Okoh charges Jonathan on democracy dividends, seeks citizens’ support

• Religious leaders fuelling graft, says Idowu-Fearon
• Cleric tasks politicians on forgiveness 

THE Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that Nigerians reap more benefits in terms of development and peace ‘just as he urged the citizens to support the President to fulfill the pledges.
  Meanwhile,  Bishop of Kaduna Diocese, Anglican Communion, Dr. Josiah Idowu-Fearon has accused religious leaders in the country of promoting corruption and bad governance by allegedly collecting money from politicians through donations and other means.
  In the same vein, the Primate of the African Church, His Grace, Rev. Emmanuel Udofia, has advised politicians in the country to be focused and forgive one another as doing so mark them out as God’s children.
   Speaking at the annual Bishops’ Retreat with the theme: ‘Bishop as the overseer, an evangelist, an administrator and a Pastor,’ which ended at the weekend at Ibru Centre, Agbhara-Otor, Delta State, Okoh advised the President to continue to be prayerful and do what was right.
   “He has the mandate to govern Nigeria and he should govern prayerfully. Nigerians also should remember that he was overwhelmingly supported for some reasons, they should therefore allow him to fulfill the mandate,” he said.
  Okoh reminded Nigerians that the Church has never reneged on fulfilling her role in making prophetic proclamation to both the leaders and the governed in the nation but has no power to enforce what is expected of the government and the citizens to do.
   “Representatives of the Church neither attend Senate meetings or the National Executive Council meeting. Yet within the space available to us, I believe we have always been doing what we are supposed to do. Historically, the role of a prophet is to go about making prophetic proclamation and I believe that the Church has carried out her prophetic role which is to draw the attention of the leaders to the needs of the people they are leading at a particular time according to revelation received from God.  This we have been fulfilling and we will continue to do so,” he stressed.
  “It is another thing if our prophecies are taken seriously by those who ought to benefit from them and the scriptures tells us that it is not the duty of the prophet to ensure that what he prophesies is taken.  That should be left to the beneficiary but definitely, judgment awaits anyone who snubs God’s directive,” Okoh said.
  He called on Nigerians to walk in the New Year with the fear of God, with love for one another and respect for all to ensure progress in the country. He also reminded those that are predicting bloodshed in 2015 to jettison such ideas.
  He said: ‘‘It would be in the interest of all of us as I said on Christmas Day that refugees are not the happiest people and we should not make ourselves refugees either in our nation or any other country in the West African sub-region because no country has the capacity to absorb Nigerians as refugees. We should make sure nobody leads us astray to begin to destroy, burn or tear down the little we have laboured to build.
   “It is not justified to say that because the government has not done this or that, we should begin to kill people or start to destroy which will not be justifiable.  Government is not the name of anyone and we are all part of the government and we should remember that whatever we do today will be reaped by those innocent children we are giving birth to tomorrow,” he further cautioned.
   Okoh said the only way to ensure smooth election come 2015 is for everyone to follow the truth and Jesus, the Prince of Peace says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” and anyone who follows me will know the Truth,” he said.
  “If anyone because he lost election begins to instigate people to go on rampage, he should remember that a lot of innocent souls will be adversely affected and whether he believes it or not, God will bring the perpetrator to judgment.
   “No evil will happen irrespective of the negative prophecies by some people if we all do the right,” he said.
  Idowu-Fearon explained that Nigerians should not expect politicians who now use religion as a  political tool to campaign and win elections to perform wonders in transforming the nation if they continue to dish money to religious leaders in order to sustain their seats in power.
   He also chided Christian leaders who have  formed  the habit of using body guards and retinue of convoy vehicles to transverse around the country, saying that they were now moving away from the teachings of Christ and indulging in worldly activities.
   The bishop, while criticising both the Christian and Moslem leaders for condoning corruption in the country, argued that since politicians of Christian and Muslims extractions have disappointed God and the people in tackling graft in the country, they should pave way "for those who are neither Christians nor Muslims to lead the people in  2015 to salvage the country".
   Addressing a press conference at the weekend, Idowu-Fearon said it was becoming shameful to have men and women who profess Christianity and Islam, playing politics with religion, stressing that "non-Christians and non-Muslims appeared more truthful and sincere in all respect even though they are not too visible and vocal in the society".
  He further expressed disappointment with religious leaders in the country, saying that as long as they could not organise successful and simple elections within their religious community, they have no moral right to tell politicians about how to organise free and fair elections, therefore they should put their houses in order for others to emulate.
   He said: “It is a tough thing, but I will want us to either forget about religion or look for people who are neither Muslims nor Christians, but they are more honest to lead us, and we have them. You don’t see them in churches, you don’t see them in mosques, but if they tell you this thing is black, it will be so if you investigate. We have people like that. We need to begin to encourage people to put into practice what our religions teach us.
   “There are too many sermons we are hearing all over about how to organise elections, how to do this, how to do that. Let the Christian community live by example, you heard of the Methodist  Church election, some people went to court, and so on and so forth.
   “These things are not right, you cannot tell me not to steal, and I find you stealing. If the Christian community and the Muslim Ummah cannot organise simple elections, they have no right to tell politicians anything about elections.
   “For me, it is leading by example, which is the role I believe the church and the Muslim Ummah should play. Let them do it openly for everybody to see it, whoever the people agreed to be put there, let it be done publicly and creditably so that even those who do not belong to your religious community will be able to say that that community is good. That is what witness is all about on both sides. God made it possible for this country to be put together in 1914. It is on this platform that both Christians and Muslims can hope to continue to be together even after the 2015 general elections.’’
    Idowu-Fearon stressed: “What baffles me in this country is our religiosity, if you switch on your television it is about many sermons on how to make money, Fridays, in our mosques, Sundays in our churches, they will be good business. The President is a Christian, the Vice President is a Muslim, our governor in Kaduna is a Muslim, his deputy is a Christian, and this is what we find everywhere.
  “In the Eastern part of the country, if the governor is a Catholic, the deputy will be either Anglican or Presbyterian. These are people who go to the mosques, they listen to sermons, these are people who go to our churches, and they listen to our sermons. What sort of sermons are we preaching to these people?
  “No matter how you look at these things, because Nigeria is such a religious country, everything comes back to the religious leaders. If a religious leader is straight, he keeps to the tenet of his or her faith, people will follow him. I am looking forward to a time that a politician will bring money and the church now says we are not taking this money.”
   Udofia added that as leaders they should be disciplined and be role models, showcasing the qualities of Christ as the light unto other people’s darkness, for the nation, society and the Church.
  He made the call at the African Church Salem, Lagos, adding that whatever politicians do now they should remember that one day they will give account to God. “Wherever we are, we are there because God wants us to be there. And one day He will call us to give account of it.”
  He urged them to rule with the fear of God. “When they have the fear of God in them they will able to plan well and do what they want to do with passion.”
   The cleric also advised Christians who wish to go into politics to do so not with the mind set of making money but to serve.

From Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna), Isaac Taiwo and Adeniyi Idowu Adunola (Lagos)

Twins Outreach holds Annual Thanksgiving

 MEMBERS of Twins Outreach Salvation Ministry recently gathered at the church’s branch in Ijegun, Lagos, for its annul Thanksgiving and also to unveil a new pulpit.
   Speaking with The Guardian, on behalf of the General Overseers, Senior Pastor Jolly I. Ogiesoba, said, “the church has enough reasons to celebrate looking back to the past five years on how God has touched the lives of members, as evidenced by the crowd in the auditorium.

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

Lagos, Borno record 314 fire incidents in 2013

THE Lagos State Fire Service said it recorded 193 fire incidents from December 2013 to January 7.
  The Director of the Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, made this known to newsmen yesterday in Lagos.
Fadipe said the last incident occurred on January 7 at about 3.08 a.m. at Sawmill Market, Ipaja, Lagos.
  He said that 11 lock-up shops out of about 150 shops in the market were destroyed by fire.
  Fadipe said the shops destroyed contained planks, paints, chemicals, woodcutting machines and other building materials.
  According to him, it took men of the service about four hours to put out the fire.
  “The fire spread faster due to the harmattan season. I advise members of the public to be careful with anything that can cause fire fast. The fire took us longer time to put out due to sawdust and chemicals in the market,” Fadipe said.
  In Maiduguri, the Department of Borno Fire Service (DBFS) yesterday said that a total of 121 fire outbreaks occurred in Maiduguri, the state capital, with no loss of lives in 2013.
  Speaking yesterday in an interview with newsmen on “effects of harmattan on fire outbreaks,” the Director of DBFS, Alhaji Musa Hussaini, warned residents against the use of charcoal in cooking and heating their houses during the harmattan season that has already commenced last year in the North.
  His words: “In as much the harmattan season has continued to bite harder with cold winds and dust, it could trigger any fire outbreak in the state. And we thank God, as no life was lost in the 121 fire outbreaks we recorded last year in Maiduguri metropolis. The people using charcoal to heat their rooms, including cooking in the open by some housewives, should be stopped, because the North Easterlies winds, associated with harmattan dust could easily trigger fire outbreaks, as experienced last month in three wards of
Maiduguri.”
  He said the Fire Service Department was working round the clock in protecting the lives and property of citizens in the state.

From Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) and Adeniyi Idowu Adunola (Lagos)

Alimosho Youths Beat Nigerian Airforce At Yuletide Football Tourney

Alimosho Youths defeated the Nigerian Airforce 403 EMD, Shasha, Ikeja, in a football match organized to promote cordial relationship between the force and its neighbourhood. The match ended 5-3 in favour of Alimosho Youths.

  The match, organized by the Commander of the division, Air Commodore, Inalegwu Agbeje took place at the Airforce Playing Ground in Shasha, to end the sports season for the year 2013.

  The match was witnessed by thousands of football enthusiasts with the Alimosho Boys taking home the golden cup donated by Agbeje as well as cash prize. The match started by 9 a.m. and ended peacefully at noon.

  Presenting the Cup to the Alimosho Boys, Agbeje said the match was organized to promote unity, friendship and peaceful co-existence between his men and the neighbouring community, stressing that the football match would be an annual event.

  Agbeje specifically stated that the football match was one of the ways of addressing the challenges arising from the ongoing armed insurgence, appealing to members of the public to see members of the force as their friends at all times.

  He advised the youths to desist from criminal activities and obey the law always.

By Adeniyi Adunola

Experts canvass Nigeria’s industrialisation for global competitiveness

FOR Nigeria and indeed other African countries to command adequate respect in the global economy, the need for improved industrialization has been stressed.
  According to experts, who gathered at the African Product Forum Lagos 2013, organised by the Institute for Government Research and Leadership Technology in Lagos, at the weekend, the African economy is heavily dependent on the production and exports of primary products and currently suffers from the associated risks of this dependence. 
  To them, the continent currently accounts for a negligible three per cent share of global industrial output and manufactured exports, stressing that only a few country in the continent have manufacturing and value added GDP share of up to 15 per cent.
  According to them, Nigeria reported an average of four per cent industrial contribution to GDP over the last decade.
  Executive Chairman, Toky Chemical Manufacturers limited, Olawuwo Oni noted that exporting of goods to other countries is not a child play and that the business is not meant for those who were not properly initiated.
  Considering the desirability of active participation in the global market, he said “Exportation is of great importance to the economy of any country because it impact greatly on the value of local currency and create employments.
  “No nation of the world can significantly grow its economy by simply trading with itself, it has to trade with other countries around the world to grow its economy to an enviable size.”
  Oni said that the benefit of international trade hinged on comparative advantage, stressing that exporting products in which its absolute advantage was greatest and importing product in which its absolute advantage in comparatively less.
  Relating the comparative advantage to Nigeria economy, he said “our vast array of natural resources and things we can do namely solid mineral, agricultural products cassava, yam maize, cashew nut amongst, giving us potentially huge source of competitive advantage in the export market place.
  He said that Nigeria has the challenge of adding value to its exportable product through product developments, saying “we import high cost value added product and sell low value product. “
  To the immediate past president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Goodie Ibru, Nigeria and other African countries must take advantage of new opportunities offered by globalization by launching enterprises, putting in place for upgrading, developing human resources, strengthening its capacities for innovation, by accepting the facts of industrilsation.
  “Industrilisation is a critical engine of economic growth and development. The fact that Africa remains the poorest region of the world, where 34 out of the 50 least developed countries in the world are located and in which poverty is on the increase, is a reflection of its low level of industrialization and product acceptability in global space. There exists a strong linkage between industrial productive capacity, economic growth and level of development,” he stated.
  According to him, opening up the African market to the world ought to have moved from a vision to a reality in the past decade, saying that while the continent still struggles with poor intra-trade relations, opening up its market to the world may seem to be a challenging but not impossible task.
  For Africa’s products to gain acceptability on the global space, Ibru said some critical priorities need to be addressed at national, regional, continental and international levels, which include; policy on product and export diversification; management and development; infrastructure development; human capital development and sustainability, innovation, science and technology; development of standards and compliance.
  Others are development of legal, institutional and regulatory framework, resource mobilisation for industrial development and so on.
  “Africa has the potentials for its products to become competitive at the global market but only if we put our infrastructure right and allow our goods to be of good standards, then we can begin the journey of acceptability of our products globally,” he stated.


By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola