By joshua 
*Kicks against unbridled borrowing, diversion of funds
*Says Nigeria is a country with great potential
Success Nwogu
The Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Dr, Mike Okonkwo, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to ensure that a mechanism is put in place to avoid confusion in the 2023 general elections and that the elections will be transparent, credible, fair and free.
He said there is no need to bicker over the Electoral bill, adding that the electoral system of the country must be made to midwife credible results.
He spoke during an interview with journalists after the first Sunday service of 2022 at TREM international headquarters, Anthony Oke, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos.
He raised the alarm that many people who are in positions of leadership in Nigeria do not have the interest of the country at heart.
According to him, some people enjoy maladministration in the country.
He stated that the National Assembly should have declared an emergency on insecurity and put the necessary structures to address insecurity in some parts of the country. He said if that had been done, security would have improved in the country.
The bishop, however, said God has decided to take over and address insecurity in Nigeria, adding that very soon there will be a remarkable improvement insecurity in the country.
Okonkwo said, “We must understand that most of the people, I dare say, who are handling the affairs of this country presently do not have the interest of this country at heart. They do not! Because if you truly have the interest of the country at heart, there are things that should have been put in place.
“Why should we talk about the electoral bill? Why should we be quarrelling over it when, without any equivocation, choose the best part that will help the country so that our elections will not be with any confusion? It simply means that people enjoy the maladministration in the country. That is where we are and that is affecting everywhere. It is not just election, it is affecting other areas.
“I have questioned that how can I be in the National Assembly and certain things are happening in the country. Take, for instance, the insecurity, I expect the National Assembly to call for an emergency, to see it as an emergency situation for the country and put everything on hold until that is sorted out. I know that if that is done, that a lot of things will be put in place. But no, there are people benefiting. It is a racket. There are people benefiting from that situation, as long as there is fighting, they must get the vote for it. And people are enjoying it.
“That is why I keep saying that I am truly praying and I believe that God himself is interested and that is why He has decided to take over the reign of security in Nigeria himself. He has given us assurance that He is now going to turn the corner, whether anyone likes it or not because time is running out.”
The cleric also warned against unbridled borrowing and diversion of borrowed funds. He stated that borrowing must be for a justifiable investment, adding that the borrowed fund must be applied for what it was borrowed for.
He said, “Borrowing is not acceptable. Everybody knows that the borrower is a servant to the lender. I do not have a problem borrowing, provided there is a definite reason why you are borrowing. Why do I have to borrow if I am not using it for something? If I am going to borrow, let me see what it is going to do and be seen to do those things because if you borrow without any target, it is like drinking poison.”
Okonkwo reiterated that 2022 is a ‘year of acceleration,’ and admonished people to align themselves with God, trust and be committed to God and obey God’s directives.
He also advised Nigerians to vote for candidates who will deliver dividends of democracy, adding that they must shun parochial sentiments of ethnicity, tribalism and religion.
He also said that he is praying earnestly to God to restore peace to the country and ensure that the right candidates who will deliver the dividends of democracy are elected in the country.
He lamented the prevailing challenges bedevilling the country as he noted that God blessed Nigeria with incredible resources.
He, therefore, urged Christians and Nigerians to avail themselves of God so that they will enjoy 2022 which he said God told him is a ‘Year of acceleration.’
Okonkwo said, “There are two sides to it. First, it is speaking to the congregation and the other side is speaking generally to the entire world. I did mention while I was speaking the importance of abiding with God. For those who have not subscribed to Christianity, what they need to do first is to give their lives to Christ, to receive Him as their saviour and lord because most of the things we are sharing might not be beneficial to them because they will really not understand it. For those of them who are already subscribed to Christianity, they must make a total commitment in order to fit into the ‘acceleration’ that God has already ordained.
“When God gave us the prophetic word, it is telling us that ‘look things are going to speed up in different areas of human lives and there is the need for us to align ourselves in order to fit in, otherwise things will just pass you by. You are supposed to connect to it. But you are not getting the benefit because you are not connected.’ So what we are saying in effect is that if you are a Christian, you should make sure that you are not playing a game of either here nor there. You are totally committed to God and then you watch God do the unusual in your life.
“In my Crossover message, I mentioned that from this year, Nigeria is turning the corner from darkness into a restoration period. We are now moving towards restoration. This country has been in the dark for many many years. From one thing to the other and we keep expecting a change in things but they seem not to be working.
“But God is giving us assurance that this time around, it is going to work and He is taking over by Himself and we are aligning things. So there are strange things that will take place within the year that will signal our movement to that very direction that God is planning. So Nigeria is going to experience a tremendous change and we are going to begin to see some of the concerns that we have, like insecurity, bloodshed and all these killings and kidnappings, they are going to abate. You will notice that it is suddenly going down. People will be wondering, ‘what is going on.’ Let peoplel know that God is keeping the charge of the country. It is ongoing thing that will progress henceforth.”
The cleric urged people to re-evaluate their commitment and dedication to God and trust God.
He said, “Reevaluate your commitment, reevaluate your dedication, and faithfulness. This is a new year and he has told you that something new is coming. So you can do the same thing. It has been often said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity. You can not be doing the same way, praying the same way you are praying, praying or getting involved with God the same way you have been doing before or being indifferent, lukewarm and docile when it comes to your relationship with God and expecting things to change for you. No! It will not. That has not made God’s word to fail. It simply means that you have failed to connect to what He has spoken to. If you tell me that ‘look I should keep watch in the night because you are going to visit me in the night and I go to bed. You will visit me and I will not be there. That is the situation. That is important to reevaluate so that when God’s intervention begins in your life, you will not be missing it.
“The secret to gaining the best of 2022 are: very soon, you will see the race into 2023 begin. The race is starting already and there will be lots of negotiations here and there. Nigerians must understand that gone are the days when our political atmosphere will just be by ‘I give you a bag of rice or a bag of salt and you sell your vote.’ We are talking about your life here. You have collected a bag of rice and a bag of salt, you have collected N5,000 for several years. So what has changed? Nothing! So it is time to reevaluate. Do you want your life to be drifting downwards or upwards? So everyone must make up his mind because now, we are on ground zero for every person in Nigeria.
“We have found out that it is not about a northerner ruling the country or southerner. Northerners have been in the saddle of leadership for many years but we have the greatest insecurity in the north. We have the greatest poverty in the north. We have the greatest number of out-of-school children in the north. We have the greatest underdevelopment in the north. So it is not about where you come from, it is about now, who will give Nigerians the dividends of democracy? We have to be sincere and stop politics and know that life is too short to be gambled with.
“My prayer is that God will grant us the peace that is necessary because, without peace, there will be no development. Everywhere there is violence, confusion, bloodshed, there will be a lack of development. That is what the adversaries of this country want. Bloodshed, war, rancour, crisis and confusion, there can be no development.
“Nigeria is a great country. Irrespective of our differences, mistakes, even the corruption level, Nigeria is a great country that has great potential. I have my doubt if there is any country in the world that has the level of resources that God has invested in this country. I dare say probably that is why God has not allowed us to go into destruction. So with that understanding, I pray that God will grant us the peace and position the right kind of people that will turn the wheels of this nation around so that we can emerge the type of nations that he has designed for us.”