Quotations for Jonathan, Dame Patience and Wike

We also pointed out the spiritual danger of being vindictive and unforgiving and urged the President in particular to try to purge himself of the spirit of unforgiveness which he seems to have copied in large measure from former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Adopting the page as a pulpit, we told the President that if he […]

We also pointed out the spiritual danger of being vindictive and unforgiving and urged the President in particular to try to purge himself of the spirit of unforgiveness which he seems to have copied in large measure from former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Adopting the page as a pulpit, we told the President that if he fails to purge himself of the Obasanjo in him, the fate which Obasanjo suffers because of his unforgiving nature will also befall him. The Bible says it: ‘’God is not mocked; whatever a man sows that will he reap’’.
This week, we will still be in a preaching mood. We will first give a background to what inspired the piece we referred to and this one and go ahead to deliver the message and then be done with the outing.  Here is the background:
On Sunday March 2, my wife and I attended church service at the Gwarinpa Abuja parish of the Presbyterian Church in solidarity with a senior friend of mine Dr Akpama M. Akpama who was until recently the Commissioner representing CRS and Akwa- Ibom at the Federal Civil Service Commission. Dr Akpama’s wife, who he says is also his ‘mother’, Dr Mrs Mercy Akpama, had turned 50 and the couple was celebrating a thanksgiving service at the church. When the chief celebrant was called upon to read the first Bible reading for the day, she read the following: ‘’See that none renders evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men’’.
Immediately this verse of the Scriptures was read, it jumped at me and I heard a voice tell me, “write an article and quote all verses of Scriptures that forbid vengeance and address it to Jonathan, his wife, Patience and Wike. Our effort today is therefore in compliance with a divine command to preach a message to a couple and an aide to whom God has entrusted the destiny of nearly 200million Nigerians to their care.
Here, and for the purpose of space, are only a few of the many verses of the Bible that expressly command all the children of God not to engage in score keeping, vendetta and un-forgiveness. This is for the benefit of especially President Jonathan, other leaders who seem disposed to vendetta and for all ordinary men and women who will be divinely guided to read this piece:
‘’Though shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shall love thy neighbour as thy self’’ (Leviticus 19: 18). God says he is better placed to judge or act as arbiter between his feuding children. He says: ‘’to me belongeth vengeance and recompense’’ (Deuteronomy 32: 35). What God expects of his children is to cry to him for justice when they feel unjustly or unfairly treated by another. The guide is given in Psalm 94: 1-2: ‘’O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself’’. No one is expected to resort to self- help because he is sure to ‘’overhelp’’ himself.
What is the reward for those who chose to allow God to be the judge in their dispute with their neighbours? “’For if ye forgive men their trespasses; your heavenly father will also forgive you: But, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses’’ (Matthew 6: 14&15). In Mark 11: 26 we are also told: ‘’But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses’’
For those who in spite of the teachings above decide that they will play God, this is what they will get in return: ‘’For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment’’ (James 2:3).
In Matthew 18 from verses 21 we are told a very long and fascinating story of an unforgiving servant which concludes in verse 35 with a moral: ‘’So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses’’.
From the secular world, we also have numerous proverbs and wise sayings counselling us to forget about vengeance. ‘’An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth will leave all of us blind and toothless’’, is a quotation that South African Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu has made famous. Similarly, there is a popular Nigerian saying that ‘’He who is digging a pit for another should make it shallow because he himself may fall into it’’.
In addition to all these, I also wish to humbly recommend that the President should read Martin Luther King Jnr.’s The Strength to Love.  I have bought more than 10 copies of this book yet I do not have a single copy of it in my library today because anyone who loans it never returns it. So great is the teaching on forgiveness and love that anyone who reads it does not want to part with it anymore. He should also read Dale Carnegie’s book How to Make Friends and Influence People. I am certain that if the President had read this book before his encounter with Amaechi he would have used a different approach to conquer Amaechi with love for his re-election bid instead of the antagonistic approach he adopted which has done much to alienate Amaechi from him and turned a potential friend to a visceral enemy today. He should also read Martin Meredith’s book The State of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence.  This one will teach him one of the main reasons why African leaders since independence some fifty years ago have not been able to achieve much. One of the central reasons is African leaders’ disposition to political vindictiveness and intolerance for people with different views or opinions.
 Given the level of challenges facing our country I think that the only legitimate and acceptable war which I urge our presidents, governors, their wives, their aides and all those who they are able to mobilize to fight is: War Against Underdevelopment (WAU) and not the War Against Rivals (WAR) which Jonathan, his wife and aides have been fighting lately and which our previous presidents, notably Obasanjo, fought and bequeathed to Jonathan. While WAU will take us somewhere, WAR will not.