NIGERIA AND THE POSSIBILITY OF DISINTEGRATION BY 2015

Nigeria won't disintegrate if...--House of Prayer leaders

BY IKENNA ASOMBA

As America's predictions for the disintegration of Nigeria by 2015 continue to rent the air, leaders of House of Prayer International Church (HPI), Lagos, have opined that the various ethnic groups making up the nation have no cause to part ways, if only they are all being carried along in government's programmes.

Speaking at the 50^th Joint Service of the Western District Council of HPI, Elder Silas Ibekwe, Chairman, HPI Editorial Board and the Editor, Apostle Nick Oguaju averred that only the practice of true tenets of Democracy, where resources are equitably distributed and the various ethnic regions carried along in government's programmes will tie the country together beyond 2015.

Elder Ibekwe said: “Nigeria is an amalgamation by our colonial masters in 1914, and in an amalgamation, after 100 years, the people (various ethnic groups) are allowed to sit together to decide if they want to be together or part ways. However, it's not my wish that Nigeria should disintegrate, but my candid opinion is that government should carry along the various ethnic groups in its programmes. If what is given to Peter is given to Paul, I don't think there would be agitations by any ethnic nationality to part ways.”

On his part, Apostle Oguaju opined that “this prediction may come true, if the true tenets of democracy is not imbibed by Nigeria's political leaders. Moreso if the marginalization of one ethnic group continues, ethnic groups are not carried along in terms of equitable distribution of the country's rich resources, I think the prediction is bound to come true.”

In the meantime, amidst the rising spate of terrorism and killings culpable of tearing the nation apart, Chairman of the district, Apostle Emma Nnabuike, had earlier posited that “the world is devastated because the people have failed to obey the commands of God. If people will believe and obey God's commands, worshiping on a particular day as he commanded, amongst other divine laws, I'm of the view that peace will reign in the world. After all, Isaiah 24 vs.5-6 told us that the earth is being punished, because people have defiled it by breaking God's laws and violating the covenants he made to last forever.”

On his take about the possibility of a disintegration by 2015, Nnabuike said: “My take is that let the will of God be done. We have no right if God destines it to happen. However, if the disintegration will cause bloodshed and loss of lives and properties, I would pray that the all-knowing God don't allow it come to pass.”

In the same vein, the cleric advised Nigerian youths seeking admission into tertiary institutions to take up courses that will imbue in them one vocational skill or the other. This, he own to the fact that white collar jobs are no longer readily available for them after graduation, which largely contributes to their indulging in various crimes.

His words: “Although, the unemployment syndrome is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It's all over the world. However, as daily reported by the media, its rate in the country is quite alarming and our youths are swiftly taking to all forms of crimes to get themselves busy. This is not a good decision by any youth. My candid advice is for the youths to turn to God for survival, because he who lives by crime and other acts of violence die by violence according to Proverbs 1 vs. 19.”

Asked why the church observes it's Sabbath Day on Saturday, Elder Ibekwe, a senior officer of the Nigerian Police Force said: “My happiness is that whatever we do here today, has already been instituted in the Bible. God made his creation works for six days and on the seventh day, he rested. And he mandated mankind to also rest with him on this same day. That's what we are living by. We are only following the steps of Jesus Christ, but it's unfortunate that even though Jesus Christ observed this day in Luke 4 vs. 16, Mark 2 vs. 27-28, many ignorant teachers in the Christendom still posit that Christ has nailed God's own sacred commands on the cross. This is an aberration,” he argued.