Dr. Mike Murdock is one of my spiritual mentors. I quote him very often and I live by the Jesus Principles which he teaches. For example:
* "Go to where you are celebrated not where you are tolerated";
* "Never complain, never complain [he always repeats the phrase. LOL! ], never complain about what you permit";
* "You do not have a money problem; you have a Wisdom problem".
Hmmm.....amazing Wisdom. I call Dr. Murdock the Solomon of Our Day.
I had the privilege of meeting him in Year 2000 when I was worshipping at Kingsway International Christian Centre, Lagos, and I was assigned as his Protocol Officer during the inaugural Winning Ways Africa hosted by my Senior Pastor, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo. I met him upon his arrival at the Lagos International Airport and I rode with him in the car to Revival Assembly, Ikeja, where the programme was holding. Dr. Myles Munroe was ministering during the evening session and Dr. Murdock said he could not go to the hotel to rest, as we encouraged him to do, when someone of Dr. Munroe's stature was teaching. He craves Wisdom and will do anything to get it.
The twenty-minute journey from the airport to Revival Assembly was unforgettable. At that time, I was going through a very trying period sequel to the failure of the bid by Pharez to acquire Premier Commercial Bank on behalf of some clients from the Central Bank of Nigeria even after we had successfully raised N618million as the bank's new Share Capital and having done much painstaking work. That is another story which I may tell some day. So I asked Dr. Murdock how he managed to always remain focused and motivated. And how he overcomes disappointment and discouragement. His answer was short and to the point: he always allowed God's Word to abide in him.
Dr. Murdock teaches that there is the Person of Jesus Christ and there is the Principles of Jesus Christ. He says many people reject the Person of Jesus Christ and receive His Principles. And the Principles of Christ still works for them. For example, western nations became successful democracies and developed into prosperous industrial, technological and financial centres because of the influence of Judeo-Christian Ethics on their laws, education, culture and business practices. Those Principles still work for them even though most westerners have rejected God and His Christ and now like to see their society as "post-Christian".
The efficacy of the Principles of Christ is also evident in Asian countries which imbibed them even without accepting the Person of Christ. The Principles are taught daily in western schools, universities and post-graduate institutions such as Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Wharton Business School, IESE etc.
In Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, many of us have accepted the Person of Jesus Christ. We have made Him our personal Lord, Saviour, King and God. We are born-again. But most of our people are still wallowing in poverty. Many are Heaven-bound but living in earth-hells.
So what is wrong with us? Religion without spirituality. We have a FORM of godliness but without its power. We have the Person of Christ but we do not apply the Principles of Christ....even when we "know" them. We are not DOERS of His Word.
So we are consumers. We are aid-receivers. We are importers. We are buyers. Even when we export, it is primary products we sell: "cash crops" and natural minerals. Even those who gather much (often through theft) do so to keep in Switzerland, United Kingdom, Dubai, Cayman Islands and other tax havens. They do not invest. They do not create employment. They do not create value. They have no posterity. They are as the SEED-LESS GRAPES which have no future.
This Resurrection Day, let us go beyond accepting and celebrating the Person of Jesus Christ. Yes, He is risen and lives forever. He is risen so we may rise. He died to bring many sons to Glory. He should see the travail of His Soul and be satisfied. He will only be satisfied when we imbibe His Principles too and apply them: Justice, Equity, Peace, Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Vision, Creativity, Productivity, Hard-work, Smart-work, Compassion, Empathy, Kindness, Faith, Hope.....and Love.
HAPPY RESURRECTION.
God bless Nigeria.
Nigeria di fure!
Sunday, 20 April 2014
THE TRAGEDY OF SEED-LESS GRAPES
Monday, 14 April 2014
THE FOLLY OF KICKING AGAINST THE PRICKS
Today, I write in my office as an ordained Minister of the Gospel: a Teacher and Prophet.
Once again, the satanic purveyors of death and mayhem, who in their delusion actually think they do God service, have struck and sent many to an early grave. Dreams are shattered. Visions are broken. Many are now widows and widowers. Many have become orphaned. Some have been rendered childless. Many have been maimed. Properties have been destroyed. Livelihoods have been wrecked. The future has become bleak for some. Despair has set in. The losses are irreparable. The grief is unbearable. Platitudes cannot suffice.
I mourn with the bereaved. May God, the God of All Comfort and Consolation Himself, grant His succor to the families and friends of the deceased in Jesus' Name. Amen.
The Blood of the Matyrs among the dead shall never be shed in vain. Precious in the LORD's sight is the death of His saints. The seeds sown shall yield increase in due season.
Evidently, Boko Haramites want the world to believe that they are winning. They choose easy, cheap, and vulnerable targets to hit in their murderous rampage to convince us that we should be afraid of them. Fear is really their main tool of terror. They want us to cower and cringe. The want to scar our psyche. But evil never triumphs over good....ultimately. Since God is for us, they cannot be successfully against us. We shall conquer through HIM in Jesus' Name. Amen!
I call on President Goodluck Jonathan not to be rattled. He must remain resolute knowing that he is waging a righteous war. He must stand firm. He must not be distracted by those opponents who would point at the latest attack as proof that we are losing the war. Our gallant soldiers must be encouraged by all means possible to continue their onslaught against the terrorists. They must be made to know that we are solidly behind them and that their sacrifices are not unnoticed. But the Fifth Columnists among them, if any, must be fished out and duly prosecuted for their treasonable actions. For those soldiers and other security personnel who have paid the ultimate price in the service of their country, their families must be made to feel the love, care, empathy and respect of a grateful people whom their deceased benefactors served as patriots. They must never be forgotten.
The sponsors and financiers of Boko Haram should be scared. Their day of reckoning is nigh. They may run. But they cannot hide. They will grope in gross darkness even at noon-day. Their place shall be as a desert of salt. The land shall vomit them.
It may take time, but they will be exposed and judged......BY GOD HIMSELF. Already, some of them are beginning to see that it is hard to kick against the pricks. That is folly. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the LORD, the Man of War.
Selah!
He/she who has ears, let him/her her.
God bless Nigeria!
NIGERIA DI FURE!!
Once again, the satanic purveyors of death and mayhem, who in their delusion actually think they do God service, have struck and sent many to an early grave. Dreams are shattered. Visions are broken. Many are now widows and widowers. Many have become orphaned. Some have been rendered childless. Many have been maimed. Properties have been destroyed. Livelihoods have been wrecked. The future has become bleak for some. Despair has set in. The losses are irreparable. The grief is unbearable. Platitudes cannot suffice.
I mourn with the bereaved. May God, the God of All Comfort and Consolation Himself, grant His succor to the families and friends of the deceased in Jesus' Name. Amen.
The Blood of the Matyrs among the dead shall never be shed in vain. Precious in the LORD's sight is the death of His saints. The seeds sown shall yield increase in due season.
Evidently, Boko Haramites want the world to believe that they are winning. They choose easy, cheap, and vulnerable targets to hit in their murderous rampage to convince us that we should be afraid of them. Fear is really their main tool of terror. They want us to cower and cringe. The want to scar our psyche. But evil never triumphs over good....ultimately. Since God is for us, they cannot be successfully against us. We shall conquer through HIM in Jesus' Name. Amen!
I call on President Goodluck Jonathan not to be rattled. He must remain resolute knowing that he is waging a righteous war. He must stand firm. He must not be distracted by those opponents who would point at the latest attack as proof that we are losing the war. Our gallant soldiers must be encouraged by all means possible to continue their onslaught against the terrorists. They must be made to know that we are solidly behind them and that their sacrifices are not unnoticed. But the Fifth Columnists among them, if any, must be fished out and duly prosecuted for their treasonable actions. For those soldiers and other security personnel who have paid the ultimate price in the service of their country, their families must be made to feel the love, care, empathy and respect of a grateful people whom their deceased benefactors served as patriots. They must never be forgotten.
The sponsors and financiers of Boko Haram should be scared. Their day of reckoning is nigh. They may run. But they cannot hide. They will grope in gross darkness even at noon-day. Their place shall be as a desert of salt. The land shall vomit them.
It may take time, but they will be exposed and judged......BY GOD HIMSELF. Already, some of them are beginning to see that it is hard to kick against the pricks. That is folly. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the LORD, the Man of War.
Selah!
He/she who has ears, let him/her her.
God bless Nigeria!
NIGERIA DI FURE!!
Sunday, 6 April 2014
NIGERIA'S REBASED GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
I congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan, Ph. D., GCFR, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Statistician-General of Nigeria and Chief Executive of the National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Yemi Kale, and indeed all Nigerians on the successful rebasing of our nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Consequently, Nigeria's Nominal GDP was US$510,000,000,000 (Five hundred and ten billion U.S. Dollars) in 2013.
The rebasing process took several months of hard work and has been affirmed and endorsed as accurate by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The rebasing is very significant not just because Nigeria's GDP is now the largest in Africa and the 26th largest economy in the world, but also because major sectors which had been excluded (like our movie industry: "Nollywood" which accounts for 1.2% of the economy) have now been included. The Services Sector is now the largest accounting for over 51% of the economy. Services includes transport, professional services, banking and finance, telecommunications, entertainment etc. In other words, the computation of our GDP is now more accurate.
Accuracy in national economic data cannot be over-emphasized. It has long been challenging for private individuals, businessmen, companies, NGOs, government ministries, departments and agencies, international investors and multi-lateral agencies to appraise Nigeria's economy and plan adequately due to the non-reliability of macroeconomic statistics. Various figures were bandied around as Nigeria's GDP depending on the whims (and caprices!) and motives of the individual or group making the estimate.
GDP rebasing is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. The end being the economic wellbeing of the average Nigerian. With the rebased GDP, our Per Capita Income is now $2,668 and the 121st in the world. We still have much work to do to increase our national wealth and ensure that the standard of living of our people us greatly improved. Our Human Development Indices (HDI) prove this point. We must improve on health care, access to clean water, life expectancy, maternal mortality, infant mortality, literacy, quality of education, employment generation and poverty eradication.
But we are making progress. We will get there.
God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!
The rebasing process took several months of hard work and has been affirmed and endorsed as accurate by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The rebasing is very significant not just because Nigeria's GDP is now the largest in Africa and the 26th largest economy in the world, but also because major sectors which had been excluded (like our movie industry: "Nollywood" which accounts for 1.2% of the economy) have now been included. The Services Sector is now the largest accounting for over 51% of the economy. Services includes transport, professional services, banking and finance, telecommunications, entertainment etc. In other words, the computation of our GDP is now more accurate.
Accuracy in national economic data cannot be over-emphasized. It has long been challenging for private individuals, businessmen, companies, NGOs, government ministries, departments and agencies, international investors and multi-lateral agencies to appraise Nigeria's economy and plan adequately due to the non-reliability of macroeconomic statistics. Various figures were bandied around as Nigeria's GDP depending on the whims (and caprices!) and motives of the individual or group making the estimate.
GDP rebasing is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. The end being the economic wellbeing of the average Nigerian. With the rebased GDP, our Per Capita Income is now $2,668 and the 121st in the world. We still have much work to do to increase our national wealth and ensure that the standard of living of our people us greatly improved. Our Human Development Indices (HDI) prove this point. We must improve on health care, access to clean water, life expectancy, maternal mortality, infant mortality, literacy, quality of education, employment generation and poverty eradication.
But we are making progress. We will get there.
God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!
Saturday, 22 March 2014
CORRUPTION AND THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FINANCES IN NIGERIA
The bane of the management of public finances in Nigeria is not corruption. Corruption is a human problem and is not peculiar to Nigeria. The heart of man is desperately wicked. Because of man's fallen state and greed, most would steal, kill and destroy IF they believe they can get away with it. Our real problem in Nigeria is the absence of the rule of law. It is almost certain that there will be no consequences for stealing public funds.
Those corrupt public officers whose postings/assignments do not give them access to public funds have devised ways to still get at our patrimony in collusion with their peers who do to use shell companies and fronts in cornering public procurement contracts. It is now rare to find a public officer in all tiers of government (Federal, State and Local Government) and in all arms of government (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) who is not a contractor.
Another dimension is our system of official mismanagement of public funds. The system encourages and promotes profligacy. This is why our recurrent expenditure is so high. Public sector salaries are low but the allowances and other pecks of office for those in the executive cadre (that is Assistant Directors and above) are obscenely generous. The system is wasteful; most executives in our ministries, departments and agencies have large retinue of personal servants: personal assistants, secretaries, messengers, cooks, drivers, gardeners, security details and sundry hangers-on who are all paid from the public purse. The esta code allowances for foreign trips are too high and foreign trips by our officials (for "training" and various trivial issues which could be handled by emails or phone calls) are too frequent.
The sheer quantity of "Notes Verbale" written daily by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting that various foreign embassies grant visas to our public servants (and their family members, friends and girl-friends/boy-friends) is scandalous!
The sheer quantity of "Notes Verbale" written daily by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting that various foreign embassies grant visas to our public servants (and their family members, friends and girl-friends/boy-friends) is scandalous!
We must also revisit the rationalisation of public sector agencies as recommended in the Steve Oronsaye Report and prune the work-force. The Federal, States and Local Governments have a bloated civil service. Apart from the perpetual problem of "Ghost Workers" despite the computerisation of the pay-roll system, too many civil servants are actually idle.
The fight against corruption must first be waged against the man/woman in the mirror. We will not have victory in the public space unless we win the battle at the personal level.
God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!
Monday, 17 March 2014
THE AFRICAN CULTURE AND DEMOCRACY
The problem with Democracy in Africa is our CULTURE. The African
Culture is largely Patriarchal and leadership is essentially Geroncratic. We
defer to elders such that they are deemed virtually infallible and all-knowing.
Traditionally, we rarely question our leaders even when their folly is evident. In Yoruba, we say to the King "Kabiyesi"; that is literarily "Unquestionable"!
We almost deify our leaders. In the past, our Kings were actually regarded as gods and treated as such. Any wonder then why most Africans still see their political leaders as "gods" who are to be worshipped and served? We fear to hold them accountable. Even when they are corrupt and blatantly loot our treasuries, we are still grateful to them if they remember to tar a few roads and repaint some of our schools. We say they are "performing". Or we exalt them as "progressives"; especially if they are out of power and become "social critics". We defend them to no end and say they are being "persecuted" should they ever come under investigation not to talk of being put on trial for corruption. We love it so.
So, we will have no revolution. There will be no "African Spring" ("African Harmattan"?). We are "resilient". We love our culture. We like the status quo. Anyway, it suffices for us that we can vent on Facebook and other social media. And our "leaders" know us only too well.
* Sigh *
Whither Africa, my Africa?
But, Nigeria di fure!
Africa di fure!!
Traditionally, we rarely question our leaders even when their folly is evident. In Yoruba, we say to the King "Kabiyesi"; that is literarily "Unquestionable"!
We almost deify our leaders. In the past, our Kings were actually regarded as gods and treated as such. Any wonder then why most Africans still see their political leaders as "gods" who are to be worshipped and served? We fear to hold them accountable. Even when they are corrupt and blatantly loot our treasuries, we are still grateful to them if they remember to tar a few roads and repaint some of our schools. We say they are "performing". Or we exalt them as "progressives"; especially if they are out of power and become "social critics". We defend them to no end and say they are being "persecuted" should they ever come under investigation not to talk of being put on trial for corruption. We love it so.
So, we will have no revolution. There will be no "African Spring" ("African Harmattan"?). We are "resilient". We love our culture. We like the status quo. Anyway, it suffices for us that we can vent on Facebook and other social media. And our "leaders" know us only too well.
* Sigh *
Whither Africa, my Africa?
But, Nigeria di fure!
Africa di fure!!
DEATH BY INCOMPETENCE
The
incompetence and ineptitude of the leadership of the Nigeria Immigration
Service is mind-boggling! Where in the world do you invite hundreds of
thousands of applicants to contest for 5,000 vacancies?! Why were applications
not evaluated and a short-list of say 10,000 persons made? Why were the
written tests not organised in several locations across the country with no
more than 500 people per examination
centre? Could an on-line test not have been done?
And to
compound matters, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Abba Moro, displayed
gross insensitivity and nonchalance by attempting to rationalise the stampedes
at the examination centres and even blaming the candidates for the tragedy!
There must be
consequences for those whose inefficiency and incompetence led to the avoidable
deaths. The President should mandate a thorough investigation and those found
culpable should be sanctioned.
Meanwhile, it is untenable for the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to continue in office. They should resign immediately or be duly sacked.
We are much better than this.
God bless Nigeria.
Nigeria di fure!
P.S:
Friends,
I HAVE!
Monday, 3 March 2014
LEGISLATIVE IMPERATIVES TO WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
Nigeria's anti-corruption laws are too weak and mild. Today, a pick-pocket who manages to steal a few Naira and gets caught would go to jail for a very long time if successfully prosecuted while someone who steals billions of Naira, even if convicted, may not stay in jail for more than six months. We need to amend our laws to give teeth to the agencies which are supposed to fight corruption. Our laws are not strict enough to ensure that sentences are stiff for fraudsters and looters even when conviction is eventually achieved.
We also need legislation on Assets Forfeiture which places the onus on an accused person to prove that he/she rightfully earned th...e income with which he/she acquired properties which appear to be beyond his/her legitimate resources. If a public official cannot account for how he/she earned enough money to own companies, shares in quoted companies, a hill-top mansion, fleet of cars etc., such properties should be forfeited to the Federal Government by a Court Order at the instance of ANY NIGERIAN INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY. When an Asset Forfeiture case is initiated and successfully prosecuted at the instance of an individual, such a person should be placed in a Whistle-Blower Protection Programme by the Federal Government to ensure that he/she and his/her family are not exposed to any negative repercussion whether physically, economically or psychologically.
Consequently, a Whistle-Blower Protection Act which protects the identity, safety, security and economic well-being of bona fide whistle-blowers in both the private and public sectors should be enacted. Such a law should also have provision for punishment for false or malicious whistle-blowing to deter abuse by persons who may have scores to settle with those whom they wrongfully accuse of corruption.
God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!
We also need legislation on Assets Forfeiture which places the onus on an accused person to prove that he/she rightfully earned th...e income with which he/she acquired properties which appear to be beyond his/her legitimate resources. If a public official cannot account for how he/she earned enough money to own companies, shares in quoted companies, a hill-top mansion, fleet of cars etc., such properties should be forfeited to the Federal Government by a Court Order at the instance of ANY NIGERIAN INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY. When an Asset Forfeiture case is initiated and successfully prosecuted at the instance of an individual, such a person should be placed in a Whistle-Blower Protection Programme by the Federal Government to ensure that he/she and his/her family are not exposed to any negative repercussion whether physically, economically or psychologically.
Consequently, a Whistle-Blower Protection Act which protects the identity, safety, security and economic well-being of bona fide whistle-blowers in both the private and public sectors should be enacted. Such a law should also have provision for punishment for false or malicious whistle-blowing to deter abuse by persons who may have scores to settle with those whom they wrongfully accuse of corruption.
God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!
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