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I did not publish this headline of the front page lead story in the Sunday Tribune of April 18, 1999 when I wrote twice in 2014 and once in 2017 on the causes of the non – stop tragedies and insecurity that have been ravaging the country in the last 20 years. I am doing so now for two reasons.
The first is for everyone to see and appreciate that the country was actually polluted, when the all – seeing and all – knowing invisible Lord in the first week of April 1999, sent me to General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the military Head of State at the time, on the matter. The second was the dream I had four days ago (on Sunday), waking up at 5:16am and in which I saw that the country could break up if urgent steps are not taken to solve our problems of ceaseless tragedies and instability getting worse every month in the last one year.
As recalled in last week’s column, I wrote a series in April and May 2014: Getting God to stop Nigeria’s calamities and three months later came up with: I fear for Nigeria’s future. The situation the country is in now therefore dictates that it is time our leaders think twice and become right – reasoning to do God’s will that General Abubakar failed to carry out 20 years ago.
This is for the reason that in spite of the countless “special” prayers churches and mosques have been organizing constantly in the last seven years the situation has continued to grow worse every year. Christian and Muslim Houses of God are attacked at short intervals in different parts of the country.
Dozens of worshippers are killed during services, when the prayers they were saying were supposed to be answered, and the raids even prevented. Not knowing the cause of our tragedies, most Nigerians often say the situation would have been worse, if not for their prayers. When actually they would not have started or continue if something has not been wrong and God is displeased with us.
The 20 – year – long disasters and the insecurity which has been on in the last five years were forewarned in the message of the Lord I conveyed to General Abubakar in April 1999. He and his Chief Press Secretary Haruna Muhammed whom I passed the letter through to him are aware of this and cannot deny it.
It was three days after my letter was delivered to Abubakar that I got to know from the Sunday Tribune lead story, that the country was polluted by the rituals carried out from December 1998 through February 1999 by some Muslims clerics. This was for General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd), the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, to win the presidential poll in February 1999.
Alhaji Yusuf Adebayo Salaudeen (a.k.a. Asibunalau) of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, the leader of the nine – man team had during a visit to Obasanjo in December 1998 told him he could only win the election if nation – wide sacrifices were carried out for him. Having not met him before and was not recommended by someone he knows very well, Obasanjo told the cleric to use his money to buy the 76 cows needed. And that he would make a refund along with a thanksgiving offering after he had been declared the winner of the election.
Salaudeen said since he was sure of God’s message that he heard and of his spiritual ability, he took a loan of one million, seven hundred thousand naira (N1, 700, 000) from two banks to purchase the 76 cows. And to take care of his team’s round trip journeys to Abuja and the 36 states’ capital as well as for their accommodation and feeding during the two – month period. But to Salaudeen’s chagrin after Obasanjo won the election he refused to reimburse him, let alone give him and his assistants’ the thanksgiving offering he had promised.
In the sacrifices they performed, they buried two cows alive in each of Abuja and the capitals of the 36 states, with four used in Ogun, being Obasanjo’s state of origin. The cleric told the Sunday Tribune that when the 76 cows were exhumed two hours later, they had turned to black ashes, which were used for the rituals they carried out.
In other words, the exercises they performed were black magic rituals, not a holy sacrifice in which the cows were slaughtered for prayers and later given out to people to fry and eat or for cooking stew for taking meals.
The clerics took the matter to the Sunday Tribune in the belief that the publication of their story would embarrass Obasanjo and force him to refund the money they borrowed and give them his thanksgiving offering. But their action did not move Obasanjo to play ball with them.
The effect of the rituals the clerics carried out and the curse they placed on the country, have been responsible for the unending upheavals, tragedies and insecurity nation-wide in the last 20 years, since the sacrifices they performed took place in Abuja and the 36 states.
I am not aware that Obasanjo refuted the story published about him in the Sunday Tribune of April 18, 1999 nor heard or read that he sued Alhaji Salaudeen or the newspaper for carrying false reports about him.
Next week: My plea with the Lord that instead of myself that He should send the Chief Imam of Abuja, Kaduna or Sokoto to General Abubakar or give the redeeming spiritual assignment to Pastor Adeboye and the clerics of his church to do it the Christian way or as He pleases.
Gasali’s self –Caused global damage
If Nurudeen Gasali of Ilorin, Kwara State had behaved as a civilized person, instead of abusing and cursing me, I would not have taken him to the cleaners as I have been doing in the last three months. But from the letter of late Chief Bola Ige, a former Governor of old Oyo State, which I published two weeks ago and in which he praised me for the way I reacted to his piece in the Guardian on Sunday of November 2, 1986 and invited me for a meal in his house at Ibadan, Gasali can now realize that one should respond to articles as a well – brought person and a good Christian or Muslim. Even if one is a pagan.
The first damage he has done to himself is that my column in the Daily Sun is read by several thousands of people in Abuja and the 36 states in the country, as well as in other African countries, Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Canada and Australia. I know this because when last year I wrote about 92 – year – old Pa Giwa Aliyu of Kogi State, who cures prostate cancer and the enlarged one, I received phone calls from readers in Abuja and all the 36 states and abroad, including some other countries in the four continents not named here. I doubt if any other columnist has ever been contacted by readers on an article from Abuja and all the 36 states in the country and only time will tell if it would happen to me again or anyone, even if the person writes on Pa Giwa.
For continuation next week
