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AN OPEN LETTER TO PASTOR T. B. JOSHUA BY DELE MOMODU
AN OPEN LETTER TO PASTOR T. B. JOSHUA
BY DELE MOMODU
My dear Prophet, I’m very certain this letter must come to you as a big surprise. But that is the nature of this column. It is in the character of Pendulum to swing in the direction least anticipated. Today, it has chosen to navigate itself towards you, my dear man of God.For avoidance of doubt, please, permit me to quickly explain a point so that mischief-makers may not attribute spurious motives to this epistle. I’m not a member of your congregation. I have never been. You and I have never discussed religion or worship. I have never approached you for special prayers or miracles. But I have been a great fan of yours nonetheless, for very exceptional reasons. I shall explain in a jiffy why I admire you warts and all.No human being is perfect, and I’m sure that includes you, despite being a man of God. I’ve read and heard torrents of good and bad tales about you. But didn’t I read and hear a deluge of fairy-tales about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, your overall Master? It is normal for human beings to concoct true and imaginary tales about newsmakers. You have been a subject and victim of such incredible rumour-mongering over the decades that I have known you. Some have alleged that you are not a genuine disciple of God. They’ve alleged that you are fetish and use native jazz to heal miracle-seekers. Some have even called your miracles mere optical illusions. That you are nothing short of a magician but these myriad of detractors have never diminished your popularity globally.I have continued to marvel at your awesome powers as demonstrated to the naked eyes on television, and two or more conclusions have emerged. If you use juju or whatever power to heal people, then it is positive healing. We all turn to doctors, pharmacists, surgeons and others in the days of medical challenges. The drugs we take emanate from herbs, local or foreign. The Indians and the Chinese in particular have been much wiser than us by developing their medicine to international standards. I have tried acupuncture in my adventurous days in Dubai and London. There is nothing wrong if God has given you special access to the secrets of herbs and roots. What makes it even more remarkable and extraordinary is that you escalate and amplify every miracle of yours with loud shouts of the name of Jesus. You’ve never called the names of other Gods or even witches and wizards on the pulpit. There are always local and international visitors to your synagogue of God. None has ever reported that he or she stumbled on an esoteric shrine perchance.In fact, you have been a major source of foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria. It is difficult to imagine how many religious tourists pour into your church daily from different parts of the world. I’ve travelled extensively in Africa and beyond. There is hardly a flight I’ve flown on, especially in Africa, that I’ve not encountered your sworn and ardent followers. They love you endlessly and swear by your name. Many of them are distinguished personalities, well-educated and intelligent and not ignoramuses as many may wish to suggest. Presidents have attested to your miracles. I will mention one very good example that I am familiar with.Long before the 2008 presidential election that ushered in President John Evans Atta-Mills in Ghana, you had called me one early morning to ask my opinion and projection ahead of the election. I remember telling you that Nana Akufo-Addo was tipped and favoured to win. Your response was that I was wrong and that God was going to perform a miracle for Professor Atta-Mills. True, the ways of God are not the ways of man. You went all out in your support for Atta-Mills, like you always do for people and causes you champion, and he actually won the election.I was pleasantly surprised when you called me one early Sunday morning to invite me to the Synagogue. You said you remember how you had called me to support the aspiration of Atta-Mills and the useful tips I gave. Now that the man had won, he was coming for a thanksgiving service in your church and you felt it was only proper for me to be invited to attend. The service had ended by the time I meandered my way to Ikotun-Egbe, but I was fortunate and happy to meet Professor Atta-Mills in one of the private apartments you keep for your august visitors. I sat with Prof and probed him a bit about why he had travelled all the way to Nigeria in search of spiritual fortification. He told me in clear terms that he was not a buffoon and that as a Professor he was expected to act on empirical facts and not on raw sentiment or emotion.Professor Atta-Mills said you had told him certain things that could never have been guess-work. For, example, he said you predicted with mathematical accuracy the unusual pattern and direction the election was going to take, the controversy that was going to come with it and the precise date the final verdict was going to be delivered, and they all came to pass. He said man being a natural doubter of things unseen should nevertheless not discountenance reality in the face of obvious facts. He said he was convinced that God was truly using you and he had no choice than to return to the Synagogue and publicly proclaim the power of God that had made the impossible possible through your intervention and intercession.Let me now go to the relationship between us spanning nearly two decades. How did our paths cross? If my memory serves me right, I was approached by one of your media aides at the time, Jide Oshokoya, formerly of Today’s Choice magazine, who said you would like to meet with me. To cut a long story short, I accepted the invitation with mixed feelings. You had been much maligned by your traducers that I did not even know what to believe anymore. But as a good student of philosophy, I chose not to be as paranoid and sceptical as the French philosopher, Rene Descartes, who went to the extreme of doubting his own existence. I was prepared to meet you with an open mind but with every caution in case your intention was to turn me into a church member.We met at the appointed time, after waiting for a while in a small restaurant on the ground floor before I was taken upstairs by your female staff. I felt a kind of tremor around you as everyone around was awestruck by you. The first thing I noticed was your simplicity and humility. You wore a round-neck t-shirt on top of jeans. We exchanged pleasantries and you told me how much you loved the creativity and originality that you saw in Ovation International magazine. I was flattered. You asked how much it would cost to be featured in such a high quality magazine and once we agreed on the figure you instantly booked 5,000 copies to be sent from our printers in London to the church. I was deeply touched because you did not beg for freebies. Many of our friends do not see media as business. They treat us as lambs of God who carry away the burden of the world, the main reason many media empires collapse ever before they are built.Let me reiterate at this juncture that you’re a good man for being such a sympathetic benefactor. I never imagined the extent of your generosity until the magazines arrived from England and I asked when we could deliver to you. You shocked me to the marrow as you told me to send only ten copies and go ahead to distribute the remaining thousands of copies through our extensive network and make more money from it. What occurred to me immediately was your native intelligence. Only a sagacious and visionary person would have understood that it was better to spread the publication to every part of Nigeria than restricting it to only church members. Let me say thank you again for that huge support at a time we needed it. I do not forget favours, ever!You have probably forgotten the next thing you did for us. Soon afterwards, I got another invitation from you, which I gladly honoured. As soon as we sat down, you told me you were in trouble with your beautiful and humble wife, and I asked why? You said your wife queried why she was not featured in the Ovation International magazine edition that had you on the cover. You told me you were surprised because she’s too introverted and had never asked for any form of publicity. I noticed that most of the time she was mingling freely with church workers and the congregation. She never acted like a Queen or First Lady of the church and this endeared her to me. You informed me the only remedy was for me to do another cover in our next edition for both of you. That was how you became probably the only family to feature back to back on our cover. I returned to London and produced an even better cover.Our friendship grew in leaps and bounds. Though we did not see frequently, sometimes for years, we regularly phoned each other and bonded like brothers. Anytime you saw some wonderful news about me, you called to congratulate and appreciate me despite your breath-taking schedules. The most superlative of our encounters was in 2010 when you heard of my Presidential dream. You did not fold your arms to watch me from afar. I had just boarded a flight from J F Kennedy Airport in New York when my phone rang and you were on the line. “Alagba, where are you?”, you asked in your usual caring voice. I told you I was on a flight from America to London, and you told me to see you as soon as I arrived in Lagos. I was greatly humbled when you said you wished to discuss my presidential bid.I visited you late one night and spent less than ten minutes, or so, with you. You told me I had no chance of winning the 2011 presidential election but encouraged me to go all the way. You assured me the experience would be very useful and that I would remain very relevant in the affairs of Nigeria, thereafter. Such a man of wisdom you are, Sir. You came in with two carrier bags and you told me they contained your financial contribution. Months later, you invited me again to your home and gave me further assistance despite knowing I could not win that election. You propelled me towards my goal and did not use the excuse of failure to discourage me. You earned my respect.Let me give one more example of your uncommon love for fellow beings. About two years ago, I had to undergo cataract operations in London. The surgery went well and I was recuperating when suddenly, I received a call from you in the dead of the night. “Alagba, I have just heard about your eye problems.”, you said in that calm voice. I replied the operations were very successful and was grateful for your concern. You offered to offset the bills and I replied that few friends who heard about my ordeal, like Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Tony Elumelu, Femi Otedola and Tokunbo Afikuyomi had all offered to assist. You still insisted on adding your widow’s mite. You texted repeatedly to ask for an account despite my reluctance. God will never desert you.I have written all these examples as my personal testimonial to you. In a country where many try to hide behind one finger, I wish to stand tall and tell the world that you are a good man, even if others think or say otherwise. I have read that you wish to abandon Nigeria and migrate to Israel. It will never happen. You cannot and should not allow your enemies run you out of town. God has been very kind to you. Just look back and see your journey from way back in Ondo State. What more can God do for any man who has served him loyally and fervently like you have done.My dear man of God, I align my voice with those who plead that you remain in Nigeria. I have chosen to do so publicly because I believe it is necessary.You will see me very soon at your door.All the best, in Jesus’ mighty name.ThisDay.
TINUBU IS THE WISEST MAN EARTH -PROPHET IKURU.
by Collins Nkwocha
Nigerian prophet, prophet Godwin Ikuru of Jehovah Eye Salvation Ministry, Lagos magnetized everyone’s attention when he referred to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the wisest man on earth regarding the appointment of Daniel Bwala as special Adviser on policy communications.
Speaking to reporters today in Lagos,
Prophet Ikuru applauded the president for choosing him and enunciated that he’s capable of delivering effectively and marketing the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president and urged Nigerians to stop the criticism because of what he said in the past “I’m personally happy with his appointment and I urge Nigerians to forget about the past, forget about what he must have said about the president some years ago which people are now disseminating on the social and taunting him a betrayal that lacks integrity, Nigerians should forget his past because he’s the best choice”.
Prophet Ikuru insisted that Bwala saw the sincerity and genuity of the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda and he decided to partake in it “even if he criticized the president, it was in the past, he saw the sincerity in the Renewed Hope Agenda and decided to join in nation building ,the president is ready to unite everyone in order to build Nigeria,that’s why someone like Wike is in his government,Bwala has what it’s required to be successful under Mr.president, as a wise man, the president saw it and decided to harness it ”
Finally, he praised Tinubu and referred to him as a great leader who is ready to involve everyone in his government, he maintained that his wisdom is magnanimous ,Baba is truly the wisest man on earth.
U.S. Courtroom Shock: Funke Ashekun, Husband Collapse as MFM Wins
Had FFK Faced Mehdi Hassan, Nigeria Would Have Spoken With Fire
By Mohammed Bello Doka
In politics, timing is everything. In diplomacy, character is everything. And in moments of national importance, leadership must be entrusted to individuals who possess not only experience but courage, intellect and an unshakable commitment to the nation they represent.
It is for this reason that the appointment of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode as Nigeria’s Ambassador to a foreign nation stands out as one of the most consequential diplomatic decisions in recent years.
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, better known in the South as “FFK” and in the North as “Sadauki”, is one of the most brilliant, experienced, accomplished, vocal, respected, educated, profound, intellectual, patriotic, disciplined, well-read, historically literate, versatile, forceful, persuasive, sophisticated, cosmopolitan, charming, eloquent, courageous and resilient men in Nigerian politics and he has paid his dues and proved his worth over the last 35 years in politics and political discourse.
In each role he has played he has excelled and succeeded even when he was in opposition.
His friends value him as a great and loyal defender and his traducers and political adversaries fear and respect him because when he goes to war he is utterly relentless, takes no prisoners and literally spits fire.
How I wish it was him that was interviewed by Mehdi Hassan of Al Jazeera and not the young and inexperienced Daniel Bwala because he would have not only humbled Hassan but also done Nigeria proud.
He played Bwala’s present role in the Presidential Villa 23 years ago as President Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokesman and not only brought the then President’s domestic enemies to their knees but also had a series of very hot exchanges with foreign Government officials like America’s Under-Secreatary of State for Africa Jendaye Fraser and the White House over the Charles Taylor issue and Liberia.
Tinubu decision to appoint him as an Ambassador for our nation was a wise one because he will fight for and protect the interests of Nigeria and the Nigerian community whetever he goes and will never sell his soul or bow to foreign imperialist interests.
His appointment is not about just rewarding loyalty for the key role he played in Tinubu’s presidentiel campaign organisation as Director of New Media and Special Operations in 2023 and the staunch support he has given the President over the last three years but also about putting a square peg in a square hole.
If you want to put Nigeria first Sadauki is the one to do it.
If he runs the Nigerian Mission in the country that he is sent to in the same way he ran the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Aviation when he was Minister to each of them one after the other twenty years ago he will do very well and both our nation and whichever nation he is posted to itself will benefit from his efforts.
History teaches that diplomacy is most effective when nations deploy individuals who possess both intellect and courage.
As the American statesman Henry Kissinger once noted, “Diplomacy is the art of restraining power.”
To do so successfully requires deep historical awareness and strategic clarity—qualities that have long defined Fani-Kayode’s political career.
Sending a politically seasoned voice like FFK to any nation that is a key partner to Nigeria signals that Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic posture with confidence.
Throughout more than three decades in the political arena, Fani-Kayode has remained one of the most resilient and outspoken figures in Nigerian public life despite numerous challenges which would have broken and destroyed lesser men.
Regardless of all that was thrown at him he continues to pull through and come out victorious which is why many refer to him as the “Akanda Eledumare” and the “Ayanfe Oluwa” which mean “the strange one of God” and “the beloved of the Lord”.
There appears to be a divine dimension to his life that makes him unstoppable and irrepressible even though his enemies are legion.
One wonders what sets him apart and makes him so different.
There is no doubt that his education played a part in it and this set him apart from most.
He never went to school in Nigeria but was educated from the age of eight in England starting off at Holmewood House School in Kent, one of the UK’s best and most famous Preparatory schools, after which he attended the famous Harrow School just outside London which is, together with Eton College, an institution that is the exclusive preserve of high society in the UK, one of the two best private schools in that country where only the ruling elite, the rich, the well-to-do, the famous and only a tiny proportion of those in British high society can afford or even qualify to attend.
No less than eight British Prime Ministers, including the great Sir Winston Churchill, and countless British cabinet ministers attended Harrow and so did many leaders, diplomats and top politicians from many foreign countries.
After finishing at Harrow he attended some of the top universities in the world, including London University (SOAS) and Cambridge University (Pembroke College) where he did so well.
As a matter of fact his great grandfather, Rev. Emmanuel Adelabi Kayode, attended Furrough Bay College which at that time was part of Durham University and graduated with an MA (Hons.) in Theology in 1893. His grandfather Justice Adedapo Kayode attended Cambridge University (Selwyn College) where he studied law and graduated in 1922. His father Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode attended Cambridge University (Downing College) where he studied law and graduated in 1943. Sadauki himself graduated in law at Cambridge University (Pembroke College) in 1984 whilst his daughter Folake Fani-Kayode graduated from Durham University in 2009.
No African family has an uninterrupted streak of 116 years of Oxbridge-level university graduates except for the Fani-Kayode’s which is something that both his family and every patriotic Nigerian should be proud of.
It therefore makes perfect sense that a man from such a distinguished pedigree and intimidating lineage and that has such an extraordinary intellectual heritage should represent Nigeria on the international stage.
There is also his role in the debate on Gaza which made him a hero in the eyes of millions of people in the Global South both amongst Christians and Muslims.
He spoke out consistently about what he described as the genocide being committed against the Palestinians and he was prepared to put his life and career on the line for this cause even though most Nigerian leaders and politicians refused to say what he was saying publicly out of fear of the Zionist lobby and the Jewish state.
His sense of patriotism is unquestionable and nothing reflects this better than his series of essays written against Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Opposition Conservative Party and his write up against one Ben Llewelyn-Jones, who at that time was the Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, when the former consistently sought to insult and denigrate Nigeria and the Nigerian people and the latter attempted to interfere in our internal affairs by making statements in support of Peter Obi and his Obidients in the 2023 presidential elections.
Sadauki successfully put them both in their place and when American Senator Ted Cruz, President Donald Trump, Congressman Tim Riley and other American politicians began to peddle the false narrative and fake gospel of Christian genocide and persecution in Nigeria Sadauki, a devout Christian himself, rose to the challenge and more than any other Nigerian wrote about the issue in a series of essays pointing out the fact that as many Muslims were being killed as Christians by the terrorists in our country and that Christians were not being persecuted by our Government and are in fact faring better when it comes to positions in the security apparatus and governance under Tinubu than they did in the previous administration.
He also spoke out boldly against President Trump and his administration when they accused the Government of South Africa of indulging in genocide against the white minority population in their country and pointed out the fact that South Africa, like Brazil, was a shining example of a successful multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation that was treating its white minority population with the greatest respect. Few Africans said a word to defend South Africa at the time even though they knew that Trump was wrong but Sadauki did so without thinking twice.
He is clearly a strong Pan-Africanist and a believer in the importance of the African Union, African solidarity, the BRICS coalition and the Global South alliance comprising of China, Russia, South Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other emerging world powers.
This is commendable and it reflects his courage and disdain for those that display ignorance, disdain and contempt for our nation and people and that seek to denigrate and misrepresent us.
Sadauki is not the type that bows and quivers before Westerners like so many other Nigerian leaders and politicians but rather takes pride in his Nigerian culture, race, heritage and identity and is prepared to defend us and speak for us no matter whose ox is gored and who is involved.
In an increasingly competitive global environment, Nigeria requires diplomats capable not only of negotiation but also of defending national interests with conviction.
If the energy, eloquence and intellectual fire that have defined Fani-Kayode’s political life accompany him to the country to which he has been posted, his tenure may well become one of the most consequential chapters in Nigeria’s modern diplomatic engagements.
I wish him well and I thank God that he is back in the saddle of public office after so many years.
What more could any of us ask of this great and noble son of Nigeria?
This is undoubtedly the quality of personnel and leaders that we need on the international stage.
I hope and pray that in his endeavours and during the course of his work he meets with Mehdi Hassan in a debate and prove to him and the rest of the world that Nigeria still has men that can not only match them but that can also remove their trousers in any verbal encounter. Bwala put us to shame but FFK can redeem us before the eyes of the world.
(Mohammed Bello Doka, the author of this essay, is the publisher of Abuja Network News and can be reached via [email protected])
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