29112020

Fellow Nigerians, jawjaw
is better than warwar
“War is only a cowardly
escape from the problems of
peace” - Thomas Mann, 1875-
1955, VANGUARD BOOK
OF MQUOTATIONS, p 267.
ikhail Gorbachev,
born in 1931, of
mixed Russian and Ukrainian
parents, was the last President
of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, USSR,
the Communist bloc
forcefully created by Russia
after World War II as a rival
to the power of the United
States. But, by 1991, the Union
had passed into history as
each of the nations brought
under the USSR umbrella
went their separate ways –
along ethnic lines based on
language. The USSR military
was powerless to prevent the
break-up of the country
because the forces themselves
were sharply divided along
ethnic lines. Today 15 different
countries exist in the same
geographical space occupied
by only one until 1991.
There is a lesson for all
Nigerian leaders as they
gradually and inadvertently
push our country to the brink
of blow-up and break-up
similar to that of the USSR.
As an incurable optimist who
believes that we can still
renegotiate our collective
existence as one Nigeria, I
must confess my increasing
alarm concerning the slide
towards the brink of national
disaster. Indeed, this will
Email:biolasobowale@yahoo.com
Phone Number: 08055069026
Twitter:@DrDeleSobowale
Instagram:delesobowalefranklyspeaking
Website: www.delesobowale.com
constitute the Mother of all
Disasters to befall Nigeria in
our own life time and it will
usher in a period of instability
which will overwhelm all of
the Economic Community of
West African States, ECOWAS
– as well as other African
countries. We urgently need to
find our way back to peace;
before the horrors of an
endless civil conflict overtakes
us. Then, peace will be more
difficult to achieve – if it is ever
attained. The break-up of
India into India and Pakistan
and the perpetual conflict
between the two countries
should caution us.
“In times of victory,
prophets are unnecessary
distractions” - Professor
Trevor Roper, 1914-2003,
VBQ P 204.
This article could easily
have been titled, PRESIDENT
BUHARI, NIGERIA IS ON
THE BRINK OF NATIONAL
CIVIL WAR, and it would have
been appropriate. But, I have
chosen instead to approach
the matter from the angle of
promise – the possibility that
disaster can still be averted.
The conflicts, which will erupt
nationwide, will certainly
consume most of us in one
form or another.
The reader is entitled to ask
at this point if I am a prophet.
The answers are Yes and No.
Permit me to address the No
first. Nigeria, today, is
inundated with ‘prophets’ –
With only a
few weeks left
to the end of
2020, Nigeria,
instead of
being among
top 20, is now
the poverty
capital of the
world
Christians, Muslims and
traditional religion adherents.
Invariably, the well-advertised
ones, unlike the prophets of
old, are in business to make
money out of their
predictions. Almost always
their predictions are so vague
(“Someone among my
listeners will get a new job this
month”, “A lady will get
married before the year
ends”) they constitute nothing
more than spiritual 419. And
they quickly pass the envelopes
for donations or provide bank
account numbers to which
gullible followers will pay. I
don’t belong in that class.
The prophets of old never
asked for a kobo. Elisha
rejected the offer of reward
after finishing his task. He,
like all true prophets, was
specific about his predictions
and the consequences that
would follow if ignored. Yes, I
belong to that class and it will
require several articles to
remind our readers of the
specific warnings given on
these pages which have turned
out to be true. Three will help
before moving on to the
substance of today’s article.
In 1992, when the
Babangida administration
initiated VISION 2020; and
everybody jumped on the
bandwagon of forecasting
that Nigeria would become
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 29, 2020, PAGE 11
one of the world’s top 20
economies by 2020, there was
one lone voice saying “it won’t
happen”. The voice was mine.
With only a few weeks left to
the end of 2020, Nigeria,
instead of being among top
20, is now the Poverty Capital
of the World. Nobody else can
now repeat what he said
about VISION 2020.
Early in 1998, shortly after
my fourth trip to detention
under General Sani Abacha,
and when the media was
under siege by the regime, I
wrote the following in one
article in May 1998: “We, the
media, shall write the obituary
of all those in power today –
whether they like it or not.”
Abacha died on June 8 of that
year. We are still writing the
obituaries of those who
collaborated with him.
The third warning is more
recent than others – as recent
as 2016 as a matter of fact. In
that article, Nigerians were
warned about how the
Governor of Kaduna State
had deliberately ignited unending
conflict in the state and
had fractured Kaduna along
religious and tribal lines as
never before in the state’s
history. Please read:
‘EL-RUFAI TAKING
KADUNA TO ALEPO AND
NIGERIA TO SYRIA – 1’
“It makes a great difference
by which causes and under
what authorities men
undertake the wars that must
be waged” - Saint Augustine.
Foreword
It is probably the first time
that a column appearing on
this page would start with a
foreword. There is an urgent
reason. It is also probably the
first time in Nigerian history
that a columnist would be the
first to alert all Nigerians to a
war, already underway in
Kaduna State which might
eventually engulf at least the
entire North and perhaps all
of Nigeria.
It is a religious sectarian war
that had its origins in the
Middle East since the death
of Prophet Mohammed
(Peace Be Unto Him) and
which is at the bottom of a
great deal of the blood-letting
in Syria and Iraq today.
President Buhari has been
criticized for his silence on the
events in Kaduna since the
clash between the army and
Shi’ites which claimed
thousands of lives. The Head
of State has my sympathies,
for reasons you will read later.
But, his chief handicap lies in
the fact that he is a Sunni
called upon to take a stand in
the conflict between Sunnis
and Shi’ites.
One elected official who
had not been reluctant to act
is El-Rufai, the self-righteous,
self-adulating Governor of
Kaduna State. Last week, he
called some reporters and
handed them a bundle of
partisan sectarian half-truths
about the Shi’ites. He had
earlier proclaimed the sect
banned in Kaduna State. By
so doing, El-Rufai had
brought to our door steps in
Nigeria the main cause of
Islamic sectarian wars in
Syria and Iraq. The rest of us
innocent bystanders will feel
the heat of battle.”
That article was published
in December 2016. Since
then, Governor El-Rufai has
added ethnic partisanship to
the religious conflict
engulfing Kaduna State. The
once most congenial state
capital in the North and the
former regional capital is
now a hell on earth for its
dwellers. The carnage was
foretold. Attention has been
drawn to the warnings on
Kaduna for the obvious
reason.
Kaduna State is not only
central to any effort to achieve
peace in the North in
particular, it points to the
problems Nigeria as a whole
will have to restore peaceful
co-existence. It is daunting
task but not an impossible
undertaking if we want to
continue as a united country.
I remain an optimist that we
can avert disaster. But, the
windows of opportunities are
closing gradually. What
happened to the USSR under
Gorbachev becomes relevant
as a lesson for us which we
ignore at our own peril under
Buhari. Here is why.
‘IBB, Abdulsalami Declare
Support for North-Central
People’s Forum’ - DAILY
INDEPENDENT, November
19, 2020, P 2.
Unlike most Nigerians, I
read several newspapers every
day. Until that report by DAILY
INDEPENDENT was
published, nobody could have
convinced me that former
Heads of State – Babangida
and Abubakar – would ever
enlist in any sectional or
regional forum. In fact, in the
concluding part of my article
two weeks ago – ‘FACED
WITH IMMINENT
DISASTER, WHERE ARE
THE NIGERIAN LEADERS’
– the two former military
leaders had been suggested
along with some others who
might help Buhari to rescue
us. I laboured under the
impression that they have both
successfully warded off
requests to join the North
Central of Middle Belt
crusade for fairness. The
DAILY INDEPENDENT
report and the statement
credited to IBB in particular
broke my heart as it revealed
how close we are to the brink
of disaster. Here is part of what
he said:
“I have always wondered
when I hear groups from the
North-West, North-East,
South-South and South-West,
and I kept wondering where
we in the North-Central
belong…”
Babangida was speaking to
a delegation from the North-
Central People’s Forum led by
Lt General (rtd) Jeremiah
Useni. The Forum, which has
been busy lately, is the
indisputable proof that the
North has become openly
divided.
Get ready to be free
Congratulations! We
made it to the last
Sunday in
November, Glory be to God.
Why is it necessary to
mention this? It’s simply
because in a few days, we’ll be
counting down to Christmas.
As we begin to count down
to the yuletide season, may the
Lord give us gifts that He
alone can give us.
Brethren, at this time, we
must thank God. It doesn’t
matter what one is passing
through, we have to thank
God for life. Why? We are not
alive because we are
righteous.
Lamentation 3 vs. 22&23 (
NIV) reminds us : “ Because
of the LORD’S great love we
are not consumed, for his
compassions never fail.
They are new every
morning; great is your
faithfulness”.
You know the rest either as a
song or a prayer point.
In our previous edition, we
mentioned, prayer, praise and
patience as three factors that
are crucial for anyone
desirous of a miracle.
In this edition we’ll
consider another factor that
has more to do with the
individual seeking a miracle
than with the Lord Almighty.
That factor is your “
determination to be set free”.
Brethren, you need to ask
yourself, do you really want
an end to that affliction? Do
you desire to sing a new song?
Do you really want to testify
to a miracle?
If the answer is yes. It would
reflect in your prayer life.
How do I mean? I mean if
you have been lackadaisical
with prayer, it is time to put in
more effort. Review the time
you spend praying upwards.
Spend more time singing
praises to the Lord. Increase
your contribution and
commitment to the work of
God.
Above all raise the level of
your faith. Let the woman that
is called barren begin to see
herself as a mother of children
particularly while praying.
For the single lady, let her
see herself settled in her
matrimonial home.
Brethren, these are steps that
you have to take yourself. No
Pastor can make you
determined to have a break
through. You have to show
determination to be set free
from bondage first, then the
Holy Spirit will lead you to
the steps to take physically
and you can be sure of the
intervention of God to put an
end to the challenge.
Do you know that
challenges have been with
Man for long but
determination to set yourself
free is so crucial to your
liberty?
Let’s consider one or two
examples in the Holy Bible.
We look at the activities of a
King Herod as recorded in Act
12 vs. 1-6. ( KJV) Here King
Herod had killed James the
brother of John. Then he
went on to arrest Peter.
Verses 4-6 gives us details of
what Herod did with Apostle
Peter .” And when he had
apprehended him ( Peter), he
put him in prison, and
delivered him to four
quaternions of soldiers to
keep him; intending after
Easter to bring him forth to
the people.
Herod planned to kill Peter
as he did James because the
death of James pleased h
people.
Peter therefore was kept in
prison; but prayer was made
without ceasing of the church
unto God for him. And when
Herod would have brought
Determine in your
heart that 2020 will
not roll away
without you
receiving your
miracle
him forth, the same night Peter
was sleeping between two
soldiers, bound with two
chains: and the keepers before
the door kept the prison”.
Verse 7 of the same chapter
tells us : “ And, behold, the
angel of the Lord came upon
him, and a light shined in the
prison: and he smote Peter on
the side, and raised him up
saying, Arise up quickly. And
his chains fell off his hands”.
Brethren, from this passage
we see the power of prayer
how it moved Divine
intervention.
In the name of Jesus,
whatever the enemy has used
to hold you down, physically
or spiritually, the power of
God will set you free in Jesus
name.
If the church prayed for Peter,
you must imagine that Peter
too must have prayed
earnestly. Why? Peter would
not want to be killed like
James. Secondly, he couldn’t
have enjoyed staying behind
bars. Therefore, he too must
have prayed.
Are you saying that you
have no intercessor? You have.
Luke 4 vs. 18 ( KJV)Our Lord
Jesus said : “ The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he
hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the broken
hearted, to preach deliverance
to the captives, and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised”.
Are you broken hearted
because of inability to
conceive, is yours because
medical science has written
you off, is it because of series
of miscarriages? .
Is your challenge related to
series of broken
relationships? Have your lost
the peace in your marriage?
Whatever it is, you have an
intercessor in the Lord Jesus
that is always around to heal
the broken hearted.
However, you must ask. You
must be desirous to be free.
Blind Bartimaeus is a good
example of someone who was
tired of his situation .
Mark 10 verse 47 states of
the action of blind
Bartimaeus. “ And when he
heard that it was Jesus of
Nazareth, he began to cry out,
and say, Jesus , thou son of
David, have mercy on me”.
His desperate cry got the
attention of the Lord Jesus .
As you spend quality time
in prayer pouring out your
heart to the Lord as Hannah
did, you will receive the
attention of the Lord in Jesus
name.
Note that there were people
around the Lord who felt that
the cry of blind Bartimaeus
was a distraction to them and
to the Lord.
Nevertheless, he got the
attention of the Lord.
Verse 49- 52 tells us how
Jesus reacted and the result
that blind Bartimaeus got.
“ And Jesus stood still, and
commanded him to be called.
And they call the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good
comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
And he, casting away his
garment, rose, and came to
Jesus . And Jesus answered
and said unto him, What wilt
thou that I should do unto
thee? The blind man said unto
him, Lord, that I might receive
my sight.
And Jesus said unto him, Go
thy way; thy faith hath made
thee whole. And immediately,
he received his sight, and
followed Jesus in the way”.
Brethren, make up your
mind to be free from bondage
like Hannah, like blind
Bartimaeus and the Lord
will set you free.
You may experience some
discomfort while crying unto
the Lord, you may even be
mocked , just remain focused
as you cry unto the Lord that
can set you free.
Determine in your heart
that 2020 will not roll away
without you receiving your
miracle.
Be prepared to sacrifice time
and some of the pleasure of
life. Spend more time,
praying. Fast if your health
permits and the merciful Lord
will grant your heart’s desires
in Jesus name.
Whatever you lack today, be
assured that Jehovah El-
Shaddai is able to give you
more than enough.Very soon,
you that is being called
barren will soon be called
mother of twins.
Your testimony shall be
better than that of Hannah.
Only believe and act your
faith.
It is well in Jesus name.