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.

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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 .