veryday one opens the newspaper, it is a story of theft of fund by some individuals in one organ of the government or the other. And it is not a small money in each case, but money, which is sufficiently large to take the citizens of Nigeria out of poverty completely.

With theft of government fund in high places and the citizens left uncared for, they are going through the worst of penury, never experienced in the history of the land and it has led to many vices that not many can ever imagine.

And the thing that amazes me is that these things happen in the most religious country of the world, where people take attendance of Church and Mosque very seriously as if it is what all their life depends on not realizing that it is obedience to the words of the Scripture that their life after death depends on.

Institutions, which one will expect should be above board are not left out.

I cannot believe reading it in the newspaper just this passing week that our foremost media organization, the prime media, responsible for disseminating news is accused of fraud to the tune of billions of Naira.

This other one I want to mention frightens me; the institution commissioned to be prosecuting theft itself is meanwhile under probe.

I just pray that when the result of the probe is announced, it is not going to be like the proverbial saying "The Hawk steals it and the Eagle snatches it back from the Hawk" because I have in the past preached, doffing my hat for the man for his boldness to prosecute suspected looters.

Certainly Baba did not bargain for what he is seeing. Many of us rejoiced at his second coming with the hope that the cat has entered the house and the mouse must go into hiding. I wrote several articles and preached same in excitement on the radio stations, where I broadcast eg

1. The faithfulness of God to answer Prayers; the enthronement of a Nehemiah for Nigeria: https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/060215.html

I have in my previous campaigns likened the General, due to his past records to the Biblical Nehemiah who did a wonderful reformation in his country after the previous governors tyrannized and impoverished their citizens. Other than his previous records, he made some statements during his campaigns that endeared the hearts of many of us to him, which I quoted in my articles and in my broadcasts. Some of the quotes included:

"No one needs to be a prophet to recognize that Muhammadu Buhari's profile matches very well with that of Biblical Nehemiah.

While other ex-Nigerian Presidents and Heads of State are getting N23million monthly, Buhari gets only N2.3million. Buhari wrote a letter to the Minister of Finance and said he should only be paid 10% of the N23m they give all past leaders as monthly salary.

President Muhammadu Buhari is planning to put a stop to the inconsiderate, selfish, greedy and irresponsible retirement salaries of Political leaders. He has vowed to put an end to some wasteful spending of the government like sponsoring of citizens to Holy lands.

President Buhari has vowed to wage war against people who have properties that cannot be accounted for with their legitimate income.

President Mohammadu Buhari as a former General in the military, former State Governor, former Minister of Petroleum and former Head of State is reported to have only a house, which is located in his native home of Daura and one other in Kano and Kaduna. What a leader by example!"

I preached many sermons in excitement in 2015 that our time of redemption has come. Alas the rats have dared the cat and the cat is helpless. The rats laugh to the bank when they are stealing the government money but fake fainting when questioned to give account.

Few other articles, which I wrote and which were topics of my radio broadcasts include:

1. What next after having a President whose heart seeks God: https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/042115.html

2. Nehemiah, Sanballat & Tobiah: https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/062315.html

3. The Example of Ezra

   https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/070715.html

In my broadcast of April 19 titled "What Next after having a President Whose Heart Seeks God?" https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/060215.html

I counseled us what we ourselves must do in order to realize our hope in the new president.

Our hope is not realized because we fail to heed my counsel. And except we heed my counsel as it was in that sermon, our misery will continue.

In that same broadcast of April 19 2015, titled "What next after God gave us a President whose heart seeks God?" https://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/aweda/042115.html

I said it is in fulfillment of a promise God made to me months ago, which I related to the whole world in the broadcast, which I made on the first Sunday in 2015.

But God added to it that whoever Nehemiah He gives us can only succeed "if you people will not strap (muzzle) His hands because even if He wants to show mercy, it depends again on whether or not you will allow Him to do it"

Usually, when God gives a promise, He gives us a role to play in bringing it to come to pass.

So how can we strap, muzzle or not strap His hands in order to complete the fulfillment of His mercy?

For those leaders to be able to end our suffering, everyone in a civilian government other than a military government must be upright because however righteous or godly or determined and disciplined, any head of government, whether at the Federal or State can be, they cannot succeed in the midst of ungodly majority. Such a righteous president or Governor will be speedily frustrated and impeached by the ungodly majority. Reasons for impeachment cannot be in want. The Bible says that Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any nation (Prov.14:34)

In the same article and broadcast "What Next after having a President Whose Heart Seeks God, who wants the prosperity of the nation?" I wrote and broadcasted:

We all must reciprocate. We all must go godly

The Bible cannot be faulted. It says "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any nation" (Proverb 14: 34)

I also wrote and preached that we need a collective commitment in order to achieve a Nigeria where we all live in comfort because if some people are living Godly and others are living ungodly, the efforts of the ungodly people will dwarf, sink or sub plant the efforts of the Godly people and the efforts of the Godly people will be of no effect.

I further wrote and preached that in order to allow the President to succeed with his good will plan for us, we urgently must start to hold Inter-Religious Solemn Assembly in every region where we will all take a firm commitment with the enabling power of God to renounce and repent of all our selfishness, cheating behavior, lack of concern for the other fellow, renounce and repent of all our greed, ask God to give us power to love our fellow human beings, to do our duty in all sincerity without taking gratification in the performance of our duties, to be helpful to all people who have transactions on our official tables, not to be difficult to them but be helpful to them. This is in line with the Bible, which says "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach" (Prov. 14:34)

At such assemblies, we shall ask God to cleanse our land from all things that are militating against us to living a good qualitative life, things that are hindering our progress as a nation, knowing that poverty is making many to backslide. It has made many youths to become tools of hooliganism in the hands of politicians.

Many factors are responsible for the aggressive stealing of the treasury and stealing of funds meant for projects, which are meant to bring comfort for the citizens under the watch of a onetime no nonsense Military General.

When he came in December 1983, it was with gun and he himself and his then Deputy were judged to be morally upright and so the citizens had no choice but to follow suite. So things took shape.

Now as a civilian president, with no gun in his hands, his moral uprightness meant nothing to the house rats. They could just fake fainting to get off the hooks and employ lawyers to argue their case; lawyers who have no fear of God and who their love for money by far, outweighs their love for the health of the citizens of this country.

The reasons why Baba is helpless cannot be farfetched. He had no money to pay for his nomination form at the starting point. Some people paid for it. He had no money to run his Presidential campaign, some people financed it. And what is the character of the people who paid for his presidential campaign? So those who paid the piper are dictating the tune. Can Leopard change its colour? So looting not only continued but more aggressive.

I have preached many sermons in the past that in order that someone who is morally upright ascend the presidency and able to perform, we must reform our electoral process.

The fees for nomination form for gubernatorial and presidency is too high. It excludes the poor. The electoral rule has ruled off the poor and judged them as stupid and unwise and unqualified to govern either the state or the nation.

I did my research and I published it and preached it, no nation on earth sets fee for collection of nomination form as high as Nigeria.

In my same sermon of April 2015, I reported that Baba has vowed that shameless politicians who were de-camping to his party will have no place in his government and I prayed that the President elect will not be swayed to change his mind. But it was not so, in fact it became a situation where thieves are left off the hook once they cross over.

During his campaign, he planned to put a stop to the inconsiderate, selfish, greedy and irresponsible retirement salaries of Political leaders. He has vowed to put an end to some wasteful spending of the government like sponsoring of citizens to Holy lands. We are yet to see him put up such bills after 5 years.

The only option we have in this country, if our situation must change positively, if poverty must be eradicated, if youths must get employment after graduation, if we must catch up with the comity of nation is for everyone of us to go godly. The Bible says it clearly "Righteousness exalts a nation, while sin is a reproach" Every Nigerians must do to others as he would want others to do to him.

If the theft of government fund must stop, preachers on both sides of the isles must preach nothing on their pulpits other than godliness and righteousness and forsake all personal gains, abandon selling of anointing oil and holy water and candles till we pass through the misery we are passing through in the meantime. By the time godliness and righteousness reign in the land and no one defraud the other person and poverty is eradicated in the land, we will discover that the use of anointing oil, holy water etc will no longer be needed as such but they will be used for the real purposes God intends them for.

Sam Aweda, Pastor, Jesus for the World Revival Mission (Peoples' Church)