WOULD THE LEGISLATORS ALSO GAG THE CITIZENS WHO VOTED THEM TO POWER?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 228. 24th December, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

{2017 CHRISTMAS EDITION}

WOULD THE LEGISLATORS ALSO GAG THE CITIZENS WHO VOTED THEM TO POWER?

Those ubiquitous legislators are always in the news for controversial reasons! When the brazen principal officers among them were not championing budgets padding for illicit constituency projects appropriation gains, they would rather amend the Nigerian Constitution to favour their egotist tendencies or demand for constitutional immunity like Mr. President and his Vice; Governors and their deputies; or depriving the downtrodden Nigerians, whom they have consistently mis-legislated in areas of inalienable rights in order to keep them in perpetual slavery!

When the Senate President's trial in respect of false and fraudulent assets declaration at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), progressed in 2016, the legislators quickly initiated an amendment of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Bill for them to take over constitutional duties of the Bureau from the Executive! EIGHTY (80) of them also abandoned the Senate Chambers in solidarity to attend court with Saraki and later collected fraudulent sitting allowances!

When the House of Representatives Speaker, and about 16 Principal Officers, were accused of budget padding and exposed to the whole world as a bunch of corrupted persons, by Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, Chairman of the Finance Committee, he was promptly suspended for twelve months of legislative sittings!
Senate rejected the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, twice because he intensified the anti-corruption crusade against legislators of the 8th NASS Assembly and they also threatened not to approve the nomination of 26 INEC Commissioners whose names were forwarded for approval until Magu was sacked as anti-graft agency head!
When Senator Dino Melaye launched an anti-corruption book titled, "Antidote For (To) Corruption" in June 2016, Senator 'Bukola Saraki and Hon.Yakubu Dogara, promptly purchased 469 copies for N23.450 million naira at a cost of N50.000 thousand naira each,  on behalf of all NASS Legislators!

For SIXTEEN years of consecutive Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Administrations, 1999-2015, power struggle between the two tiers of government at the federal level, aided by institutional corruption with impunity, had free reign; and the spill over and ripple effects are still playing out in 31 months of the Change mantra of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even under the watchful eyes of President Muhammadu Buhari, all because of the NASS Leadership COUP led by 'Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, who still defiantly hold sway against PARTY SUPREMACY!
Their most recent political escapade is an obnoxious and masses unfriendly bill, titled NGO Regulation Bill, which was mooted and sponsored by two legislators; Honourables 'Duro Faseyi and Umar Baba Jubril, on 20th October, 2015 and 2nd June, 2016, respectively, and a separate Civil Society Committee of Nigeria Bill, by Hon. Douye Diri, on 15th June 2016, which in September 2017, scaled through SECOND READING at the House of Representatives (HOR)!
The said Bills, according to the aggrieved human rights bodies, constituted infringements to the fundamental rights of the masses and would therefore violate CITIZENS right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association and non-discrimination, and that they were also inconsistent with Sections 39, 40, and 42, of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,  (as amended), and should therefore be rejected by all patriotic citizens of Nigeria SINCE VERY FEW LEGISLATORS RAISED OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE BILLS!

Provisions of the NGO Regulation/Civil Society Committee of Nigeria Bills will, if passed into law,  COMPEL all Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs), all Organised Religious Organisations (Christian or Islamic), and sundry human groups, working on HUMAN RIGHTS activities, to register under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), or with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), like political parties with a view to forcefully put them under extra burden of registration, though these groups are legal entities guided by established laws, conventions and statutes of the Companies and Allied Matters (CAMA), under which all NGOs are securely registered!

Although, the legislators have denied that the NGO Bill, had no intention to regulate CHURHES AND MOSQUES, but it is on record that a government Agency ,Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.(FRCN) , in 2017, attempted to both gag and regulate religious organisations by compelling their General Overseers, General Superintendents, Archbishops, Chief Imams, etc, to retire at the age of 70, and were FORBIDDEN, in the course of the compulsory retirements, to hand over their offices to spouses or relatives!  BUT THAT ACRIMONOUS DIRECTIVE WAS VETOED BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, WHO DIRECTED THAT STATUS QUO BE MAINTAINED!

In view of all of the above, a group comprising of 23 NGOs, under the aegis of Human Rights Agenda Network (HRAN), on 3rd November, 2017, in a 19-paragraph affidavit, filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order of the court to declare as unconstitutional and unlawful, the repulsive NGO Regulation Bill, which provisions also contradicts Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, by seeking to register, and regulate NGOs who defend human rights and the court to stop NASS from further deliberating on the said Bill by virtue of Section 46 (1)  of the same Constitution.

It is no wonder these legislators are desperately bent on putting down every opposition to their inordinate ambition of calling the shots and subtly threatening the authority of the Executive. They have dabbled into all manner of self-imposed duties which have no bearing with their constitutional appointments, which have back-lashed and gravely conflicted with the urgent oversight of the 2018 Budget  proposals, a well-crafted legal document which was discredited by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who stood SURETY for Nnamdi Kanu, the FUGITIVE IPOB LEADER, as a "fictitious document"?

They also complained that because the 2017 Budget Appropriation was yet to be executed half-way, the new 2018 Budget would not be ready for the re-introduced January-December financial year proposal and have unilaterally extended the life of the 2017 Budget to the end of the first quarter, March 2018!
There is no iota of doubt that the National Assembly legislators who are members of the second tier of government at the national level and are saddled with the constitutional duties of making laws for good governance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are bewitched by an accursed inheritance of inordinacy bequeathed to them by their immediate predecessors in office, is presently playing out to set them on collision course with the Executive and the entire mass of the Nigerian people!

In 2015, ex-President Ebele Jonathan, withheld his assent to the, "Constitution of the Federal Republican of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act 2015,"  but queried the legislators' decision to whittle down SOME EXECUTIVE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNTRY!
The legislators decided to test the President's VETO at the apex Supreme Court but were asked to maintain status quo as Jonathan lost the Presidential election and the matter died naturally!
History has repeated itself in 2017, because these 8th NASS Legislators have boasted to override President Buhari, if he VETOED any part of the latest wobbling constitutional amendments!

THE IMMENSE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS OF NIGERIAN LEGISLATORS!
In Section 4 (1) - (9) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, legislators are empowered (in a nutshell), (a) to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to the Constitution, to the exclusion of the State Houses of Assembly; and (b) matters in the Concurrent Legislative List and any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Federal Constitution.
They are also backed by law to carry out legislative oversight functions on both the Private and Public Institutions, especially the Ministries Departments and Agencies, (MDAs), for the purposes of CHECKS AND BALANCES, to ensure probity, equity in appropriation and execution in budgetary transactions of government at the Federal platforms.
Under Sections 88 (1) (2)-89 (1) (2), legislators have powers to conduct investigations into any matter or thing with respect  to which it has power to make laws; and the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, Ministry or government charged, or intended to be charged with the duty of or responsibility for executing or administering laws enacted by NASS and disbursing or administering moneys appropriated or to be appropriated by NASS; EXPOSE CORRUPTION, INEFFICIENCY OR WASTE IN THE EXECUTION OR ADMINISTRATION OF LAWS WITHIN ITS LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE AND IN THE DISBURSEMENT OR ADMINISTRATION OF FUNDS APPROVED BY IT ........ETC!

WHO OVERSIGHTS THE CORRUPT LEGISLATORS STILL WALKING FREE?
But outside of these spheres, the legislators have become busy-bodies and meddlesome interlopers as they struggle very unsuccessfully, to take over executive functions and power from President Muhammadu Buhari at every opportunity, through spurious interpretation of their oversight functions, when constitutional INTERPRETATION OF LAWS is the sole function of the JUDICIARY and PROSECUTION OF OFFENDERS, REST WITH THE EXECUTIVE!

Should Nigerians wonder why Ibrahim Magu's confirmation was rejected twice and why Senator Ali Ndume was suspended for SIX LEGISLATIVE MONTHS OF 181 DAYS because he contradicted his colleagues?
Legislators that are claiming relevance through the Constitution have messy antecedents:    
*Not less than 15 Senators are under EFCC investigations for corrupt enrichment;
* Saraki has been ordered for re-trial at the CCT, for fraudulent declaration of assets between 2003-2011, when he served as Governor of Kwara State; * Corrupt ex-governors are members of the "hallowed chambers"; and
* Some of them conspired to forge the Senate Rules to get into office by hook or crook!

TIME TO EXPOSE THESE ENEMIES OF THE MASSES IS NOW!
We advocate that the WHISTLE BLOWERS in conjunction with the NGOs, CSOs, Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), Stand Up For Nigeria (SUN), SERAP and all downtrodden Nigerians whose sweat and blood constitute the common wealth being looted by these reckless and heartless politicians, should dig out the legislators' SKELETONS and expose the OSTRICHS, whose heads are buried in the sand!

LET'S NAME, SHAME THE CROOKED LEGISLATION WHO ARE HIDING BEHIND OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS TO CAUSE HAVOC AND KILL THE OBNOXIOUS AND ANTI-CITIZENS NGO AND CIVIL SOCIETY COMMITTEE OF NIGERIA BILLS, PENDING AT THE NASS, NOW!
"Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people."

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.

PLANET EARTH IS IN GRAVE DANGER AS NATURE GETS WILDER!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 227. 17th December, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

PLANET EARTH IS IN GRAVE DANGER AS NATURE GETS WILDER!

The unpredictable weather conditions in the form of wild storms, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes and floodings that are devastating and destroying landscapes, the eco-systems, critical infrastructures, lives and properties in recent times across the globe, are most intriguing phenomenon of great concern outside of terrorism, to world citizens who now dwell in constant fear of annihilation and extermination by natural forces!

Is it not ironic that a natural force such as weather could get uncontrollable, like a ravaging inferno and cause terrible havocs with the support of wild winds or hurricanes?
The bitter truth is that the universe is experiencing very bad weather conditions through the atmosphere that should be friendly under normal conditions and scientists, ecologists including environmentalists strongly believe that deliberate MAN-MADE degradation of the environment through gas-flaring/green-house emissions, deadly carbon emissions through acts of World Wars I & II Atomic and Hydrogen bombs, and from crude oil in the course of oil and gas exploration/exploitation, were mostly responsible for incessant global warming and ozone layer depletion!

Planet Earth in view of lts spherical shape is divided into continental weather regions: equatorial, tropical, temperate, arctic, arid, savannah, desert, the poles etc, and each is controlled by atmospheric pressures through the force and frequency of all manner of winds: calm winds, cold winds, hot winds, wild winds, including storms, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, sand storms or cyclones, depending on the climatic region's temperature, humidity, solar precipitation and most importantly earth's rotation which determines ascending and descending winds!

IS MAN LOSING DOMINION OVER THE EARTH? (GENESIS. 1:26-30)
Like the Earth, Wind is also an ACT OF GOD which creation is beyond human or scientific comprehension! The Word of God says: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth: ......". (John.3:8).  Wind, is an induced atmospheric motion or movement caused  through air pressure when hot or cold, and being an act of God, the wind should not be a destructive element but complimentary to man's engagements and occupation when handled with competence.

It is no longer news that through man-made activities and incursions into modern civilization and technological advancements, the earth CRUST had suffered extensive damages which resulted in severe climate change as listed in an earlier paragraph but the fall-out is a general consensus by all and sundry that drastic measures MUST be expeditiously and urgently taken to rescue MAN from being totally predated and consumed by the earth and its inflamed/agitated atmospheric environment!

This irrepressible concern was responsible for Heads of States and Governments from about FIFTY countries, including Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, to converge in Paris, France, from 12th-14th December, 2017, at the ONE PLANET CLIMATE SUMMIT, to deliberate for the third time in three years, on how global nations could be more environmentally and atmospherically-friendly to assuage aggressive weather conditions which had consistently devastated Planet Earth un-abatedly!
Except for America's Mr. Donald Trump who opted out of the Planet Earth Summit Leaders in 2016 on assumption of office, the conference enjoy robust contribution of ideas that would mitigate causes of irreparable damages of environmental degradation/pollution and ensure official and practical measures for cleaner energy and societies.

WHAT LEADERS DISCUSSED AT THE SUMMIT.
The One Planet Summit which was organized by the United Nations/World Bank concluded on the following planks to turn the tables against CLIMATE NEGATIVE CHANGE:
(1) World Bank would stop financing oil and gas exploration and extraction from 2019;
(2) French Insurance Giant, Axa, would cease to invest in any company involved in the construction of COAL PLANTS and will withdraw 2.5 billion Euros (US$2.9 billion dollars), from the sector.
(3) Axa will also pull 700 million Euros from projects linked to tar sands pipeline projects and put Nine  bullion Euros into "green" infrastructural investment through 2020;
(4) More than 200 large- scale investors across board have agreed to pressurize the world's 100 most-polluting companies to persuade them to reduce carbon and gaseous emissions;
(5) French Development Agency (AFD), will set aside 30 million Euros for 15 developing countries over a period of four years; and
(6) The European Commission (EC), promised to earmark more than $600 million for agricultural research to combat the effects of climate change, while another sum of US $ 315 & $ 318 dollars were pledged by Gates Foundation and EC respectively to support African nations adapt to global warming.

Nigeria's regular attendance is evident that the country is also in dire straits and PMB did not mince words when he boldly requested for international financing to assuage climate change challenges in Africa especially his country's LAKE CHAD which waters receded suddenly some three years ago and required total re-filling to resume AQUACULTURE FARMING and create fresh employment opportunities for the citizens in that basin.

AMERICA'S CLIMATIC DILLEMA!
Could it be an irony of fate that between 2016-2017, years of Trump's Republican Administration, the United States of America has suffered the WORST environmental disasters ever recorded in their national history which made a Meteorological Director, Jeff Masters to declare categorically that, "Nature's gone crazy", in a story written recently by Seth Borestein and Researcher, Monika Mathur. Below are some excerpts:
"With four big hurricanes, a powerful earthquake and wild fires, it seems that nature recently has gone nuts. Some of these disasters, like Friday's earthquake in Mexico are natural. Others may end up having a mix of natural and man-made ingredients after scientists examine them. We also tend to look for patterns and order in chaos, even when they aren't there, psychologists say. Welcome to the future. Extreme weather like this is going to be occurring simultaneously more often because of global warming"

This writer cannot be contradicted because climatic events in the US during the period under scrutiny recorded unimaginable casualties!
There was the Hurricane Harvey which had hardly fizzled out in Houston, North America, when Hurricane Irma, formed and also grew into a powerful Category 4 storm and following closely on its heels was Hurricane Jose, which powered to another Category 4 storm, which though was unusual, but not unprecedented to have back-to -back storms of that strength, according to the story.
There were the Atlantic hurricanes/storms, and one of the strongest earthquakes in the country's history which hit the Pacific Coast near Guatemala border, felt for more than 1.000 km. away! There are 82 wild fires burning in the US involving nearly 1.5 million acres in nine States in the West, and this 2017, more than 8 million acres have burned - only behind 2015 and 2012; - the latest being the California wild fires, and all of these disasters are blamed on GLOBAL WARMING, according to the story!
Drought and Heat Wave also contributed their quotas! Maybe President Trump will reverse himself and re-join the FENCE-MENDER NATIONS to save the Earth!

Luckily, modern scientists have universally acknowledged the superior argument of theologians that Planet Earth did not emerge through their "evolutionary theory", which posits a gradual directional change of substance into a more complex form through "a BANG", - but was an act of creation by the supernatural powers of the sovereign GOD, Who owns all organic and in-organic matters of His creation! (Genesis.1: 1-30; Psalm. 24.1-2).

Beginning with the devastating TSUNAMI storms (a series of underwater quakes, volcanic eruptions.  and explosions), which swept across Indonesia the at the turn of the 21st Century to the recent and consistent hurricanes, floodings and fires which did not spare any country on Planet Earth, GLOBAL WARMING, has been accused of being responsible for all disastrous weather conditions from Africa to the Middle East, China, Japan, the Koreas, Europe; Britain, Germany, Russia, the United States, North and South America, Mexico, Canada, Australia etc.!

World citizens needed to be more environmental-friendly in order to save Planet Earth from further degradation of the OZONE LAYER which, if further depleted, could spell disaster to human, animal and vegetation existence! The Ozone is a supernatural celestial covering, which prevents the fiery sun rays from consuming all living things on earth.

From the scriptural books, quoted earlier, it is very clear that, although divine emphasis of creation was on Planet Earth, verse 16b of Genesis Chapter One, also mentioned other planets which were described as "stars"; and scientists have been able to discover a total of NINE PLANETS altogether, but Planet Earth is the third closest to the SUN and the only one suitable for human existence. One Planet Summit is an indication of global unity against Climate Change. Individual support is also advocated from citizens of developing nations who should desist from felling trees for firewood and opt for cooking gas which is being subsidized by their governments. We must join hands to save the EARTH and by extension save ourselves. It is a good starting point!

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.

CBN SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR TRILLIONS OF FAKE CURRENCIES IN CIRCULATION!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 226. 10th December, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

CBN SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR TRILLIONS OF FAKE CURRENCIES IN CIRCULATION!

Almost all the existing Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), in Nigeria are dispensing FAKE Nigerian highest currency of ONE THOUSAND NAIRA across the nation as if they were legal tenders!
In most cases, the fake notes were undetected until they were presented in exchange for goods or services, where disputes over the source of such illegal currencies were usually dragged to police stations for arbitration! 
This brazen economic sabotage through legal and official infrastructures of ATMs, is seamlessly perpetrated by internal forgery syndicates of Commercial Banks Operation Departments who dexterously insert the offending fake notes in-between masses of genuine ones and were never detected by the machines during dispensation, contrary to official claims!

ATMs were introduced to encourage CASH - LESS culture and not CASHLESS Nigerians!
We have in our possession TWO FAKE CURRENCIES OF THE ONE THOUSAND NAIRA DENOMINATION which were dispensed to a member of the Editorial Board, through ATM transactions at FIDELITY AND SKYE BANKS, KARU, ABUJA, Federal Capital Territory in August and November 2017, respectively, as evidences to prove the authenticity of this FINANCIAL CRIME under the supervision of Governor Godwin Emefiele and his CBN management team!

In the past several years of the activities of these fraudsters, within the banking sector, TRILLIONS OF FAKE CURRENCIES, have been injected to scuttle and damage the progress of the economy, without  serious challenge or indictment of the unfaithful commercial banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), or the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), crack detectives!

The social media is awash with sad tales of how average Nigerians who managed to keep bank accounts were daily ripped off of their meagre savings through these institutionally-backed ROBOTS which should, under normal circumstances re-position and add value to the banking sector of Nigeria's fast-growing economy instead of destroying the system!

According to available statistics, from the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc. (NIBSS), Nigerians withdrew N 4.7 trillion naira through these electronic banking system in the year 2016 alone and one can best imagine how much of this huge amount of monies were FAKE!
ATM users have exceeded dispensing capacity of existing machines which informed the engagement of independent ATM Consortia, to augment the high and fast rising profile of nation-wide monthly transactions/withdrawals which stood at over 607 million within the same year!
On daily basis, millions of these dummy notes are dispensed to diligent and hard-working Nigerians by those vicious, fraudulent and heartless syndicates within the banking system without immediate/ commensurate compensations and apologies!

In some cases when ATM fake notes were dispensed during legitimate transactions, in the presence of eye witnesses, security agents were usually invited to harass innocent account holders for attempting to exchange such monies for genuine bank notes!

In spite of the fact that CBN (the Commercial Banks Sheriff), is the only regulatory body under the Constitution, saddled with the responsibility of oversight functions on financial and banking activities in all operational areas; including the issuance of licences, banknotes and coins in their different denominations, monitoring the compliance of banking regulations as stipulated by the apex bank, application of disciplinary measures to erring banks; etc, no commercial bank, to our knowledge, has been indicted, punished or convicted for dispensing fake one thousand naira currencies (or other currency denominations), from their ATM outlets, to date - though the hues and cries of aggrieved Nigerians flood the social media on daily basis!

The banking sector of Nigeria has not less than 25 private commercial banks/financial institutions across the nation following the merger of financially-unstable banks of previous years with the strong and reliable ones and also, 36 branches of the CBN in all the State Capitals with headquarters in the FCT - all established for one special goal - as the medium of exchange of monies for services and goods to facilitate, improve and increase traffic and volume of transactions in both the Public and the Real Sectors of the Economy: i.e. governments annual budgetting/appropriations for capital projects, recurrent obligations of salaries, wages, and all manner of statutory emoluments/financial entitlements of civil servants without sidelining the aggressive official efforts at diversification of the economy!

The CBN also functions as financial backbone at critical periods of recession to the education, industrial, manufacturing, textiles, agriculture, solid minerals, tourism, film/music sectors of the economy, according to the mandate of the Act of the National Assembly that established it, and remain the driving force and catalyst in that direction to keep Nigeria afloat as the topmost economic hub and industrial destination in Black Africa!

But sadly, COMMERCIAL BANKS, under the "watchful eyes" of  CBN have grown to become economic monsters, detractors and saboteurs of the government and marginalized peoples of Nigeria because most of these operators are working at cross-purpose and  opposite direction to the mission/objectives of the Change Mantra and trajectory of the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his faithful Associate, the indetifagable, resilient, diligent and hard-working but silent worker, Vice President 'Yemi Osinbajo, (SAN), who are opposed to all forms of CORRUPTION, which had been the bane of past consecutive administrations of the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)!

Both Progressives, since assumption of office on 29th May, 2015, had worked relentlessly to turn the table against die-hard looters of the nation's treasury through bold and articulated measures to block avenues for pilfering.
The Treasury Single Account (TSA), pioneered government's aggressive determination which ensured that all revenues were paid into that CENTRAL POOL, followed by the overhaul of the workforce to expose GHOST WORKERS and to also drastically reduce/eliminate government wastages at the higher echelon of the CIVIL SERVICE STAFF!

In addition, to the preceding measures, the EFCC, ICPC, State Security Service (SSS), Nigerian Police and other relevant security agencies in collaboration with their international counterparts were re-organized and mobilized to intensify efforts at recovering looted funds that were stashed at home or laundered abroad by past administrators of the treasury and presently, the following amounts:
(a) N 3.4 trillion as at 5th June, 2016,
(b) US $151million dollars and N8 billion naira, as at February, 2017; according to government list which is still being updated.

On 5th December, 2017, the Swiss Government announced its intention to return to the Nigerian Government, the sum of US $345 million, (over N2.2 billion naira), looted and deposited in a Swiss Bank Account, by late General Abacha, according to a bi-lateral agreement between both countries.
A comprehensive list of all recovered loots, including names of the looters would be published soon according to the Information Minister. Must these monies be exchanged with FAKE CURRRENCIES?

INTRODUCTION OF CBN'S DEVELOPMENT FINANCING!
In pursuance of its mandate of interventions for economic development programme, CBN, is collaborating with the Federal Government in the drive towards a workable transition from the mono-economic platform where crude-oil took the centre stage from the seventies as the major foreign exchange earner for budgeting and appropriation, to aggressive drive into agriculture through its Anchor  Borrowers' Programme (ABP), for Farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises - SMEs Financing, for indigenous entrepreneurship and speedy integration with large-scale industries.

Just as financial interventions of two tranches - N500 and N300 billion - respectively, were released to ABP and SME's, to boost production, a sum of N235 billion was also allotted for Manufacturing and Restructuring Facilities of Bank Loans to the MANUFACTURING SECTOR to fast-track access to credit through Bank of Industry (BOI), by manufacturers.

The INDUSTRIAL SECTOR was not left out in the programme as funds has been injected to fast-track development of Electric Power Projects - especially those identified in industrial clusters and the Aviation Sector in terms of credit facilities to Airlines and other critical sectors of the economy!
In a recent press release, the CBN claimed outstanding achievements in promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development as its intervention programmes have created over SEVEN MILLION JOBS in the country as at August, 2017! BUT CBN HAS NOT ARRESTED THE VICIOUS BANK SYNDICATES SYPHONING TRILLIONS OF NAIRA ANNUALY BY EXCHANGING THEM WITH FAKE NOTES!
And until they annihilate those unpatriotic subtle killers of the Nigerian economy, millions of dedicated workforce will find it very difficult to put any kind of food on their tables; while crimes and criminalities would flourish unabated!

It was high time CBN sought the collaboration of all security agencies to overcome this negativity of FAKE CURRENCIES IN CIRCULATION, in other to truly celebrate their recorded successes in critical interventions for economic development.

GENUINE CURRENCIES in circulation are far less than those released by the CBN to the commercial banks because their infiltration with fake notes by internal syndicate fraudsters had greatly reduced legitimate economic transactions to about 30 - 50% on daily basis due to nation-wide customers rejection of the fake notes during periods of business transactions.

ALL NIGERIAN BANK ACCOUNT HOLDERS MUST RISE IN UNISON TO PROTEST THIS INJUSTICE TO GOD AND TO GOVERNMENT! THESE UNREPENTANT SINNERS MUST BE DIVINELY AND JUDICIOUSLY PUNISHED! 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, 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.

VOTE MERCHANDIZE IN NIGERIAN ELECTIONS MUST STOP NOW!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 225. 3rd December, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

VOTE MERCHANDIZE IN NIGERIAN ELECTIONS MUST STOP NOW!

An on-going trend of electoral fraud in Nigerian politics is VOTE SELLING and no stakeholder is denying the anomaly!
Prior to this development, there was general VOTER APATHY, caused through disenchantment of the ELECTORATE, who felt short-changed in the electoral process that yielded them no concrete manifestation of socio-economic dividends! 
It is common knowledge that most Nigerian Politicians/Political Parties usually turned their backs on the VOTERS and never kept promises contained in their manifestoes once they got the mandate of leadership and authority; an attitude which informed the boycott of most Local, States and National Elections in recent times.
In the past decade, 2007-2017, there had been a decline in the percentage of the voting pattern because of the threat to lives and properties by politicians who believed that politicking was a "do-or-die affair" and had introduced brigandage and thuggery, in which dangerous weapons were freely employed to scare credible voters away from polling booths and make way for their cronies to perpetrate ballot box snatching and vote rigging! But surprisingly, the recently concluded ANAMBRA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION, of Saturday, 18th November, 2017, did not witness any recorded violence in spite of the assumption that the entire South East Geo-Political Zone was a haven of arms proliferation. Instead, the witty politicians employed the VOTE BUYING SYSTEM (VBS), in which PERMANENT VOTERS CARDS (PVCs), rights were exchanged for as little as five thousand naira with oath-invocation, while the deal was monitored by eagle-eye party agents who ensured that their party's logos were thumb-printed on the ballot papers.

ANAMBRA STATE did not pioneer the VBS. During the 2015 Presidential and General Elections, ILLICIT BANKING HALLS moved to all States of the Federation and monies (INCLUDING THE US $2.1 BILLION DOLLARS, APPOPRIATED TO PROSECUTE THE WAR AGAINST BOKO HARAM), allegedly exchanged hands due to the desperation of the ruling political class which was determined to keep STATUS QUO and CONTINUITY!
This trend moved to EDO (September 10, 2016) and ONDO (November 26 ,2016),  Governorship Elections where PVCs were monetized with tacit support from some law enforcement agents without scruples in the full glare of electronic, print/social media videos and without any form of petitions until after announcement of results which did not favour those who LOST!

During the Anambra Elections which saw the incumbent Governor, Willy Obiano, retain his seat in a landslide victory over 36 OTHER CONTESTANTS, an All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), agent was arrested by Department of State Security (DSS), Operatives with a sum of N 300.000 Naira in his possession at a polling booth, taking into official custody, but was released few hours later with the said amount still in his possesion in spite of the fact that it was an infraction of the extant electoral law which forbids such large amount of money from being brought into the premises of any Polling Centre.

WHY THE ELECTORATE MUST VOTE!
The right to suffrage is both universal and inalienable in every democratic dispensation for the purpose of choice of candidates during elections and also for creating sure platforms for taking critical decisions in nation building, good governance and resolution of political, economic, social, or even conflict issues.
Voting is not only the soul of democracy but its heart and spirit because political victory depends on who had the highest numbers, therefore, the majority must be a people of godly conscience!  When a qualified citizen shuns voting at elections for whatever reason(s), he/she, is the loser and not the system, because there is no place for vacuum in governance!
For instance, when some miscreants threatened and intimidated "ANAMBRIANS" to shun the recently concluded governorship elections, and only about ONE THIRD of the registered voters participated, Willy Obiano was not robbed of his electoral victory!
Also in Kenya, East Africa, where Raila Odinga, instructed his Party faithfuls to boycott the 26th October, 2017, re-run presidential elections because he no longer had confidence in the Electoral Umpires and the entire political process, his beclouded judgement did not stop other Electorate from exercising their franchise which coasted the incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta, into a second term landslide victory of 98% with only 38% Electorate turnout!

WHY WOULD SOME ELECTORATE TRADE THEIR PVCs FOR PEA NUTS?
Can one safely put the blame of Vote Selling at the door steps of disillusioned, poverty- stricken, hungry, jobless and seemingly hopeless TALAKAWAS in all the geo-political zones, who eek their living through menial vocational engagements or the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for dereliction of duty in the area of VOTER EDUCATION, which is one of their primary assignments? OR: The National Orientation Agency (NOA), which should promote PATRIOTIC/NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, OR: the multitude 57 Political Parties, OR: The ACADEMIA/STUDENT UNIONS for this failure?

Who should be held responsible for the decadence being witnessed in the organisation and controversial results/outcomes of virtually all elections ever conducted by past and present electoral umpires in Nigeria? International best practice dictates that it is the fundamental duty and primary responsibility of a sincere government and its election management team to educate citizens on all aspects of voting including their civic duties on election days but where there was deliberate plan to disenfranchise the citizens, Non-Governmental Organisations, (NGOs), Civil Society Groups, (CSGs), LABOUR/TRADE UNIONS, MUST SPEEDILY INTERVENE TO DEFEND THE MASSES WHO WERE ALWAYS EXPOSED TO SUCH UNPATRIOTIC AND CRUEL MANIPULATIONS!

We need not emphasize that to ensure democratic and successful elections, voters needed to be sufficiently knowledgeable and well-informed of the electoral process of how to identify credible politicians and political parties by digging into their ideologies, manifestoes and most importantly, whether they could be prone to aggression, thuggery, unruly/cantankerous attitudes, mud-slinging, HATE SPEECHES etc, by probing into their antecedents and pedigrees!
Most Nigerian politicians believe in the power of MONEY to buy off both the Electorate and their Votes and believe that only the MONEYBAGS (not even intelligent POOR), would rule the nation forever!
On Friday, 1st December 2017, one PDP member and ex-Federal Minister of Works, of the inglorious Obasanjo Administration, Mr. Adeseye Ogunlewe, whose godfather is Chief 'Bode George, spoke the mind of his party on CHANNELS TELEVISION'S POLITICS TODAY Programme, with so much passion against the POOR in this manner: "Poor people have no business in politics! Nigerian politics is not meant for poor people. ... where would they get money to organize campaigns, print posters, mobilize agents etc?" AND PDP WANTS TO SEIZE POWER AT ALL COST IN 2019 WITH THEIR ILLICIT LOOTS OF 1999-2015!
Can anyone further doubt the GENESIS of VOTE BUYING AND SELLING?

APC CHANGE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD RESCUE NIGERIA FROM MONEY BAGS NOW!
It is most imperative now for the APC Change Government to embark on modern creative approaches of information dissemination through educative electoral posters, leaflets, hand-bills, tracts, including audio/video, - radio jingles, songs, comic strips on television and the social media for public awareness, from cities to the grassroots, in local languages and dialects for the ELECTORATE TO BE WELL-INFORMED TO VOTE WISELY!

INEC must be adequately funded to devote more attention to Civic/Voter Education and also to address complaints by some political parties which accuse the Agency of not providing a level playing field for all stakeholders except the few BIG PARTIES!
THE NIGERIAN POLICE and other security agents must always assure the Electorate of credibility of their votes by ensuring that all forms of electoral malpractices are investigated, prosecuted and that culprits are sent to jail to serve as deterrent!

THE GAINS OF CREDIBLE ELECTORAL SYSTEM?
The global norm is that democratic governments MUST ensure that all eligible citizens exercise their franchise to vote and elect representatives of their choice for their voices to be identified in the process of establishing good governance. Dis-enfranchisement of citizens through any group of people or deliberate voting apathy by the electorate for any reason or excuse, is ANATHEMA to democracy because such unpatriotic attitude would always provide opportunity for poorly-educated and jobless persons of the society to occupy political offices UNPREPARED, and make unpleasant decisions for the majority of the citizens as evident in the Nigerian political arena since 1999 to date!

AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST! YOUR VOTE IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT! YOU MUST NOT WAGER IT FOR THE BIBLICAL CAIN'S RED PORTAGE! (Genesis.25: 29-34).        

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 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.

ARE TOLL GATE TARRIFS DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

[VOL. 6. NO 224. 26th November, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

ARE TOLL GATE TARRIFS DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY?

"Soldier goes soldier comes, but barrack remains," is a universal cliché that strengthens the concept of imperative continuity of government administrations and institutions because assets and deficits of previous managers were automatically transferred for continuous attention of the new coaches!
Military Ministers of Works and those of the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Administrations of SIXTEEN consecutive years (1999-2015), claimed to have "successfully" executed road constructions across the country only for road users to discover that such claims were mere electronic and print media propaganda while the intractable decays resulting from criminal deficiencies in constructions have continued to stare over 170 million Nigerians in the face till date!
It has been officially disclosed by the incumbent Minister of Works (who is also in charge of Power and Housing), that only 28.980 km. out of 193.200 km of Nigerian road net works have been PAVED in the past 55 years of the nation's independence and from all available records, the claimed paved roads are virtually non- existent due to loss of asphalt surface/concretes through deterioration, dilapidation, gully erosion, floodings etc. and most of them no longer accessible!

Road transportation has become an incessant nightmare to relevant stakeholders -  the road sector operators and the commuters because erosions and deep gullies have taken over virtually all motorable roads in Nigeria in spite of billions of NAIRA which have been appropriated for road constructions, repairs and maintenance by successive administrations during the periods in question!
Over one trillion naira has been voted by the All Progressives Congress (APC),  Federal Government  for the Capital project of road constructions  in the 2016 and 2017 Budget Estimates, because of its economic importance in the distribution of wealth across the board;  but positive effects are yet to be fully felt because past claim by the PDP especially by the last Minister of Works, that all major Nigerian roads were motorable and in good condition, was nothing but FARCE!

Can Nigeria, which has the largest road network in West Africa and the second largest, south of the Sahara toy with the economic realities that come with good and well- constructed road networks in view of global developmental competitiveness in commerce, industry, manufacturing, entertainment, tourism and even the film industry?
WHAT ABOUT ROAD FATALITIES OF WHICH NIGERIA ALWAYS TOPPED THE CHART AS THE COUNTRY WITH THE ANNUAL GLOBAL HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT STATISTCS, BECAUSE OF ROAD GULLY POT HOLES WHICH CONSTITUTE DEATH TRAPS ON DAILY BASIS!

The Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fasola believes: funding could "only” be assessed by the creation of tolls and promised to ensure that the use of TECHNOLOGY will make the scheme transparent and the ministry will be accountable with the money, and ensure it is channelled to the right places. Thirty-eight tolls gates will be re-constructed at the former sites and the extra thirteen constructed in secured and conducive areas of the country after the Federal roads have been modernized to motorway and expressway standards.

GENESIS OF THE RE-INTRODUCTION OF TOLL GATES!
In 2016, twelve years after toll gate levies were scrapped by ex-President Obasanjo, the Nigerian Senate passed a motion to re-introduce them on Federal Roads in the country, but the move was resisted through public outcry by Civil Society Groups, Labour Unions, Non-Governmental Organisations, etc. and should have died a natural death but for the recent executive nod accredited to the Works Minister, Raji Fasola.
However, Mr. Fasola was categorical that Federal roads would not be levied until they have been professional fixed and in perfect motorable conditions.
The thought of the return of traffic Toll Gates gridlock which would attract in its wake, multitude of traders, shunting by impatient drivers, kilometres of vehicular cue commotion across the 36 States of the Federation, and which will create fresh set-backs to the multiple gains recorded in the economic sector, is better imagined than experienced for the following reasons:
(1) Wasted economic man-hours will be lost at toll gates.
(2) Crimes and criminalities, including kidnappings will flourish afresh.
(3) Syndicate fraud of multiple ticketing by Toll Gate cashiers would resurrect to divert government revenues into private pockets.
(4) Commercial vehicle operators will pay small fees to be pocketed by cashiers who would not issue tickets!
(5)  An all-comer avenue for corruption with impunity will boom afresh in an administration of the Change Mantra and would be very difficult to check although, Mr. Fasola promised to introduce modern technology to handle revenues that would accrue from the project!

AT WHOSE EXPENSE IS THIS VENTURE?
Re-introduction and construction of new toll gates which will gulp some trillions of NAIRA of the TALAKAWAS TAX MONIES, will become fresh tortuous adventure to them as commercial automobile drivers and commuters who would consequently spend unending hours, even days to get to their various destinations in view of the several obstacles they would have to surmount -
(a) dilapidated road networks which will slow down their journeys;
(b) police "stop and check" patrols/road blocks; immigration/customs check points; military road blocks etc, and also confronting long queues at toll gates in-between!

It is pertinent to ask the honourable Minister what informed the idea of re-introduction of Toll Gates in Nigeria when Federal Governments economic thrust is massive diversification to agriculture and natural mineral deposits in all 36 States for desired increase in GDP and export potentials! Would this proposal not eventually result in POLICY SOMERSAULT of this Change Administration?

In a recent gathering, Mr. Fasola said that the Federal Government was committed to improving the road network an DECREASE OVER-DEPENDENCE ON PUBLIC FINANCE FOR THE EXECUTION OF ROAD PROJECTS by facilitating participation of private sector, multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies  on road development projects; And we ask, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "PUBLIC FINANCING AND PEOPLE FINANCING"? Is this Fashola's Semantics? Is government truly committed to improving infrastructure development through delivery of good motorable federal roads or planning to increase grassroot financial burdens?

WHY OBASANJO SCRAPPED TOLL GATES LEVY IN 2004?
The PDP Administration of ex-President Obasanjo scrapped toll gates levy in 2004 due to claims that their existence encouraged corruption and that the gates inconvenienced motorists!
According to the reasons adduced, the N23 billion naira generated annually at N63 million per day was insignificant compared to the capital investment and therefore had to be replaced with THE PETROLEUM TAX REGIME OF N1.50K PER LITRE OF PETROL FOR FEDERAL ROAD MAINTENANCE ACROSS THE COUNTRY!

The ex-President also said that although the petroleum tax would create an initial public resistance because it would attract inflationary trend on goods, services, and most especially on agricultural produce due to unavoidable increase in cost of transportation, but in the long run, when the roads were well-maintained and in good motorable condition, the gains would outweigh the perceived losses.

Nigerians are yet to be told that the Petroleum Tax or the Petroleum Subsidy had been scrapped; which means that those financial burdens plus the new Toll Gate Levy being envisaged, would rest on the POOR MASSES who also pay Value Added Tax, & virtually live from hand to mouth!
BUT THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE IN THIS GOVERNMENT THAT IS DETERMINED TO RESCUE THEM FROM THE YOKES OF THE NEO- COLONIALIST PDP GOVERNMENTS OF THE PAST!

ARE THE REASONS ADDUCED BY OBASANJO IN DEMOLISHING IN 2004 TWENTY-FIVE TOLL GATES BUILT BY THE MILITARY IN 1987 AT THE COST OF N74 MILLION NO LONGER TENABLE IN 2017?

Are those reasons no longer feasible today? Now that the RAILS are here, government should intensify efforts in advocacy for diversification of the large volume of goods, services, passengers to the rails and by implication remove the 90% of freight and passengers presently being ferried by road due to the inadequacy of other mode of inter and intra states transportation!
COST OF DEMOLITION OF TOLL GATES ARE STILL SHROUDED IN SECRECY!
“I have surely seen the affliction of my people...I know their sorrows.”(Exo.3:7).

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.

THAT AUDACIOUS CONDEMNATION OF THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE WAS ILL-CONCEIVED!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 223. 19th November, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

THAT AUDACIOUS CONDEMNATION OF THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE WAS ILL-CONCEIVED!

That the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), is the worst security organisation in the world in terms of its "inability to handle internal security challenges", is the cruellest, wicked, uncharitable and most unpatriotic assumption that any person or group of persons could ever adduce to the present crop of dedicated, courageous, diligent and very brave officers and men of this noble profession of the Change Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his management team!
The 2016 World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI), negative report - credited to two organisations, on 10th November, 2017, was based on hearsay since it failed to consider the United Nations credit rating that the Force has been a consistent best global law-enforcement institution in foreign peace-keeping operations!  And at the home front, NPF has proved to be well-established and vibrant in terms of organisation, administration, communications, advocacy, operational capabilities, and the most consolidated and credible institution that Nigeria could boast of, even in the face of socio-economic and political challenges!
The maintenance of law, order, peace, tranquillity, and enforcement of all lawful orders from government are some of the core duties which the Force had been saddled with since middle 20th Century till date!
It is evident that the controversial ranking was based on the ability of POLICE to address Internal Security issues in 127 Countries in four key areas of  (1) Capacity, (2) Process, (3) Legitimacy and (4) Outcomes, as criteria, not through research but on adulterated social media stories without considering the serious international diplomatic implications!

THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE IS THE BREATH AND LIVE-WIRE OF NIGERIAN GOVERNMENTS & PATRIOTIC CITIZENS BECAUSE THEY ARE INVOLVED IN EVERY FACET OF THE PEOPLE'S SOCIAL, POLITICAL & ECONOMIC LIVES:
* They settle community/marital squabbles at the police posts/stations in all 774 Local Government Areas;
* Provide security in their vicinities at night, when they are fast asleep;      
* They are at traffic duties in the day time to ease congestion; These ubiquitous officers are in the market places/shopping plazas/motor parks to prevent crimes and criminalities.         
*They are the MAJOR SECURITY FORCE constitutionally recognized to provide adequate security during all ELECTIONS across the length and breadth of Nigeria!!

HISTORY: 

(a) The Nigeria Police was established with a meagre 30 men in the June 1861, as a Consular Guard made up of Lagos natives, specifically to take care of community policing, but has now grown in numerical strength to over 360.000 high-tech-trained, and efficient officers and men with modern weapons to deal with all-conflicting issues of crimes and criminalities of the 21st Century.

(b) CAPACITY-building in the Force has been very progressive through a well-designed, deliberate, meticulous and painstaking process which took into cognisance, officers enhancement in literacy, mental/physical capabilities, welfare and adequate remunerations, with successive team managers who piloted the Force patiently as it progressed to the Hausa Police (1863), Royal Niger Constabulary (1886), Niger Coast  Constabulary (1894), Crime Detection Department (1898), Northern Nigeria Police Force (1900), Fire Brigade (1901), Southern Nigeria Police Force (1906), Amalgamation/Consolidation: The Nigeria Police Force (1930), Constitutional Establishment of NPF at Independence (1960); and Subsequent Constitutional Recognition in all Democratic Administrations (1963,1979,1999).

(c) From inception in 1861 until Nigeria's Independence in 1960, the British Colonial masters were very courteous to build up the NPF in line with international best practice, through incisive personnel training - (locally and overseas), by tested officers from the renown Britain's Metropolitan/Scotland Yard Police Departments - to acquire modern ideas, tactics and deployment of technological equipments as the world gradually turns out to become a civilized global village.

(d) PROCESS of administration and growth in the NPF, has been gradual, - taking into consideration that the country experienced an inglorious CIVIL WAR shortly after independence, from July, 1967 to January, 1970. During that unfortunate 30-month-old war which consumed much lives and properties between Biafran secessionists and the Nigerian troops, the role of the Police as the enforcers of law and order, diminished tremendously because the Nigerian Army (established in 1960), took over their numerous responsibilities through Internal Security (IS) Operations, and were thus treated as subordinates and relegated to the background in a country run by martial laws.

(e) LEGITIMACY of the Police in almost 30 years of military interregnum, (1967-1999), was at its lowest ebb since the Nigerian Constitution was thrown overboard and the Force became a shadow of its pre-eminent position before 1960, but coped efficiently through submission, courage, resilience and perseverance only to enter into a new dawn of another 8-year quasi civilian/military administration of former Nigerian Army General, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, 1999-2007, who introduced the "do-or-die" commando style into the democratic arena before his departure from the political scene!

(f) OUTCOME of all of the above is now the branding of  the "CHANGE NPF" under the able mentorship/leadership of no other personality than the Nigerian Brand himself - President Muhhamadu Buhari, GCFR, who identified the great potentials of the indomitable and indefatigable qualities of the NPF as the only solid foundation on which his democratic agenda for adequate and water-tight 24-hour security of lives, properties and strategic infrastructures heavily depended and therefore left IGP Solomon Arase, (appointed by ex-President Jonathan), to complete his term before appointing the incumbent, Ibrahim K. Idris in July 2016!

NIGERIAN POLICE IS GLOBAL BEST!
The Nigerian Police High Command on Monday 13th November, 2017, dismissed the said rating as unempirical, claimed its officers and men to be the BEST IN THE WORLD instead of the Singapore Police (adjudged as NO. 1), and urged all Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the report which also scored the country 0.255, below DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Pakistan, as unfounded and misleading.
The strength of about 370.000 Police personnel in the country stands out at around One (1) policeman to less than Six Hundred (600) people in a population estimate of One Hundred Million (180.000.000) Nigerians but the Federal Government has ordered immediate recruitment of additional 10.000 Police personnel while the Inspector General has equally requested for annual recruitment of 31.000 men for a period of five years, in order to make up for the shortfall in personnel strength to fulfil the United Nation's recommendation of One policeman to 400 citizens.

BAD COPS ARE NOT SPARED BY POLICE HIGH COMMAND!
The NPF is the only Para-military organisation with constitutional powers for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged, and shall perform such military duties within or without Nigeria as may be required of them.
In the discharge of these very daunting duties, the Force had to cope with some "BAD COPS" who attempted to smear the dogged and formidable image which had been built with sweat and blood of PAST HEROES in 156 years and would have succeeded but for the determined courage of the majority population of highly efficient and dedicated officers who had kept the flag flying through lawful discharge of their constitutional duties with decorum and probity.

In all of the years of existence of the NPF, junior officers of the Rank and File, had been the BLACK SHEEP until IGP, Mustapha Adebayo Balogun, (2002-2005), who was alleged to have hired thousands of officers with criminal records during his tenure was eventually indicted and later convicted over corruption charges!
THE FORCE HAS ITS OWN IN-HOUSE DISCIPLINARY AND CLEANSING MECHANISM WHICH ENSURES THAT NO OFFENCE, MISDEMEANOR OR CRIME COMMITED BY ANY MEMBER IS EVER COVERED UP! From the recruits to all Superior Police Officers (SPOs), crimes - including extra-judicial killings - were exposed and punished adequately according to the law and that why it was not easy for ex-IGP 'Tafa Balogun to wriggle out of the accusations that were proven against him at the law courts!

STRONG LEADERS MUST BE SUPPORTED TO BUILD STRONG INSTITUTIONS!
We advocate that government institutions should be strengthened to outlive all strong and charismatic leaders of this generation and those yet unborn in credibility, probity and equity in the execution of all defined constitutional duties, functions and performances!
PMB was once castigated by ex-Prime Minister David Cameron, who alluded that Nigeria and Afghanistan were "fantastically corrupt countries", because Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2015, (released in January 2016), ranked Nigeria in the 136th position out of 168 countries as the most corrupt nation in the world since 2014, but President Buhari was neither deterred by the negative comments nor the obnoxious ratings, instead, he was rather encouraged to carry on the crusade to purge the stigma and turn the nation around to become one of the 20 MOST ECONOMICALLY-VIABLE NATIONS BY THE YEAR 2020!

The Nigeria Police Management Team should follow suit. They should discountenance the HATE REPORT OF WISPI and move on to a greater level of superior professionalism, dexterity, tenacity of purpose, diligence and above all resilience, in order to put their detractors to everlasting shame and prove to the whole world that they have come a long way to become a very STRONG AND RELIABLE INSTITITION! "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;he shall not stand before mean men." (Prov 22:29 KJV)

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.

NIGERIA WILL ACHIEVE SURPLUS BUDGETTING THROUGH CONSOLIDATION!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

[VOL. 6. NO 222. 12th November, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

NIGERIA WILL ACHIEVE SURPLUS BUDGETTING THROUGH CONSOLIDATION!

Since 29th May,1999, when democratic governance began a third stride in Nigeria, deficit budgeting had been an annual ritual which the management teams have had to grapple with till date for various unavoidable economic reasons ranging from fluctuating global price of crude-oil, the nation's mono-foreign exchange earner, non-implementation of annual budget appropriations up to 50%, to massive institutional corruption, embezzlement of State Funds and a FIVE-QUARTER period of economic recession between 2015 to 2016!  But those occurrences would soon be cast into the archives with the emergence of the 2018 Budget of Consolidation, judging by the fresh romance between the Executive and the "born-again" Legislature, which is "very determined" to co-operate righteously, this time around if the statements of both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives could be relied upon!

When the sincere spirit behind the conviviality and camaraderie which greeted the 2018 Budget presentation, by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint plenary of the National Assembly (NASS), on 7th November, 2017, translates to the expected, united and swift legislative oversight on the legal document fully manifests, the CONSOLIDATION would enjoy a seamless execution of not less than 70% at the end of the new financial year of January to December, 2018! This is not a wild dream. It is achievable and "do-able", contrary to the ignorant opinion of some People’s Democratic Party (PDP), opposition legislators who believed that since the 2017 National Budget was yet to be fully executed, a new one was therefore a misnomer! The 2018 Budget of Consolidation was specifically designed by the budgeters: experts who are versed in the principles, laws, regulations and accountings that must be put in place to group and join together, combine, unite, and solidify the previous document (i.e. 2017 Budget of Economic Growth), with the present (2018 Budget of Consolidation), into one workable document for the process to operate seamlessly and made stronger!

The articulate and germaine reasons for this strategic move can be attributed to the following facts:
(1) That, 2018 is very strategic in Nigeria's political calendar as the preparatory year for the 2019 general elections: Presidential, Governorship and Legislative and aside from this fact, two gubernatorial elections would equally take place in Ekiti State (July 14, 2018 ) and Osun State (September 22, 2018), of this same year!
(2) That, there will be an inordinate mad rush by ambitious political jobbers in the executive, among sit-tight legislators who would rather die in office and those who are yet to be selected, "elected", appointed or the desperate opportunists, who will never give up, rain or shine, for fresh mandates from the electorate; and
(3) That, in 2018, those idle legislators whose seats had always been noticeably empty at plenary, would invade their constituents with GREEK GIFTS of sewing machines, motor bikes, tri-cycles, "tokunbo vehicles" grinding machines, bags of rice, beans, millets etc, in order to lure gullible electorate to vote them back into the RED and GREEN CHAMBERS for another four-year-term to corruptly collect salaries, and all manner of dubious constituency allowances with impunity; courtesy of Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin's revelations, yet to be contradicted, but temporarily swept under the CARPET!

The kind of budget that unarguably conforms with international best practice is SURPLUS BURGETTING ( i.e. a situation where government revenues exceeded the expenditures), with makes room for governments to cater adequately and efficiently for citizens' social contract, but economic research has shown that, it is far more practicable in countries with small population than those with  large ones. For instance, with budget surplus, most Asian countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Nepal, Singapore etc, are able to be more proficient and to make substantial economic impacts/improvements for their societies without external indebtedness.
FRUGALITY is the key-attitude to executing a surplus budget because governments have to ensure that large revenues were deployed to take care of both Capital and Recurrent expenditures without external borrowings.

Nigeria with the new economic thrust of looking inwards to merge agricultural revolution with aggressive drive for natural mineral resources, coupled with massive exportation incursions into the EU, USA, and ASIAN markets and not discarding the unstable Crude Oil incomes, is definitely set to record greater budget surplus by the year 2021 under the incumbent Change APC Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, trusting that the 36 States will also aggressively resuscitate INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUES (IGRs), to achieve the national venture!

THE 2018 BUDGET OF CONSOLIDATION - ASSUMPTIONS AND PROJECTIONS.
President Buhari has fulfilled his constitutional duty of laying before NASS, a comprehensive, itemized, summarized, and projected expenditures of amount of monies and resources, including expected revenues earmarked by the Executive for the 2018 Financial Year under the following assumptions and projections:
*Crude oil price bench mark: $ 45 US per barrel, * Oil production estimate - 2.3 million barrels per day, * Exchange rate - N 305/US dollars, * Real GDP growth - 3.5%,  and * Inflation Rate - 12.4%.
The proposed aggregate expenditure of the N8.612 trillion budget which is 16% above 2017 projections, will comprise the following:
(1) RECURRENT Costs, - N3.494 trn.;
(2) Debt Servicing, - N2.014trn.;
(3) Statutory Transfers. approx. N 456 bn.;
(4) Sinking Fund - N 220 bn. (to retire maturing bond to local contractors);
(5) CAPITAL Expenditure N 2.428 trn.; (excluding the capital component of statutory transfers).

THE BREAK-DOWN:
(A) Recurrent Expenditure -  Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA), which provide critical public services will consume a big chunk of the recurrent cost proposal in the following order: * Interior - N 510.87 bn.; * Education - N 435.01 bn.; * Defence - N 422.43bn.; and      * Health - N 269.34 bn.;
(B) Capital Expenditure - * Power, Works and Housing - N 555.88 bn.;  * Transportation - N 263.10 bn.; * Special Intervention Programmes (SIPs) - N 150 bn.; * Defence - N 145 bn. * Agriculture and Rural Development - N 118.98 bn. ; * Water Resources - N 95.11bn.; * Industry, Trade and Investment - N 82.92 bn. ; * Interior - N 63.26 bn.; * Education - N 61.73 bn.; Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) - N109.06 bn.; * Health - N 71.11 bn.; * Federal Capital Territory (FCT) - N 40.30 bn.; * Zonal Intervention Projects - N 100 bn.; * North East Intervention Fund - N 45 bn.; * Niger Delta Ministry - N 53.89 bn.; * Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) - N 71.20 bn.

OTHER KEY PROJECTS TOTALLING N 511.92 billion are:
Mambilla hydro power project, Transmission lines and sub-stations, National Housing Programme, Second Niger Bridge, Construction and Rehabilitation of Strategic Roads.
The rest are: Regional Spending Priorities for Peace, Security and Development., which include, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Increase in provision for the Ministry of Niger Delta and Completion of East West Road.

THE ARMCHAIR CRITICS!
But since the official presentation of this meticulously and painstakingly crafted Budget of Consolidation, as a stimulant for total recovery from the recent economic recession, the tongues of armchair critics have waged in all directions, mostly in condemnation rather than the appreciation, complementary and sincere critical evaluation of the legal document because talk is cheap and freedom of expression is a fundamental right!
However the ball is now in now squarely placed in the court of the legislators who are very popular for blame games! Not long ago in September 2017, they blamed the delay of implementation of the 2017 Budget on the Executive, though the budget in question was forwarded for Presidential assent in the last week of May, 2017, FIVE months after it was presented on 14th December 2016, to the joint National Assembly plenary and appended into law on JUNE12, 2017!

Nigerians are tired of the law makers who have only constituted themselves into conduit drain pipes of the national treasury and who have been identified as the worst economic liabilities to the nation since 1999, because of illicit collection of gagantuous annual salary packages, and unconstitutional quarterly MONETIZED CONSTITUENCY PROJECT ALLOWANCES!
We advocate that all patriotic Nigerians must rise in unison as organised Civil Society Groups, Trade Unions, Non-Governmental Organizations, Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerian Union of Teachers, National Students Union, Trade Union Congress, especial the Fourth Estate of the Realm i.e. Electronic and Print Media etc, to monitor, scrutinize, investigate every move of oversight functions of the 2018 Consolidation Budget and pressurize the legislators without giving them any opportunity for delay because it was during such process that they were able to PAD, INSERT NEW ITEMS, AND RE-CREATE PAST BUDGETS!

THE HOPE OF THE TALAKAWAS IN THE COMPETENCE AND ECONOMIC DEXTERITY OF THIS CHANGE ADMINISTRATION MUST NOT BE DASHED AGAIN BY SOME UNSCRUPULOUS, UNPATRIOTIC, AND SELFISH LEGISLATORS WHO ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN THEIR OWN ILLICT GAINS ALONE!

These legislators should now remember before it is too late that they would give account of their stewardship to the Almighty GOD who Has power over life and death and therefore quickly amend their ways and repent of past misdemeanours!  As it is written: "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Rev 22:12.KJV)

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.