REFERENDUM SHOULD SERVE AS A PANACEA TO AVOID CIVIL UNREST AND BLOODSHED!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 151. 3rd July, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

REFERENDUM SHOULD SERVE AS A PANACEA TO AVOID CIVIL UNREST AND BLOODSHED!

Between 931 and 587 BC, the nation of Israel was divided against itself and had to pass through a national period of incessant crisis of internal wars, invasions and an eventual captivity by foreign powers, of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, contrary to the purposive will of God! "To your tents O Israel..." was the rebellious call, by a renegade called Jeroboam in I Kings 12:16b, to a palace gathering due to disagreement against King Rehoboam's stringent policy of national "war against indiscipline", in the Old Testament Bible times and which birthed the schism that lasted for 444 years, inclusive of the 70 years of Exile under foreign Kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon which perpetrated continuous bloodshed, massive destruction of lives and properties - a period regarded as the darkest in the history of God's chosen people! Jeroboam was an insurgent who neither believed in the principles of democracy which spells out rule of engagement in respect of conflict resolutions nor in the amicable application of referendum as a democratic tool against civil disobedience or unrest and his unilateral action cost the nation of Israel its worst anguish! The Jews of the Dispersion cried to God during the long, hard years of shame and sorrow in exile and were graciously returned to their homeland as one united people in ideals and purpose, thoroughly purged of idolatry, greed, covetousness, corruption, unpleasant rivalries, tribalism, nepotism, maladministration, high handedness, and all forms of acrimonies etc, which were chief sins of national magnitude! The new settlers wasted no time in applying the principles of consultations as means of settling disputes, disagreement or conflicts quickly and in no time, Israel of the 20th/21st Centuries, turned out to become one of the major world powers of high reckoning and repute in all areas of social, political, economic, energy and military developments and conquests.

Brexit: Britain Exits The European Union Club!
1. The United Kingdom remains at a crossroad inspite of a partially successful referendum which was conducted to exit the nation from the European Union (EU)! To remain or not to remain a member of the EU would still be in contention for a long time to come though the referendum of 23rd June, 2016, midwifed a majority decision of 53.4 % for England and 52.5% for Wales, to opt out of the club. The exact process for the withdrawal under EU's law, could take longer than TWO YEARS according to Article 50. which gave right to such decision since 2007, but expects approval of the leaving agreement by at least 72% of the continuing member states representing at least 65% of their population and the consent of the European Parliament! The reason for that window period was meant for such outgoing member the opportunity for a re-think or change of mind in the case that earlier reasons for disengagement might have been ameliorated! Presently, both Scotland and Northern Ireland which, together with England, Wales form the UK, have declined to endorse the referendum and also refused legislative consent to dropping EU law which meant that they maintained status quo and membership, according to reports.
It had become an acceptable way of life that people disagree to agree and vice-versa, agree to disagree but collective decisions had to be made regularly as panacea for mutual political, economic, and social progress!
BREXIT is a pithy abbreviation for "Britain Exits" the EU after 43 years of membership! What went wrong? Was UK short-changed, side-lined, or marginalized in the process of time? It is reported that the EU is Britain's biggest trading partner and that British citizens were free to work in any EU country. EU funding is spent on supporting farmers, boosting jobs in the UK, redeveloping rundown areas and grants for university research. The EU has also contributed to cheaper travel by challenging monopolies and boosting competition. It has reduced the cost of mobile data roaming and set water quality standards in Europe but critics believed that Britain was being held back by EU and that it got little in return for its huge financial contributions and would be better off in taking back the control of its borders! Critics also said that EU had taken too much power from the UK government and that its regulations were costly to the British economy and without them, Britain would be able to sign other trade deals with growing economies like CHINA and INDIA! "EU wastes 180 million Euros (£136m) taxpayers’ money annually on excessive bureaucracy in monthly trips to Strasbourg", they concluded. Britain contributed £8.5billion or 12.6% to EU coffers in 2015 according to Treasury figures!
Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron who canvassed fruitlessly for the UK to remain has thrown in the towel and would hand over to a successor by October, 2016, to keep his integrity intact since he failed to convince the electorate! He wanted his country to remain in the EU if certain changes were made to the rules - including lower benefits paid to migrants and greater protection for states not in the euro zone. In the past, the UK opted out of some key EU decisions like the single currency (euro), and the Schengen Treaty which relaxed border controls. The EU was formally known as the European Economic Community (EEC), or the "Common Market", a platform to foster economic cooperation and political partnership involving several advantages among 28 European member states with a total population of more than 500million! EU was designed as a trading forum after World War II to encourage economic partnerships and discourage mundane issues of military superiority that could lead to  another war and had since inception in 1957 grown to become a veritable avenue for international market among member states and a binding force that united them like one indivisible nation!
EU apart from its currency, the euro which is of legal tender in 19 member countries, also has a Parliament, a Commission, a European Council and Court of Justice; all of which engage in social issues including agriculture, transport, communications, consumer rights etc. The ECC, according to a BBC report, started out as a trading bloc - with free movement of goods and services within the Common Market but now its interests include reducing regional inequalities, preserving the environment, promoting human rights and investing in education and research.

Display Of Voters Ignorance!
It is reported that majority of the 17.47 million Brexit voters were totally ignorant of the reasons for the referendum, they just followed the crowd of "popular opinion" because from all available records and statistics, the UK stood to gain more benefits for its citizens - especially the immigrants, middle class workers and farmers. The possibility of a fresh referendum when a new Prime Minister takes over in October 2016 should not be ruled out but we advocate that voters education must be vigorously pursued through relevant agencies as post Brexit agitation still favours UK's continued membership!

What Lessons For Nigeria's Many Political Crises?
A civil war of secession which lasted for 30 months engulfed Nigeria between 1967-1970, when the then Eastern Nigeria decided to opt out of the family and over one million people died while quantum critical government and civilian properties were vandalized and dastardly destroyed! Descendants of the secessionists who did not witness the "Biafra War" have begun to agitate for the actualization of the sovereign state of another Biafra which should be carved out from the present Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States of Nigeria. This Movement which includes another group identified as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had lost hundreds of members in confrontational protests against institutional law enforcement authorities and agencies since 1999! Emerging militant groups of the Niger Delta Region were also agitating for secession so that they could take over 100%, the entire crude oil exploitation and keep all accruable revenues for their social development which have been neglected by consecutive administrations. Yoruba Elders of the Oduduwa Fraternity in the South West, irked by incessant invasion of the region's farmlands, by Fulani Herdsmen, had declared that they would reconsider their position in the Nigerian Project and possibly opt out of the federation if urgent action was not taken by the Federal Government to redress the very horrible situation!
Before all of the above, there was the Kano Riot of April, 1953 triggered by lack of consensus between the North and the South over the debate on "self government" in which 36 people were killed and a motion by the joint Northern Assembly and the House of Chiefs over the conflict, if passed in the month of May of that same year would have led to secession of Northern Region from the Federation!  Another disagreement was the Census Crisis Of 1962/1963 in which the North had a population which doubled those of the West and East put together but was diplomatically but not amicably resolved to make room for peace! Also on the list of crises were the following: (a) Action Group Crisis, 1962; (b) Federal Elections Crisis, 1964; (c) Western Nigeria Election Crisis, 1965; (d) General Election Crisis, 1979; (e) Kaduna State Executive/Legislative Crisis, 1981; and (f) General Election Crisis, 1983. All of the above could have been avoided if care was taken to allow for dialogue and consensus of opinions!

National Conference Recommendations of August 2014.
If the Chief Convener of the 2014 National Conference ex-President Ebele Jonathan were sincere and had not flown the event as a kite for his political inordinate ambition for the 2015 Presidential Elections, critical, sensitive, thorny and controversial issues like Resource Control, Derivation Principle, Land Use Act, National Security, Public Finance/Revenue Allocation, Immunity Clause, and even "Self Determination/Government" etc, could have been amicably thrashed out without rancor!

Critical Issue of Referendum or Plebiscite.
Since referendum is a vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question:
1. Were all Israelites in agreement with Jeroboam's rebellion?
2. Are all Igbo Tribe in support of secession?
3. What about the Niger Delta militants, on whose behalf are they vandalizing the crude oil pipe lines? Are all the poverty-stricken, weather-beaten, and acid-rain battered citizens of that region behind these vandals?
4. Not all the Yoruba’s would support the statement of the Odua Yoruba Elders in respect of secession of the tribe from the rest of Nigeria!

Hear what God said to the Israelites: " Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isa. 1:18-20.KJV). If God would humble Himself to dialogue with Man, while would men detest one another and always settle scores with battles and wars?

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.