What Christian Leaders Told Buhari About his Government

THE ADDRESS OF CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION, HIS EMINENCE, REV. DR. SAMSON OLASUPO A. AYOKUNLE AT THE OCCASION OF COURTESY VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND COMMANDER IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, MUHAMMADU BUHARI (GCFR) ON 10TH OF NOVEMBER, 2017.

PREAMBLE
Your Excellency Sir, it was about two and a half years ago, precisely, July 2015 that we had the intention of paying this courtesy visit to you to congratulate you for becoming the President of our great country Nigeria. We however thank God that as Christian body in Nigeria, we are able to meet with you at last. So, what we intended to do then when we wrote to pay you courtesy visit, we are doing now by congratulating you for winning the election and for you to count on the Association to continue to pray for you for the Spirit of wisdom and understanding to be able to lead this country in the right direction until we get to our Promised land.
We wish to seize this opportunity as well to very much congratulate you for the miraculous recovery from sickness which took you away from the shores of Nigeria for many days. We as an Association took time to pray for you like other religious groups in this nation and we thank God that you are back alive. It was the love of Nigerians for you that kept all things intact while you were away and the able lieutenants that God gave to you who held the fort in your absence. May the affliction never arise again in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
We want to advise you to manage your recovery well and take one step at a time. Delegation would be of help for you to totally recover and deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Please allow us in this visit to pray for you because that is the major reason we are here today.

Recognition of Achievements
We want to appreciate you in the areas in which your administration is making giant strides since you came on board. The first of these is the recognition of corruption as a virus which has the potential of killing the nation if not stopped. Much more we salute your courage to confront it headlong as never done by any government in this nation before to the best of our knowledge and judgement. We do not want you to relent in doing this. The setbacks not withstanding, accomplishing the goal is the ultimate. However, we want you to fight corruption without fear or favour including those around you who may be like the ‘mixed multitude’ who went out of Egypt with the Israelites but were not Israelis. They caused harm along the way. Therefore, let there be no untouchable, hand those close to you that may be corrupt over to law enforcement agents as you have done to others for proper prosecution.
Secondly we want to commend you for your commitment to the flushing out of Boko Haram Islamic Fundamentalists from Nigeria. They had caused deep sorrow and damage to the nation especially many Christians, churches and facilities in the north—east in particular and the North in general.
We praise you for the empowerment of the military to do their work and the courage of the military and dedication to duty.
We on the other hand observe that the murderous Fulani Herdsmen who were previously allowed to ply their trade in many communities in Nigeria have become a menace to many communities. The Christian communities of Benue State, Southern Kaduna, Enugu and a host of others have been on the receiving side on this. Recently I went to a village called Ancha in Bassa Local Government of Plateau State where 21  Christians in a village were killed overnight by Fulani Herdsmen. My church in that village lost 20 members out of the 21 and we gave them mass burial. It was a gory sight to behold. The most painful and baffling thing about it was that after that attack, they came to the same area again and killed another 24 people with none of them arrested by the enforcement agents. What a complicity!

 Why are the Fulani herdsmen devastating communities without being arrested? Why are they not prosecuted? Why was the source of their ammunition not investigated? Why do they roam about with guns without being arrested? All these are begging for the quick attention of the President so that the people they are attacking also might not seek self defence which may lead to the breakdown of law and order in the nation.
Thirdly, we want to commend your administration for the recovery of some of the kidnapped Chibok girls after some years of incarceration by the insurgents in the north—east. We are pleading with you to intensify more efforts to recover the rest who may still be alive before their lives are completely messed up. Equally, we sent a special appeal to the government and the Inspector General of Police in particular to help us recover twenty Borno women that were kidnapped by Boko Haram while going to bury their relative who died outside Maiduguri. Up till now, we did not hear anything over the matter from the government neither was our letter acknowledged. We are renewing our appeal again for the recovery of those women who were all Christians.
In a nutshell, the following are the issues the Christian Association of Nigeria wants  Mr. President to address without delay.
1. Withdrawal of Nigeria from Religious Organizations.
We call on the Executive and Legislative arms of government  to withdraw Nigeria from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and from other international religious bodies and treaties Nigeria signed with such religious organizations because it violates the secular state of the nation as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria and further violates government's non-partisanship in religious matters as enshrined in the same constitution. The sanctity of the constitution must be kept for Nigeria to survive as one nation.
2. Issuance of Certificate of Occupancy to Churches in the North.
We call on the Executive and the National Assembly to prevail on States in the North to issue Certificate of Occupancy to churches in the region. Many excuses are presently being given by State Governments in the North to deny Christians the right of building their own places of worship. Recently, Jigawa State Government pulled down some church structures under the guise that they did not have building permit. The truth of the matter as obtained from the chairman of CAN in the State was that the churches had applied for permission to build for not less than a year or more without any response. Do the Christians in the North not have the right to build their houses of worship and serve God without fear or favour? If Nigeria is one country, this type of religious discrimination must come to an end.
3. Lopsidedness in Appointments.
CAN equally calls on this administration to address the lopsidedness in appointments done by this administration for both ethnic and religious balance for all of us to be able to do pilgrimage together as a nation. For example, the defence apparatus in this nation is skewed in favour of one religion. In the recently released statistics of appointments made by this administration so far by the Media Adviser to the President, there was apparent lopsidedness because while some States have over thirty people appointed, others do not have more than three. How can people from such States with three have the sense of belonging to this nation and this administration?
4. Unpaid Salaries and Allowances
and We declare the inability of the State Governments to pay workers’ salaries and allowances as at when due as unacceptable and call on the Federal and State Governments to work together to address this as quick as possible. This would step the tide of crimes and suicide that are increasing all over the nation.
5. Breakdown of Infrastructure in the nation
We further urge your administration to address the breakdown of infrastructure in the nation such as road construction, provision of uninterrupted power supply and adequate funding of health facilities so as to stop the untimely death of our people and medical tourism abroad.
6. Unemployment Problem
We call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment in the nation and to set up a machinery towards the provision of employment for graduates. It is a time bomb that could be devastating if not quickly attended to.
7. Criminal Activities and the need for more police
We observe that the criminal activities that are on the increase in the land should be addressed more squarely. The police should be more adequately equipped in policing the nation. More policemen at the same time should be recruited as the present number is too low to cope with the large population of the country.
8. Revival of NIREC
Finally, we request for the  revival of the Nigerian Inter-religious Council, (NIREC) which in the past had fostered interaction and promoted religious harmony between Christian and Muslim leaders in the country whose meeting logistics were to be provided by the government. Government's position that there is no money to facilitate the convening of the meeting is not good enough. If there is no money to build peace, we believe that it would be more costly  to prosecute war.
We thank Mr. President for creating time to listen to us and we hope that this type of parley would be taking place more regularly for the general good of our nation. We believe in one united Nigeria where there is justice, fairplay and mutual respect.
Thank you.

Forgiveness is for the Undeserving

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Matthew 18:21
- NOVEMBER 9 -
FORGIVENESS IS FOR THE UNDESERVING
Peter asked the Lord how often he should forgive his brother. The Lord’s answer to him was simple: Up to 70 times seven times. (Matthew 18:22) In other words, all the time!

“Well, Pastor Prince, he does not deserve my forgiveness.”

Neither did you deserve God’s forgiveness.

There is not a single person alive or dead who did not break all 10 of God’s commandments. There is no such thing as a “partial sinner” or “great sinner”. All of us were great sinners when Jesus saved us. And when we realize that we are forgiven much, we will love much. (Luke 7:47)

“Pastor Prince, how can you say that I have broken all of God’s commandments? I have never committed adultery.”

My friend, Jesus said, “If you lust after a woman in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her.” (Matthew 5:28) That is God’s standard. Man looks outward, but God looks inward at the heart. Moreover, if you break one law, you are guilty of all. (James 2:10) So everyone has broken all of God’s commandments. Everyone is a great sinner.

Now, you are no longer a sinner if you have received Christ as your Savior. You are a new creation. But you were a great sinner and God forgave you your huge debt through the death of His Son.

So if someone has wronged you, tell yourself this: “I did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but He forgave me through Christ. So I forgive this person also.” If you say something like, “He does not deserve it,” it makes no sense. Forgiveness is not for people who deserve it. If they deserve anything, it is punishment. But forgiveness means that you extend grace—undeserved favor—like how God extends undeserved favor to you.

Beloved, if you choose to hold on to bitterness, no one suffers but you. You lose your peace, then possibly your health. It is just not worth it. God says to you, “Let go. Forgive them their debts, just as I have forgiven you yours.”

 Joseph Prince Ministries

How Kidnappings, Terrorism Fuel Irregular Migration - HURIWA

How Kidnappings; Terrorism fuel Irregular Migration – By HURIWA



A pro-democracy and Non-governmental organization – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari and the hierarchy of the National Assembly to put practical measures in place to effectively combat the hydra headed monsters of kidnappings for ransom (KFR) and terrorism.

The Rights group also charged the Hpuses of Assemblies of the 36 states to brace up to the challenge of the 21st century dynamics of sophisticated and organised crimes of kidnappings for ransom and terrorism which require both sophisticated technology and legal mechanisms to stamp out with a view to creating political stability and security of lives of the citizens which remains the irreducible minimum duty of government under the constitution.

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The Rights group says the twin evils of kidnappings for ransom (KFR) and Islamic terrorism which have assumed larger-than-life dimensions across the country are directly responsible for the extraordinarily high rate of irregular migrations by young Nigerians and the concomitant deaths on the Mediterranean Sea.

"The high mortality rate in the Mediterranean sea of youngsters from Nigeria constitutes both global opprobrium and deny Nigeria of the scare human talents to turn around the global mess that contemporary Nigeria has become".

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) made the observations against the backdrops of the recent spike in armed kidnappings for ransom including the killing of a British missionary in the Niger Delta and also the reported deaths of 26 Nigerian women in the Mediterranean Sea which case is currently a subject of a legal inquisition by the Italian government.

But the Rights group said the central government  alongside the 36 state governments and the National Assembly have prevaricated on the urgent need to enforce law – based mechanisms for combating two of the greatest social afflictions of contemporary times which are kidnapping for ransom by well-armed hoodlums and the resurgence of Islamic terrorism threatening the peace and stability of North East of Nigeria – a geographical area that is wider than France.

HURIWA believes that the involvement of hundreds -of- thousands of disaffected youngsters who are fleeing Nigeria could be checked if effective steps are adopted by all relevant agencies of government at both the national and sub-national levels to put to good use effective mechanisms to stamp out the two evils of terrorism and kidnappings.

HURIWA dismissed the straight jacketed perception that irregular migrations are fueled by tge collapsing national economy as intellectually lazy and challenged governmental think-tanks to come up with fresh ideas on how to encourage and motivate Nigerian youngsters to pursue their aspirations within the framework of regular and legal migration if they must export their special talents to generate the much needed foreign denominated currencies or stay back in a liberated and crime reduced Nigeria to realise those dreams without embarking on social and organised crimes.

“The National Assembly alongside the states’ Assemblies of the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory should meet as soon as possible to implement quick fix measures to amend relevant statutory provisions including the ambiguous anti-terrorism Act to include punitive provisions such as capital punishment for the offences of terrorism and kidnappings for ransom which are one and the same and which have constituted grave threats to national security of Nigeria and creating room for mass exodus of young Nigerians who are not confident in the capacity of existing law enforcement mechanisms to efficiently tackle and combat these social afflictions.”

The Rights group said police reforms are urgent and critical to have a national policing institutions with the required capacities and resources to combat these sophisticated crime driving up the rates of irregular but dangerous migrations. "Too much of lips' service are paid to these two most dangerous factors causing large number of irregular but dangerous migrations".
The Rights group blamed the Federal administration and the states mostly in the North East of Nigeria for doing practically nothing to quickly bring suspected terrorists to decisive trials and conviction but instead have chosen the politically suicidal measures of progressive releases of these hardened members of the boko haram terror network in the guise of rehabilitating and reintegrating them.
Also, on the rising cases of kidnappings, HURIWA said the central government must demonstrate good enough political will to galvanize the justice sector agencies of the 36 states so as to come up with uniform but effective judicial sanctions and to create fastrack justice administration system and the rebuilding of the prison system to effectively embark on widespread vigourous pursuits of armed kidnappers and terrorists.
HURIWA regretted that hundreds -of- young Nigerians fleeing from insecurity and instability in many parts of Nigeria have chosen the devil’s alternative of irregular but dangerous migration through Libya and lamentably, many of such young vulnerable Nigerians have fallen into the hands of human trafficking gangs in Libya who would end up wasting the lives of these Nigerians on the High seas.
"The lucky few who have been flown back to Lagos from captivity in Libya courtesy of the efforts of the United Nations office on international Migrations do often find their ways back to Libya to keep trying their lucks hoping to sail successfully into Eutopr through the roughs and tumbles of Mediterranean sea".
“Let the presidency set up a department to fashion out implementable policies to economically empower young but desperate Nigerians so they are not exposed to the vulnerability and tempting deceptions churned out by internationally sophisticated human trafficking gangs.”
“Sadly, the Foreign Affairs ministry is too preoccupied with banal politics rather than realistically embark on time -tested and trusted strategic engagements with young Nigerians to try to dissuade many of them from adopting irregular and dangerous migration. The anti-irregular migration advocacy campaigns are not being waged by the relevant Foreign Affairs ministers but they are deeply involved in local politics of 2019 polls.”
The Rights group said the Federal Ministry of Foreign affairs must partner credible civil society groups to drive the process of waging effective advocacy media campaigns to check the rising ugly trends of irregular but dangerous migrations in Nigeria.
HURIWA recalled that three weeks after being kidnapped by Niger Delta militants in Delta State, a British national, identified as lan Squire, died in captivity.
However, three other Britons, who were taken along with the dead one, were freed and returned to Britain, the British High Commission confirmed in a mail to newsmen.

HURIWA recalled that records showed that lan Squire was one of four Britons forcefully taken at about 2am on October 13, prompting the Nigerian Government and the British High Commission to launch a spirited bid to free them.
Conversely, HURIWA recalled that Italian prosecutors are investigating the deaths of 26 Nigerian women – most of them teenagers – whose bodies were recovered at sea.
HURIWA which cited a report by BBC, disclosed that there are suspicions that they may have been sexually abused and murdered as they attempted to cross the Mediterranean.
Five migrants are being questioned in the southern port of Salerno, Italy.
The Rights group has therefore charged the presidency and the National Assembly to urgently organize national summits on the twin evils of terrorism and kidnappings for ransom with a view to resolving them and to implement enforceable measures to check the trends quickly and decisively.

Buhari and the Allegation of Northernization - Reuben Abati

Buhari and the allegation of Northernization – By Reuben Abati
Perhaps the biggest news this week so far, has been the attempt by the Presidency to debunk the allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari has been kinder to Northerners and Muslims in the recruitment of persons into his administration. The published list, itself a response to an earlier indictment by the BusinessDay newspaper, has been dismissed as incomplete, selective and misleading but all of that draws attention to a crisis at the heart of Nigerian politics, nay African politics. Matthew Hassan Kukah once described this in our context as “the-myonisation-of-power”. That is when a Nigerian from a particular part of the country becomes President, his people including his kinsmen and his friends and associates from his community and other parts of Nigeria see his ascendance as their own opportunity to have a taste of the national cake. They fight over the proverbial cake. Invariably, they benefit from what is called the politics of proximity. They get appointed to the best positions. They gain better access to the seat and the man of power than everyone else. Nigeria is not alone in this regard.
The same politics plays out in other African countries. In Kenya, John Githongo, their once-upon-a-time anti-corruption czar, in a book on him, the author, Michela Wrong complains that what prevails in Kenyan politics is the syndrome of “it-is-our-turn-to-eat.” In that country, the emergent politics is not even just about what to eat, it is about ego, elite contestation, dynastic rivalry and power. Wrong is right in many ways. That drama has been played out in the recent elections in Kenya but here in Nigeria, we have also been dealing with the same crisis since independence.
The question has been and remains: who gets the better share of the Nigerian national cake? Nigerian political actors do not see their country as a country that is structured for progress, sustainable development and unity. They see it as a cake to be shared. In their imagination and consideration, the cake is so big, it is more than enough for everybody, but they have seen that since independence, some people get a bigger share of it, and the more access a particular group gets to power, the more advantage it procures for its people.
Thus, any person who occupies a position – be it in the public or private sector space is subjected to instant, accustomed suspicion and harassment. No matter how well-meaning the person may be, the person is monitored closely to see if his appointees or associates would be persons from his church, mosque, community, ethnic group, or old school network. Ethnicity, religion and other social indicators are often the alarm signals. This is the background to the allegation and accusation that President Muhammadu Buhari is systematically re-Northernizing Nigeria.
The prefix re- is instructive because one of the biggest fears in Nigeria is that the political North, for there is no such thing as a monolithic Northern Nigeria, or a strictly binary Nigeria, as the Western press assumes, is determined to dominate the South, the entire South according to a script written and acted out by the British colonialists and sustained by their local successors. Indeed, the Nigerian military did not help matters by practically Northernizing Nigeria with the politics of vendetta and imperialism that propelled the Nigerian military establishment in power. The myth and reality of Northern domination has nonetheless also done much damage to the idea of national unity in Nigeria, even if there is enough evidence to establish the sad fact that, every ethnic group in the country is involved in a struggle for dominance.
The dominant truth is that Nigerians do not trust one another. It does not matter where they are, or whatever the level of their education or exposure, or the opportunities they have, they are all ethnic gladiators at heart and should they struggle to be nationalistic, their kith and kin to serve

will continually remind them of the need to obey and serve


the tribe. I use the word tribe here, deliberately against current convention.
It is for the foregoing reason that I consider the attempt by the Presidency to write off the allegation of Northern domination under President Muhammadu Buhari as futile. Ethnic politics in Nigeria is both a matter of fact and perception. I offer four seemingly simple explanations of the phenomenon. It is the fact first, that whenever a President from a particular ethnic extraction arrives in Abuja, the fashion mode of the city changes overnight. Under President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007), the various watering holes of Abuja adjusted their fashion codes. Even to the night-clubs, people wore the Yoruba attires and caps. The people of the South West including the Yoruba taxi drivers of Abuja became very voluble. It was their time. It was their turn.
The moment President Obasanjo left, the Mallams returned, that is the power-brokers of the North, with the emergence of President Umaru Yar’Adua. Hausa language became the language of Abuja. President Yar’Adua died in office and his deputy succeeded him. President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s first Ijaw President also changed the face of fashion in Abuja. His kinsmen and their colourful robes and walking sticks became the new face of Abuja. I recall in those days, the security people insisting that walking sticks would not be allowed inside the Villa because according to them, a walking stick is a weapon! I doubt if anybody these days is still swinging any such weapons around Abuja.
Two, when a Christian President is in power in Nigeria, the most active part of the Villa would be the Chapel. By the same token, if it is a Muslim President, the mosque in the Villa gains special focus. There is never any doubt about the locus of affinity in Nigerian politics. In an extremely superstitious society such as we have, our leaders don’t joke with their spiritual well-being. Every big man’s wife is a prayer warrior. “My wife is a prayer warrior”, is a common refrain in the corridors of power. The people that pray for the big man, from his wife to her relatives and the spiritual consultants eventually become so influential they could in fact influence appointments and state policy. African leaders are so insecure, we must someday attempt an intellectual assessment of the damage they have done to the governance process in Africa, with their insecurity and fears.
Three, cronyism is a strong factor in African politics. Our leaders are only comfortable with the people that they know. Whoever is not known personally must have a Godfather or a minder that can be consulted. When people win power in Nigeria, they don’t hand it over to other people that easily. Everything is transactional. There are no big or average men – they are all looking for what is in it for them. And this is what has held Nigerian down. If anyone investigates the real underbelly of Nigeria, there will be no countryanymore because it is Nigeria that feeds all the big men. It is in reality an unproductive country with the rich depending on oil revenue and deceiving the poor and the underprivileged. Our big men appoint cronies. They are afraid of tomorrow.
Four, democracy was meant to help and advance our society. But we do not have properly organized political parties. We also do not have politicians in the sense of having people who are committed to the common good. Nigerian politicians don’t owe allegiance to any body of ideas. They are here today. They are there tomorrow. I recently accosted a Nigerian politician who was quite prominent in the PDP-Jonathan administration. He has since realigned and he is speaking up, loudly and boldly for the APC-Buhari administration. I asked him how it is so easy for him to change camp so smoothly. His answer is that when you move from Manchester United to Chelsea, your job is to score against Man-U. This is the most apt description of Nigeria that I have ever heard. Politics, like governance in NigerPolitics, like governance in Nigeria, is a game, a play, a profitable illusion. We, the ordinary people are the ones who put so much weight on it.
So when anyone accuses President Buhari of favouring his own people, such a person misses the point about the way Nigeria is. Let me just drop this one here: in the First Republic under Aguiyi-Ironsi, as short as that period was, Igbos, with their man in power, dominated the Federal Civil Service. The Hausa-Fulani, whenever it was their turn in power, lowered the standards and the admission scores and positioned themselves. There is now a Federal Character clause in the Nigerian Constitution, but Nigerians know that they stand a chance to benefit more only when their kinsman is in charge at the centre. It is Buhari’s turn today. It is the Hausa-Fulani’s time.
The Presidency has offered a so-called list of appointees, but the forensic analysis of that list that has been attempted has shown that the best positions in the most strategic sectors are in the hands of the core Hausa-Fulani. That is how the game is played, sadly. And let me add this: it is a pity the list did not disclose the identity of the cooks and closest aides in the Presidential Villa. These are very strategic positions too, but which Nigerian President would allow a man who does not speak his language to cook for him or enter his bedroom?
Nigeria is a country that is ruled and driven by fear and insecurity even at the highest levels. Nigerian leaders are as scared and as insecure as the people they lead. While struggling to be Nigerian, and nationalistic, they don’t ever forget their ethnic roots and the burden of Nigerian history. We have a list which says President Buhari has appointed persons from across Nigeria but how inclusive is that list?
We need, therefore to deal with the big issues, not givens. We must insist that Nigeria needs such a leader who can break the ceilings. For us that will be the true definition of change, and the extension of transformation; in the process, imagined and extant givens will fail and the country can be transformed. What Nigerians want when they complain about marginalization and the absence of federalism is that they want a country that is based on a foundation of merit, justice and equity. They want a meritocratic society where the best and the brightest can aspire to the highest levels in society regardless of their ethnic, religious or geographical extraction. It is possible to interpret change otherwise as infrastructure, but a developing country will always need infrastructure, depending on the commitment and discipline of succeeding administrations. We need now and later, a value-driven leadership, which also adds value in space and time.
To be sure that we are on the same page, our obsession with ethnicity and nepotism is a poor reminder of how poorly our country continues to turn out. The day a Nigerian can serve his or her local government, state, Senatorial district, state and the Federal Government without anyone asking where he or she comes from, but strictly on the basis of merit and accomplishments, then may be, indeed may be, then we would have a country again. For now, we are at best, a possible country in search of a nation.

There is Corruption in the Nigerian Army - An Insider's Explosive Account

CORRUPTION IN THE ARMY EXPOSED: A BRAVE SOLDIER FROM OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE WRITES PRESIDENT BUHARI AN OPEN LETTER.

His Excellency,
President Muhammadu Buhari,
Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Arrmed Forces,
Presidential Villa,
Abuja.

Your Excellency,

Having read the online correspondence between Dr. Idris Ahmed of CUPS and our Army spokesman, Brigadier Generral S.K. Usman, I have decided to take a major risk and write to your Excellency directly over this issue.

Sir, I am a course-mate of Pvt. Abdulrauf Aliyu, who Oga S.K. claimed that he has gone AWOL. We trained at the same company, Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria, Kaduna State. We are presently posted to Operation LAFIYA DOLE. On behalf of all the colleagues of Pvt. Abdulrauf Aliyu, I categorically refute the allegation that Pvt. Abdulrauf Aliyu deserted the Army. The Sections 59 - 63 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as quoted by Oga S.K., has always been mentioned by our superiors, to protect themselves and antagonise us, whenever they have done mischief.

Your Excellency, the case of Pvt. Abdulrauf Aliyu is actually not an isolated one. There are many such cases of soldiers who got wounded at the battlefront. It is true, some are well looked after, as mentioned by Oga S.K. Usman in his press release. Unfortunately, due to corruption in the system, some unfortunate soldiers, mostly from less privileged backgrounds, are left to fend for themselves. Like myself, Pvt. Abdulrauf Aliyu comes from a humble family. He sustained life threatening injuries in the abdomen during a routine operation. The initial first aid treatment and medical care that he received was very inadequate. With full Army permission, Pvt Abdulrauf Aliyu and his family paid for his transfer to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Unfortunately, the care he received in Maiduguri Teaching Hospital too was inadequate. Eventually, his family had to pay for his transfer to a specialist facility in Sokoto.

Your Excellency, corruption in the Army is REAL, and it is killing us. Every man and woman who decided to join the Army knows the risks. While we expect to die in the hands of the enemy, we don’t expect to die in the hands of the Nigerian Army, due to corruption and criminal negligence.

Just the other week, about 14 (I am not sure of the exact numbers) of our colleagues died in the hands of Boko Harram, who attacked the Army camp. The circumstances surrounding their unnecessary death warrants a full investigation by his Excellency. Sir, you will be shocked of the outcome. The bodies of the slain heroes are still lying here in Damaturu, Yobe State. The story of this incidence has hardly been officially published by the Army or Nigerian media. Attached is the picture of the commander of the camp. He too died in the attack.

Your Excellency, this is the third month in a row that we have been denied of our operations allowance. We have to rely ONLY on our meager salary for everything. From battalion commanders, to Company and Sectors leaders, we are all in debt, because our salaries are not enough to sustain us at the battlefront while feeding our families back at home. It is a big shame that we have joined the Army to defend the civilians, yet we have to go to the civilians in town to borrow money to fend for ourselves at the battlefront.

Take for instance the food that we are fed. Most of the times it is not fit for human consumption. I attach for your perusal, your Excellency, the lunch that was fed to us this afternoon (3/11/2017). As you can clearly see, there is not a single piece of meat or fish in it. The taste of the food is so bad that we have to add surplus salt to be able to eat it. This is also dangerous for our health. A plate of our food per soldier is probably about two hundred Naira (N200).

It is said that the Federal Government spends about fourteen thousand Naira (N14,000) on each prisoner in Nigeria. Here, at the battlefront in Operation LAFIYA DOLE, the Army spends about six hundred Naira (N600) per day per soldier on feeding us, while in reality billions of Naira is appropriated per year for this purpose. Your Excellency, we are treated like animals. Most of us are afraid to talk because of the dire consequence.

As the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, your Excellency, kindly investigate. There is corruption in the Army. Brave soldiers are needlessly dying.

By Patriotic Soldier.
Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
Damaturu.
Yobe State.

3/11/2017.

Jesus' Blood Is On The Mercy Seat - Joseph Prince

He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

Leviticus 16:14
- NOVEMBER 4 -
JESUS’ BLOOD IS ON THE MERCY SEAT
If you have watched the movie, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, you would remember that when the lid of the ark was lifted, strange-looking creatures floated out and destroyed the people around it. Interesting as it may be, this is biblically inaccurate—the ark of the Bible did not contain strange-looking creatures. What were the things inside it then?

There were three items in the ark: the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod and two stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments. (Hebrews 9:4) These items are actually symbols of man’s rebellion. The golden pot of manna represents man’s rejection of God’s provision. The rod of Aaron represents man’s rejection of God’s leadership and the two stone tablets of God’s commandments represent man’s rejection of His standard of holiness.

But because God delights in mercy, He had these items put away in the ark and covered with the mercy seat, which had two cherubim on it. (Hebrews 9:5) And once a year, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the ark was and sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrifice on the mercy seat. This means that God’s eyes, represented by the eyes of the cherubim, did not see the symbols of man’s rebellion. As long as the blood was there on the mercy seat, He saw only the blood and accepted the people.

Today, Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven—the throne of grace. (Hebrews 9:23–26) Interestingly, the number of times that the Old Testament high priest had to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat—seven—speaks of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. And because His sacrifice is perfect and He is perfect, we who are in Christ have perfect standing forever before God!

My friend, as you come to God today, don’t worry about falling short of His standard of holiness. He does not see your sins. (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17) He sees His Son’s blood on the mercy seat. You have perfect standing before Him forever!

Help Me Pray, Holy Spirit - Joseph Prince

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Jude 1:20
- NOVEMBER 3 -
‘HELP ME PRAY, HOLY SPIRIT’
When my daughter Jessica was little, she woke up one night crying. She was not sick, but would not stop crying even though her mother and I tried to pacify her. I did not know what to do. I went to the restroom, sat on the floor and cried out, “Holy Spirit, You know what is wrong with my child. You know what she needs better than I do, so I yield her to You now.” I started praying in tongues and she stopped crying immediately!

Now, I wish that such instantaneous results are the norm, but they are not. On another occasion, I experienced severe pain from the back of my neck to my shoulders. I prayed for healing, but the pain persisted for quite some time and I was quite concerned.

One night, in my room, I knelt down and prayed, “Holy Spirit, You know this condition. I don’t know what it is, but I am asking You to make perfect prayer against this condition.” I started praying in tongues. I don’t know how long I prayed, maybe an hour or so, until I felt the burden lift. I finally fell asleep, still in pain. But when I woke up, all the pain was gone!

When you are faced with a crisis, you can tell the Holy Spirit, “I don’t know how to pray about this problem. I have done everything I know, but I don’t seem to be getting my breakthrough. Help me pray, Holy Spirit.”

And as you pray in the Spirit, you will feel like there is a prayer going on within you. Flow with it until you feel a release. You will feel peace, the burden lifting and a note of victory inside you. The Holy Spirit will assure you that everything is going to be all right or He will prompt you to do something. Then, you will find that what has been hindering you from receiving your breakthrough is removed, and in its place is the answer you need!

 Joseph Prince Ministries