less than three weeks, Nigerians would be heading to the poles to elect for themselves a new commander-in-chief. The Buhari government would do well not to heat up the polity with its actions and policies; all of which might render their own effort to return to office void but which also could plunge the country into full scale chaos.

I would be giving this admin the benefit of the doubt. I would be hoping that Buhari never said that he would hand over this country to the military. I would be hoping that Farooq Kperogi has only allowed rage to becloud his hitherto sound judgement. But I would be foolish not to note a potentially weighty information in the light of latest happenings in the country.

Although Nigeria’s democracy is fledgling, yet it is growing. Everything we are encountering as a people are the usual toothing problems that come with nation building. Even the more advanced democracies have their own issues. But no one ever suggests military take-over while the people of such country assume that nothing of significance has been said. If Muhammadu Buhari has ever suggested a return to military rule, he and everyone in his administration should be made to understand that Nigerians would resist them with everything that we have got.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1977600095649524&id=1505609702848568

franktalknigeri:
Immorality should never be named among saints, especially those who shephard a church. That is why, such a person must strongly refute, repudiate an denounce the matter if he is wrongly accused and the world is watching. 'I will give a robust answer' is not enough answer. It is shameful.

Please do a research on the late Eddie Long, an American mega church preacher and prodigy to TD Jakes. He was accused by 3 teenage boys of Sodomy and manipulation. When confronted, he gave a silly answer like fatoyinbo's and subsequently settled the boys out of court. Crouch, swaggart, Johnson Suleiman, Mathew Ashimolowo, Kenneth Copland, TD Jakes, Oyedepo, Adeboye, Oyakhilome, Tb Joshua, Nike Adejumo. Etc. All accused of things that should not even b named among Saints.

Well said

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Christian Witness in Difficult Times

By: Deji Yesufu

“The blood of martyrs might once again be demanded but this blood, if we really have the courage and loyalty to shed it, will not be innocent, shining like that of the first witnesses for the faith. On our blood lies heavy guilt, the guilt of the unprofitable servant who is cast into outer darkness.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a 1932 sermon.

On the 11th of November 1918, world war one was officially brought to an end. After more than four year of conflict, an estimated 9 million combatants lay dead and another 7 darkness.” loyalty to shed it, will notmillion civilians had perished. That war is said to be one of the deadliest conflicts in human history and the world was determined that such worldwide catastrophe would not to repeat itself. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Germany, which had been at the centre of the conflict, was inflicted with heavy fines. Many historians still hold that the countries in the Allied Powers that won the war drew unnecessary retribution from Germany’s loss. The German people were very unhappy about this.

First as a rebel to the lacklustre government that accepted such heavy fines from countries of the Allied Powers and then rising through the ranks of his own party, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 30, 1933. In another two years, he had gained complete control of the government of the country – becoming a totalitarian ruler and practising a fascist type of government. Hitler’s Nazi government played on the German people’s nationalistic pride and made them to think that though they were the greatest people living on earth, they stood under the yoke of nation’s around them and this yoke must be cast off. While the rest of Europe watched, Hitler built a magnificent war chest in his country. He also sold anti-Semitic sentiments to the German people and formed the foundation on which the holocaust occurred – an event that saw to the extermination of about six million Jews during world war two.

Germany in the beginning of the 20th Century was a land that had been overrun by liberal theology. The land where Martin Luther lived and preached had been taken over by a theology that sought to adapt itself to modernity. This theology tried to reconstruct many biblical stories. For example, it said that the account of the creation in Genesis 1 was correct but in between those verses where the many years of evolution that Charles Darwin had suggested. It is also discounted with much of the miraculous events of the Bible, including the virgin birth of Christ and the many miracles of Jesus. This theology boasted of practising high criticism of the Bible. At the close of the day, the religion that proceeded out of this theologycluding the virgin birth of Christ and the many miracles o was one that de-emphasized the miraculous saving works of the Holy Spirit in a sinner and thus led to one that merely upheld morality in ethics. Liberal Theology is the forerunner of modern Prosperity Gospel. When the conflict that Adolf Hitler precipitated hit Europe, Liberal Theology had no answer to it.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of few Christian ministers in Germany who had actually been raised in a liberal infested theological system but who by the grace of God had encountered saving religion in Christ. When Hitler rose to power in Germany in January 30, 1933, two days later Bonhoeffer delivered an address on radio denouncing the self proclaimed saviour of the nation of Germany. He warned the nation of Germany to beware of the rising cult around Hitler. His address was so sound and effective on radio, that he was caught off air in the middle of his broadcast.

When Hitler gained absolute control of government two years later, he also moved against the churches. He successfully infiltrated the ranks of the clergy and immediately formed a ministry of religion that saw to the way and manner the churches were run in Germany. This ministry doctored the messages preached by pastors in churches and ensured that no one criticized the government of Adolf Hitler. Hitler popularity was rising in Germany and he understood that only the churches could stand in his way. In response to the continued infiltration of the churches, Bonhoeffer and other dissenting ministers formed the “Confessing Church”. The Confessing Church was not officially recognized in Nazi Germany but it helped the Christians who sought to be committed to New Testament ideals withstand those terrible times. Bruce Shelley writes about the Confessing Church to which Bonhoeffer belonged:

“(The Confessing Church) called the German churches back to the central truths of Christianity and rejected the totalitarian claims of the state. (It) called the church to depend on revelation, especially as revealed in Jesus…” At the core of the Confessing Church, Hitler was rejected as the head of the Church, while Christ was affirmed as the true Head of the German Church. It also encouraged the German people to reject “cheap grace”, as Bonhoeffer would call it, and submit themselves to a costly grace that God might demand of them in times like that.

Bonhoeffer successfully avoided conscription into the German army. On the surface he used his theological credential to work with a German government sponsored organization called Abwehr. He used the cover of this organization to serve as courier for German resistant movements. Around 1939, his brother-in-law introduced him to a German resistant group – which would later on be accused of planning to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

At the height of the crisis in Germany and as the nation precipitated to war, Bonhoeffer decided to leave Germany for the United States of America. He had been invited to teach theology at a Seminary in New York. A few months after arriving the USA, Bonhoeffer began regretting his action in leaving Germany. In a letter written to his friend Reihold Neibuhr, Bonhoeffer wrote:

“I have to come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people…” Bonhoeffer travelled back to Germany on the last scheduled streamer to cross the Atlantic before the war began. He was arrested in April 1943 by the Gestapo (Hitler’s secret police). He was in detention from that time till 1946.

On the 4th of April, 1945, the diaries of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris was discovered. He was the head of the Abwehr, the group that Bonhoeffer worked with as an official of the German government. In the diary, Hitler learnt that Bonhoeffer and others, under the cover of German interest, had been working to bring his government down. In a fit of rage, he commanded that Bonhoeffer and others listed in the diary be executed.

Bonhoeffer was condemned to death on the 8th of April 1945 in a hastily arranged court-martial at the concentration camp where he was. A man who witnessed his execution told Eberhard Bethge, Bonhoeffer’s friend and biographer, the scene around his last moments:

“I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer… kneeling on the floor praying fervently to God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of his execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.” Bonhoeffer was 39 years old when he was killed by men loyal to Adolf Hitler.

Bonhoeffer was never married. He was engaged to his fiancée some three months before his imprisonment. The only book he wrote was titled “The Cost of Discipleship”. However, after his death many books have been written on him testifying to his strong faith in Christ, his solid witness to the gospel and his quest to seek the good of humanity in one of the darkest of hours of human history.

_______________________________

The Lesson in Bonhoeffer’s life is replete for a Nigerian church. The Christian community in Nigeria today is being emasculated by the Prosperity Gospel in the same manner Liberal Theology had left much of Germany vulnerable to the rise of a tyrant. A central message of the gospel of prosperity give Christians the impression that suffering is alien to the Christian life. In the process Christians of today find it difficult to uphold convictions that might lead them to suffer. But history has shown that in places where lasting ideologies would thrive, men and women usually lay down their blood and sweat to establish those ideologies. Those who would uphold the cross of Jesus as the only way to eternal salvation and a way of life that would do the Nigerian nation a lot of good may have to defend these truths with their own blood in the days to come.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

http://mouthpiece.com.ng/dietrich-bonhoeffer-a-christian-witness-in-difficult-times/

Why a “Third Party” Stands No Chance in Nigeria Today

By: Deji Yesufu

In the United States of America the term “third party” stands for any other party besides the two traditional parties in that country. From almost inception in 1790, the USA has been ruled by either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Very few Nigerians know that there are over a hundred other parties on whose platforms people run for elections in America. Yet the American society appears to have only two parties in each election year. There have been few occasions where people contesting on the platforms of third parties have won elections to legislative houses in America. But no one has ever contested as a “third party” presidential candidate in the USA and won. It is not that they do not try, they just do not win.

Nigeria is fast becoming a similar two party state. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led the country for sixteen years. Nigerians got tired of their high handedness and booted them out of office in 2015, when the country came together to elect Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). The APC had launched an ambitious coalition to wrest power from the PDP and their political machination worked; they won. But after close to four years in power, the Nigerian people cannot see much of a difference between the APC and PDP. So that there much is talk for of “third party”, like the Americans have.

Some have suggested that the incompetence of the Buhari’s administration has given a lot of people the false notion that they also can be President. For this reason, there are no less than seventy political parties providing presidential candidates in the forthcoming 2019 elections. It is unprecedented. Many are asking whether these people really do stand a chance of winning, besides the two popular parties – the APC and the PDP. In fact, a lot of political commentators are asking: why are Nigerians not looking the way of the other presidential candidates besides Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar and the incumbent Buhari? I would be using the rest of the essay to enumerate reasons why third parties do not stand a chance in today’s Nigeria.

First, is the disregard for enduring political structures. Whatever else anyone may wish to say about the APC and the PDP, they still have the advantage of having been ruling parties in this country. Where a party has ruled a nation at the centre or at federal level, such a party would of necessity possess enduring structures in all parts of the country. It does not matter what defection might have occurred within this party, those structures will still remain. It is from within such structures that individuals emerge and pursue whatever political ambitions they have. These structures give rise to a very important element of a political party: the emergence of candidates from well organized primaries. While the APC quite understandably produced a consensus candidate in the person of the incumbent President, Buhari, the PDP went through a gruelling primaries. Political heavy weights came together and tested their popularity first within that party before one person emerged from their ranks.

This is no mean task.

If we are to look at most third parties at the moment, we see a situation where candidates emerge from questionable primaries. Some of them are merely unopposed because the individual chosen is the all in all in his party. What is common to almost all of them is that there were really no genuine test of their own popularity within their own parties. If these persons cannot hold structure in little parties, they cannot hold structures around the country that would deliver at the poles. The APC and PDP still have it to their credit that they were able to produce presidential candidates from proper primaries.

The second reason why third party presidential candidates do not stand a chance in the February poles is because non of them have a hold in the largest voting blocs in the country. The first and third largest voting blocs in the country are the North West and the North Eastern parts of the country respectively. Buhari is from the former, while Atiku is from the latter. Political pundits posit that close to half of the casted ballots will come from these political blocks in the country. If Buhari were to win the North West and Atiku the North East, what would be left for the third party candidates? In fact political pundits believe that all the third party candidates are not likely to have more than a million votes combined. These are the realities on ground and these are the things these gentlemen and women should be considering when they take up the challenge of contesting against established parties.

Third, is the issue of lack of cohesion among third party aspirants. This, more than anything else, has proven that non of the fellows who are running for President, besides the APC and PDP, are serious about winning the elections. The only way the APC could challenge the PDP was by entering into coalition with others. This is a point that all the aspirants in third parties have stressed, yet none of the over 70 candidates is willing to step down for the other. If Nigerians are genuinely tired of the APC and PDP, it should occur to these fellows that there is a viable third alternative that Nigerians are looking for. But when the third alternative is splintered to seventy varying parts, it would be politically suicidal to cast a vote for any of them. In fact it would amount to a waste of voting effort. The third parties should have long entered a coalition. They should have run something close to a primaries and agreed on one candidate. If they cannot do such a thing in the microcosm of their political sphere, they have not shown that they capacity to rule a vast country like Nigeria.

Fourth, is the lack of resources. To win elections in Nigeria, one must have money. And it is not necessarily because Nigerian politics is so money centred, it is because this country is so large there is no one person who has all the resources to foot a political campaign alone. What established political parties do is that they get individual in various political blocs in the country – from state to ward levels – and have these fellows foot the bill of the campaigns in those places. When they come to power, these people are compensated with political offices. But when one is in a third party that has no structure on ground, except say at state capitals, that person is getting ready for a loss.

The last reason why I am convinced third parties would loose in the coming election is that there are essentially no difference between the individuals in third parties and those in established parties. There is a seeming Nigerian factor present in every person in this country that sees political office as an opportunity to make gain for themselves and not to serve people. I am not convinced by the seeming altruistic motives of some third party candidates who brand themselves as a new breed without any stain. The fact remains that the heart of all men are desperately wicked and the heart of an average Nigerian is even more so. In relation to third parties, Nigerians see that the devil they know is better than the angel they do not know.

In conclusion, let me suggest to third party candidates to consider carefully the 2023 elections. They should work hard towards getting a consensus candidates among themselves and they should all unselfishly support this person. Nothing short of this would produce a challenge to the PDP and the APC. Until that happens, we are left with the two traditional parties in the country. We are left with this option not because they are the brightest and the best but because they are the most enduring.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

https://mouthpiece.com.ng/why-a-third-party-stands-no-chance-in-nigeria-today/