Read below and tell us what you think
One of the biggest misconceptions of the
world, in my opinion, is the view held by some
that members of the clergy should not
participate in politics or government.
I have read The Holy Bible and The Quran
and to the best of my knowledge, nowhere in
both books is such a notion promoted.
As a matter of fact, the first usage of the
word 'government' comes from The Holy
Bible and the United States of America
lifted the word 'President' directly from The
Bible book of Daniel (chapter 6 verse 3).
Some of the greatest figures in The Bible were
prophets and political leaders at the same time.
Joseph was Prime Minister of Egypt and political
ruler of the then known world but he was also
described as a prophet and diviner of God's will.
Daniel was appointed President of Babylon by King
Darius yet he continued to function in office as a
judge and prophet.
In the New Testament, Joseph of Arimathea was a
counsellor (the equivalent of today's Senator) and
he was a devotee of Our Lord and Saviour,
Yeshu'a (whom some call Jesus). Likewise, the
first African Christian, the Ethiopian Eunuch, was
a high official in Queen Candace's government.
So, there is nothing wrong with men of God coming
into politics. It is desired and it will help clean up politics.
What is wrong however, is for men of God to come
into politics and instead of being agents of
transforming politics with the light of their moral
compass, they end up conforming to the prevailing
political culture such that you can not
differentiate between them and a regular politician.
In The Bible, we read how an anointed man of God,
a prophet by name Balaam, allowed his love for
power and money mislead him into accepting to
curse the anointed of God after he had been
hired by King Balak of Moab to do just that.
Eventually, Balaam recognized the folly of his
ways after an angelic visitation which prompted his
donkey to speak to him. This divine visitation
caused him to repudiate the lure of money and
power dangled by King Balak to whom he uttered
the now very famous words "How shall I curse,
whom God hath not cursed?"-Numbers 23:8.
It was this historical incident that came to my
mind when I read Professor Yemi Osinbajo's words
of condemnation on Twitter where he had said
President Jonathan runs a "visionless"
government.
Professor Osinbajo is an ordained pastor as I am
and one of the ethics of our calling, enshrined in
the homiletic code, is that men of God should not
criticize out of a desire for personal gain, but
should do so advisedly and only if there are
genuine and compelling reasons to do so.
As a matter of fact, Philippians 2:3 says we should
"do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves".
So let me ask, is it really true that President
Jonathan runs a visionless government?
In fact, on a day that coincided with Professor
Osinbajo's day of casting stones at President
Jonathan, Bill Gates was celebrating Nigeria's
ability to reduce incidences of the Wild Polio Virus
from hundreds of cases just three years ago to
only 6 cases in 2014.
Mr. Gates actions only corroborated those of the
United Nations which earlier in the year had given
President Jonathan an award celebrating Nigeria
for eradicating the scourge of Guinea Worm infestation.
The truth is that not only does President Jonathan
run a purposeful and visionary government, one
can even begin to see the crystallization of his
vision into tangible benefits for the Nigerian masses.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo is a pastor of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God which has
perhaps the largest indoor camp in West Africa
along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Every year, millions of Nigerian parishioners of
the RCCG troop to The Redemption Camp. They
are faced with terrible traffic gridlock as the
multitude try their best to get to the venue on
time. The sheer number of users on that road
overwhelms the capacity of the highway and
members have been praying for an intervention
that will ease their annual journey.
Enter President Jonathan, whose vision prompted
him to initiate the Lagos-Ibadan High Speed
Railway which is underway.
This service will not only facilitate the movement
of RCCG's parishioners to The Redemption Camp
thereby easing the pressure on the roads, it will
also make it possible to live in Ibadan and work in
Lagos, with stops along the way.
The world renowned global consultancy, KPMG,
which monitors trends, in November of 2014
included this High Speed Interstate Railway as one
of the world's top 100 infrastructure projects.
KPMG praised the Jonathan administration for its
vision in initiating such a project.
And it does not stop there.
Even the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, long
abandoned to the elements by previous
administrations, is at the receiving end of some of
the fastest construction work in Africa. Two
construction firms are working to reconstruct the
road in record time. Julius Berger is working from
the Lagos end while RCC is working from the
Ibadan end with the intention to meet somewhere
in the middle so that the work is completed in record time.
As I write this piece, the China Civil Engineering
Construction Company, CCECC, has officially
announced that it has rounded off the track
laying work of Nigeria’s first standard gauge
railway modernization project linking the capital
city of Abuja and the Northwestern state of Kaduna.
This is another project that has come to reality as
a result of the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan.
So, when Professor Osinbajo describes President
Jonathan's government as "visionless" it is obvious
that he has left the objectivity of the pulpit for
the subjectivity of partisan politics.
Or else, how can any objective person call the man
under whose guidance Nigeria became the largest
economy in Africa and the 26th largest economy in
the world, visionless? Is such a feat possible
without vision, without planning, without
discipline?
Or was it President Jonathan's lack of vision that
prompted the United Nations to release data that
showed that under Jonathan's watch, Average Life
Expectancy in Nigeria has risen from 47 years in
2009 to 52 years today?
Is President Jonathan "visionless" when all
elections held under his watch have been adjudged
credible and transparent. From Edo, to Anambra,
to Ondo, to Ekiti to Osun and Niger, it has been a
case of one man one vote, one woman one vote,
one youth, one vote.
A few Nigerians may not like the President's
Transformation Agenda, but at least, all Nigerians
have heard of it.
The million dollar question is who has heard of the
agenda of Professor Osinbajo's party other than
the use of the cliche 'change'?
Yes, Obama used the key words 'yes we can' to
ride to power in 2008, but he had a brain Trust
that came up with a plan.
Are we meant to change for the sake of change?
I must confess that I am personally fed up with
politicians who speak negatively about Nigeria and
its leaders just because they want power.
Pastor Osinbajo regularly leads his congregation in
prayers. But let me ask him if it makes any sense
physically or spiritually to speak negatively about
your nation and pray positively about yourself as
if you can prosper in your home after cursing it
with your mouth?
Nigerians expect Professor Osinbajo to wake up
and smell the coffee and start telling them what
he, his principal and their party plan for Nigeria
and not to spend his time throwing stones at the innocent.
Gone are the days when you promote a candidate
based on his region and religion. And Nigerians are
far too aware in 2014-5 for any politician to
grandstand by using highfalutin empty words to
cast aspersions on his/her opponent in order to
hide the inadequacy of their vision and plans.
I understand that when all you have is a hammer
everything begins to look like a nail and so having
nothing but criticism to dish out, Osinbajo is likely
to keep throwing stones. However, seeing as he is
a pastor, let me remind Professor Osinbajo of the
immortal words of Jesus to critics in John 8:7-"he
that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone".
As we approach 2015, I would like to point out
something to Professor Osinbajo.
In 2011, there were four major Presidential
candidates: President Goodluck Jonathan of the
PDP, Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN, Ibrahim Shekarau
of the ANPP and Muhamaddu Buhari of the CPC.
Does it not say much about President Jonathan's
vision and his ability to communicate it effectively
that of the three candidates who contested
against him in 2011, two of them, Nuhu Ribadu
and Ibrahim Shekarau, today share his vision for
Nigeria and are helping him actualize it within the
Peoples Democratic Party?
It says a lot about the President. And especially,
it is evidence of the fact that President Jonathan
is a man of vision.
Who knows, maybe Professor Osinbajo will see the
light and come to appreciate the President's vision
after the 2015 election.
This has been a constant pattern with Buhari's
running mates from 2007's Ume Ezeoke who saw
enough reason to work with the PDP after that
election, to Pastor Tunde Bakare, who shared and
participated in the President's vision for a
National Conference for Nigeria.
In conclusion, let me say that it is obvious to all
discerning people that God has blessed this man
from Otuoke known as President Goodluck
Jonathan. Without godfather, without scheming,
without over ambition, God divinely set him on a
trajectory that has seen him ascend the highest
office in the land.
Even when power was within his grasp, the then
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan refused to take
it, preferring to wait on God to elevate him.
I can say without a shadow of a doubt in my mind
that God has put President Jonathan where he is.
And until He is done with him, no man, no pastor,
no prophet can curse whom God has not cursed.
Credit: Reno Omokri, Special Assistant
to the President on New Media and also a pastor.
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