Says God is not angry with Nigeria, but….
By Emuesiri Obah
Bishop (Dr) Dele Oladipupo of the Resurrection Praise Ministry (aka Jehovah Sharp Sharp) has frowned at people, particularly politicians who see politics in Nigeria as a game, saying until that orientation changes we won’t make progress.
The prominent religious leader, who was speaking exclusively to the media at his Church’s Cathedral at No 9, Resurrection Road, off PTI Road, Effurun, Delta State also noted that lack of planning and short-sightedness are some of the problems confronting the Nation.
Fondly called the African Prophet, Bishop (Dr.) Dele Oladipupo, in the thought-provoking interview, challenges the prevailing notion that politics is merely a game. “The way we play politics is killing this country. Somebody said to me that Politics is a game. Politics is not a game. That’s a wrong mentality to think so. Politics is about serving the people, and not a game. You don’t play games with people’s lives. How would you say something that plenty of lives are hanging on to, you are using it to play a game. It is not a game.
“So, as long as our politicians believe that politics is a game, we are done for. They need to change their orientation. Politics is about serving people, and giving service,” he asserts passionately while underscoring the critical need for a paradigm shift in Nigerian Politics.
Asked to reflect on the current state of the nation, especially as Nigeria is a praying Nation, the Bishop draws from a lesson imparted by his spiritual mentor, His Eminence Archbishop Samson Mustapha Benjamin. “My Father in the Lord said when you pray, God will give you the blocks, the cement, the gravel, the sand—He will give you everything to build with. It’s now left for you to have the wisdom to decide whether to build a skyscraper, a storey building, or just a room and parlour. Everything is available to you,”
Responding to concerns about God being angry with Nigeria, he asserts that God is not angry nor is the nation cursed, but blessed abundantly with natural resources. His Lordship, who was a student activist in his youthful days, said: “I earlier asserted about a man that God gave blocks, cement, gravel and water. It’s now left for him to build. And with every abundance that he had, he decided to build a room and parlour. Now he lacks wisdom.
”So, God is not angry with Nigeria. No state in this country does not have solid mineral resources with a commercial value. The last state would have possibly four mineral resources, or three, in commercial value, that whatever you spend to explore, you will get back. Now, God has given us all these. These are things to better the lives of the people…
“God has given us enough. When you put the right people in the right places, they will be able to make the right policies and be able to gather think tanks that would better things. To turn this country around is to first put the right people. Once you don’t have the right person, the person would be defending himself in every area.
“When you don’t have the right person in the place you have just wasted the four years that the person would use, you would now be waiting for another one and start praying for God to bring another one.
“We pray too much, but we don’t do anything. Do you pray before you go and poo in the toilet? Nobody prays. You just feel it and go. There are things that you should do naturally, instinctively that you don’t need prayers for. It is when you want to eat that you bless food. When you have foodstuffs you cook, you don’t pray that God want to eat rice and you have raw rice, who would cook it? You will do the cooking.
“God gave us enough solid minerals and natural resources. Every state has what can turn that state around. So, what do we expect from God? To come down and mine the resources for us? Or to come and be the MD of the Refinery; to come and repair the Refinery? This country is extremely blessed. With all these things happening, you would see the Whites coming in to do business and go, and they make money.
“We are not under a curse, our problem is management. Wisdom is all about management. We don’t have people who are in the position of administration that has the required wisdom. It is not only to gather wisdom to talk to people but wisdom to do something beneficial to all.
“We should look for people who are experts in administration. We should get people who are experts in something…”
The African Prophet also emphasized the importance of strategic planning and foresight, lamenting the lack of adequate infrastructure and preparation to accommodate Nigeria’s growing population. “We were not prepared as a nation. If we were, there should be roads leading to places even where there are no houses. Today, some places that were forests before are now densely populated but with no single road, nothing.”
The religious leader criticized the shortsightedness of political policies that focus solely on winning elections rather than long-term development. “We don’t prioritize things. Some facilities are from ages ago, and we are just painting a mud house with expensive paint. That’s what we are doing now….we don’t plan. We only plan to win elections…then, when we get there and see the mess, how do we fix it?” he says,
Highlighting the disconnect between political appointments and expertise, he advocates for specialization. “Anybody that knows about aviation should be the Minister of Aviation. Anybody that knows about labour productivity should be appointed as the Minister of Labor and Productivity. It’s not about political affiliation or sentiment.”
He calls for a systemic change, urging that leaders with relevant expertise and proven track records be appointed to key positions. “By putting the right people in the right places, we can see significant improvements in a short time.”
Addressing the youth, he laments the erosion of the value of hard work and the process of achieving success. “Even the youths forget about the process. They are now into Yahoo, Yahoo, because the process of labouring, working, gathering, and getting to the point of wealth is too long for them.”
The full interview comes your way soon. Watch out!
