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Apostle Victor Oku, Senior Pastor, Divine Mercy Church International, Lagos, has advised Nigerians to be patient with President Tinubu, saying very soon the administration’s economic policies will begin to yield positive results.
In an interview with DICKSON OKAFOR, he faulted the call by some people for the return of fuel subsidy, noting that it will be dangerous since it was not captured in this year budget.
He also spoke on other pressing national matters.
You prophesied that President Tinubu would win the last election, and that his administration would improve the living standard of Nigerians. But there is a lot of hunger and hardship in the country. What’s your reaction?
Yes, I prophesied that Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the 2023 Presidential election and he won. But I also told you that President Tinubu will do damage control before he can stabilise the economy, because he inherited economic burden from the immediate past administration led by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Again, I told you that a tree does not make a forest. Remember that I also emphasised that the people should be patient with the incoming government last year. And I’m using this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with the present administration because very soon there will be light at the end of the tunnel. What we are passing through started with the past administrations hence it did not start with President Tinubu led administration. Meanwhile, Nigerians should thank God that He gave us Tinubu to clean the mess, else Nigeria would have become a failed state. I’m speaking as the mouthpiece of almighty God. We should not expect government to fix a battered economy within one year; it has never happened in any third world country. That is why we must be patient and join hands with the government to salvage the economy.
However, things became worse after fuel subsidy was removed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2023 budget which took effect from June while he left office on May 29. So, we must all be patient to overcome the economic challenge.
Because of the increasing wave of hunger, some Nigerians recently embarked on agitation and protest. What is your advice to these angry youths?
They should calm down because violent protest is not the solution to the present state of the nation’s economy, rather it may lead to destruction of property and loss of lives. Like I said earlier, as leaders of tomorrow they should join hands with the government to fix the country. Protest will cause more havoc and may not bring quick solution. They should engage in prayers for the nation because it is through prayers we can make our supplications known to God. And He will surely answer us. This is my advice to the youths as the mouthpiece of God. Youth should forget approaching matters through protest which can result to violence, and that is not good at this trying time for the nation. The Bible says “We can do all things through Christ that strengthen us.” Nigeria must be great again.
President Tinubu has signed into law the N70,000 new minimum wage. Some lawmakers have also offered to reduce their salaries. Are these enough sacrifices by the leaders?
It is a welcome development by President Tinubu and members of the House of Representatives to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians. As leaders they have shown that a leader must lead by example, but that sacrifice by the federal lawmakers is not enough because they should also reduce their allowances and other benefits. And by so doing they have made the required sacrifices we expect from them as our representatives and leaders. That is why I said, all hands must be on deck to unitedly develop our nation.
What’s your opinion on the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development by President Tinubu?
The creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development is another achievement by the Tinubu led administration and like you rightly mentioned, it will put an end to Fulani herdsmen and farmers clash especially in Benue State and in some parts of Southern Nigeria. That is why I’m appealing to Nigerians to be patient with President Tinubu because with time he will fix the country and Nigeria will be great again. According to the Book of Galatians, God said one of the fruits of the spirit is patience.
You cannot rush God to do anything outside His time. So, we must be patient to get the best from God’s anointed leader and also wait on God’s time to achieve our goals in life. Yes, livestock is a lucrative part of agriculture that is yet to be full tapped in Nigeria. And with the creation of the ministry it will help harness our agricultural potentials and also open up the livestock sector of the nation’s economy in order to curb food scarcity and create employment.
What would you say about the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to the 774 local governments in the country?
The judgement is another milestone achievement of the President Tinubu led administration. Before now, the past administrations could not achieve this feat, but within one year in office the present administration did and Nigerians have commended Tinubu to have dared the cabal who have been feasting on local government allocation for two decades. Apostle Paul said, do not muscle the ox, because a labourer is worthy of his wages hence it is the best move by the government. This is one of the ways to stop corruption in high places because he that labours must eat the fruit of his labour.
Nigerians in the grassroots only hear how much that comes to the local government as monthly allocation, but they don’t feel its impact. Because they were being hijacked by the governors and peanut is given to the caretaker chairmen to pay only salaries while the rest goes into the pocket of the governors.
INEC chairman, Prof Yakubu, has said the commission can conduct LG elections. What do you make of this?
Yes, INEC can because men are capable of doing anything. God has given wisdom to men to do things rightly because the Bible said The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Any leader that has the fear of God knows the right thing to do. So, the INEC Chairman can conduct credible local government election if the constitution gives the commission power to do so. And if he has the fear of God, he can conduct free and fair election. All the Chairman of INEC need is the fear of God to right the wrong the commission made in the past elections. Sincerely speaking, most Nigerians do not trust Prof. Mohmood Yakubu because they are disenchanted with the results of the 2023 Presidential election and other results hence he need to restore confidence of the electorate on the commission by ensuring that, if given the opportunity to conduct local government elections, he would do it credibly well.
What do you think President Tinubu should to earn the confidence of Nigerians?
Like I said in my last interview, President Tinubu should as a matter of urgent importance seek the counsel of God to get divine directions on how to return Nigeria to the path of greatness.. Nigeria is the largest black nation in the world and the people are looking up to him to fix the country the way he fixed Lagos State as governor from 1999 to 2027.
When a city is large, most times the leaders of such cities could be misled by wrong advisers. President Tinubu should seek divine guidance to eradicate hunger and hardship in Nigeria very soon. APC is a good party, but some of the leaders are self-centred and power chasers who don’t know what to do with power. Unfortunately, Tinubu surrendered himself with majority of them as advisers and members of his cabinet with nothing tangible to offer Nigerians. But after President Tinubu gets God’s counsel, APC will take Nigeria to a greater height. So, President Tinubu should urgently seek God’s counsel and it will be revealed to him.
Some people have vowed that they won’t give Tinubu another term. Do you see Tinubu being trusted by Nigerians to re-elect him in 2027?
God gave President Tinubu a mandate of eight years and nobody or group of people will stop God’s plan for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He will emerge the President of Nigeria again in 2027. I also prophesied that he will rule for eight years even though he would face a lot of challenges created by former President Muhammadu Buhari, but he will overcome them. Nobody can contend with God because He is the Alpha and Omega. If He says yes, nobody can say no. Don’t look at what is happening now in the country. These are distractions caused by his political enemies. They are behind the problems we have presently just to discredit President Tinubu, but very soon things will get better and Nigerians will re-elect him in 2027. I repeat, under Tinubu Nigeria will be great again.
Some Nigerians want Tinubu to return fuel subsidy to lessen the hunger and hardship they face since the removal of fuel subsidy. What is your opinion?
I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag because it is meant for President Tinubu and God asked me to tell him only. Yes, Dangote refinery has not started operation because the cabal and some international oil companies don’t want him to start producing oil in Nigeria. Because it will affect them or send them packing out of Nigeria. However, men are not free from enemies who envy them. My advice is Dangote should not be distracted, but should go on without looking back and begin production of fuel and other petroleum products in the country. He is a strong competitor and a threat to these international oil companies and the cabal who has been enjoying oil subsidy. Thank God for President Tinubu’s recent intervention by ordering NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote and other oil companies in Naira. This is the narrow way to escape from these oil exploiters in Nigeria. There is no way President Tinubu will return fuel subsidy because it was not captured in the 2024 budget. Don’t forget that former President Buhari removed fuel subsidy from 2023 budget and said it would take effect from June while he left office on May 29. That was why Tinubu announced during his inauguration that fuel subsidy was gone. I believe that very soon some of the nation’s refineries will begin to function.
The Federal Government said the nationwide protests were sponsored by some powerful politicians and some foreign countries, especially with the waving of Russian flags during the protest in Kano and other states. What is your take?
Waving of Russian flags during the nationwide protests against hunger and hardship is suspicious hence the reason why the Federal Government has accused some politicians and some foreign countries as sponsors of the nationwide protests in the country. Protesting is a fundamental aspect of our democracy. I will always encourage this course of action, but peaceful. Meanwhile, some of the protesters have been arrested and they will be tried and by so doing we will find out if they are culpable or not. But they should be given fair hearing because it is their fundamental human right to a peaceful protest.
What are your thoughts about the forthcoming Edo governorship election?
The governorship election in Edo State is a contest of rivalry and show of supremacy among the political gladiators in the state, which will make it become bloody. It will be very bloody. But the people of Edo State want to align with the centre, that is, they want to be at the mainstream of politics in Nigeria. Governor Godwin Obaseki spent all the years fighting his superiors and notable political gladiators. The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 election, Dr. Asue Igbodalo was singlehandedly selected by Obaseki, which led to an intense battle between him and his deputy, Shaibu. God wants to bring peace in Edo State. I heard it clearly from God that He wants to bring fresh air in Edo State next month.
