FROM THE PREACHER"S LENSES

Thursday, April 25, 2019
[email protected]
Lagos, Nigeria
THE EXPECTATIONS OF CITIZENS FROM THE GOVERNMENT (PART 3)

Continued from Part 2

will continue my preaching today on the topic "The Expectations of Citizens from the new Governments"

This is the third in the series.

Let us however commit this hour into the hands of God as Dr. Dn. Kayode does.

The Expectations of Citizens from the Government (Part 3).

In the first two broadcasts on this subject, I said that the expectations of the citizens are high from these new governments, particularly my state, Kwara, after they have mustered so much courage to send home the previous governments, which have treated them very badly.

I explained that the new state governments have inherited huge debt and may therefore be handicapped to meet our aspirations as quick as we may desire it but if we must however translate quickly from poverty onto wealth, then we must have a change of mindset to many things; summary of which is that we ourselves must translate every of our endeavours to everything that is righteous and Godly; to be righteous and honest with our fellow citizens, righteous in our businesses, righteous in dealing with government affairs and do unto others as we would, others do to us.

I also said that I will not be surprised if these new state governments should plead with us to be patient with them because of the huge debt they might be me confronted with and I added that we shall be willing to do if they are honest with us and their projects are transparent and the projects on the long run will be beneficial to the people and not for a particular group of people.

I also counseled that however bad the case on ground may be, they should do everything they can to promptly embark on projects, which should serve immediate relief, however little.

And I must ask that they do everything to return to the good old days when salaries of workers were sure to be in the banks on the 22nd of the month and allowances like leave bonus are not allowed to pile up. They should endeavor to pay the pension of retirees. When these are attended to, markets will definitely pick up and life be re-injected into the people and people will be happy.

I also counseled against selective generosity practiced by the previous governments, where houses are built or automobiles are purchased for some people in the community to buy their favor with the state money. I will later give suggestions of how the real people who are in need can be helped.

I have also encouraged the new executives to stir a revolution and line up after governor Nehemiah i.e. follow the example of Nehemiah, a onetime governor of the country of Judah who took no salary in all the 12 years he was governor.

Other than that, he did not eat from the kitchen of the governor's mansion but ate his own food and entertained members of his cabinet, other guests within his country and guests from other countries with his own money.

Why?

Because according to him "The citizens were already having a difficult time" (Neh. 5: 14-18).

I encouraged the new executive governors to do the same, since God has already blessed them and they are already rich.

Was I prescribing the cup or medication, which I cannot drink? No. As a Pastor, I never took salary from the Church and I ate my food.

In my previous broadcast, I also counseled them to put whether in high or low positions, only the people who are ready to make sacrifice. They must not be hungry people who will see their positions as opportunities to make money.

Many groups and many individuals have taken actions to get rid of the previous self-serving governments. Must we hold the new executive governors by the jugular and pester them to reward us with wealth with the state resources to the detriment of the citizens of the state?

My counsel is that not every individual in the struggle groups can be rewarded and we must see our actions, which many times are risky, as service to God and mankind.

Let me quickly give warning about the Professional Politicians, who their only source of livelihood is from government patronage? Will they alone again as it had been the usual practice be allowed to gup all the money of the States to the detriment of engaging in projects, which will benefit everyone in the States?

There are also among the Professional Politicians, those who always go with the direction of the wind. They cannot be in the opposition because they will lose their source of livelihood. So they automatically decamp to the party on the throne.

How will the new governments stop them from parading themselves at the corridors of power and allow you to function effectively?

At an Inter-Religious Solemn Assembly and prayer for the nation, which I conducted in a particular Local Government in 2018, we discussed what the problem was why the the presence of the government was not felt by the majority of the citizens unlike in the past.

The chairman of the particular Local Government took us to the memory lane that, in the past, only a handful of people were party carrying card members but now they are as many as the sands in the sea shore.

I can interpret that statement to mean that there are numerous people now a days who their only source of livelihood is 'Politics' And we do see them around us; they have no visible means of livelihood, yet they live large, they cruise about in expensive vehicles and live in mansions.

My argument against this practice is "Must we all be party members?" Supposing I am not interested in any party, do I have to starve to death?

In future, I will be giving my suggestions of how these groups of people and others can be cared for without impairing the dividends of democracy from reaching everyone.

There are also the Professional Afaas and Pastors whose duty is always to seek the recognition of the people in government.

They usually claim to have the power to pray for them so that they can remain in their position for ever. They are never short of seeing visions for them.

These people never see anything wrong in any government however glaring their wrongs can be in order not to lose the largesse of those governments.

When a number of us, Spiritual leaders; Imams and Pastors gathered together, call a spade a spade and confront the self-serving governments of their evil rule, prayed to our ever faithful God for their repentance or their removal, call Town hall meetings and Inter-Religious Solemn Assemblies, at the risk of our lives, they stood aloof or even ridiculed us, call us rebels and even went behind to the government in power that they were not part of us.

But I know that soon as a new government comes into power, they will be the first to get to the door of the government house to congratulate them and prophesy to them in their usual habits.

I counsel the new Governments in the states not to entertain such priests from both sides of the isles.

True Priests know that they do not need to visit the government house before they pray for her (the government). True Priests recognize their responsibility to pray for kings and those in authority so that they can govern in righteousness, which will enable the citizens to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty as counseled by the apostle, Paul, in 1Tim 2 : 1-3.

Next time, we shall be looking at what these State governments can do to make the wealth of the nation, spread fairly evenly and ameliorate poverty in the society.

Let us pray.

Continued from Part 2

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