FEATURE ARTICLE

Friday, July 20, 2018
[email protected]
Bonn, Germany
PRAYER WITHOUT ACTION IS TANTAMOUNT TO NOTHING (1)

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24)

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work (Colin Powell)

f you want to know how the 2019 elections will go, do not look any further. What happened in Ekiti State, on July 14, is a microcosm of the cruelty Buhari will unleash in 2019 just to remain in power. The gubernatorial election in that state was a fraud, pure and simple. Anyway, the election will not stand, as the courts will quash it along the line. Make no mistake about it, Buhari will rig the presidential election in 2019, just as they rigged this one in Ekiti State, but he will not get away with it, and that might bring Nigeria to an end.

Having said that, I advise ordinary Nigerians not to die for any Nigerian politician (not even because of religion, tribe or tongue)! Anybody who wants you to die for him or her, in order to actualize his or her political ambition or personal gain, should send his or her relations to do that (for him/her); afterall my people say that "he who wants a war should put his or her first son at the forefront of it". Nigerian politicians have no love for the people; they're the same and do only play the poor peoples of Nigeria against one another for their own selfish gains. Remember there's no morality in politics; and there's no permanent enemy or friend but only permanent interest in politics. It does not matter if a politician belongs to PDP or APC, their interest remains the same, and that's to use the poor as a pedestal to achieve their aim. That's why they keep on decamping back and forth from PDP to APC and back to PDP.

Ekiti State indigenes or other Nigerians should not take the law into their own hands even when they feel any election was rigged. They should always allow the courts to adjudicate here. The Nigerian politicians are not worth dying for. Fayose and Fayemi are the same, tomorrow you might see them sitting together, wining and dining; so, anybody dying for them will be a fool. Fayose, despite the altercations between him and Buhari, can tomorrow decamp to APC and becomes Buhari's best friend. Today Obasanjo is criticizing Buhari, but he was fronting for him in 2015. So are Nigerian politicians, forget them and do only the best you can by voting for better candidates.

What Nigeria needs now is a change of system, as the next president of Nigeria, no matter who he is, will also fail like Buhari, because of the inherent flaws in our socio-economic-political system - just as George Monbiot said: our democracy is broken, debased and distrusted. If we want a better Nigeria, we must fix the system to make it citizens' oriented, far from what is obtainable now (there are cracks in the system which must be fixed). Have you ever wondered why the political parties are just the same, without any distinctive ideology, and why our politicians are the same, without distinctive wisdom and perspective? The political class is one; they created different political parties just for one aim - to achieve political power for their class so that they will continue to subjugate the people for their selfish interests.

The point here is that what we have is two classes in Nigeria - the political class versus the people. Remember that between 2003 and 2007, most of those hanging out with Buhari today were those who said some unprintable things about him when he was the presidential candidate of another political party, but now, they had become chummy. In 2015, Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal, Dogara and many state governors decamped from PDP to APC, and now, most of them are decamping back to PDP. These lootocrats, calling themselves Nigerian politicians, have no conscience or morals and are only there for their selfish interests no matter what they tell you. Elections are coming; now they will be people's friends, but once re-elected, they will recoil - becoming out of reach again for the poor people they're wooing now. Get your PVC and do not sell it for any price.

I know that many Nigerians are merely existing (they are no longer living); the suffering has become unbearable for so many, but still, many erroneously believe that only prayers can bring succor to them. Due to frustration, Nigerians see prayer as the panacea for all their problems. Many do not want to do something tangible but rely upon prayers to solve their problems. We pray a lot but fold our arms. If prayer without action works, many Nigerians would have been millionaires today; many Nigerians would not have died; no Nigerian would have been failing his or her exams; Nigeria would have been winning the World Cup every four years; and of course, Nigeria would have been one of the most developed countries in the world. But, as we pray more, Nigerians become poorer and more wretched; many continue to die; and Nigeria continues to go backward.

We rely on prayers but have refused to do the right things, and we want progress, how can that happen? A friend sent me this: Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture laments when he said that "Thirteen 747 cargo planes come to Nigeria daily, offloading cargo. They fly back empty. Sometimes, they have to use sandbags to stabiles the aircraft". In addition to what the Minister has said, 5 of every 6 ships which berth in Nigeria leave back empty, the only one which leaves with cargo is filled with charcoal, gypsum salt and sesame seeds. 180 million people sleeping and contributing nothing to the world. All we do is drill oil and sell, bank the money, share the funds, import everything and throw big owambes, drinking champagne. The party would soon be over!!"

Look at our people's mindset that has helped in stunting any meaningful progress in Nigeria: Yakubu Gowon was a Head of State for 9 good years, and he had the biggest opportunity, than any other Nigerian leader, before or after him, to put Nigeria in a better shape, judging from the wealth and power at his disposal then, and he failed woefully. But now, he goes all over Nigeria as the Head of Nigeria Prays (a praying group he formed in 1996). Gowon goes about "praying" while the Fulani herdsmen are killing his Middle Belt people. What he failed to do when he had the power and was controlling unquantifiable resources, Gowon wants to achieve for Nigeria now with prayers. What a disappointment! So, in the midst of all this chaos and cruelty to one another, what difference does having faith or praying makes?

Someone just noted that in Nigeria, they conduct elections with soldiers and policenmen, but fight terrorists with prayers.

We have been deceiving ourselves, calling ourselves a religious nation when Nigeria is one of the most immoral countries in the world. We've lost our moral compass - we have been tolerating the intolerable in the name of money! Anything is possible in Nigeria, and our people do not give a damn again. Money has corrupted and debased our society. Let's ask why we have at least two churches (and in some cities, a mosque or Muslim community praying grounds) in almost every street in many residential areas in Nigeria, and still, crimes are rampant? Why is it that a poor country like Nigeria has some of the richest religious leaders in the world? Our religious leaders are fakes, and are not practicing what they preach. Most of these religious leaders do not even know the Bible or Koran they are holding - they are ignorant of what they are teaching, thereby leading their followers astray, as a blind cannot lead another blind.

Many Nigerians go to bed hungry; many die due to unaffordable or non-existing health care; many are committing suicide due to hopelessness; and many children are out of school due to the inability of their parents to afford their school fees; and still, our politicians are the highest paid in the world. How can one reconcile that?

Please pass this message to those who will not have access to this: Tell them that nothing will change, even if they pray till eternity, until we do the right things - Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Let me end this part of the article with this:

Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, the Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, wrote that after independence, in order to build great nation, each country went to work, but in Nigeria, after independence (in 1960), our people went to pray and fast.

So, while we were praying, Malaysia came here and took our palm seedlings, and built a great factory out of it.

While we were praying, China went into massive industrialization.

While we were praying, United Arab Emirate (UAE) went into massive infrastructural development.

While we were binding and casting Lucifer, Japan went into technological development.

While we were speaking in tongues, Denmark went into education of her citizens.

While we were mounting big speakers in our places of worship, United States was mounting man on the moon.

After our prayers, God being a wise God decided to reward us according to our labor. Since those that went into industrialization, technology, infrastructural development, ICT, education etc have been rewarded accordingly. It's only wise God rewards us with our efforts in prayers.

That's why today, Nigerian pastors are competing in building the biggest churches. That's why there are more prayer houses and worship places than hospitals and schools. That's why people rush to prayer houses for medical and business solutions instead of hospitals. That's why we do not do business visibility before jumping into it since we are going to back it up with prayers. And when it collapses, we blame the devil. That's why it's a sin to say anything negative about Pastors and Imams. That's why our pastors don't consider the opinion of engineers while building and blame the devil when the building collapses. That's why faith in God replaces building pillars and when it collapses we blame it on Lucifer. That's why our pastors are making sure they plant Church branches, instead of schools, on every street in Nigeria. That's why we always wait for God to do for us that which ability would've accomplished. That's why we want our teachers to labor on earth and go to heaven for their rewards.

Nigeria is a praying loving, God fearing nation. Religion has taken the place of technology, infrastructure, education etc.

When traveling, we ignore all the necessary road requirements - servicing of our vehicles, and we only pray. And once we pray, we can put half serviceable vehicles on the road and blame our step mothers or mothers-in-law if anything goes wrong. That's why there are more people dying on our roads than wild animals in the forest.

To be continued!

Hear this:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=give+red+card+to+Nigerian+politicians

TIT BITS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajVKLprgwk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmvnE6erj6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-15v9iworAU

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS


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