Boiling Point Arena: Clerics explain why Nigeria is not making much progress 

*Photo L-R: Emmanuel, Oladosu *

Popular preacher, Pastor Femi Emmanuel has explained the reason for the seeming failure in resolving the myriads of political and economic challenges faced by Nigeria in her 63-year nationhood history, despite its high ranking as a prayerful nation.

To the Cleric, it is almost impossible to expect that the country will make any fundamental progress with the existing faulty foundation premised on her current identity crisis that promotes ethnic superiority among the subsisting nationalities.

Pastor Emmanuel who is the Presiding Pastor, Livingspring Chapel International, spoke while answering questions as Guest Speaker on the popular monthly interview discourse,  *Boiling Point Arena* alongside another Cleric, Prof Afis Oladosu of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan.

Boiling Point Arena, the 13th in the monthly editions, is the brainchild of the Initiator and Convener, Dr Ayo Arowojolu, a  Media Professional and Public Relations Strategist with 33 years multi-varied career experience spanning the Media, Banking and Education sectors.

The Cleric noted that the insecurity challenges, economic downturn, and other associated problems bedeviling the country all emanated from the disruptive structure.

He stated that the country was built on a wrong foundation and could therefore not make any headway unless it returns to the drawing board.

Pastor Emmanuel who once got elected Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said despite copying the presidential system of government from the United States, the country has corrupted and bastardized the system.

His words: “Nigeria’s problem started in 1966 with the military when the coup happened and the Constitution was suspended and a unitary system was forced on us which we still run till today.

“Unless Nigerians will be honest enough and will tell the truth to ourselves and say, let’s return back to the drawing board, there is nothing we could do, or we are doing or we want to do, that will take this country forward. Because the foundation is wrong. The structure is wrong.”

The Cleric continued: “Nigeria missed it in 1966 when the unitary system was introduced and is still on till today which we deceitfully call 1999 Constitution as amended. But you see, you can’t amend a lie.”

Speaking on the topic: Global Ranking of Praying Nations: Why is God not answering prayers of Nigerians for national progress?, Pastor  Emmanuel however clarified that Nigeria’s problem has nothing to do with God.

According to him, “Nigeria’s problem has nothing to do with God, it has to do with ourselves. It is not that God is not answering our prayers. God has answered our prayers by creating us as different people.”

He called on President Bola Tinubu  to revisit the 2014 National Conference document, stressing that it has answers to the problems of the country.

He asserted: “The 2014 National Conference was the closest but you know what happened, the APC government came in and they said they have nothing to do with it and till today; and until we have something to do with that document, we are wasting our time. I just pray that our president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will have the enffrontery to so do.”

He added that there is need for the different ethnic nationalities in the country to come together in agreement on how to co-exist and develop a system that work for all.

“If we now decide to live together as we want to do, then we must agree that each nationalities should live according to their culture, tradition, their values, their histories and then let have a system of coordinating at the top”, he added.

On his part, an Islamic Cleric, Prof Afis Oladosu opined that Nigerians are praying but not supplicating, emphasizing that there is a huge difference between praying and supplication.

He highlighted other nations like Saudi Arabia and Malaysia that are also religious
and prayerful like Nigeria but do not have the same challenges that have held the country by the jugular .

Prof Oladosu affirmed: “Saudi Arabia is the epicenter of Muslim civilization. Nothing less than two million congregate at the Kabba daily. When you get to Saudi Arabia, you discover that things are working, corruption index of Saudi Arabia is far less than most countries. Go to Malaysia, and you will see a country working, Malaysia is muslim predominant country, the country is working and they are prayerful.”

Prof Oladosu argued that all the challenges and woes bedeviling Nigeria should not be laid at the doorstep of politicians alone, noting that religious leaders of both the Christian and Islamic divides should be reined-in such that our acclaimed religiousity should be matched by more level of godliness.

The interview session which drew a large global audience was transmitted live on an Abeokuta-based radio station, Sweet 107.1FM and via Zoom for two hours duration.

A traditional ruler, the Gbegande of Ososa, Oba Dr Adetoye Alatishe, delivered a keynote address at the event, appealing to Nigerians not to lose trust in God for remedies to all identified problems.

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