By Adesina Soyooye

President Bola Tinubu has revealed that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, holds two positions in his Government.

Receiving a 62-man delegation from Rivers State who came to to visit him at the Presidential Villa, Thursday, the President told them that Wike, currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is not only his Minister, but his Adviser and admirer.

The 62-man delegation was made up of the State’s Stakeholders.

A statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Ajuru Ngelale, after the President’s meeting with the delegation quoted the President to have told them: “The Honourable  Minister, Wike, is not just the Minister of FCT, he is also my adviser and an admirer of mine. He has hit the ground running, and he should be encouraged by the State.

Tinubu also urged patience for the Government from the younger generation of Nigerians. He said: “I am the Captain and Chief Salesman of the country. We have to reverse the trend and achieve possibilities within a short period of time. Our people have high expectations for us. I pledge to work hard, and I pray to God to put me on the right path not to disappoint Nigerians.”

Earlier, the delegation had asked the President to help with the infrastructural development of the State, and, particularly, pointed out the Elementary junction-Onne axis of the East-West road linking the Porthacourt Refinery.

Wike, PDP, worked against his Party in the February 25, 2023, Presidential Election. He worked for the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, now President Tinubu. He was rewarded with the position of the FCT Minister.

He still claims to be a member of the PDP.

By Charles Igbo

Pastor Ogunze Venitius Chinyerugo of the Deeper Life Church, 84 Nnobi Street, Anambra State, has resigned from office. Before his his resignation, the Pastor was incharge of a District.

He said he resigned in protest over the absolute support of Pastor William Kumuyi, the Founder and General Overseer of the Church for the All Progressives Congress, APC,  Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu.

In his resignation letter dated August 23, 2023, addressed to the Regional Overseer, Deeper Life, Pastor Chinyerugo said resignation follows a viral video where Kumuyi veered into politics in support of the Tinubu Administration which the Pastor noted has brought untold hardship upon the people.

He noted: “I write this note with great burden, bearing in mind its far-reaching spiritual implications.

“I feel that our Father in the Lord and our General Superintendent, Dr WF Kumuyi, has made a costly mistake and there is no way for me to effectively convey my mind to him than resigning as the Pastor of the above District, effective from today, the 23rd of August, 2023.

“My decision was taken after watching the video, which I forwarded to you, where he advised Nigerians to support the Government and the Ministers, because, according to him, they will perform, especially going by their antecedents.

“Honestly, I was devastated and felt terrible, humiliated and disappointed after watching the clip. For the records, I became born-again on April 10, 1984, as an undergraduate under the Christian Union, and later in that year I joined Deeper Life, after months of searching for a Church that reflects the Bible. Why not? I could not have left the world only to fool myself and surrender myself again to be deceived. I have not been disappointed since I joined the Church.

“God has so graciously used the Pastor to mould my Christian life and, of course, the life of many others. He has also, by words and conduct, taught us to mind the Kingdom business and to refrain from dabbling into political matters. He had exemplified this teaching for several decades by steering clear of political controversies, until lately.

“Most debilitating was his visit in 2019 to the President of Nigeria then, Muhammadu Buhari, at a time when Nigerians, Christians, pagans, Muslims and atheists, were wishing and praying for him to exit. While Nigerians with their short memories are trying to forget that visit-blunder to such an insensitive leader, a tribal and religious bigot, our pastor has committed another terrible blunder.

“He has recommended this present administration, in which every detail about the administration is antithetical to the Pastor’s preaching. And this is while the Presidency is still subject to national and international judicial contests. As a mathematician, I wonder what mathematical principle he used to arrive at that conclusion because my elementary arithmetic taught me that zero multiplied by one trillion amounts to zero. So, on what moral principle would this administration fight corruption? On the past performances and quality of the ministers, I wonder if our pastor knows about Isa Bagudu and many of the former Governors.

“Sir, if I do not remove the speck in my very own eyes, then I will be one of the hordes of hypocrites marauding everywhere in Nigeria. I am one of those who vehemently criticise members of Catholic, Anglican and some other Pentecostal churches for not drawing the attention of their own leaders when they go wrong, hence my decision to resign. I am particularly let down by the demeaning comments in the social media space, and, unlike usual, I am silenced to defend him because the comments are correct! He has given the enemies of the Lord the opportunity they are looking for to talk down on him and, by extension, the Church.

“All through the election campaigns, he maintained a glorious and dignified silence, and we members of the church earned respect for that. I wonder about the need for this comment at this point in time.

“I wish this message reaches him, but considering that the office bureaucracy will likely make it impossible for it to get to him, I may have to pass it to him through social media in the next one or two weeks, unless he speaks to Nigerians.

“Thanks a lot for indulging my several irritations. I pray for heaven at last for all of us.

“Supporting our leaders presupposes that such leaders meet up with 2 Samuel 23:3, that is, ‘They that want to rule among men must be righteous and fearing God,’ which obviously means that they should not rig, kill and corner power by force, they should have a popular mandate to rule. Any other prayer reserved for such leaders without the above qualifications is that God should give us the courage to stand up against them like the people of Sri Lanka. Since an Ethiopian cannot change his colour, praying for such people to change and, maybe, become born-again at this point in time is unrealistic.

“However, since faith without works is dead, when we have done all that we are supposed to do and there’s nothing else left, then we should resort to prayer, since, with God, nothing shall be impossible.”