- Bolaji Abdullahi narrates an encounter Goodluck Jonathan had with an unnamed cleric before the 2015 election
- Senate president, Bukola Saraki, alleges that the reason foreign nations are reluctant to return looted funds to Nigeria was because of the bad management of them
The national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has narrated how an unnamed cleric advised former president, Goodluck Jonathan, to pull down the “altar of Baal” in his government.
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Abdullahi made the disclosure in an advanced copy of his new book, On a Platter of Gold, which will go on sale nationwide from November 30, 2017, after the launch, The Cable reports.
The APC chieftain, who served as minister under Jonathan from 2011-2014, stated that the event happened before Jonathan unsuccessfully sought a second term in 2015.
According to Abdullahi’s narration: “One day, a man of God went to see President Jonathan. God had sent him to minister to the president, he said. He opened to the book of Judges and read to him from 6:11. The president followed from his own copy of the Bible.
…That night the Lord said to him (Gideon), “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order…
“‘Mr. President, God has put you here for a purpose. But you cannot fulfill the purpose, unless you “pull down the altar of Baal” around you first. There are some things you need to deal with before you can achieve your vision for Nigeria,’ the man of God concluded.
“Jonathan agreed. He had also never ceased to wonder at his own incredible story. How from a humble lecturer, he became a deputy governor and then governor. Without having to move a muscle, he became vice president and then the president of the most powerful black nation on earth. Within a decade, he had come a long way in such a short time. ‘You are right. Even me I know. But I don’t know what shrine God wants me to demolish."
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“The man of God closed his Bible and stood up. He had been a little taken aback by Jonathan’s code switching. He was talking about altar; the president was talking about shrine. ‘Mr. President, if you still don’t know what altar to pull down, then you need to ask God."
Abdullahi said what Jonathan did next might never be known, but concluded that the “altars of Baal” metaphor was apparently a reference to the perceived corruption in the administration.
“We may never know if President Jonathan spoke to God as advised, and if indeed God told him what to do. But as the Archbishop of Canterbury Walter Reynolds preached in 1327, ‘Vox populi, vox Dei’. Almost all through his tenure, Nigerians had made it known, loud and clear, which altar they wanted him to pull down – the altar of corruption,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has alleged that the reason foreign nations are reluctant to return looted funds to Nigeria was because of the bad management of them.
The Punch reports that the Senate president made these remarks at the ‘Strategic Retreat on Tracking the Progress of Anti-Corruption Bills in the National Assembly’ in Abuja on Tuesday, November 28.
Saraki alleged that proceeds of corruption recovered by the government were being looted by anti-corruption agencies which was affecting return of foreign loots.
He said the National Assembly was focused on the issue of corruption and addressing the problem. He said every bill passed was tilted towards how the National Assembly would contribute to the fight against corruption.
Saraki said President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment towards the fight against corruption was not in doubt.
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Source: Naija.ng
