The quiet and serene atmosphere of Ekpekiri community in Nembe local government area of Bayelsa state was yesterday set into confusion as gunmen in the early hours stormed the community and abducted a renowned geologist, Chief Bertrand Douglas.
Bertrand Douglas, who is in his early 60s, is the owner of the Sart Nigeria Limited, an oil field Laboratory company that specializes in pause behavior and reservoirs management studies in the Niger Delta.
He was recently elected to be conferred with a Chieftaincy title of OJOKO in Nembe Kingdom, and sources close to our correspondent said that the armed men came into the community through the waters and headed straight to the home of the business mogul.
Douglas, who is based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was reportedly in Nembe for the burial rites of one of his senior brothers, while it was reportedly gathered that there was an exchange of gunfire between his security details and the armed men, though it was not ascertained whether anybody lost his life during the exchange of gunfire.
Some community sources said the interest of the gunmen may not be anything more than the issue of ransom payment, “the man is an honorable person and with due display of humility. He does not throw around affluence like many others in his category in Bayelsa”
Contacted on the development, the State Police Command through its spokesperson, Mr. Fidelis Odunna confirmed the abduction and said a team of anti-kidnapping squad has been deployed to the area.
The yesterday’s live telecast of the Nnewi-born oil magnate and chief executive of Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, Chief Ifeanyi Uba interview by a
Lagos-based cable television network has thrown Anambra state into
confusion.
Uba’s outburst, considered by many as no-holds-bared and watched by
many worldwide was too revealing.
He named some well-placed top government officials, Governors,
Ministers and business moguls as having evil machinations against him.
The 41year old oil tycoon reputed to have brought a lot of
transformation into the sector and loves touching the lives of
citizens, during the early morning television interaction opened up on
the plot to smear his reputation. He also named some of the key
players who he accused of trading and forum-shopping with his name.
Coming short of calling them names, the businessman said that none of
all his accusers for which he was recently arrested, detained and
charged would pin any scathing deal on him. On one particular
transaction between him and one of his townsman, names withheld, part
of which were the issues leveled against him was said to have been
perfected and concluded long before now.
He fumed that at the appropriate time and place he would lay bare all
the records on the plots, the places, the roles each participant
played against him.
Just as at the time the telecast was still on, the Anambra state
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Joe-Martins Uzodike
who was reported to have watched it with the Governor, placed
immediate hunt for the recorded version of the programme. It was so
intense he had to place a call direct to the executive chairman of the
television station.
The aim according to investigations was for the government to
understudy the entire interview with a view for legal action or
response.
Uzodike and some of those fingered by Uba were said to have before
yesterday gone on live telecast with comments against some business
transactions they claimed turned sour with him.
Also the Nnewi community was turned into a beehive as citizens who
watched the programme and even those who didn’t but heard about it met
in multiple groups and clusters discussing and analyzing the outburst.
Many who spoke to this reporter expressed dismay on the level some
highly placed individuals would go to tarnish the image of anyone
considered to be friends of the masses and popular.
Few days ago a group under the aegis of the Anambra Peoples’ Movement
(APM), in a press briefing at Nnewi said, “we have observed with keen
interest in the last few days the circumstances leading to the
dramatic incarceration of Chief Ifeanyi Ubah over some trumped up
charges bothering on financial misconduct”.
In the statement read out to journalists, copy of which was given to
the Guardian, by their spokesman Chief Tempest Udenze, noted that “APM
therefore wish to state categorically that the development, funny as
it has been so far has really raised more questions than answers.
“One of which is whether CAPITAL OIL and GAS LTD, a duly established
corporate entity that has legal rights to sue and be sued no longer
so? Why wouldn’t the relevant federal agency/cies follow this simple
time-tested path of our laws?
“In as much as our organization is not favourably disposed to any form
of fraud whatsoever, we wish to state in very clear language that
selective justice is no justice at all. Such is unconstitutional,
unfair and unacceptable to all good conscience.
“If the Federal Government as it were is sincere in its motive, they
should go for the main culprits that are well known to all as earlier
published. Or is it true they have paid their ways out as usual, and
set the attack dogs after a young Nigerian who dared into/do well in a
sector that had remained exclusive preserve of some pseudo gods.
Already several peace meetings had been scheduled between Uba and some
of his accusers, especially one of them who is also from Nnewi, but
none achieved its desired aim because his accusers failed to show up.
In the yesterday’s programme, Uba emphasized he has all his evidence
against all of them.
His problems, many reasoned were more political than business gone
awry, because it appeared it all began the moment he was linked to
moves to salvage the ailing All Progressives Grand Alliance, where he
was reported to be very close to Gov Rochas Okorocha and has intention
to run for the governorship of Anambra state next year.
The senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Dr. Andy Uba said yesterday that the on-going review of the country’s constitution is aimed at achieving and laying solid foundation to the much -desired
goals of good governance and reduction in the cost of running
governments in order to have more resources for development.
Uba who spoke at the senatorial zone’s public hearing of the
constitution review and town hall meeting at the Aguata local
government headquarters at Ekwulobia, said the new constitution would
be all inclusive, also ensure the security of lives and property, as
well as the welfare of Nigerians.
The session was attended by stakeholders from the seven local
government areas that make up the zone, as well as church groups, non
governmental organizations, NGOs, labour unions, market unions, among
others.
He pointed out that there were a number of areas that had been noted
to be of paramount importance to the people of the senatorial zone,
which, he observed, include states creation in the South East
geo-political zone in order to balance the number among all the six
geo-political zones.
He said: “I am very much aware that several groups have considered
some of the topics and had arrived at conclusions on them and we need
to capture those conclusions and incorporate them into a report that
will serve as the position of Anambra South on the review of the
constitution.”
Considering the areas to be amended one after the other, the
stakeholders voted for the creation of six new states in the country,
with the South East that has five states to get two additional states,
while the other four states that have six should get one state each to
bring all the six geo-political zones at par with the North West zone
that has seven states.
In recommending that state creation should be a constitutional
matter, they argued that allowing it to be an Act of the National
Assembly could lead to abuses.
The people also recommended that traditional rulers should be
assigned roles in the constitution, just as they voted yes for the
independence of the judiciary, as well as first line charge for the
Houses of Assembly and the local governments.
They equally rejected immunity for the president and governors and
their deputies, state police and gender consideration.
Also considered was the issue of residence and indigene in which they
recommended that any Nigerian who has lived consistently in a state
for five years should be accorded the status of an indigene of that
state.
. .As Traditional Rulers Stage Walk out over Constitutional Role
Abia state deputy governor, Col Emeka Ananaba (rtd) has charged the people of the people of the Ukwa/ Ngwa zone of the zone to unite for the 2015 governorship election or lose it.
Ananaba who spoke on Saturday at Binez hotel, venue of the Public hearing on the Constitution amendment for the People of Obingwa/ Osisioma/ Ugwunagbor federal constituency, called on political leaders to always act in the interest of the zone.
“Ukwa/ Ngwa people should learn to speak and act with one voice. The interest of the zone must be paramount in whatever we do. The race for 2015 starts now, if we do not put our house in order, we will lose it to others,” he said.
He commended the ongoing efforts to review the constitution and urged the people to express their views on the issues to be deliberated on.
Ananaba who hails from Obegu community in Ugwunagbor local council lauded the efforts of the member representing the constituency, Hon. Eziuche Ubani for putting the name of the constituency on the front burner and the establishment of an FM radio station in the area, adding that it would create employment as well as serve as a voice for the people of the zone.
On the controversy which arose as a result of the position of the people that there should be no role for traditional rulers in the constitution, the deputy governor charged the royal fathers to accept the verdict of the people, stressing that since the people who elected them said ‘NO’, they should abide by the decision.
The royal fathers led by the Second Deputy Chairman of the state Council of Traditional rulers, HRM Eze Eberechi Dick, the Chairman, Obingwa council of traditional rulers, HRM Eze Friday Ikpeazu and his Ugwunagbor counterpart, HRM Eze Harry Ugwuala, made to leave the hall protesting the verdict insisting that a role should be assigned to them in the proposed constitution, but they were held back by appeals from former Deputy governor, Chief Eric Acho Nwakanma who chaired the event and other dignitaries who insisted that it would be wrong for them to stage a walk out in the presence of Ananaba.
Orji Uzor Kalu also known as OUK is the former governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007 before he reportedly installed his successor who later cross carpeted from the Peoples Progressives Alliance that produced him to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Chief Orji Uzor Kalu is the founder of the Peoples Progressives Alliance which incidentally also in 2007 produced the governor of Imo State in the person of Chief Ikedi Ohakim who also left for ‘greener pastures’ in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost at the 2011 election to the All Progressive Grand Alliance -Chief Rochas Anayochukwu Okorocha.
Although the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) later suffered monumental political setbacks in the South East, the fact that the party that was barely one year of registration could achieve such a political milestone of winning two states in the 2007 governorship elections, is a testimony of the political sagacity, acumen and the energetic approach to politics that was brought to bear by the founder and his team.
For some inexplicable reasons, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu who vied to represent his people in the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the 2011 election, was manipulated and rigged out by the political machinery of the ruling people’s democratic party which was bent on producing the winners of all the elective positions to score cheap political victory in Abia State.
Unperturbed by this profanity that was carefully couched as hire wire conspiracy, this gentle man Chief Orji Uzor Kalu has proceeded with his legitimate chain of business activities which he left to contest the governorship position which he won by landslide in the 1999 election.
But unlike other political aspirants who would either lose at the poll or rigged out and completely go into their cocoon or disappear to do their private business without working to promote peace, democracy and growth of the nation’s economy, OUK is not one of those who will turn his back on his country especially during these trying times.
Since losing out to the rigging machinery of the ruling party at the center and made to face Kangaroo anti-graft trial, OUK has remained a consistent patriot who is unhappy that his country has slide into anarchy, lawlessness, terror-related violence and is now in a state of anomie.
He has severally proffered workable intellectual and pragmatic panaceas to the challenges of insecurity, poverty and corruption which confront Nigeria.
His latest intervention is his acceptance to mediate in the ongoing terror-related killings in the North on the delegation of the Federal government to dialogue with the dreaded armed Islamic terrorists – Boko Haram.
A self acclaimed commander of the dreaded insurgents had two weeks ago listed some terms of possible truce with the government of Nigeria which included the appointment of the former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari as the head of the team from the Islamic rebels to engage in peace talk with the Nigerian government.
In what is seen by many experts as a wise decision, General Buhari has turned down the offer in the proposed dialogue. He (Buhari) stated that he does not know any member of the group and that he completely dissociates himself from the murderous terrorism of the group which has claimed several thousands of innocent lives in the last few years.
But in a surprise move, the former Abia State governor who grew up in Maiduguri, Borno State, the hot bed of the ongoing religious insurgency has offered to be part of the federal government delegation to dialogue with the insurgents should the Nigerian government accepts to enter into dialogue.
Most Nigerians who opposed the peace talk proposal from the dreaded insurgents, doubted the credibility of the person who offered the truce talk because in the thinking of these analysts, the man is not one of the channels that that the real Boko Haram insurgents interfaces with the public.
The Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka on the other hand believes that there are no bases legally or morally, for the Nigerian government to dialogue with these same persons responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent Nigerians.
Professor Soyinka, like most people, it is preposterous for anyone to seek to impose his brand of religious beliefs or ideology on the other members of the society.
Soyinka said negotiating with mass murders would not end the cycle of violence tearing at the country. He also suspects that crooked politicians had a role in Boko Haram’s early rise.
“Politicians who wanted to rig elections activated this brainwashed horde of religious militants. That’s how it started”, Soyinka stated. Soyinka called the prospect of the government engaging in peace talks with the armed Islamic rebels as abysmal appeasement”
But the former Abia State governor said his decision to offer his services to bring about lasting peace was because the majority of Nigerians who have lost their lives and livelihood are from the South Eastern part of Nigeria.
He also applauded Buhari’s rejection of his “appointment” by Boko Haram on the ground that most Nigerians would misconstrue Buhari’s acceptance to mean that he was the arrow head of the violent insurgency.
It could be recalled that the terrorist attacks increased with the release of the 2011 Presidential elections in which General Buhari lost to the incumbent.
In making his offer to mediate OUK said he is in a position to marry the feelings of both the victims and the perpetrators to bring about lasting peace.
In my humble opinion, there is the need for peace to return to the volatile Northern region. I believe that the Federal Government has failed to carry out the primary constitutional duty of protecting lives and property by abysmally failing to put to an end the growing armed violent insurgency in Northern Nigeria.
I also believe that no genuine dialogue can happen in an atmosphere of lack of social justice for the thousands of innocent lives that have been wasted in this terror-related violence. I believe that any peace regime institutionalized without first and foremost delivering justice to the thousands of persons whose bread winners have been killed by the terrorists will not be sustainable and is inherently unfair, unjust and unconstitutional.
But I do also view the offer of mediation by the former governor of Abia State as historic, salutary and heroic. The Federal government is hereby advised to weigh this option comprehensively in the best interest of Nigeria.
Government must put an end to all forms of support for terrorism.
In his beautiful book “There was a country”, Professor Achebe stated rightly that the Federal government is guilty of tolerating terrorism.
His words: “Nigeria’s federal government has always tolerated terrorism. For over half a century the federal government has turned a blind eye to waves of ferocious and savage massacres of its citizens-mainly Christian Southerners; mostly Igbos or indigenes of the middle Belt; and others-with impunity”.
Achebe stated further; “Even in cases where their hands were found dripping in blood, the perpetrators have many a time evaded capture and punishment. Nigeria has been doomed to witness endless cycles of inter-ethnic inter-religious violence because the Nigerian government has failed woefully to enforce laws protecting its citizens from wanton violence, particularly attacks against non-indigenes living in disparate parts of the country”.
This vicious cycle of terrorism and government’s conspiratorial incapacity to resolve them must stop.
The Nigerian praying system enthrones a prosperous church while the nation is in a state of backwardness. Some prayer warriors of Nigerian extraction have effectively prayed self out of poverty, lack, sickness, madness, infertility etc while the nation is still backwards, sliding deep into, poverty, insecurity, inequality, injustice and despair. This is the mystery of Nigeria prayer system- some individuals are prosperous while the nation is backward.
The earlier article ‘’Hypocrites as prayer warriors: How can God heal Nigeria?1 & 2’’laid the foundation for the discussion and attempts to distinguish between personal prayers and corporate prayers . The principles of corporate prayers, prayers for nations, cities, villages emphasizes that the prayer warrior must stand on the path of equity. Any prayer against corrupt public officials cannot work if those praying have the same corrupt tendencies exhibited by those they want to replace.
A lot of prayer warriors have been given divine opportunity in the past to lead their constituencies to the Promised Land and there was no evidence in the manner they administered public trust to suggest that they ever prayed. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo turned a Born Again prayer warrior while in Maidugeri prison. When he became the president of Nigeria in fulfillment of the earlier prophesies of Bishop Duncan Williams of Ghana, the major achievement of his prayer prowess is that he frustrated the presidential ambitions of the feared Nigeria’s self styled evil genius, former military president Ibrahim Babangida in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and publicly declared Babangida a fool at 70 . He also introduced a ‘do or die’ electoral fraud system. His predecessor, late General Sanni Abacha so much believed in prayers that while he and his marabous were enchanting in the State House, his lieutenants were harassing, imprisoning and assassinating political opponents, irrespective of religious affiliations.
There are many in Full Gospel Fellowship, Grace of God Mission, Assemblies of God Church, Living Faith Church , Redeemed Christian Church of God, EFAC members in Anglican Church, Adoration members in Roman Catholic Church, Knights of Catholic, Anglicans, Methodists who have occupied positions of trust either as Senators, Governors, Ministers, Ambassadors, Party Chairmen , Permanent Secretaries, Heads of government agencies and yet there is no evidence that these people ever knew God nor had conscience in the manner they looted the national treasury and impoverished the masses, except probably that they donated to the building of church cathedrals and maintenance of the parsonage.
Their Muslim counterparts have not fared better; the level of poverty they hoisted on the majority of their people in the northern parts of Nigeria is evidence of years of prayers, sallat, pilgrimages to Mecca, Medina and other sites of worship. They are in corrupt enrichment contest with their christian counterparts in the civil service, politics, economy and other spheres of national life. When some muslim adherents got tired of following
insensitive leadership, they formed Boko Haram as a means of liberation, visiting mayhem on the nation. The majority Sunni sect has a lot of super rich members. The minority Shia and Ahmaddiya sect members boast of equally affluent members in the society. The rate at which individuals build gigantic mosques attached to their homes and in their remote villages suggests increased financial prosperity.
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The prayer warriors of Nigerian extraction have effectively dribbled self out of poverty, lack, sickness, mental illness, infertility etc while the nation is still backwards, sliding deep into, poverty, insecurity, inequality, injustice and inhumanity. Some have gotten breakthroughs in career, promotions, demotion of enemies and completion of abandoned projects, academics, marriage. All the spiritual pilgrimage programmes in Nigeria such as Holy Ghost Congress, Shiloh, Power Must Change Hands, Adoration and numerous crusades have no doubt salvaged a lot of members from the grips of invincible forces; and lot of evidences of divine intervention and verifiable miracles are not uncommon in those and other spiritual centers. In essence God hears the personal prayers of Nigerians for a better personal life but when it comes to extending such to national life, the same God shuts the door. Something is wrong somewhere. Therefore we have a lot of financially successful orthodox and Pentecostal Christians who must solicit the blood of Jesus for robbers and kidnappers not to gain entrance into their mansions. These wealthy personally blessed Christians must constantly change the shock absorber of their brand new cars and waste precious time on mechanics because the inept leadership have handed down bad roads to everyone irrespective of whether the person is a prayer warrior or not. The wealthy Christian must spend some hard earned money to bribe his wards into the university because the scarcity of university space, occasioned by bad leadership has made the admission process a highest bidder exercise.
Nigerian prayer warrior have succeeded in the areas of personal deliverance, personal prosperity and healing, however, they are still frisked like criminals at the point of entry to many nations because of negative image which leadership mediocrity have hoisted upon the citizens.
Is it not preferable to have a nation where the generality of people live above poverty level with a few super rich than the present situation where the majority live in poverty and a few successful prayer warriors live in opulence surrounded by hungry, angry and hostile mob? The spiraling prosperity fixation in the churches is building a super capitalist system which is gradually dwindling into a contemporary feudalism. This is not the prosperity preached by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ fed the poor. He made Zacchaeus ,the corrupt government official, to return his loot (Luke 19 vs 1-10)and He called King Herod , the tyrannical president/ commander-in-chief, a fox and rejected his friendship overtures (Luke 13 vs 32)
The Nigerian church have no doubt prospered financially and have removed the toga of a church rat but the nation where the church is located have moved down in corruption index to being 143 out of 182 most corrupt nation in the world( according to Transparency International 2011 report). We thank God for prosperity in the churches but why the nation has not witnessed economic transformation is a mystery. There is something wrong with the prayers offered for Nigeria- it is the hypocrisy of those leading and other participants in the prayer bouquet. God’s word says in ‘2 Chronicles 2vs 14 ‘’if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land’’ . Until those praying for Nigeria repent from their wickedness, humble themselves and seek national justice, equity, fairness and shun all tribal and sectional bias in the assessment of all pending national issues, the prayers for a nation where rule of law, economic prosperity and social security abounds will not be answered.
The self centered personal prosperity craze of the Nigerian prayer warrior at the expense of national rebirth, national transformation and national development will certainly lead Nigeria into a banana republic populated by very few super rich church goers with their subservient beneficiaries and an overwhelming majority held hostage by corruption, nepotism, armed robbery, kidnappings, communal strives and hunger. A prosperous church cohabiting with a backward nation is a social time bomb capable of exploding anytime
It was a show of solidarity for one of their own in Benin City, yesterday, as seven Governors across the political divide stormed the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium to witness the swearing-in, for a second tenure, of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.
Leading the pack of Governors was the Governor of Rivers State, and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi of the PDP. Also in attendance was Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State of All Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (APGA); Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha of APGA; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and PDP; Govermnor Babtunde Fashola of Lagos State and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and ACN; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and ACN and Gobvernor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and ACN.
Also in attendance at the Stadium which was filled to capacity were Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, who is also the national Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria; former Governor of Lagos State, Chief Bola Tinubu; former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba; former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chris Ngige; former Governor of Ekiti, Otunba Niyi Adebayo.
Members of the opposition PDP in Edo State were also at the stadium, led by SDenator Daisy Danjuma and former Minister of Defence and two-time Governor, General Godwin Abbe.
The Oba of Benin was represented by palace chiefs while also in attendance was the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness, Eheneden Erediauwa. The Sultan of Sokoto was represented by the Magajjin Sokoto.
In his inaugural speech after his swearing-in, Governor Oshiomhole thanked God for granting him and his Deputy the wisdom and the courage to take hard decisions which led to the success of their first tenure.
He recalled that prior to his administration in 2008, “the State became riddled with mismanagement, oppression, corruption, poverty, marginalisation of the people, suffocation of civil society, and the general neglect of the basic needs of the masses. There was hardly a difference between the rural and urban centres in terms of planlessness, unemployment, infrastructural deficit and decay, unaccountable leadership, political manipulation, waste and criminal diversion of state resources, and general insecurity”
Outlining his plans for the next four years, the Governor said: “we shall continue to rebuild faith in government and governance at all levels; mobilise our people to commit to collective growth and development, and strengthen institutions for efficient and effective service delivery. It is our hope that traditional leaders and institutions as well as religious bodies and civil society groups continue to mobilise their members to complement our efforts. We shall not fail to deliver on all our promises and to complete all on-going projects.
“Allow me to say that while we will continue to work on infrastructure, we plan, in the next four years, to place emphasis on promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Our Government will emphasize human capital development, training and retraining of teachers and public servants; promotion of agriculture for food production, employment and increased income to our farmers and rural dwellers; small and medium scale industrial development. We shall continue to attract local and foreign investors to Edo State so as to create more jobs for our people.
“We shall continue to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and ensure that all forms of waste are eliminated in the public service. In collaboration with the security agencies, we shall continue to work hard, to ensure and assure the safety and security of our people. Our goal is to ensure that Edo State becomes a major investors’ haven in Nigeria and that our small and medium scale industries are fed with products from our agricultural initiatives.
“Let me pay some brief attention to three issues: agriculture, local government and education. Our goal is increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of Edo State, create jobs for our people and forge strong linkages between agriculture and industry. To achieve this, our government will provide substantial incentives such as provision of rural roads and other incentives to promote large scale commercial agriculture. Emphasis will be placed on productive partnerships, processing and storage that will generate new opportunities for training and income to our small scale industries and farmers.”
The Governor later hosted his guests to a luncheon.
President Barak Obama’s return to the White House may be seen as an American show,former Abia state governor Dr. Orji Kalu calls it the Nigerian dream.
Dream in the sense that there is, according to Kalu, so much of America in Nigeria.He said,”for the very first time, nearly the entire Nigerian population watched the U.S. elections.President Obama and Mitt Romney debated,united against Sandy,went back to campaign and came out clean.Mr.President hailed his opponent,Romney congratulated him and life goes on.This is what Nigerians expect in 2015.”
The former governor drank from Obama’s Change We Can slogan,toasting to American -Nigerian historical similarities. “They fought a Civil War from 1861-1865,ours lasted from 1967-1970.Andrew Johnson,a southern senator, supported the Union and was rewarded with the position of War Governor of Tennessee in 1962.Ukpabi Asika from the east, supported the Federals and was appointed Administrator of East Central state in 1967.We have a lot in common and Change we can too,”Kalu explained.
He was not done.”There is so much between America’s 22nd President Steven Grover Cleveland and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.Both ruled,left office, and came back.Cleveland first came in 1885,and left in 1889,Obasanjo took his turn between 1976-1979.Now wait for this,”Kalu added,”Cleveland’s Second term was from1893-1897,just like Obasanjo’s second term as President ran betweeen 2003 -2007.Then this one.Cleveland was born in1837,Obasanjo came exactly 100 years later in 1937.”
Continuing, Kalu said “Cleveland assumed office as a bachelor until he married Frances Folsom in1886.Sounds like General Yakubu Gowon ,bachelor when he became Head-of -state in 1966.He would later marry Victoria Zakari.
Kalu is dead right.The Americans say theirs is God’s own country.In Nigeria,there is God’s own state, Abia,which incidentally is Kalu’s home state.While Nigerians dream, Kalu hopes that in the 2015 Presidential Elections, a compatriot of Igbo extraction will get a call on Obama’s hotline,and shout hello Mr.President,Change we can.
President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace has blasted members of Nigerian preacher TB Joshua who frequently fly out of Zimbabwe going for healing and other church meetings.
Mrs Mugabe said Zimbabweans should not waste their money visiting foreign prophets but should instead seek salvation cheaper locally.
Addressing thousands of Christians of the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa, ZAOGA, at the Today’s Women Conference at Glamis Stadium in Harare yesterday, Grace referred to Christians who visit what she termed war torn countries alluded as Nigerian and Ghana, of which TB Joshua’s country Nigeria is the only country which could be referred to as war torn.
“I really don’t understand why scores of people are putting their faith on foreign preachers. They are having to raise a lot of money to visit them when in Zimbabwe we are blessed with anointed people of God who are able to do even greater things,” she said.
Grace Mugabe’s comments come at a time when scores of Zimbabweans, including Cabinet ministers, are flocking to countries such as Ghana and Nigeria seeking divine intervention.
“It doesn’t matter which denomination you belong to, we are all seeking one God. Believe in our prophets and stop wasting money visiting faraway countries. In Zimbabwe we have people who, through prayer, can heal you from your sickness and restore your broken marriage.
“People have this misconception that Zimbabweans do not know how to pray. Little do they know that we have a lot of anointed people who are able to help us because they know the environment that we are operating under. A closer look at the countries which are being thronged by our people reveals that they are torn by war and hunger,” she said.
Grace Mugabe told the thousands of people who attended the last day of the conference, organised by Prophetess Eunor Guti of the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God, that she also seeks the help of local spiritual leaders.
“I might be Grace Mugabe of Zimbabwe, but I cannot do it all on my own,” she said to wild applause.
“I go to Amai Guti seeking guidance and she prays for me. The prayers enable me to keep my family and life together. I see God’s power in her and I have come to realise that God gives you people in your life to do certain tasks that you cannot do on your own because they are anointed in that area.
“There is no point in trying to compete or badmouth the anointed because theirs is a gift from God.” Mugabe added that she also believes in fasting as she seeks God.
“Prayer and fasting have sustained me and I have also learnt to ask God for wisdom every day. “The book of James 1:5 says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let them ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given him.’
“To know what to do requires wisdom that comes from God,” she said.
The conference was ran from November 8-10 and attracted delegates from more than 182 countries.
