PART 4
CONSCIENTIOUS JOURNALISM vs COME CHOP JOURNALISM
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE OLD MAROKO, THIEF RAJI RASAKI?
When I was pursuing the case of the seizure of land by the Lagos State Government under the then ‘Lord’ Colonel Raji Rasaki (1998-1991) as a Staff Reporter with The Guardian in the 1990s on behalf of the hapless owners - the original owners of the then Maroko slum, ‘Lord’ Raji Rasaki said his Government was out to develop the slum and give it back to the poor owners adding: “Because they can’t develop it by themselves.”
Despite the fact that I was a witness to the sorry sight of seeing people who had tied themselves to the bulldozers being driven by his equally heartless men through the mud, and soldiers mercilessly kicking and beating the poor-original owners of Maroko and chasing them away from the only place they had on the planet earth to call their home, Rasaki was never moved to compassion in the least.
But who have been occupying the developed Maroko since then till now? The original poor owners or Rasaki’s fellow crooks, pen robbers and executive-hardened criminals like Raji Rasaki himself?
Again, my path and that of that wicked crook of a man, I mean the same Agbero Raji Rasaki were to cross again at FESTAC TOWN, PHASE II plots of land, which were shared by the Ibrahim Babangida Boys, including places earmarked as Open Spaces. When I put questions to him in his residence, he threatened to deal with me if I dared publish anything about the place, just like another top military officer, whose car number plate then was GG 99 had threatened to kill me if I published anything about his residence too, adding: “And no one will ask me.”
Whilst investigating the FESTAC TOWN, PHASE II plot racketeering, I had initially gone out with Olusegun Adeniyi, then on test with us on the Magazine Desk of The Guardian on Sunday, under Obasi Ogbonnaya as editor.
It was Olusegun Adeniyi, who of course, brought the story from his uncle, Cornelius Adebayo, formerly Governor of Kwara State from 1983-1983.
When the top military officer barked out the threat from the upper floor of his obscene duplex, Segun scampered away, saying to me: “John, me I no dey-o.” But I stood my ground and kept firing him questions from the frontage of the make-shift zinc hut, where cements for the buildings were kept.
The military officer came down to meet me and I yet maintained my position, telling him our coming to him was to give him the benefit of the doubt to answer a few questions before we go to press with our investigation. Being now more furious, he shouted: “Go and write anything about this place, I will kill you and nobody will ask!”
On the prodding of Segun Adeniyi who was standing near the road, where the officer had parked his car, I left the building site to join Adeniyi, whereupon we both departed, with me leaving for Rutam House, and Segun leaving for home in FESTAC TOWN.
I had to after a meeting with the Desk editor Mr Ogbonnaya, dropped Adeniyi and went ahead to complete that investigation with Sam Inam, who then was just a mere, but very brave Corp Member, serving with us on the Magazine Desk.
That story was titled: “ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL, with a rider: And the Children can’t play”!
The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) at this time was under one Architect Bana, who thoroughly dressed me down when Sam Inam and I met him in his office at FESTAC TOWN.
Arc Bana did thoroughly rubbish me just to intimidate and cow me to submission in order to give up that investigation, but unknown to him, as an investigative journalist, I had met hundreds of his ilk who often did resort to what on looking back now, I would like to refer to as “cowardly threats” from crooks in supposedly exalted and hallowed places of service which all the so-called Nigerian big men and women I had ever investigated, including the BARAWO called ATICROOK ABUBAKAR, the WAZIRI-CORRUPTION & PRIVATI-WAKILI ADAMAWA. I mean that notorious Fulbe Auctioneer ‘Mayor’ of Dubai who will readily sell Nigeria for a mess of pottage without batting an eye lid!
After Sam and I had taken our seats in his office, Bana arrogantly taunted me that I was basing my investigation on rumour, saying it was unfortunate that The Guardian of all papers had to employ my type of journalist, threatening he would report me to Mr Femi Kusa, the then editor of the good old Guardian, with me replying, Mr Kusa knew we were in his office for this investigation.
But after I had allowed him to play the fool of dressing me down very thoroughly before his guests, numbering eight in his unnecessarily VERY large office, I gave Sam a cue to switch on his midget tape recorder.
Thereafter, I brought the photocopy of the PHASE TWO MASTER PLAN OF FESTAC TOWN availed us by Segun through his uncle and placed it on the desk of Bana, who before I had brought out the photocopy of the master plan deluded himself before his guests that he was in charge and in control as he seemed to be regaling in his rubbishing of me thoroughly. But realising ours was not a rumour mission, he mellowed down like a coco yam leaf, he began to shiver and sweat, and couldn’t look straight onto my face any more, for brave Sam Inam and myself were now in charge and in control!
When that story was published, one Owolabi (not quite sure of his name now), shame on him, who was the FHA’s Public Affairs Manager, came running all over the place – meeting Mr Femi Kusa, the editor of The Guardian and Mr Emeka Izeze lying I had misrepresented them in my investigation.
He was advised by both editors, to write a rejoinder, which I think Rutam House and I are still waiting after over two decades!
The other IBB Boy involved in the racketeering was Air Commodore Ibrahim Alkali, former Military Governor of Kwara State (1987-1989), a host of other IBB Boys and Governors, including top ranking military officers, both serving then and those who had retired – the same people that bought over – Osbourne Road, Ikoyi and Lekki Peninsula, which I also investigated!
The Lekki Peninsula investigation exposed the naked hypocrisy of some prominent Nigerians in a premier environmental NGO, who too were part of the dirty deal, but who had been deceiving, I would say; themselves, Nigerians and the world that they were truly committed environmentalists/conservationists championing the cause of the Nigerian environment.
All these investigations were at a time when The Guardian was The Guardian and the Papers’ Paper and the intellectuals/elites’ ‘coffee’ – and NOT the newsletter it has been turned into, and now serving the interest of the highest bidders and any government in power (AGIP)!
It was also the era when editors were editors.
During this time at Rutam House, editors would stand at the gate (Ogbuagwu Anikwe and Kingsley Osadolor, particularly) and wait for their stories, asking: “My friend, my friend, where is my story?”
Alas, Conscience is now nurtured by newsletter, and Rutam House now a sorry museum, where The Guardian of old is house, weeping over the paper’s current slogan: TRUTH IS NOW DEAD…CONSCIENCE NURTURED BY NEWSLETTER.
FOOD IS READY JOURNALISM
But today, all editors in Nigerian journalism, without exception, stand at the gate figuratively speaking, asking their reporters: Eyin guys, kile mubo? Kile jeku? Ekin deliver mo…ma se Cabinet reshuffle.”
This shame informed my referring to my colleagues back home as: “Kile je ku (?) journalists and political egrets, perching on the hunchbacks of the political crooks that abound in that nation, writing to be invited to COME and CHOP as media assistants, press secretaries, media advisers, commissioners of information, etc by their so-called Excellencies – THE EXECUTHIEVE JEUNORS! Shio!!!
To be honest, it was not that keske or Brown Envelope Journalism was not there in Nigerian journalism at the period under examination, but it was not as pronounced, and it was not a career!
ELECTIONS ARE COMING…RECEIVING IGP AND BURATAI? YOU MUST IN A JOINT MILITARY AND POLICE OPERATIONS MOP UP THE NATIONS MOTOR PARKS/MARKET PLACES AND OTHER HIDEOUTS USED BY PETTY AND HARDENED CRIMINALS TO TERRORISE NIGERIANS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS!
Also, all garages/motor parks which statutorily were built and developed by the Local Government Councils and the Local Government development Associations (LDAs) as the case may be in some states, but which are now under the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and controlled by their thoroughly bleached and wildly extravagant garage/motor parks thugs, who go by the label (SHIAMAN/SHIAMEN) chairman/chairmen must and with IMMEDIATE EFFECT be taken over by their original owners/builders/developers – the Local Government Councils and managed by their representatives or agents or by reputable national or international facilities managers who will be generating revenues for these councils and LDAs, instead of leaving their management in the hands of these thugs/touts/agberos/awon omo ota/onyebrus, who are also using these garages and parks as breeding grounds for organised criminals in organised crimes such as armed robberies, drug mules, kidnappings, cults, election boxes snatchers, prostitutions, etc, with politicians and other heartless/mindless Nigerians contracting them to kill political opponents or any one with whom they have axes to grind.
NO MORE FREE LUCNH, FELLOW NIGERIANS, MOTORISTS AND CAR OWNERS…PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS!
Henceforth, all public car parks in State secretariats, the Federal Secretariats in Abuja, states and national institutions and organizations, private estates, the presidency, the so-called National Assembly’s, public estates, private offices/factories, schools, colleges and the universities, multinational corporations must be taken over by the local government area of doing business, and run on behalf of such local authorities, where parking fees should be charged hourly.
The contract for the management of all public, private and companies’ car parks in Nigeria must be given to international facilities managers with reputation who will seriously charge fees and manage these parks on behalf of the local council areas, wherein these business or public/private offices are domiciled.
Also, to be contracted to international facilities managers for management henceforth are all the garages and motor parks and markets in Nigeria, wherein handsome revenues will be generated on behalf of the local governments concerned instead of leaving them in the hands of thugs, using them to groom criminals and spending the money on girls and bleaching.
AGAIN, ON ELECTIONS 2019: TO BE FOREWARNED IS TO BE FOREARMED
DAURANUS MATHEMATICA
The Elections Strategic Joint Military, Para-Military and Police Operation Comb to be so set up must comb every criminal hideouts in the Nigerian nation and fish out all the criminal elements, minor, major and the organised and hardened criminals and bring them to justice, paving way for a peaceful elections, even though the 2019 Elections are already incontrovertibly and highly compromised under the Nigerian Presidency’s DO OR DIE STRATEGY which arrogantly and disdainfully poses the questions to other contenders, the Nigerian people and the international community, thus: UNDOUBTEDLY, 4+4 EQUALS 8. BUT WHEN CAN 4+4 NO LONGER BE 8?
Does anyone out there know the answer to the Nigerian Presidency’s DM?
STRATEGIC OPERATION NECESSITY AND SANITIZATION OF OF THE NIGERIAN NATION…borders/foreigners
The joint Milipol Operation must therefore, infiltrate every nook and cranny of the nation, keep an eye on, comb every place and rid Nigeria of criminals – such places include the nation’s land borders (N,S, E & W), waterways in and around Lagos, FESTAC Town, canals, Navy Town, Ijora Badia, Ajegunle, Agege, Ikeja, Allen Avenue-Opebi-Maryland-Ojota/Ogudu/Mile 12 Axis, Idi Araba and its envinron, Markets, both at night and during the day (24/7 patrol and surveillance, Alaba Market-Mile 2-Oshodi-Agege Axis; railway termini – Ido, rail tracks, bus stops and under fly-over bridges, garages/motor parks; all airports, including their cargo sections, sea ports, from where small arms are daily entering the nation, searching every goddamned containers, no matter who owns them, and every citizen and foreigners must be brought under the law this time round without exception and they must not any ABOVE THE LAW; trailers, 24/7 surveillance and patrols of major economic arteries, including bush paths, forests, hills, mountains and valleys, abandoned buildings/properties, tippers, vans, ambulances, coffins, cemeteries/grave yards, palaces, bunkers, caves, bukas/canteens, construction sites, Isale Eko, Onitsha market, rugas, churches and mosques – using intelligence, stop and search, random search, pre-entry search at events, on the spot search, impromptu searches on persons, hotels, inns, motels, brothels, hostels, buses, luxurious buses, commercial vehicles, tricycles, Akawuke/Going/Okada, unannounced raids at abattoirs, inside commercial vehicles such as molue, taxis and others, barracks, garbage/dump sites/ construction sites – all area boys, street urchins/Almajiris must be brought under the radar of the MILIPOLIS - what type of communications have been going on amongst union chair persons, chairmen of each chapter of the NURTW all over Nigeria and politicians, what method of communications have been ongoing amongst area boys/hired killers/kidnappers/cultists/militia groups, ethnic associations and politicians?
Pro-active policing means the police and all security agents must show interest in these places and many more too, too numerous to list here.
ADAMU, GIVE DEM BOYS AND GIRLS THE TOOLS TO GET THE JOB DONE
Give ‘em police surveillance helicopter, patrol and surveillance vehicles up to international standards, body worn cameras, horses, bicycles, motor cycles – even donkeys and cow ma paapa hahaha (!!!) to get the job done.
POLICING STRTAEGIES THAT WORK
Adopt the tiger-fox approach, instead of relying on the usual Kangaroo strategy, and take the fight to the criminals/terrorists in their dens/hideouts, in addition to using the psychological warfare strategy.
A MESSAGE FOR ENOCH ADEJARE ADEBOYE, DANIEL OLUKOYA AND OTHER CHURCHPRENEURS AND MOSQUEPRENEURS CAUSING TRAFFIC ON THE NATION’S ECONOMIC ARTERIES/HIGH WAYS
The Pain in a Region of a Born Again’s Soul
“But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner,” 1 Corinthians 14:40.
Men and women of ‘God’, I beseech you by the mercies of God to free our highways of all obstructions and unnecessary traffic so that the nation’s economic wheels will rotate unhindered and function to full capacity!
Our people need to go about their normal duties unhindered; people need to go and chase contracts; people need to go to work unhindered; honour appointments unhindered; people with life-threatening illnesses, pregnant women, due to deliver babies need to be taken to the hospitals in ambulances unhindered; jobless young Nigerians need to go and look for work unhindered, so they do not get frustrated and opt for crimes instead; frontline/essential services/emergency workers all need to respond to emergency situations unhindered! E jo wo, a fi Olurun be yin ni-o. God bless you all as you reflect on this.
FROM A HUMBLE BEGINNING TO CRASS ARROGANCE AND INSENSITIVITY…HOW THEY ABANDONED MY “FATHER’S BUSINESS” TO DESTROY OUR NIGERIA
Enoch Adejare Adeboye, when he was to marry borrowed everything he had worn to his wedding and everything so-borrowed – suit, belt, shirts, shoes, etc was over-sized.
But where gone have Daddy G. O’s political customers/clients?
It seems they have discovered that the so-called election winning prayers and blessings they had gone to Enoch’s political Mecca did not work, hence this time round, they are avoiding him and his political Mecca like plagues.
Was not Enoch after the 2015 Presidential election everywhere boasting he prayed the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket into being, and subskwently (subsequently getting them into the Presidency, with the same Daddy G.O. beating his chest that more Presidents and Vice Presidents abound in RCCG?
On the latter, we join Brother Enoch with a resounding A-M-E-N!
But whenever God anoints them to possess their possessions, let them not get themselves “entangled with the affairs of this world”, worshipping at the altars of Mammon and Baal, but DARE TO BE A DANIEL!
AS a matter of fact, this author was a former disciple of Daddy G.O., but fell out with him when the man of God began to get himself entangled with the things of this world enmeshing himself in the waters of politics, romancing, ‘kissing’, dining and wining with politicians – through his invitation of them to the HOLY GROUND and giving them the front rows during Holy Ghost nights and his birthdays, in which this writer was once in attendance, a sort of worldliness which probably began with his romance with Mr Sunday Olumilua, former *Governor of Ondo State.
This writer was amongst the group of young Nigerian Born Again Christian students that Pastor Adeboye shared the vision of Redeemed with in 1986 during the NIFES (Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) held at the then just wooden and corrugated iron sheet camp ground.
I personally did have a longish conversation with him regarding the vision, but Daddy G.O did not tell me obstructing traffic in one of the nation’s busiest economic gate ways was part of the vision of the camp and the Holy Ghost nights.
And whilst at the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc as the Chairman of its Editorial Board, sensing that the problems of the Daily Times just like those of Nigeria was spiritual, spiritual, spiritual, against the general criticism from my fellow colleague at the Times’ top level Management that the Times was a market place, I invited the man of God to pray for the Times and all of its workers and Nigeria.
And even though he had been fully booked for the year 2001, Daddy G.O. did me the honour of honouring that invite and personally turned up to pray for the Times, its staff and Nigeria during its 75 Anniversary in 2001.
Some of my colleagues were so full of envy and became very embittered.
It was such that Ewin Baiye had to rudely interrupt me whilst I was praying for Pastor Adeboye from the platform as I had requested the staff present and the visitors to equally pray for him for a refilling of the anointing he had released on the Times, its staff, the audience and Nigeria.
All said and done, I can hear the echo of early Adeboye, saying after 7-15 minutes of preaching, saying: STAND WHEREVER YOU ARE, THE SPIRIT IS MOVING, with people screaming, shouting and weeping under the influence of the HOLY SPIRIT. During this period, whilst a student at Great Ife, even during exam period, if I head Pastor Adeboye was to come to preach at the famous ALL SOULS CHAPEL, I would yet create the time to strategically position myself to hear and receive from God through him.
Man of God, I beseech you by the mercies of God, lead once more, in returning the gospel to the old path – the Jesus-John the Baptist-Pauline type preaching!
But what did these three have in common?
Answer: Repent ye for the kingdom of God is at hand and bear fruits that befit repentance; “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”; “Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Unfortunately, what the Lord referred to as FILTHY LUCRE is what Enoch and other Prosperity Preachers have now played up/thematized and help to fuel stupendous corruption in modern-day Nigeria.
But from the perspective of the Lord, PROSPERITY NA JARA, NO BE DE MAIN, DE MAIN, hence He said: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you.”
Again, what Daddy G.O and the other Mammonic pastors are in fact, now preaching is: …ALL OTHER THINGS (AOT)!
Daddy G.O., whenever you go to Oyingbo market, if you neba (never) buy anything from Mama Wakilat, no ask am to give you jara-o! If not, she go wipe ya face-o.
Yo! Mama Osakwe, see me see wetin Prosperity preachers done do to we Nigeria-o. God dey-o!
FROM MIRACLE-HUNTING PROSPERITY PREACHING TO ERA OF WEALTH TRANFER PREACHING
A very strong warning to all Nigerians, especially young Nigerians:
In just a matter of moment a new preaching to be known and called WEALTH TRANSFER will berth the shores of Africa, particularly Nigeria. And before it does, fellow Nigerians are advised to simply use their two-two hands to work, work and work; pray, pray and pray and they will be successful, and not waiting for a Dangote to transfer his wealth to them – this is nothing, but a gospel encouraging idleness and laziness.
Regarding this so-called WEALTH TRANSFER, ask all African Governments who since independence had woven/formulated their technology policy around the so-called TECHNOLOGY TRANFER nonsense how they have been faring technologically since independence.
Again, if we must become wealthy, we must work, work and work; do, do and do and pray, pray and pray – just labour and wait, just as if we must take off and soar technologically, we must start with our local foundries – as foundry is the basis of all technological take off!
This writer was the Executive Secretary, Foundry Association of Nigeria (FAN) between years 1997-2000; sat on virtually all the techno-industrial associations that that nation could boast of before leaving the shores of Nigeria; played very prominent roles in the National Technology Summit; representing the foundry sub-sector on the National Steel Committee, including working very closely with the late Nigerian science and technology genius, both of Ogbunigwe and NASENI fame, Gordian Ezekwe, Major General Sam Momah, former Minister of Science and Technology and the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
He has been privileged to get here in the United Kingdom answers to all questions regarding the engineering/construction industry, which none, repeat none of the NSE Presidents he had worked very closely with was able to supply to all the questions he had asked them regarding the sub-sector, especially the then absence or near absence of Nigerians in major construction projects/works in Nigeria.
TECHNOLOGICAL TAKE OFF: STARTING POINT AND HOW TO START
We must start small in every facet of our individual and national life and grow big! We must start small, even if like a grain of mustard seed, and grow and grow and become as big and as large as the universe.
Summing up: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALL OUR INDIGENOUS COTTAGE INDUDTRIES?
By this I mean our local foundry practitioners, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, the Igbira cotton weavers, pottery makers in North and South of Nigeria, cobblers, taylors, Aso Oke/Aso Ebi makers in South Western Nigeria, etc, etc.
But aren’t these the very fifle (people) all Nigerians do delight in commonising and looking down upon – despising them?
“THE BEST IS YET TO COME”
Adeboye’s reply to my letter of appreciation to me was titled: THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
This title of Daddy G.O’s personal letter to me was taken by me as a life time prayer from him to me, hence I hereby pray this prayer back to Nigeria, our dearly beloved nation and the good people of that very great and beautiful nation, my fellow Nigerians, that in spite of the despairing and frustrating circumstances of the moment, and in spite of the heavy burden that had been brought upon them and our nation by that wicked and evil Rehoboam of Daura, even Muhammadu Buhari, I say from the very depth of my heart to Nigeria and Nigerians that THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
NEPOTISM, TRIBALISM, CORRUPTION AND EXPLOITATION IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD…NEW CHURCHES AS FAMILY BUSINESSES
GIDEON OYEDEPO
Gideon Oyedepo started his so-called ‘ministries’ with four fifle (people), the same ‘ministries’ he has been using to extort money from fellow gullible Nigerians, without the Nigerian authorities stepping in to halt the madness and make all of them accountable to the state and make them start paying taxes as Jesus had to pay the temple tax (Mk 9:14-29) and told his would-be accusers – the Pharisees (Mark 12:17) “…Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”; and the so-called prayer warriors and imam within the Muslim community who are collecting millions of Naira from Governors to offer prayers - cleansing prayers – and they are the ones, including the emirs who are collecting money from the UAE (Sunnis) and Iran (Shi’ites) to destroy our Nigeria.
Pro-active policing and the much-needed intelligence to battle terrorists in Nigeria, but which is totally lacking, must begin from here.
Adejare Adeboye started derailing when he began his romance with the politicians to show off his arrival credentials, perhaps to compensate his humble background, and when he introduced the Model Parishes, where ladies in skimpy dresses and scantily dressed Jezebels began to troop into the church, with randy men following them in droves. But the word of
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked the Lord says to every Adeboye:: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,” Galatians 6:7.
AYO ORITSEJAFOR
Ayo Oritsejafor had a very messy past in drugs, but look at how he and other fake evangelical ‘pastors’ have bastardized the Nigerian society with their unbiblical values/principles and turned its once cherished values/ethos and mores upside down, albeit, negatively.
MATHEW ASHIMOLOWO
Formerly a barracks boy turned Four Square Gospel Church Pastor. He was sent by his Church in Lagos to London as a Missionary, but played a fast one on his church to form the Kingsway International Christian Church (KICC).
Matio claimed he started KICC with members, but some of the brethren at his former Four Square Gospel Church in London alleged he actually left with some of their members and did not return to Lagos to account before absconding from the FSGC in London!
TUNDE BAKARE…ICHABOD!
Formerly of a Muslim background had an issue with his father when he converted to Christianity, so was putting up with our mutual Christian brother, attending the New Estate Baptist Church, 57 Adisa Bashua Street, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, before leaving to form the Latter Rain Assembly.
The call of God on Brother Tunde’s life in addition to his erstwhile Prophetic Ministry were never in doubt. When Tunde fixed his gaze on the Cross, the Spirit of God spoke through him with groaning and words incomprehensible until like the Biblical Esau he sold that glory for a political mess of pottage, such that he is now the butt of a joke in the hands of some political urchins and egrets, formerly picking crumbs at the Presidency under Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
In Bro Tunde’s glory days, I would after church services at my Church, The New Covenant Baptist Church, Ogba move down to worship at his The Latter Rain Assembly, equally at Ogba.
The heavens more than I, and all those who could testify to Bro Tunde’s Prophetic giftings and Ministries are weeping very profusely, but will only conclude: THE GLORY DEPARTS.
Tunde naturally to this writer was lined up by the Heavens to be the natural and undisputed successor of Gani Fawehinmi.
This writer shudders to think Bro Bakare is alive and in Nigeria, but could not even like the lazy dog lean his jaw against the wall and bark, even if just very weakly at injustices and the obvious tyranny in the land.
God is my witness that I did write in my articles warning him how politics and his special callings are not a good mix, just as water and oil are not a good mix!
OKOTIE
Boy Chris, a former campus singer too came of a very humble background. He left the secular world to start a church from his then residence at Ikeja in Nigeria, Off Oba Akran Road.
OYAKHILOME
Baby-face Oyak started from Ekpoma as a student pastor with his then Believers’ Loveworld Fellowship at the then Bendel State University, now Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma and was to later start seriously his Believers World Ministries a.k.a Christ Embassy at an abandoned warehouse, once a factory site at Oregun, Ikeja, where he is a close neighbour to his rival pastor and name sake, Chris Okotie.
When I moved to Ipaja, and found it difficult going to the New Estate Baptist Church, Surulere, I had a stop over at Christ Embassy, and was a Diplomat and a Cell leader therein, but left when I discovered the poor were neglected, and having taking their cases to some elders, and received a worldly response from one, then a Deacon: “People come here because they know this is a rich church.”
This together with many irreconcilable issues bodering on too much worldliness in the church made me to leave. And it wasn’t long before the N6 million theft by a cashier at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja donated to Christ Embassy was uncovered and made public by the press.
ROBBING THE POOR AND THE GULLIBLE BECAUSE THEY ARE POOR AND GULLIBLE
Matthew Ashimolowo, Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, Chris Okotie, Chris Oyakhilome, Tunde Bakare, Paul Idoko Eneche, the so-called ‘Apostle’ Suleman Jonson – check out all their backgrounds and a host of other Mammonic Churchpreneurs how humbly they began, but they are today following in the foot steps of the American pew/televangelists who do go to Africa, which they like to deride as poverty-stricken, organise endless crusades just to collect money from the poor-gullible Africans, and return to their country to establish obscene cathedrals, establish universities and feed their very lavish lifestyles.
And whenever for conscience’s sake or they are actually pricked by guilty conscience, they get the members of their church to collect together their second hand clothing, second hand shoes, bags, tents, matrasses and other such smelly items and ship through their agents in Africa to distribute to the so-called poor in Africa, and having done that, return to tell their congregants about spiders everywhere in Africa, whereupon, the latter, most of whom have never stepped their feet in Africa would laugh and laugh, cackle and cackle about the still in their ignorant reckoning: THE DARK CONTINENT!
Some of these so-called Western ‘benevolent’ missionaries would build pen-houses in the name of schools, some donate bore holes, but like others, return to their countries to deride Africa as the poorest continent in the world to the delight and derision of their flocks!
If they visited just a country in Africa, they lie and simply generalise such a country so visited as “Africa”, displaying the same old ignorance and disdain their forebears had of/for the entire continent of Africa, treating Africa as if it were a country!
Lamentably, Africans are yet to discover these monkey tricks of these strangers and plunderers from the far of lands, including lately, what I’d call here the PANDA DIPLOMACY or THE PANDA BILATERAL DEAL by China under the ignominious leprous BELT-ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE (BRI)!
In earlier centuries, the Arabs came to Africa using the Koran, they stole, killed, maimed, dispossessed the continent’s lands, plundered its resources in the name of converting the kafirs/abeeds to Islam.
But when they retreated, albeit, with the arrival of the European colonizers (not traders who began to have contacts with Africa from around the 14th Century) in 1800 (especially after the Berlin Conference of 1885), they left Africans with the Koran, which Africans have ever since been using to terrorise and kill fellow Africans today in the name of global jihad, and in furtherance of the Arab’s empire in the continent.
So also, the Europeans that displaced the Arabs in Africa shared Africa like a piece of cake amongst themselves – embarked on scorched earth policy.
And in most cases, they too stole, kill, maim, dispossess, destroy, displaced and plundered Africa’s resources.
Also, like the Arabs before them, they too on leaving, left Africans with the Bible which Africa’s Churchpreneurs are using to exploit, extort money from the poor and the gullible, and subsequently impoverishing their fellow African brothers and sisters to feed their very lavish lifestyles and those of their families; building their new Cathedrals of crass insensitivity and shame, and establishing universities, schools and colleges, but not skills and vocational academies, to which those who had so contributed cannot afford to send their children and wards.
Gideon Oyedepo whom a friend’s wife gave her gratuity of N250, 000 in the early 1990s to his Winners Chapel used to warn his ‘customers’/clients: “Disabuse your mind of contribution syndrome.”
NEPOTISM, MORE IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD THAN IN THE SOCIO-POLITICO-GEO-CULTURAL NIGERIA
Hypocritically, the so-called men and women of God do often lambast successive Governments in Nigeria of nepotism, particularly Muhammadu Buhari, but whilst not defending the Butcher of Daura in any least way, cases of nepotism in Nigeria are worse amongst these Churchpreneurs, as the leadership hierarchy of these BUSINESS CENTRES, mistaken for churches are 99.05% family members!
Hence, these ‘business centres’ are simply from the start built around each family that owns them, and the succession hierarchy is so designed. And more often than not, they are tribal in nature and orientation, just as the so-called Black Church in the West are nothing but mere FASHION EXPOS, or at best, a Black-feel good/high assembly or a Jesus high assembly.
Currently when the continent, particularly Nigeria under Buhari is faced with acute unemployment rate, members of these now well known ‘business centres’ work for free – unremunerated, whereas the RCCG alone has the capacity to employ 200, 000 staff worldwide and fully paid the monthly salaries of the staff so employed.
The Nigeria Government needs to wade into this and ensure accountability, with the salaries of these roguery organizations officially fixed by a governmental agency/commission, working together with the independent auditors and civil society groups.
Also, Government must ensure the new churches in Nigeria are not built or established around families – husband, wife, children, wards and other family relatives or friends. Thus, ownership must be decentralised!
BIG BROTHER’S REDEZVOUS WITH PROFESSIONAL HIJACKERS OF DEMOCRACY (PhDs)
LET MY PEOPLE WATCH OUT - FAST AND PRAY
The horse rider has just given the horse belonging to the Magomago Land Republic, which was born in 1960, to Big Brother (a.k.a. BB) and he is riding it up the hills and the Plateaux (a rare opportunity for the old stable boy of the Belt to defend himself), the dwelling places of the three notorious king makers, well known in Magomago Land for their notoriety as professional hijackers of democracy (PhDs).
Baa froblem.
The trio were in fact, the ones who generously and excitedly too, in the first place, gave the old spent horse to the antiquated fossilised brain horse rider, who has in turn given the old tired horse to his messenger to speed to his three ‘friends’ castles for just a ‘friendly’ conversation pe re.
But should those who knowingly brought ant-infested faggots to Magomago House complain when ants begin to visit them?
Oi! Abi na dem Muslim-Muslim ticket fifle (people) the remote-control the iron birds?
LET MY PEOPLE THINK
No oil in the desert!
Stop wasting our money, Baba Daura.
The search for oil in the desert had been begun and abandoned again and again, because petroleum experts and CEOs of the then nine major oil companies, including international ecologists and conservationists alike, had told this writer whilst yet in Nigeria that honey could sooner be found in the rock than finding oil in that part of the desert.
And when Professor Jibril Muhammad Aminu, then Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989-1992) was advised against such squandermania, he simply said to these oil executives and exploration experts: “I don’t want to incur the wrath of the Northern elders.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Odey Aduma was formerly Executive Secretary, Foundry Association of Nigeria; Southern Coordinator and the Public Affairs Manager of President Muhammadu Buhari's pastoralists NGO - THE PASTORAL RESOLVE; Chairman, Editorial Board of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc; member, National Committee for the Nigerian Youth Festival, 1993; Core Committee, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF)/Ford Foundation, Kano Eastern Bypass Roadside Tree Planting Exercise, 1997; member, core Committee of the National Technology Summit and was the Summit's chairman for two of its sub-committees - Publicity and Exhibition, 1998; member of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo to investigate the illegal trade in and smuggling of endangered species of wild fauna and flora into and out of Nigeria, 2003.
He was the Chairman, Planning Committee of the General Murtala Muhammed Memorial Lecture for two consecutive years, 2001 and 2002 before it attained a Foundation status in 2002, having first been upgraded to that status in 2001.
General Murtala Muhammed was one of Nigeria's former Heads of State and was killed in the abortive coup led by the then Colonel Buka Suka Dimka on February 13, 1976.
That same capacity saw Mr Aduma delivering huge successes during the Daily Times of Nigeria's 75th Anniversary (in which he raked in N6, 000, 000 into the coffers of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc) and also, playing a similar role in a similar capacity during Dr Isma'il Babatunde Jose's 75th Birth Day. Dr Jose, doyen of Nigerian journalism was Mr Aduma's personal mentor. That relationship was so close and solid such that whilst Aduma was leaving the shores of Nigeria for Britain in 2003, Dr Jose gave him N10, 000.00.
In 1992, Mr Aduma's contributions to journalism was recognised with the awards of the Nigeria Media Merit Award as the Investigative Reporter of the Year and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence as the Reporter of the Year, and the British Chevening Scholarship, which saw him studying International Journalism with Specialism in Environment at City, University of London in 2003-2004.
Aduma is the author of the inspirational best-seller, THE DIAMONDS ARE HERE and the founder of Vigilance, the World's Leading Security Magazine and Scorpion News Corp, in addition to founding the Nationalists Unity Movement of Nigeria (NUMON).
He is also, involved in professional mentoring at Post Graduate level in the City, University of London’s Post Graduate Professional Mentoring Strand.
Johnny Boy
ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM.
** *The Voice of One crying in the Diaspora…proudly leading the NATIONALISTS UNITY MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA (NUMON).
