Femi Adesina, TB Joshua campaign for restructuring of the mind and heart of Nigerians

….Systemic decay must give way – Tunde Bakare
If the multitude of cries for the restructuring of the Nigerian entity still appear vague and ambiguous to the Federal Government, Features editor, GBUBEMI GOD’S COVENANT SNR highlights two new voices that recently proposed a different kind of restructure that would birth the New Nigeria for an everlasting legacy for future generations.

In one moment of deep, sober reflection, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina recently poured out his troubled thoughts on the state of the Nigerian psyche.

“Hearing some Nigerians speak (whether based at home or in the Diaspora),” he wrote in a recent publication, “You discern that they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity. They spew out things that give them away as “white sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within, full of dead men’s bones.”

Wondering what had happened to grace and where decency had disappeared to, Adesina asked: “Are words not to be seasoned with salt again? What has happened to us as a people? The more rotten, the better, it seems.

The fouler and odoriferous the cesspit, the more attractive, followed by applause and this seems to be the philosophy of some Nigerians, not minding who they are.”

Mr. Adesina, in his lamentation, cautions that “Nigerians cannot continue that way, if we want to be acceptable to God, and to our fellow human beings. National development does not come by a sudden flight. You work at it.”

He worries that so loud is the cacophony of voices calling for restructuring that, “If you ask 100 people what they mean, they will give you 100 different explanations. But as a country, I believe we will get there someday – and soon,” Adesina said.

However, is political restructuring the most urgent thing Nigeria needs now? Adesina didn’t think so.

“For me, what is more urgent is the restructuring of the Nigerian mind. A mind that sees the country as one, that believes that we have a future and a hope, that believes that we are one people under God.

But what we see now is ruinous for any country. It is hemlock, bound to poison the entire polity, and send it to a premature perdition.”

Restructuring should begin with the heart of youths – TB Joshua
At a rendezvous with a massive crowd of youths at the Arena of Liberty, the healing auditorium of the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), Prophet TB Joshua reasoned prophetically that a true restructuring of Nigeria that will raise Godly people for tomorrow, should begin with the hearts of youths; not only in Nigeria or Africa, both in all the nations of the world.

TBJ was addressing a large congregation of youths on August 28 at a luncheon SCOAN organised for its workers, but thousands of youths from far and near trooped into the Arena at Ikotun, Lagos, as an opportunity to be with the man of God.

Soliciting for a relationship with the youths on the template and nature of God, the pastor fondly called “Papa” said, “True relationship begins and ends with God.

Therefore, I want a relationship with you because you’re already in my mind. Are you ready to give your hearts to God? Because you, the youths, are in my heart already. You will always be in my thoughts and in my prayers.”

Benefits of challenges
Teaching the youths to consider all challenges from God’s perspective, TBJ encouraged them to see challenges as friends. “If you see challenges as friends instead of enemies, you will not fall into temptations and do negative things.

Depression, irritation or unnecessary anger will not overwhelm you. These are some of the reasons many people go astray.”

Admonishing the youths not to allow challenges put them, TBJ revealed that “Challenges are only telling you that you have a history to write. They are processes to get you to where you are going. Don’t allow your challenges to mislead you.

You can flourish in challenges
“Challenges are soil in which we are meant to flourish. To flourish is to grow. There can be no growth without challenges. It is a form of examination. Challenges are to reform you and strengthen your desire for God.”

Giving himself as a practical example, TBJ told the youths:
“What I am telling you, I have personally experienced. I am one of the most persecuted pastors today, but I don’t see my persecutors as enemies: I see them as friends, as stepping stones to make me grow.

“I have seen uncommon challenges you will never believe anyone can get out of; but see what they have brought me: uncommon success. As you can see, I flourish in persecution.”

The real restructuring
“Therefore, this is the message I have for the youths today: I want a-heart-to-heart relationship with you. The most important thing is the condition of your heart, because when you talk about prayer, you’re talking of the heart.

I want you to give your heart to the Creator of heaven and earth. We are running out of time. Forget about your age. I have seen your challenges – and they can turn you to a great person if you see them as opportunities.

“I’m not going to touch you; all you need is to hear the Word of God as it comes with deliverance.”

A two-day international conference
The prophet announced a conference scheduled to take off sometime in October.

“The purpose of the conference is to prepare youths all over the world against times of trials, challenges and temptations.

“It is a conference you will have a relationship with and it will hold in many countries around the world.

“During the conference, I will give you my story from the very beginning to the present. I will explain each segment of my life so you will understand me better because it will minister to you better than my message, then I will put it on CD so you can take it away.

“It is going to be a two-day conference; the first day will be of laying of hands to deliver all one by one; after that we can talk, but it will not be just you and me alone:

I will invite different professors from Oxford, Cambridge and from Harvard; they will teach you things that will reform you. At the end, you will be issued a certificate that you were at the conference. That is a promise,” TBJ assured.

Systemic decay must give way – Bakare

Laying the foundation for total restructuring of the polity at a recent discourse of the Nigerian situation, national prophet and pastor with a vision for a New Nigeria, Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly, gave a graphic picture of the systemic decay since independence and the true restructuring that will herald the New Nigeria.

“Obasanjo ruled this country for eight years, yet we had no electricity: who is asking him to account for the money he claimed he invested in power?

We had no ordinary candle from that investment; it is a disgrace that my generator is still supplying my electricity – so, WHERE DID HE PUT ALL THAT MONEY?

“That makes OBJ a colonial master. And we had many others like him: Yar’Adua was a colonial master, Jonathan Goodluck is a colonial master, and Muhammadu Buhari is a colonial master.”

Taking his audience deeper to understand the kind of restructuring that will birth the New Nigeria, Pastor Bakare that no one can sanitise the corporate world – except the individual had been tested (and tried) like Joseph in the house of Potifer;

”Otherwise, you cannot bring sanity into the corporate world until you have made up your mind that come rain, come shine, you’re going to win by righteousness.”

Touching on the apparent difficulty in utterly stamping out corruption in the polity, Bakare asked:

“Will people gang up against you when you’re fighting corruption? Yes; in fact, they’ll want to kill you! Will they make life difficult for you? Yes! It’s part of God’s testing!

But until you’ve made up your mind to win by righteousness, you cannot bring sanity into the corporate world to sanitise it. Until you purpose to know your God and be strong, you cannot do exploit like Daniel in the public service.

“The corruption in our public service is stinking to high heavens and the corporate kingpins themselves are aiding and abetting the corruption that is going on.”

In the regional days, Bakare recalled, “Every region contributed to the center; nobody went to Abuja to collect money, but since the day oil boom came, everybody descended on a mono product; when everybody goes to Abuja the cash is so much that one man will buy five houses in one single day, when he’s not mad. 3.5m pounds here, 2.5m dollars there, because the money must not be found!”

Way out

“We must go back to the six geo-political zones. Let every state plough what is in its own ground, so that each state will become self sufficient after ten years. It is doable.

“Give us the room to do it and Nigeria will be saved; Nigeria will be changed and Nigeria will become great in our life time.

“Righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost, that is the kingdom of God. Anything else will not exalt your nation: you will be going from frying pan to fire,” Bakare stressed.

In a random opinion sampled in the polity, the consensus among stakeholders geographical restructuring will no longer work as in the days before the oil boom – for a good reason.

Sociologist and situations analyst, Prof Emmanuel Ikeguonu has a fearful insight into the call for physical restructuring of Nigeria.

“The kind of restructuring everyone is clamouring for will escalate corruption and nepotism and crime in dimensions that every man will flee the country for dear life!,” he began.

“Geographical restructuring will bring about gaining resource control over each zone’s natural resources, but my fear is, that will not take away greed or corruption,” he assured.

Retired petroleum engineer, Silvester Mabiaku, seem to confirm the fear of the sociologist. “The crisis we are burdened with in Nigeria as a result of greed and corruption as well as marginalisation will be replicated within each zone if President Buhari should heed that call.

“Tribes will be marginalised, children of those tribes will take up arms, then insurgency, kidnapping and robbery to get at their own share of the “zonal cake” will all be amplified.

“If the suggestion by Mr. Adesina can be practilised, that would give Nigerians a clean start, but honestly speaking, his formula is not realistic. Restructuring the mind of the people is not within the realm of reality,” he said. That leaves Prophet TB Joshua’s approach more realistic.

But a retired judge of the high court who spoke preferred anonymity said the Prophet’s approach could yield endearing result.

“But regretfully, that will require uncommon faith to believe and a very long wait for the present generation of politicians to be completely wiped out before the youths of today who will give their heart to God can step into leadership! It’s a very long shot, if you ask me,” she concluded.