The Oil Wells May Dry Up For All We Care !

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 128. 24th January, 2016.} “… ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).

“ THE OIL WELLS MAY DRY UP FOR ALL WE CARE ! ”

At independence in 1960, Nigeria’s economy was solely dependent on a sound colonial legacy of an agricultural-driven export economic base of massive production of grains, tubers, rubber, cocoa, hides and skin and some mineral resources in their infant stages which supplied the much-needed foreign exchange reserves for international trading however it is on record that in 1958 , after decades of intensive crude oil exploration some comme rcial quantity of about 121.000 barrels was exported from deposits found in Oloibiri, Ogbia Local Gov ernment of present Bayelsa Stat e by Shell-BP Petroleum Development Company ! The divers grains and groundnuts pyramids of Northern Region, c ocoa seeds of the West ern Region, palm o il and coal from the Mines of the East ern Region and rubber of the Mid-West Region plantations were some of the foundation export products that found their ways into the international market s of England and most of Europe before the Union Jack was lowered for the Nigerian Flag!

It is no longer news that though the three Regions had profitable economic gains from agricultural exports, crude oil so on gained prominence from the seventies into the nineties due to continuous and persistent exploration and exploitation of the liquid ‘black gold’ by six other non-British international oil companies who were granted licences to bombard and devastate the well-endowed coastal region of the South-south Niger Delta B asin from where they dug out a total 159 oil fields and 1481 wells according the M i nistry of Pe troleum Resources and as a result (agriculture), the foremost foreign exchange earner was soon abandoned and paid with less attention! Nigeria subsequently became the leading petroleum marketer in Africa and as of the year 2000 oil and gas exports accounted for more than 98% of export earnings and about 83% of the Federal Government’s revenue as well as generating more than 14% of its G ross D omestic P roduct (GDP); also 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 65% of government’s budgetary revenues! One decade and a half down the line, the story changed from affluence to absolute national degradation due to leadership mismanagement of crude oil acc ruals and fore ign e x change earnings , deprivation of the cit izens ’ fundamental rights to decent living wages through regular employment , when suddenly, inter national crude oil prices plummeted from US$ 110 in December 2013 to US$ 28 dollars as at the time of this expose’ ! The new management team of the Change Administration now has to grapple with a ba ttered economy, a near EMPTY TREASURY and a 2016 Deficit Budget Appropriation now predicated at US$ 35 per barrel of crude oil (US$ 7 dollars short of market price), and which had been under the hammer on arrival at the National Assembly (NASS) since 22 December, 2015 because the envisaged revenue from the mono-product would not materialize due to global glut and fallen prices ! For the past 16 years, democratic administrations in Nigeria played lip-service to the burning issue of diversification of the economy from the single to the multi-products for multiple sources of foreign exchange earnings, just as it was in the beginning at independence in order to avoid the quagmire the nation has now been forced into but with no success due to successive choice of the helmsmen for avarice and endemic institutional corruption with impunity ! It was revealed b y the new administration that 55 Nigerians in position of authority stole over N1. 3 4 trillion naira in EIGHT YEARS (2006-2013 ) , an amount that was more than a qua r ter of the 2015 Budget estimates, which could have built 635.18 kilometres of road; built 36 ultra modern hospitals, 183 schools, educated 3.974 children from primary to tertiary and built 20.062 units of 2-bedroom houses!

HOW HAD THE IMPOVERISHED NIGE RIANS FARED IN 55 YEARS OF BRUTTISH DEALS? Starting with the battered good people of the oil rich states of Rivers, Balyesa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Edo, years of research had revealed the same watershed:

1. Emphasis of social development of the oil-rich states are found in the ir state capitals where social amenities like “ good access roads, portable waters and electricity; public health care centres ; kindergarten t o tertiary education facilities; modern motor parks and railways systems; maritime facilities , the civil service structure of ministries, departments and agencies for smooth administration ; state-of-art residences for the elites in government and the industries ; modern restaurants, night clubs and hotels, all sandwiched within the limited landscape of their various state capitals, for the pleasure of an insignificant percentage of the populace! ”

2. Although state capitals were presented as the “show cities” of great expectations in other parts of the states, the reality is that outside of the “window dressing,” travelle rs or tourists were greeted and shocked at the degradation of slums and ghetto rural dwellings of the dehumanising forms in which the underprivileged able-bodied b ut dormant workforce unemployed in their thousand of thousands that dwell in thatched - roof houses or rusty zinc compartments which were battered by acid rains , roam about for menial errands in market places or motor parks, feed on non-nutritional victuals, defecate in the rivers or nearby bushes and permanently exposed to diseases and self- aggravated epidemics due to poor sanitary conditions/exp osures!

3. Complete abandonment of the rural population to extreme poverty situation where government presence was not in place in any form and the unfortunate people had to fend for their daily bread through un-organized farming, poultry, fishing, animal husbandry where practicable in view of the fact that most arable lands have been robbed by crude oil pollution etc; make provision for “portable” water from dug wells, polluted ponds or small lakes, rivers, streams and brooks; construct paths to connect the motley communities; make provision for electricity through small generating sets for those who could afford them, and make do with herbalists and native doctors for their health matters and issues of pro-creation because of lack of any form of medical facilities from government !

What did the successive governments do with the fat monthly allocations from the Federation Account to cater for the provision of all of the above? Their governors embezzled and squandered all the monies to the detriment of their oath of offices and political manifestoes of their parties! Some of them like James Ibori (still in prison), Lucky Igbinedion (out of prison) and Die preye Alamieyeseigha (out of prison before he died), were some whom the long hand of justice caught, but others are still walking free! Did you know that the Federal Government is constitutiona lly vested as the sole custodian and legal administrator of all proceed s from mineral resources and oil deposits found in Nigeria? * Did you also know that althou gh the Niger Delta citizens had always claimed and boasted that they were the foreign exchange earner of the nation and should not be messed with? Now that crude oil has (temporarily lost its eminent position as the economic booster), why should a determined DIVERSIFICATION to the agrarian and mineral resources sectors not take the front burner through an aggressive thrust in that direction by the All Progressives Congress Change Government? But from all ind ications, APC’s economic team are either testing the volatile turf of global recession or are gambling with the idea of a miraculous bounce back of international crude oil prices in the twinkling of an eye; or how would one explain the stubborn idea of still predicating the 2016 Budget benchmark on US$ 35 dollars in the resuscitated version of the budget before the NASS instead of a REALISTIC US$20 dollars per barrel ? Only the resilient and those who can persevere through faith in God are among the categories documented in the preceding paragraphs but the restive, the uncouth, the discouraged and uneducated who have lost hope of any form of survival opted for the Creeks and became militants who had engaged both democratic and military administration s in fierce battles by ensuring they took by force crude oils which they sold for survival! The s e painted scenario s still subsist in the Nigerian Niger Delta Basin as we publish this piece ! H OW SH OULD THE NAGGING ISSUE OF INEQUALITY AND BRAZEN ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATIO N OF THE LARGER MAJORITY BY STATE GOVERNMENTS THAT CATER FOR THE ELITES ALONE IN THE OIL-PRODUCING STATES BE RESOLVED ?

First, we believe that the Niger Delta militants who are vandalizing the oil pipeline s should lay down their arms and ammunitions and opt for negotiation of peaceful resolutions. Second, crude oil sales must be judiciously channelled to social infrastructures of the REAL SECTOR of industrial manufacturing to create employment opportunities for the over-abused citizens most of whom are at their wits end and leaders should always remember that idle hands would remain the devil ’ s workshop ! Third, funding of the 2016 Budget should depend largely on accruals from non -oil sectors that have been mentioned earlier while all of the recovered loots by past administrators should be used to offset the N2.2trillion deficit figure w hich government intended to subs titute with external borrowing! Fourth, all frivolities and excessive government recurrent expenditures at all levels must be blocked while focus should be on local goods and services for instance the foreign BMW SALOON CARS AND PRADO JEEPS which the Executive and the Senators so much desired to purchase from the lean budget should give way to Nigerian assembled cars and jeeps from PAN and I NNOSON MOTORS, in order to preserve the much-needed foreign exchange reserves! Fifth, more attention should now be focussed on the rehabilitation of all marginalized citizens all over the nation; the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) in all parts of the North, and others in the South East as a result of “Biafra” agitations, and the Niger Deltans who have become refuges in their various do main ! Sixth , a combined and synchronized I nternal Security Operation (IS Operation), by the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police should be intensified in all territories already recovered from Boko Haram terrorists through immediate citizens occupation for social activities and industrialization and activities of multiple vigilante groups under the professional police supervision should be strategized! Lastly, the new attempt by NASS to amend the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution 1999, MUST ensure stronger federating states with fiscal independence through larger percentages from mineral deposits under the principle of deriv ation and a total cancellation of the “feeding bottle” arrangement!

Did you he ar what some Niger Deltan indi genes once said; “This o - y - e - l sef na curse for we land! Make e kuku dry make we for live beta life”! The earth is the LORD’S and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1). It’s time for all long-throat politicians in this nation to be voted out of office or be recalled for Nigeria to prosper under the watchful eye of GOD the Creator ! Amen. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord.

[For weekly access, t o this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .

Rivers Of Blood In Bayelsa Over The Struggle For Second Term!

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 127. 17th January, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).

RIVERS OF BLOOD IN BAYELSA OVER THE STRUGGLE FOR SECOND TERM !

It was a taboo, until the 10 of January, 2016, when Henry Seriake Dickson broke the jinx which prevented pasts Governors of Bayelsa State, Nigeria , from be ing “elected ” for two consecutive terms in office! The incumbent’s second term which was re alised through supplementary elections which resulted from the inconclusiveness of the main elections of 5 December, 2015, was not without heavy bloodshed and the des truction of lives and properties of anyone who stood in the way of the two major gladiators and their armed troops ! No one was spared in the onslaught , electoral officers, security agents –police, army , and the electorate – except the contestants who provided very tight security around themselves and their families! There are now conflicting reports about casualty figure s: t he social media says scores of people were murdered in cold blood similar to the elections that brought Nyeso m Wike of Rivers State to power! The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said up to 17 persons were killed ; All Progressives Congress (APC ), said the figure was higher, while the Nigeria Police said just three people died at the just concluded Bayelsan elections and both parties blame d each other for the mayhem !

The precious blood of the victims of election violence mingled with the crude oil and the rivers of the creeks of Southern Ijaw, Nembe, Ogbia, Brass , Ekeremo r , Sagbama, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa Local Government A reas is crying out for justice against those who viciously terminated their existence without any response so far for retribution from any quarters! IS IT A SIN TO BE BORN A NIGERIAN AND BE RESIDENT IN THE COUNTRY AS A LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN? MUST INNOCENT BLOOD BE CONTINUOSLY SPILLED FOR POLITICAL OFFICE RITUALS? SHOULD IT ALWAYS BE A DO-OR-DIE SITUATION DURING THE CONDUCT OF DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA? Since 1999 when a new attempt was engendered at fresh democratic experience for an egalitarian society that would produce a situation close to an Utopia in Nigeria, the truth remains that all elections witnessed violence because there wa s much ambition among the greedy politicians who employed the “divide-and-rule tactics to manipulate the anger among the downtrodden ! The battle has been won and lost on a PLATTER OF BLOOD of the innocent and poverty-stricken Bayelsans whose shallow graves litter the entire crude oil terrain while those who murdered them in cold blood “popped champagne bottles Children of the poor were denied all forms of education because governmen ts reneged on political manifesto promise s to provide free primary/ secondary and affordable tertiary education to all youths of school age instead they were maligned through consistent non-payment of salaries and emoluments of teachers who usually took advantage of such situation to embark on indefinite strikes that in many cases erased entire annual academic sessions ! Ni gerian childre n of the rich and affluent on the other hand always enjoy ed uninterrupted school calendar in very expensive private institutions at home and abroad while their unfortunate counterpart s were forced out of school to become militants, insurgents and terrorists with external affiliations within the country and the county’s porous bo r ders !
This is the REALITY that the present administration has to grapple with! There is the Boko Haram terror in the Northern States, the Militants of the South-South, the Biafran ag itators of the South East and the Oodua Confraternity of the South West to complete the vicious circle of blood-letting in Nigeria ! The late D iepre ye Ala miey e seigh a, who was the first democratic governor of Bayelsa State , which was created by late General Sanni Abacha, in 1996, was convicted and jailed for corruption, embezzlement of public funds and money laundering in his first term and subsequently impeached ; Ebele Jonathan, who was his deputy stepped in to his shoes and did one term before his elevation to the position of vice president at the Federal level ; Tim ipre Sylva who took over from Jonathan also spent one term of four years and was replaced by the incumbent re-elected governor during the primaries that could have given him (Sylva) a second chance ! The Bayelsa State gubernatorial election scenario was therefore nothing short of the battle of Titans who had once tasted and enjoyed the juicy political apple of power and influence but never had the opportunity of a second bite , which they could be entitled according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, if so re-elected! The battle has been won and lost on a PLATTER OF BLOOD of the innocent and poverty-stricken Bayelsans whose shallow graves litter the entire crude oil terrain while those who murdered them in cold blood “popp ed champagne bottles ” on the streets of Yenagoa and at all the numerous eateries and r estaurants where free drinks fish and “ogufe” pepper soup plates were de clared for the murderers and those who cared less about the mass shootings and killings of the Creeks! Proliferation of small weapons, fire arms and ammunitions had been the hall mark of the South-South Geo-political Zone since the days of militancy of the Movement for the Emancipation the Niger Delta (MENDS), era to date ; which proves that the Amnesty Policy of late President Umaru Musa Ya’Ardua/Jonathan’s tenure was nothing short of a Fluke - a Lie!

Where did the weapons used for the ma ssacre of innocent Nigerians during the general elections of 2015 in Niger Delta emanate from? Of course the militants were very clever to surrender old, di suse , rusty and dilapidated weapons in exchange for billions of “AMNESTY NAIRA” and hid the most da ngerous, sophisticated and state-of-art artillery away for the unfolding scena rios we have witness ed in our election s ! Imagine the boldness and eff r ont e ry of the militants against law-enforcement agents, some of whom they gunned down in t hose elections! What measures should the Nigerian Electorate emplo y t o stem all of t hese unfolding, recalcitrant, very painful and negative experience s of LEADERSHIP/RULERSHIP BY FORCE being forced down the throat of Nigerians in every election no matter how isolated ? First , the electorate must ensure that primaries for the selection of candidates of the va rious parties were righteously c o nduc ted. Second, thorough investigations must be carried out on the resume submitted by candidates to establish the authenticity of claims in res pect of pedigree and antecedent ! Third, candidates must have guarantors (eminent, distinguished, and respected citizens) who would vouchsafe for their character and mien for peaceful conduct before, during and after primaries to ensure that whoever emerged as winners would be acceptable to all. Fourth , all participants must cue behind party’s flag bearer s and give full support for safe conduct and behaviour whether election was won or lost. The kind of show of power that was exhibited before, during and after the elections in that small State of only eight local council a reas, was unprecedented , unbridled, unimaginable and uninhibited, in spite of the fact that, Bayelsa, is the home state of former President Ebele Jonathan and Elder Statesman, Edwin Clark his god-father ; because the issue of armed militants on bo th sides of the divide was an acceptable norm in the isolated do-or-die gubernatorial elections! The elections have come and gone but the pains , agonies and bitterness left behind through testimonies of the RIVERS OF BLOOD shed by gladiators will linger forever!

PDP’S Admission - Our Victory Was Painful:
PDP has congratulated the people of Bayelsa State for their support for its candidate, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, which led to his victory at the just-concluded governorship election of Saturday 9 , January, 2016. The PDP however said the victory was painful because of the number of those that were killed. “It’s painful that this victory has come with so much pain because we lost dear ones. Those who died are our brothers. So many are yet in the hospitals nursing life threatening injuries because our opponents wanted to win at all cost. We wish to express our deepest condolences once again and to assure them that their death will not be in vain,” it stated. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared the incumbent Governor winner sequel to the conclusion of the supplementary elections earlier postponed from 5 December, 2015, due to violence and bloodshed mostly in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the State.

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Governorship candidate had rejected results of the Supplementary Elections; APC: 86.852; and PDP: 134.998; and will head for the Tribunal to seek redress which will not resurrect the INNOCENT dead Bayelsans! Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark , made the following statements dur in g a press conference in Abuja on 13 , January, 2016, when the “dee d had been done” ! “ Conduct of the elections was not only a disgrace but a show of shame; b oth contestants for PDP and APC (who were former governors of the State), lacked basic knowledge about democracy. They and their supporters are non- democrats but power grabbers. Power belo n gs to the Almighty God. He gives it at each given time to whoever He wishes. The violence was caused by their desperation and greed; having governed the State before both should hav e allowed the electorate peaceful vote prevail !” Although the word of God which says, “Thou shalt not kill”; is completely lost to the thugs and militants, we need to remind them that though they walk free today, divine judgment and vengeance will surely and definitely catch up with them tomorrow!

He also said that both men could not be exonerated from blame and advised Sylva to accept the results and that Henry should extend hand of fellowship. “If a son of Ijaw land can prevent nation wide bloodshed by conceding def eat , why can’t we replicate the same at home and display uncommon courage ?” Chief Edwin Clark’s god - son has not said a word, for or against the trending ugly issue but we need to ask Dr. Ebele Jonathan if , “the blood of one Nigerian was worth the ambition of Dickson whom he and his wife endorsed as their preferred candidate! The Dickson ’s election was a replica of Nyesom Wike’s of Rivers State who Mrs. Patience Jonathan physically and vigorously campaigned for and in which much blood was shed for his victory to be accomplished at all cost! Although the word of God which says, “Thou shalt not kill”; is completely lost to the thugs and militants , we need to remind them that though they walk free today, divine judgment and vengeance will surely and definitely catch up with them tomorrow! “ Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.” [Genesis. 9:6]. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the

Lord. [For weekly access, t o this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/

zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://

www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .

There is Room At The Top For Every Ingenious Nigerian Youth!

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 126. 10th January, 2016.} “… ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).

T HERE IS ROOM AT THE TOP FOR EVERY INGENIOUS NIGERIAN YOUTH !

Politicians truly need great dreams to actualize authentic, meaningful and workable policies that would touch and improve lives of the governed if they must real ly succeed , otherwise politics would become arid and barren ; just a machine f or winning elections !

This was the thought of Nigerian-born Ben Okri, a prolific writer, ebullient author and poet on BBC HARDtalk Interview by Stephen Sacker on 7 January, 2016.

The Booker Prize laureate believes that the ability to dream big thoughts is an essential quality for politicians adding that, “policies have to be dreamt. A politics without dreams is arid and barren, just a machine for winning elections. We need politicians with great dreams for the people”

Ben Okri who is now 56, published his first internationally-acclaimed novel “Flowers and Shadows” in 1980 at the age of 21years and is today considered one of the foremost African authors whose life had straddled Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Born in Minna, Niger State in 1959 to an Urhobo/Igbo parents, Grace and Silver Okri, this author was less than two years when his father moved his family to London to study Law where he also had his early education only to return to Nigeria in 1968 and was exposed to the unfortunate civil war which provided further inspiration for his writing ability before he returned to England in the late seventies to study Comparative Literature at the University of Essex – with a grant from the Nigerian Government.

Ben Okri’s story should serve as an inspiration to all youths – especially Nigerian Youths – some of who complain about the inability to progress in life for one flimsy excuse or the other . Even when they had successfully acquired some reasonable and qualitative education , they would still wait for the famous “white-collar” jobs from government ! Okri was neither born with the silver nor the golden spoon but took the gauntlet with the determination to succeed in the area of his PASSION whi ch was the gifted ability to wri te! Everyone is endowed with one latent ability or the other (called ta lents), which when carefully, courageously and resiliently applied in the right directions always resulted in resounding success! Ben was cash- strapped when he returned to England and had to move from place to place to squat with good Samaritans on several occ asions before he finally got government ’s grant ! During that interview Ben revealed that his mother played a very important role in his mental and moral development as he grew up into adolescent through several folklore tales she always narrated to answer his numerous inquisitive and probing juvenile questions about life habits, religion, cultures and traditions . What about the youths who continued to accept criminal offers as professional protesters and hired political thugs for pittance at the beck and call of reckless Nigerian politicians ; do they have parents, do they have mothers ?

The unemployment market in Nigeria is swarming with University and Polytechnic graduates who are very brilliant and skilful but are waiting for “manna from heaven”; otherwise why should the macabre politicians have ready and willing hands among idle Nigerian Youths for the ir dirty jobs of killings assassinations and intimidation of perceived enemies? The Word of God says: “ .........The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to the men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes. 9:11). A mediocre vanguard group of Nigerian youths were recently sighted on the streets of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja , protesting against the constitutional duties of law enforcement agents who invited a public figure for interrogation! They have become ready tools in the han ds of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the political party which failed to give account of its ste wardship of 16 years since the change of guards on 29 May, 2015 ! E ach time a “prominent” member of the party was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for dialogue, they were readily constituted into hired protesters who would dare the rubber /live bullets and tear gas canisters of law enforcement agents ! When their patron , a 64 year-old party stalwart was invited they shouted fire and brimstones and demanded for his immediate release; recently, the PDP’s spokesman was likewise invited to clear some issues relating to money laundering charges and these youths who h ave been designated as “future l eaders” wasted no time to block some public highways again in protests! Nigerian youths have severally complained about lack of opportunity for them to prove their mettle in the society but would they not utilize all available and God - given potentials before giving up totally to becoming miscreants to be used and dumped by some incorrigible and clueless politicians who have not read the hand writing on the wall of Change Administration that it was no longer business as usual ? Massive acts of corruption had been the bane against sound economic growth of the Nigerian nation right from Independence in 1960 to date; but is it not disturbing for the “future leaders” to r elish this albatross and even c ampaign openly for its continuity in spite of the new government’s efforts to eradicate the ca nkerworm once and for all ? There are thousands of BEN O KRIS among the Nigerian Youths and all they needed to do is to wake up from their slumber and subject their lives to the SUPREME AUTHORITY OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT in order to actualize their dreams of becoming great citizens of Nigeria.

They must not bury their innate and inalienable TALENTS for the “ 30 pieces of silver ” of discredited and dreamless politicians who give no qualms about whether the youths lived or died ! FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, BY ANY NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION WAS TREATED AS A CAPITAL PROJECT with the appropriation of N 369.6 B illion of the 2016 Budget to that sector , second only to the critical sector of Works, Power and Housi ng which got N433.4 billion! This new attitude s ignals a very good omen for a country that urgently needed to train up its youth in view of the ugly experience of the North East Boko Haram insurgents who are sworn enemies against West ern Education ! In addition, 500.000 trained teachers would be employed to boost the quality of education at the primary and secondary levels which are considered as the critical foundation to support the tertiary platform . In his budget speech, President Buhari promised to train Nigerian Youths through the revival of technical and vocational institutions to ensure they were competent enough to seize opportunities that would arise from economic revival of the nation! Other forms of investments, infr astructures and security that would support the great d reams of Mr. President are as foll o ws: - The nation’s r eforms in Agriculture and solid minerals and other core job-creating sectors of the national economy. - Investment to safeguard lives and property. - Investment in equipping the farmers with the right t ools, technology and techniques and; - Investment in empowering and enabling the miners to operate in a safe, secure and humane environment. Although appropriation to the Education Sector was less than 7 per cent of total deficit 2016 Budget of N6.08 trillion, President Muhammadu Buhari should be applauded for a right step in the right direction in spite of the very tight income analysis under a dwindling international oil price regime! “See thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before Kings ; he shall not stand before mean men.” ( Proverbs. 22:29)

We will through this medium advise those complacent Nigerian youths again to inv est their talents to productive S ectors of the economy in other to promote the new global image of a serious-minded nation that could build from the ashes and rise to stardom which the present administration represents and is determined to establish! Nigerian Youth should realize that, “A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men.”(Proverbs. 18:16). Religious State of t he Nation. Shiite Muslims in Nigeria began to constitute themselves into an autonomous religious sect several years ago under the cover of a secular state where freedom of worship was sacrosanct . Although affiliated to IRAN – the acclaimed Shi ite Muslim country of the world - not much search light was beamed on them by security agents until in recent years when they grew in population and became unruly in their mode of worship and procession in Zaria, North Central State ! Since this Sect ’s recent confrontation with the Nigerian Army Chief of Staff whom they allegedly planned to assassinate, and are currently being investigated through due process, Iran has begun to meddle in the internal affairs of Nigeria by summoning Nigeria’s Ambassador in Tehran for expl anations on the detention of Shiite leader, Sheikh Zakzaky and deaths of several of his followers in Zaria !

Our concern here is to remind both government and all good citizens of Nigeria that religious extremism is what the nation is grappling with through Boko Haram insurgency which had claimed thousands of innocent lives and that all law-abiding citizens should be spared any other form of religious upheaval being unleashed on this nation! The diplomatic row instigated by Iran is uncalled for and Nigeria should just ignore their ranting in order to pacify the entire misunderstanding through a process of conflict resolution of “ no victor no vanquished ” . It is also important to take into consideration the sanctity of lives that were lost and that due compensations should be paid to all families affected on both sides of the divide. Nigeria is tired of all forms of insurgency and violence and concerted efforts should be made by National Orientation Agency (NOA), in this regard, no matter the outcome of the Panel of Inquiry already instituted by Kaduna State Government. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord.

[For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://

www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .

Can a Divided Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) ,Heal The Masses Putrified Wounds?

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 125. 3rd January, 2015.} “… ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).
(2016 NEW YEAR EDITION ).

CAN A DIVIDED NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC), HEAL THE MASSES PUTRIFIED WOUNDS?

The perennial petrol stations queues that greeted Yuletide 2015 and persisted into the tail-end of December, remained the trending topic of discussion on the social media and the public domain until the maiden Presidential Media C hat of 30 December, doused the tensio n as President Buhari declared that with the solid arrangements on ground, there would be sufficient flow of petroleum products and that fuel subsidy would soon be a thing of the past! Although uncertainty over the presumed lukewarm attitude of the Change Administration in respect of continuo us payment of the fraudulent fuel subsidy monies led some Independent Petroleum M ar keters to hoard the products which created artificial scarcity; government fulfilled exis ting agreement by hurriedly paying some “outstanding debts”, got two of the refineries to produce at optimal level and the queues disappeared before the commencement of the new year 2016! And in furthera nce to the Presidential promise - with effect from 1 January, 2016 - the official pump price at petrol filling stations nation-wide was reduced from N87 per litre to N86 at NNPC Mega Stations and N86 .50 at other commercial private stations and with a fur ther assurance that fuel subsidies would no longer be paid to any marketer from 1 April, 2016! There could not have been a better new year ’s gift to the masses of Nigeria whose livelihood depended on constant availability of Petrol (Premium Motor Spirit) to power their industrial and commercial machineries to provide victuals for their families. Sinc erely, it is a most opportune time for Nigeria to have cashed in on the total downward fall of the international crude oil price which was predicted by I nternational M onetary F und (IMF), to drop to a lowest ebb of USD $20 per barrel in 2016, and with the partial deregulation already in place coupled with increased and steady production of local r efineries figures put at 10million litres of petrol per day since late December 2015, the ho rrible yoke and terrible burden of yesteryears that characterised the social life of th e poor masses would break and fritter into oblivion !

The President assured Nigerians at home and the Diaspora that the war against corruption and impunity in governance would be total and that even though all members of his cabinet were incorruptible and dignified people, he would keep an eagle eye to fish out and sack any likely “ JUDAS ” who might step out of line adding that Nigeria made a lot of money in the last 16 years which was not judiciously utilised . According to the President, Nigeria under his watch had jettisoned external borrowing and would re-negotiate with creditors on how to terminate existing contracts in respect of the re-payment template! We are glad to note that President Buhari accepted ou r suggestion in Vol. 4. No, 121 of the Zion B-B C Newsletter of 6 December, 2015, that the “AWOOF” N5.000 Campaign Promise Monthly Stipend for about 25 million poorest of the poor should be collapsed into a financial capital to set up agricultural and solid minerals project that would create employment opportunities of a long-lasting advantage in its drive towards delivering dividends of democracy ; when he said ; and we quote him: “ WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PROMISE OF N5.000 ALLOWANCE EVEN IF THE PEOPLE HAVE TO WORK IN THE FARM TO EARN IT” He asserted his belief in running an accountable and transparent government when he disclosed that he turned down a N400 billion car proposal for the presidential fleet because the existing vehicles were good for the next 10 years and also promised to re-visi t NASS plan to spend N4.4 billion to purchase official cars after collecting loans to purchase personal vehicles and disclosed that at the appropriate time the names of looters of the Nigerian Treasury would be divulged but that the rule of law must take precedence adding that no looter would be allowed to escape prosecution by absconding to London on frivolous excuse of bail while Two M illion I nternally D isplaced P eople were u n comfortable in camps in Nigeria! Nigerian Labour Congress’s (NLC) “ Bragado ” !

In spite of the concerted efforts of the new administration to fulfil all campaign promises and party’s manifestos to the electorate the TWO-FACED polarised and factionalised labour organisation identified with the appellation , Nigerian Labour Congress , has been busy blowing hot and cold over APC’s major policy decisions as follows: * “ We wil l resist removal of FUEL SUBSIDY PAYMENT through the back door! * “ We will oppose the re-introduction of TOLL GATES across the nation’s highways! ” Firstly , the NLC is a “house that is divided against itself which would eventually collapse” because none of the two factionalized presidential title holders would step down for the other in view of the largesse attached to the lucrative office – official lodge, fleet of private and official vehicles, fat allowances, regular overseas sponsored trips to attend international conferences of labour union affiliates, government subventions, estacodes; etc. ! Did you remember the 2015 elections that brought about the imbroglio in which voting m aterials were upturned and scattered during physical confrontations between all of the ambitious labour gladiators in Abuja; the political and diplomatic interventions by government representative s including the legislators but resulted in the second elections which produced two factional presidents and the jingle; “TO YOUR TENT O ISRAEL”! S econdly s ince the dichotomy, the duo evangelical presidents have been wooing the Federal Government, State Governors and the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, to their opposing camps definitely on tribal, ethnic and political divisions for national and int ernational recognition! As a result of the division NLC has not made any major impact in the direction of workers and people ’ s welfare since the advent of the new dispensation though the body claims in it V ision Statement that its objective was to be the most reliable and faithful advocate of the working class values , justice and equity in protecting defending and promoting the rights , well-being and interests of all workers, pensioners and the trade unions ; to promote and defend a Nigerian nation that would be just, democratic, transparent and prosperous to advance the cause of the working class generally ! The much-sought-after government of the peoples’ choice has debuted and the NLC of Late PA IMOUDU’s or ADAM OSHI O M H OLE’s ILK IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND but a segmented group of power mongers and selfish individuals who are no better than the evil political class of the past ! Why would the NLC oppose the gradual removal of the petroleum subsidy illegal and fraudulent payments if some waters had not been passing under the bridge and if palm s were not usually greased through dubious independent markets – some of who never imported one litre of petrol into Nigeria but had claimed billions in organised sleaze of petroleum funds !

There are cases of fraud in this respect still pending before Nigerian law courts to buttress this point! Would a back door policy hold water in a Change mantra of President Buhari? Why would NLC oppose the re-introduction of Toll Gates which funds would be readily available for regular road con structions and repairs ? Which NLC is talking to government and through which medium or channel ? The TWO NLCs in question exist on the pages of the newspapers, magazines and the internet and we make bold to say that they do not represent the interest of any body except themselves ; they are diametrically opposed to the Change Administration’s posture of good governance and the refore not the “voice of the oppressed” and must be dissolved by the workers whos e interests they no longer represent, with the followin g strategy : * All affiliates which are made up of virtually all formal and informal trade unions , divisions/parastatals of government and the private sectors that are very numerous should adopt legal action to suspend the compulsory monthly labour contributions which were normally deducted at source and deprive them the luxury of collecting illegal salaries and allowances for as long as they remained divided because they have completely reneged on their Mission Statement to organize, unionise, and educate all categories of Nigerian workers; defend and advance the ir political, economic, social and cultural rights; emancipate and unite them and THE PEOPLE from all form s of exploitation and discriminations et ce tera!

Who is fooling who? Factionalized NLC should be told the hard truth; as presently constituted, THEY ARE A LIE AND A FRAUD TO THE NIGERIA SOCIETY! All “ officers ” must be compelled to resign their posts and refund all salaries and allowances so far collected pending new elections to be conducted through the intervention of an Industrial Arbitration Panel to be set up speedily by the Federal Government which must now intervene in other to save its WORKFORCE from the neo-colonialists and WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING and complete Change Circle of flushing out all the MIXED MULTITUDE ! “Heal Nigeria, O LORD and she shall be healed; save her, and she shall be saved; for thou art her praise.” (Jeremiah. 17: 14).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord.

[For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://

www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .

Has Police Brutality Replaced Boko Haram Terrorism In Nigeria?

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 124. 27 December, 2015.} “… ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).
( CHRISTMAS EDITION ).

HAS POLICE BRUTALITY REPLACED BOKO HARAM TERRORISM IN NIGERIA?

Should the security challenges of burglary, armed robbery, kidnapping, mass shooting and dastard killings which the down-trodden citizens of Nigeria are confront ed with on daily basis be further aggravate d with the additional brut ality unleashed upon them by the bad cops among members of the rank and file of the Nigeria Police Force? President Buhari in his 2016 Budget presentation assured that Bok o Haram terrorists were bei n g tactically defeated and pushed out of the Nige rian territories and also disclosed that N10billion had been set aside to fight the rebellion in the coming year but this optimism for a peaceful nation is totally opposed to the kind of mercile s s police brutality being unleashed on the poor masses especially in suburbs where COMMUNITY POLICING propaganda was being vigorously canvassed!

The only plausible explanation for the continuous act of treason and back-stabbing against the people, the tax-payers, and the electorate, who pay policemen salaries and allowances and also whose monies were used to purchase the guns with which they are now being daily threatened with , is that those criminals in uniform have the succinct and tacit support of their management team! Eighteen indigenous Inspector s General of Police (IGP), have been appointed in the 55 years of Nigeria as a nation and it is so sad to note that the afore-mentioned kind of insane brutality against the masses had increased by leaps and bounds with every IGP instead of abating! Would it be far-fetched if we conclude that, “BRUTALITY AGAINST DEFENCELESS NIGERIANS ” is a permanent item of successive hand-over notes? Recently in one of the satellite communities of the Federal Capital Territory, an unmarked saloon car which later turned out to have conveyed one member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), trailed a popular beef meat-seller to his stall and confronted him with an handcuffed man with whom they claimed he contracted an unholy business deal but before the frightened meat seller who was intimidated with AK 47 Assault Rifles could deny their claim, he was slapped, kicked and butted severally with the guns in the presence of a motley crowd which stood helplessly watching Police brutality in action in broad daylight about 02.30pm of a Wednesday afternoon! He was eventually taken away in the unmarked vehicle, driven round and round until a forced bribe of the sum ten thousand nai ra exchanged hands for his release to be effected at about 10pm of the day in question with bruises and swollen face to show for his encounter with the bad cops of the Nigeria Police Force ! He was lucky to be alive! This is one isolated case of Police brutality which has over the years assumed the dimension of New York’s crime statistics which claim ed that in every 30 seconds, one person was either being mugged, raped or killed in the city! Amnesty International Reports were never acceptable to Nigerian Governments, past or present because of their down-to-earth truthful, factual and non-biased revelations in respect of high profile crimes and criminalities involving men and officers of institutions and agencies that should constitutionally protect the citizens but brutalized them instead with brazen audacity and impunity and in majority of cases went scot-free! In spite of its neutrality and painstaking methods of sourcing information backed by undisputable evidences of documentary videos, photographs, audio recordings etc.; government authorities involved always referred to such reports as blatant fabrications and figments of the imagination of the very respectable international agency !

About seven months before the appointment of the incumbent Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police Amnesty International published a report aptly titled: “Welcome to Hell Fir e: Torture and Other Ill -Treatment in Nigeria”; in which sordid practice of torture to extract confessions as punishment for alleged crimes was exposed and horrors of atrocities of inhumanity perpetrated in Police Stations like shooting in the leg, foot or hand; extracting teeth, fingernails or toe nails, water torture and rape; and descri bed a scenario that, “security forces enjoy a climate of impunity”! The Police image maker wasted no time in an official statement to dismiss the very authentic report and took a swipe and “serious exception to the blatant falsehoods and innuendos” contained in the authentic report which 99.9 per cent of Nigerians [ except the Police ] , would vouchsafe as truth and nothing but the truth! In an official statement the officer said: “ The police force has significantly improved on its human rights records in the years since military rule ended in 1999 owing largely to training and re-training, community policing, attitudinal change and structural transformation.” This statement no doubt is an indirect admission that the police always had very bad human rights records! In the past Amnesty International had reported incidents of extra-judicial killing of suspected criminals , like the one that incensed the present Boko Haram terrorists wh o claimed that their former leader Mohammed Yusuf was extra-judicially murdered by members of the Police Mobile Force ; there were also issues of the killings of armed robbery suspects often conducted to decongest prison cells which were reported in the past but to which successive administrations treated with kid glove s and continuous denials which we re very glaring to majority of Nigerians! The question that should agitate the incumbent IGP who has less than six months to retirement should be the kind of legacy he would bequeath to the up- coming generations of police officer s and to posterity ? He cannot claim ignorance to the bad image which the force had been condemned to since independence neither would he pretend that the Amnesty International regular reports were always orchestrated! Coping gingerly and meticulousl y with the trending and disturbing issues of serious internal security challenges of crimes and criminalities seven months into the Change Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Ehigiato Arase is no doubt a very lucky Inspector General of Police to have remained in the saddle in spite of being an appointee of a past administration ! While other Service Chiefs chanted , “ ther e was a casting down” Solomon, who was the last man standing among the inherited uniformed men, chorused the more acceptable refrain, “there was a lifting up! ”

In previous administrations – democracy, military or diarchy – service chiefs like cabinet ministers and advisers were usually swept into the labour market or compulsorily retire d following a change of guards but on 29 May 2015, an exception was made by the new government which retained all the regimented Armed Forces H eads for its first three months in office before showing them the exit door! Solomo n Arase (59) from Edo State , was appointed by former Pres ident Jonathan o n 21st April , 2015, towards the very tail end of the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government , as the 18 th Inspector Gene ral of Police to replace Suleiman Abba, who was the third in the line three consecutive IGPs from Jigawa State, the other two being: Afiz Ringim and Mohammed D. Abubakar ! This very lucky IGP enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), in 1981 and had served in various departments of the Force including Operations, Investigation, Administration, and Intelligence and as the time to bow out is closing in would he turn a deaf ear to the yearnings of all Nigerians that it was high time all BAD COPS were fished out , investigate d , prosecuted and sent to prison or the gallows as the case might be? Would Solomon Arase who had been a very distinguished police offi cer all of his carrier allow those kind of SARS policemen mentioned earlier and other members of their ilk at the various police stations in the 36 State Police Commands and the FCT, tarnish his reputation which has been built over the years? It was widely reported that the police boss reacted administratively to a September 2015 extra-judicial killing of a mother of four in Lagos through the dismissal and an ongoing prosecution of the suspect, a police corporal who is in the centre of the storm but what about other numerous cases which he inherited since his assumption of office and which have been swept un der the carpet? If fine officers are restricted to the Superior Police Officers (SPOs), cadre, how would Nigeria solve its internal criminal cases which are increasing by the day since the bulk of the force’s p ersonnel is made up of the rank and file who make up the back bone for operational duties? It is not too late for Solomon Arase to fish out all such cases of extra judicial killings, brutal extortion s and rape incidents which are still pending and ensure that they were prosecuted to logical conclusions before his exit! We also recommend that the Amnesty International Report which police authorities dismissed with a wave of the hand must be dusted up and an Investigation and Implement ation Committee set up to painstakingly review all the suggestions contained therein and make concrete recommendations that would be implemented without further delay.

The Change mantra to remove gross indiscipline among the rank and file of the NPF should begin with the policemen who are constitutionally saddled with all challenges of internal and domestic a ffairs of the country and henceforth, beginning with recruitment, only men and women of impeccable character and proven integrity should be recruited with at least educational Diploma and Graduate certificates in relevant courses to fill existing vacancies which are intended to give the much-needed facelift that would endear the agency to be come a true friend of Nigerians I n his Christmas message Mr. President says: “We must never again allow any group to hold the nation to ransom under whatever guise. Let us also not allow current socio-economic and security challenges to dampen our expectations for a better Nigeria.” THE BAD COPS OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE MUST BE ROUTED AND ANNIHILATED. THEY CANNOT HOLD NIGERIA TO RANSOM IN ORDER TO AVOID CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND UNREST WHICH COULD RESULT FROM INACTION BY THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES ! We will also advise that patriotic Nigerians, Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s), should rise in unison and destroy this monster of impunity among the bad cops by reporting all such cases of police brutality directly to the Inspector General of Police and by extension to Mr President for executive fiat on such matters of utmost urgency! It is written, “ Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” (Matthew. 15:13).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord.

[For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://

www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .

Nigerians Must Swallow The Bitter Pills of Total Fuel Subsidy Removal in 2016 to Save The Economy!

ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 4. NO 123. 20th December, 2015.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).

NIGERIANS MUST SWALLOW THE BITTER PILLS OF TOTAL FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL IN 2016 TO SAVE THE ECONOMY!

Corruption in Nigeria is a Hydra-Headed Monster that must be attacked and destroyed not by government alone but by all patriotic citizens who s ho uld be determined to resist the temptations and allurements of illicit monetary gains that could be manipulated to turn them into accomplices by unfaithful operators in the various sectors of the economy! Since the determine d effort by the new leadership to recover all stolen and embezzled funds by officers of past administrations, lots of billions of naira hav e be en recovered through probes and investigations while some were voluntarily returned into the Treasury through ple a -bargains. There was virtually no sector of the polity that was immune from the virus of corruption beginning with civil servants in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) , Security Agents, Legislators and the Academia, they were all smeared and the government needs vital information from all citizens in respect of the flood of laundered monies which are circulating and are about to drown the economy! It is no longer a hidden fact that FRONTING for money launderers have become the VOUGUE that turned many ordinary citizens into emergency millionaires in recent times but t he biggest head of the monster that urgently needed the full support of all patriotic citizens to be cut off and destroyed is the total removal of illegal payment of Petroleum Products Subsidy which had been the most daring robbery of government treasury since the turn of the new millennium!

THIS SUPPORT WILL TURN OUT TO BE BITTER PILLS, BUT IT IS OUR FERVENT BELIEF THAT IF QUICKLY SWALLOWED AT THIS OPPORTUNE TIME, NIGERIA NS WOU L D IN THE SHORT AND LONG RUN ENJOY FULL BENEFITS OF THE DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY UNDER A RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT BUHARI! We had always advocated that several, palliatives like the building of more Refineries and constant availability of the commodity including a reduction of the pump price should be put in place to cushion the hardships that would be encountered i f the subsidy were to be suddenly removed, but it seemed that such patriotic wish would hardly be realistic in the interim, b ut with the determined efforts of the new government to find a lasting solution to block all loopholes in the Petroleum Sector , we must now appeal to all Nigerians to face this battle for the survival of the nation against the predator OIL MERCHANTS who have lost all scruples for decorum and good conscience when it comes to material gains and possessions even at the expense of their fellow Nigerian s ! ADVOCATES of t he Change Agenda, the All Progressives Congress (APC), faithfully predicated their battle strategy on to tal elimination of the c ancerous corruption through probes and recovery of stolen or embezzled funds alone forgetting that everyone must be carried along to swallow the bitter p ills of blocking all avenues through which the heinous crimes were perpetrated in the past !

Nigeria is at a CROSS-ROAD as a nation and must meticulously and righteously decide which direction of the four cardinal points it should progress! APC had very good intentions for good governance which prompted the leadership through its flag bearer, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), to:
1. Promise that “insha Allah”, Boko Haram terrorism MUST end by December 2015 without the hindsight of military strength in areas of artillery ammunition, logistics, financing and the dubious roles played by fifth columnists within the Ministry of Defence and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Office etc ; 2. That the massive corruption and impunity of past 16 years of People Democratic Party (PDP), governance would be wiped off in no time without taking into consideration that its kingpins would put up a vicious fight as now being witnessed in the National Assembly (NASS) ! 3. That a Social Contract Programme of Five Thousand Naira monthly stipend could be easily paid to the poorest and needy Nigerians without pre-knowledge of what the out-going prodigal PDP Government would leave in the COFFERS! 4. That PETROLEUM PRODUCTS (premium spirit-petrol- and kerosene), would flow freely to consumers without continuous payment through the largest corrupt drain pipe of the outlandish FUEL SUBSIDY PAYMENTS which gulped about SEVEN TRILLION NAIRA in four years (2011-2015), according to recent World Bank Report on the state of the Nigerian Economy! 5. That the 2016 Financial Appropriation- Budget benchmark should still depend and predicated on US$ 38 per barrel of the mono-product crude oi l now selling for between US$ 34-36 per barrel in the international market by pre-supposing that market prices would improve in the that year ! 6. That the unpaid workers salaries of over six and eight months bequeathed by PDP failed administration would be wished away without a stiff fight by the aggrieved down-trodden people ! 7. That the over 70% of impoverished citizens who virtually lived from hand to mouth on less than N250 per day would not shout to high heavens and demand for the free-lunch promised through the social contract?

SINCE GOOD INTENTIONS WOULD NOT AMOUNT TO GOOD GOVERNANCE, ALL NIGERIANS SHOULD READ THE HANDWRITING OF PRESENT ECONOMIC REALITIES AND CO-OPERATE WITH APC MANAGEMENT TEAM TO SWALLOW THE BITTER PILL OF THE TOTAL REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY PA Y MENT ROBBERY INTRODUCED AS PARTY PATRONAGE BY PDP FOR THEIR CRONIES, ONCE AND FOR ALL IN 2016! This an opportune and most auspicious time to take this daring step in view of the fact that the international crude oil price is at its lowest ebb an d could still drop beyond US$ 36 per barrel in 2016! According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Ibe Kachukwu, his Ministry was poised to address all sectors of the UPSTREAM, MIDDLESTREAM, DOWNSTREAM AND THE GAS SUPPLY and reposition appropriately to arrive at a conducive price within the N87 and N97 Band! Without actually spil ling the beans, the Minister had indirectly advised Nigerian to brace up to embrace international regulated market prices from the incoming year! According to him two refineries will work at optimal level before they could be privatised while two new refineries would be built within the existing ones to ensure that much crude was refined in Nigeria to eliminate overseas import of refined petroleum products . In the proposed 2016 Budget, President Buhari voted N63.29 billion for payment of petroleum subsidy and N500 billion for Social Security but World Bank Lead Economist, John Litwack disclosed, during the launch of the bank’s third Nigeria Economic Report (NER), recently in Abuja, that the PDP Federal Government had spent US$35 billion ( N7 trillion), between 2010 and 2014 to sustain subsidy on petroleum products! WHAT ARE THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF FUEL SUBSIDY PAYMENTS INTRODUCED FROM THE OBASANJO’S ADMINISTRATION? The cost are grossly high while the benefits to the masses are infinitesimal compared to the gains provided through this avenue to higher echelon of the society in view of the fact that the entire process championed by government of PDP portrayed failure by misfits who could not faithfully manage assets and liabilities inherited from the MILITARY in 1999 diligently and with probity but squandered them in corruption and impunity and turned around to force the masses to pay for their deliberate and well-calculated plan of barefaced-robbery of the common wealth !
8. I magine a government which is the FOURTH LARGEST WORLD PRODUCER OF CRUDE OIL AND BLESSED WITH FOUR FUNCTIONING REFINERIES IN 1999 turning a round within three years of assumption of office to exporting her c rude oil overseas for refining thousands of kilometres away only for the finished products to be later imported back to the country at exorbitant prices which included transportation, freight charge s , refining costs, off-loading , demurrage etc, of which landing cost turned out to be highly prohibitive and had to be subsidised by the same exporter government! What in the name of GOD could be more wicked by a government which vowed packages of social contract benefits of dividends of democracy to its people whom it had turned a round to stab in the back ! IT IS THE WOR ST KIND OF INSENSIVITY IMAGINABLE ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CITIZENS ARE THE HEWERS OF THE WOOD, THE DRAWERS OF THE WATER AND ALSO THE TAXPAYERS!
9. It is common knowledge that all crude oil producing countries have put in place functioning refineries to serve refined petroleum products very cheaply as part of the welfare packages for their citizens except for Nigeria where the “butchers children only eat BONES”! Presently, premium motor spirit in those countries sell for less than TEN NAIRA per litre as against official N87 in Nigeria, because of the current international fall of crude oil prices! HAVE BENEFITS ACCRUED IN ANY FORM TO THE NIGERIAN POPULAC E SINCE THE SUSTAINED PAYMENT OF PETROLEUM SUBSIDIES IN NIGERIA? 10. 1.In all sincerity, a lot of benefits have accrued to the RULERS and all their cronies who purchase the products at same pump price and also shop in same markets for foodstuffs like the masses, but definitely not to the down-trodden masses who have to depend on PETROL and KEROSINE for industrial , cooking and lightning pu rposes in the absence of ELECTRICITY POWER and as a matter of necessity endure long queues and at times sleep in petrol filling stations to get the always scarce subsidized products ! O n 1 January, 2011, hundreds of protesters d ied from police gun shots when f ormer President Jonathan unilaterally “removed the so-called subsidy”, without a plebiscite!
11. President Buhari inherited the obnoxious “Greek Gift”, paid some “outstanding subsidy debts” and has purposed to spend more in the proposed 2016 Budget and the salient question on the lips of Nigerians is, “ for how long would we continue in circles as a nation; while would we be indecisive on the way forward in respect of the Change agenda?

IT IS NOW OR NEVER! Though we hear that Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has assured Nigerians that APC’s 2016 Budget would provide the panacea to all the myriad economic problems inherited from the past prodigal administrations through payments of unpaid salaries, monthly N5000.00 stipend for 25 million poverty-stricken Nigerians, primary schools free lunch for God-knows, how many millions with a DEFICIT BUDGET OF N7 trillion – which turns out to be the highest budget ever proposed by any Federal Government! Let’s assume that APC’s Economic Managers would scale through their plans for 2016 without blocking the DRAIN PIPES OF ILLEGAL FUEL SUBSIDY PAYMENTS , would they also pursue the same economic agenda of going a-borrowing in 2017 and beyond? The answer is a capital NO! The only door that is open to President Buhari is to apologise to all Nigerian’s in his New Year message for the entire economic mix-up , ask for forgiveness, appeal for their support to remove the repulsive fuel subsidy once and for all! HEAVEN WOULD NOT FALL BUT NIGERIANS WOULD BE BETTER FOR IT if only the Labour Unions would sheath their swords and counsel the workers to bear the CRUNCH once and for all! Nigeria will survive under this righteous government in spite of “bad belle people”! Amen. [Proverbs. 14:34].
Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord.

[For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com , https://

www.google.com/+ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .