HIGHLIGHTS
• Excerpts
• Introduction
• Some of the people responsible for the economic crisis and implication for Nigeria
• Political implication
• Religious implication
• Conclusion
EXCEPTS
The Israelites lifted up their eyes and looked up to the bronze serpent on the cross and they were healed and saved.
Again, God proved his love on the cross when Christ hung, bled and died on it. It was God saying to the world “I love you.”
On the contrary, Nigerians have been hanging endlessly on the cross of economic crisis, hunger, deprivation, unemployment, insecurity and poverty.
Sadly, Nigerians have been bleeding from the wounds inflicted by the political class as a consequence of poor leadership, bad governance, and corruption. The Fulanization policies of the Muhammadu Buhari government brought in herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers who have added salt into the injuries and the bleeding continuous unabated.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have been looking up to the political class for help, but instead of help the people are getting deeper into agony and doom.
The hardship of Nigerians – the cross of Jesus Christ. What a paradoxical phenomenon.
INTRODUCTION
“Take up your cross and follow me”
My dear friend, I want to share with you a story told of a man who approached our Lord Jesus Christ with a complaint that his cross is too heavy and troublesome for him. Our Lord responded by taking him to a house full of crosses of different types, shapes, and sizes.
He asked him to drop the cross he was carrying and pick another befitting one of his choice.
The man dropped his cross in the midst of the others in the room and took his time to look around. He saw big crosses, medium crosses and just one cross that looked smaller than the others, and he quickly picked it up. Our Lord asked him if that was his final choice and he said “yes it feels good and I can bear it.”
At this point, our Lord told him that it was the same cross he came with and complained about when he entered the house.
THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND IMPLICATION FOR NIGERIA
The burden and troubles of life are our crosses. As the crosses come in different colours shapes and sizes, so are our burdens, troubles, and situations.
Regrettably, these crosses are not of God but from our fellow Nigeians.
For example :
(1) Muhammadu Buhari. He came into the presidency with a popular vote, popular demand, a high approval rating, and high expectations from across the country. But as soon as he settled down to governance, the man that promised Nigerians at his inaugural speech that “I am for everybody, and I am for no body”, the real Buhari revealed that he was a president for only a section of the country. He became a religious and tribal bigot as reflected in his appointment, policy implementation, and even in security matters. His Fulanization policies that caused a large influx of Fulani militia/ herdsmen combined with his kid gloves treatment of the Boko Haram terrorist group excercibated the precarious security and economic situation of Nigeria. As a consequence, the Nigerian Army, Air force and etc were not only usually humbled, overwhelmed and defeated by these rag tag militia, but became a toothless bull dog.
On the economic front, Buhari who inherited a buoyant Nigeria in 2015 handed over not only a beger nation but a near failed state that was at the brink.
His clueless disposition, the corrupt government he superintended over, and his penchant for spending on frivalous and sectional projects led him to indulge in foreign borrowing earned Nigeria the no. one (1) position of the world’s debtor nation.
Available facts of budget deficit indicated that at first quarter (Q1) of 2022 the federal government of president Muhammadu Buhari had borrowed far in excess, and the highest borrowing by any government since 1999.
By the time president Buhari left office on 29th May 2023, Nigeria had over #121.4 trillion foreign loan to pay.
He also handed over a dysfunctional, divided, polarized, a hungry citizenry, vulnerable, and unsecured country.
As he was hurriedly handing over power to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari could best be described as a shameful dog that tugs its tail in between its two hind legs at the approach of onlookers.
(2) The EFCC is pursuing politicians, past and serving governors, past and serving senators/parliamentarians, civil servants etc for various levels of economic crimes.
(3) Government agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) involved in corruption between 2021and 2022 in this magnitude :
(a) #40.13 billion Naira
(b) $922.64 million dollars
(c) $289,931.82
(4) Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank under the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari is accused of stashing away billions in Nigerian bank accounts. He didn’t stop there as he is allegedged to have transferred billions of Nigeria’s funds to 593 bank accounts in foreign banks located in the United States, United Kingdom and China without authorization by the board and investment committee of the Central Bank.
(5) Ahmed Idris, one of the Accountant Generals of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency. In 2022 Ahmed Idris is allegedged to have stolen a whopping #80 billion Naira in the first instance, and another #90 billion in the second. Idris was never sent to jail for this offence.
(6) Sadiya Umar-Farouk, minister of Humanitarian Affairs in Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency is alleged to have embezzled not less than #729 billion.
Interestingly, and of serious concerns is that this #729 billion translates to :
(a) Five (5%) of Nigeria’s 2021 National budget of #13.6 trillion.
(b) Near equivalent to the federal government annual budgetary allocation to the entire ministry of education for most of the years of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency.
(7) Ahmed Nasir El Rufai, governor of Kaduna State during Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency is the man who introduced ransom payment into Nigeria when in a world press conference in his office in December 2016 he said that he traced Fulani herdsmen to Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Fasso, etc where he paid them compensation for the killings done to their people as well as their cattle by citizens of Southern Kaduna.
You can confirm this in the Vanguard Newspaper of 3rd December 2016.
This same El Rufai is allegedged to have embezzled #423 billion, a debt of $587 million dollars and another one of #85 billion. He is equally allegedged to have left behind 115 contract liabilities for the people of Kaduna State to grapple with.
(8) Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state during Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency is being pursued by the EFCC for allegedged embezzlement of #80.246 billion.
(9) Dr. Beta Edu, the short lived minister of Humanitarian Affairs in the first few months of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency is alleged to have diverted $640,000 of public funds into 50 personal accounts of some individuals. As at April 2024 the EFCC reported that it had recovered #30 billion as part of the on-going corruption probe of Dr. Beta Edu.
(10) President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s extravagance and penchant for spending seem to have no mercy for the suffering Nigerians.
Right at his swearing in ceremony on 29th May 2023, Tinubu announced the total removal of oil subsidy without first puting in place strategies to cussion the effects, and you can see the consequences of such action on the pomp price per litre in the market :
May 2023 – #298
June 2023 – #490
Aug’ 2023 – #550
Oct’ 2023 – #560
Jan’ 2024 – #650
April 2024 – #720
July 2024 – #820
Aug’ 2024 – #920
Sept’ 2024 – #1,200
As if that is not enough, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu within just one year of his presidency embarked on the following projects :
(a) Purchase of a presidential Jet – #150 billion.
(b) Purchase of fleet of SUV cars – #160 billion.
(c) Construction of Lagos – Calabar coastal road – $13 billion dollars.
(d) Renovation of Vice President house – #21 billion.
(e) Purchase of Presidential Yacht (boat) – #5 billion.
Fellow Nigeians, those are our crosses, and still the following are also our burdens, our crosses :
• Is the economic hardship and high cost of living becoming too heavy a cross to carry ?
• Are you struggling with a stubborn and wayward child?
• Are you childless even without hope?
• Are you tired of waiting for the right partner?
• Is your spouse the troublesome nagging and abusive type?
• Are you tired of searching for a job?
• Are you afflicted with series of misfortune?
• Are you or a family member afflicted with a disability or a life threatening disease?
• Is the prevailing insecurity of banditry, kidnapping, killings, terrorism, unemployment, strikes, high cost of education in our institutions, and hardship situation in the country having a devastating effect on you?
• As an employee does your take home pay takes you home?
• As a pensioner how pensive are you at pay day?
• As a dependant when last did you get your usual stipend?
• As a student have your parents paid up the back load of your fees?
• As a housewife is the ‘chop money’ enough for the family?
POLITICAL IMPLICATION
The political class have proved to be a gang of crooks who specializes in the repatriation of our common wealth to foreign bank accounts.
All these dysfunctionalities are the result and consequences of our choices of leadership in Nigeria.
Well my friend, these are your burdens, your crosses.
God knows your situation and He will make a way at his own chosen time.
And you are to carry these crosses, these burdens, these situations along as you journey through life.
Take them up.
But you can do something about them :
(a) You have a choice to change the leadership of Nigeria through peaceful democratic means.
(b) Don’t sit on the fence. Join the people, join the revolution to change your situation and destiny.
(c) The Church encourages her members to fully understand and participate in politics, civic duty and democratic activities of the country.
RELIGIOUS IMPLICATION
In Luke’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), Jesus admonished every christian to deny himself and relations for the sake of following Him.
In Mathew’s Gospel (Matt. 16:21-27) our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the precondition for discipleship. He begins by describing his “cross” which consists of going to Jerusalem, suffering, and dying. He also added that he would rise on the third day.
Jesus didn’t only predict what will happen to him in Jerusalem but also gives us three basic ways that would help us become true disciples. Namely:
1.Deny your self
2. Take up your cross
3. Follow me.
A. Deny your self, we all know that it is not easy to deny oneself like to deny others. However, the denial Jesus is referring to is an act of depriving oneself of pleasure and comfort for the sake of his kingdom and for humanity.
But come off it. Haven’t Nigerians suffered and sacrificed enough to warrant God to take away these crosses of distress and death hanging on our shoulders ?
B. Take up your cross and follow me. The cross in this context refers to service to God and humanity, which in itself is very tasking and demanding but very rewarding as well. Even though the man in this story complained, yet he couldn’t escape the cross.
This means we cannot run away from our responsibility to God and humanity no matter how difficult it may be.
But I do know that we can run away from the suffering of hunger, insecurity, and deprivation by making the right choices of our political leadership.
(1) Have you made the choice of your cross ?
(2) Do you have a choice ?
(3) May God grant us the grace not only to carry our crosses and follow Jesus, but to participate effectively in replacing the bad political Leadership of Nigeria through peaceful democratic means.
CONCLUSION
The Israelites lifted up their eyes to the serpent on the cross and they were healed and saved.
Again, God proved his love on the cross when Christ hung, bled and died on it. It was God saying to the world – “I love you.”
On the contrary, Nigerians have been hanging endlessly on the cross of hunger, deprivation, insecurity, unemployment, and poverty.
Sadly, Nigerians have been bleeding from the wounds inflicted by the political class as a consequence of poor leadership, bad governance, and corruption.
The Fulanization policies of the Muhammadu Buhari government which is sustained by Bola Tinubu brought in herdsmen, bandits, gunmen and kidnappers who, unfortunately, have added salt into the injuries and the bleeding continuous unabated.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have been looking up to the political class for help, but instead of help the people are getting deeper into agony and doom.
The hardship of Nigerians – the cross of Jesus Christ. What a paradoxical phenomenon.
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