The enchanter recited the incantation with utmost fury: “River Niger and River Benue, the confluence is in Kogi State. Except say River Niger and River Benue no come meet for Kogi; if River Niger and River Benue come meet for Kogi, dem no go fit arrest Bello... Dem dey use EFCC pursue am, dem no go succeed o. Dem go lay siege for im house for Abuja… Except say I no be born of Igala kingdom… EFCC dey front, you dey back; you dey back, dem dey front; you dey left, dem dey right; you dey right, dem dey left; you dey centre, dem come there, you jump dem pass!…a lion cannot give birth to a goat…”

The repertoire is a typical exchange in African rituals. The target was the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an organization headed by Ola Olukoyede. Olukoyede is said to be a pastor in Enoch Adeboye’s RCCG. So, three men gather in a place that looks like a forest. Woven round the heads of two of them like bandana is a white cloth. They crouch on their knees. The third, kneeling in the middle, carries a brown pot from which oozes a thick smoke. Libation ingredients are ready. They are: a black cock, tortoise, a green bottle which ostensibly habours in its bosom sacrificial liquor. The liquor is then sprinkled on the ground as libation. Two egg-like objects complete the ingredients of sacrifice. Either as an effigy or in person, the presence of the recipient of the ritual is always needed. His spirit needs to connect with the spirits.

So, a portrait of the man who gave self the sobriquet of White Lion, Yahaya Bello, is procured for the libation process. He is dressed in all-white attire like the god, Obatala. Obatala is a Yoruba god of purity. Then the one who looks like the chief priest begins to render a monologue that is known in African ritual practice as incantation. It is similar to the allocutus lawyers enter into on behalf of their guilty client. The aim is for the de-escalation of the pursuit of Bello by the EFCC, his alleged theft of Kogi State’s N82 billion notwithstanding. Bello’s matter got escalated towards the end of the week when the EFCC chairman alleged that the ex-governor paid in advance $845,852.84 to the Abuja school of his children. Bello has made feeble attempt to denounce this from his hiding hole with the ill-logic that it was paid with his hard-earned sweats. Why the rush to pay school fees till 2034 if where the money was got today would remain permanent?

Yahaya Bello and his apologists have been spurting out bunkum. They allege that the EFCC is hounding him. Let us assume they are right. First, it is shameful for a self-styled Lion to hide inside a hole like a coyote, thereby eating stale food reserved for effeminate animals. Don’t they say that the leopard, and by extension, the lion, does not eat stale food? (Ekun kii je’ran ikasi). It is thus lawless of Yahaya Bello not to honour the anti-graft body’s lawful invitation. Bello’s 8-year reign was notorious for his naked stomping on opposition’s human rights, running a government fittingly described as an orgy of violence. Why are executioners always afraid when swords are flung in their faces? His is reminiscent of the story of an executioner in Old Oyo Kingdom whose specialty was in decapitating his victims with relish. Upon courting the ire of the Alaafin and was sentenced to death, the ex-executioner suddenly became jittery. When the man about to decapitate him began to do the traditional acrobatics pre-cutting off of his head, jittery, the ex-executioner’s voice shaky, he asked what part of his body would be cut off, “my head or feet?” Celebratory townsmen who had gathered to witness his comeuppance were angered and demanded rhetorically what part of his victims’ bodies he relished in cutting off during his reign of terror.

Anthropologists of the pre-colonial era of the 20th century studying witchcraft were shocked. They had earlier submitted that occult practices would die with modernization and urbanization. However, in the last two decades, modernity seems to have lost the battle in Africa. The miserable and insecure nature of everyday life has made African politicians to go two steps backwards. Rather than the Gods of Christianity and Islam which they inherited from the colonizers, they have gone back to ancient practices preceding the incursion of Arab and European lords. Now, the patronage of priests, priestesses of divinities, herbalists, sorcerers and occults is key to resolution of political dilemmas. Politicians use charms, amulets, rings, belts, ritual, incantations for the attainment of political goals. Either it was a skit or reality, that viral video of enchanters seeking Bello to be set free typifies the usual scene in power relations in Africa. In the bid to attain, sustain or vend off irritants in political power struggles, there is widespread evidence confirming that many Africans today strongly hold on to beliefs which they got from traditional cosmologies. These have now constituted the core of their everyday lives. The Kenyan Mau Mau revolt is said to have been fought with African magical powers.

Magical and ritual practices are pervasive in power relations in Nigeria. This evidently affirms that when complicated issues and challenges of life confront Nigerian politicians, they quickly run to their tradition and origin. This equally demonstrates the ease with which they momentarily throw away their Christian and Islamic cloaks to hold on to the utilitarian purpose that magic and sorcery serve them. Late University of Leiden scholar, Stephen Ellis, in a 2001 article, “Mystical Efforts: Some evidence from the Liberian war” (Journal of Religion in Africa, XXX1, 2) described how young fighters in the Liberian war, sporting amulets which assumably made them bullet-proof, filled the streets with corpses. Monrovians were shocked at how the soldiers “(disemboweled) the bodies of their victims and (eat) their flesh or internal organs, particularly the heart.” The art of eating human heart is borne of a residue of practices in Africa. The belief is that, a person’s essence is contained in the heart and the blood. So, once the hearts and blood of these warriors are eaten and drunk, “the one who had just eaten them acquires some of the power formerly possessed by his victim.”

Wherever Bello is at the moment, no one needed to be told that he is engrossed with one or a combination of three elements in the bid to confront the coercive power of the Nigerian state. In the tragedy that is Bello, these three elements must be making gross harvests from his calamity. They are, on the one hand, the religious combine made up of Pastors, Alfas and African indigenous religious rituals and magic. The second is, lawyers scrambling to profit from what they perceive as the loot from Kogi. Some shameless ones gathered in court last week to protest against the EFCC. The third is bloggers/journalists who by now must have offered to defreeze adversarial comments against him in traditional and social media platforms.

As guest speaker at a 2-day education summit which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in 2013, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, waded into the now popular syncretic practices among Nigerian leaders. His particular beef was with Nigerian leaders’ dependence on consultation of marabouts and prophets to acquire and sustain political power. “Give me the name of any head of state who has not been consulting marabouts and prophets and so on, sacrificing goats, animals in the dead of night to receive a third term in office and so on,” he said. The veiled reference was to Olusegun Obasanjo. Marabouts have become notorious in the incestuous relationship between politics and religion in northern Nigeria. They are traditionally Muslim religious leaders and teachers who functioned historically as chaplains serving in Islamic army of North Africa, the Sahara, and in the Maghreb.

Soyinka was right. After the Gideon Orkar volley of bullets on the Dodan Barracks seat of power had subsided, it occurred to Ibrahim Babangida that kinetic power alone could not guarantee his safety in power. IBB was reported to have consulted marabouts from Senegal who promptly buried live cows in Aso Rock to guarantee his fortification. Same went for Sani Abacha who reportedly imported seasoned marabouts to spiritually guard Aso Rock. Bowels of the four corners of Abuja reportedly opened up their wombs and swallowed countless cows in sacrifice. Marabouts from Cameroun were also said to have assured the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Olusegun Obasanjo would not have a second term, thus exacerbating the animosity between the president and his vice.

Spiritism is not strictly a Nigerian phenomenon in power relations. In political in-fighting among political elites, the belief is that, once the elites gain access to the spiritual world, they have clinched the needed vital resource in the constant struggle to secure advantage over their political rivals. Communication with the spirit world, use of sacrifices and protective objects, and divinations were potent means of achieving this. For instance, in Senegal, marabouts or Islamic holy men who belong to Sufi brotherhoods, wield such phenomenal influence that made them a source of political influence for decades. When Zimbabwe was fighting its war of liberation, the advice offered by mediums, believed to be possessed by spirits of ancestors, constituted a major requirement for anyone who sought the people’s political support.

President Felix Houphouet-Boigny was an example. A devout Catholic, he was said to have privately resorted to African mediums. Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire also ran a government of elite conspiracy of witches where marabouts were consulted at every point for the enhancement of political power.

For very many other African heads of state, clerics and known spiritualists were their advisors. Kenneth Kaunda was top among them. As president of Zambia, he had an Indian, Ranganathan, as consultant on power matters. So also did President Mathieu Kerekou of Benin. He had a Malian marabout called Mohamed Amadou Cisse, also known as 'Djine' or 'the Devil' as his spiritual advisor. Cisse once publicly espoused the Devil. He was hitherto advisor to some other African leaders like Mobutu and Omar Bongo of Gabon. Kerekou later appointed Cisse minister of state whose responsibility in the Beninese government was secret services. President Didier Ratsiraka of Madagascar too had a palace that boasted of an extravagant temple dedicated to Rosicrucian god. So also did Paul Biya of Cameroon and Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, both of whom were followers of Transcendental Meditation.

Marabouts, herbalists, sorcerers and occult chiefs of the Bellos of this world and other African leaders become repositories of highly confidential state information. These are got in the process of spiritual interventions for the captive leaders. Feckless and desperate in the bid to attain and cling on to power, they divulge details of innermost governmental secrets to them. A 1998-published journal article written by Stephen Ellis and Gerrie ter Haar with the title, “Religion and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa” (The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 175-201) discusses how leading marabouts have pre-knowledge of coups d’e tat and other secrets of power. Amadou Cisse, for instance, knew virtually all the secrets of power in Benin. So did another marabout, Amadou Oumarou 'Bonkano', who was appointed chief of national intelligence service. Having known details of President Seyni Kountche of Niger’s operations, Oumarou attempted a coup against Kountche, his patron and employer.

At a random and conservative estimate, ninety per cent of Nigerian politicians, aside the Christianity and Islam they profess in broad daylight, patronize priests, herbalists, sorcerers and occults. They probably have discovered that the immediacy of execution that these African deities possess cannot be found in the Western God. Again, I tend to submit that the rash of theft of public money among them is borne out of the presumed fortification they are promised by African deity priests and priestesses. They offer human beings as sacrifice in the process. Unknown to them, they kill the proverbial hunchback, Abuke Osin, the favourite servant of Obatala god, in the process of acquiring these powers. Unjustly shed blood fight back.

According to renowned living archive of Yoruba traditional institution, Yemi Elebuibon, in his The Adventures of Obatala: Ifa and Santeria God of creativity, (2016) the hunchback was one of the faithful servants of Obatala who he sent on errands. Having become rich due to his generosity to the Abuke Osin, Tortoise, Alabahun the fabled trickster, envied Ojugbe, his neighbour. Impressed by his generosity to the hunchback, Obatala chanted some incantations which deposited precious beads, gold and other ornaments inside the carapace-like chest of the hunchback. So when Ojugbe rubbed the hunchback’s chest, he became stupendously wealthy. Stingy and unable to compete with Ojugbe-kind generosity, Tortoise lured the Abuke Osin into his house and forcefully rubbed his chest which refused to emit money. He then killed this servant of Obatala and incurred the wrath of the god.

The moment the Nigerian state allows Yahaya Bello, for whatever reason, to escape the wrath of the law, its last lever of strength will snap off. Whoever kills the Abuke Osin should pay dearly for it.

The Bull at 71

A few weeks ago while on phone with the Sawe of Ilesa, Akinwande Akinola, as an identifier, I reminded him that as a young school leaver from the C & S High School, Iyemogun, Ilesa in the 1980s, I became his Messenger. Akinola, now in his 80s, was then the Managing Director of International Breweries Ltd, brewers of Trophy beer. The old man must have wondered how the then indecipherable seeds lying inside a small walnut pod could become a delicacy to bite today. As a die-hard comparativist, I love mentoring the youth of today who see only hopelessness in the horizon. In my narration of a tomorrow, I place yesterday side by side today and counterpoise the future with today. Inside them are hidden fruits whose plum harvest no one can tell. Akinola was one major icon that a young school leaver like me saw and swore to crawl my way to become somebody in life.

Of all that is said about the Chairman of Globacom, Mike Adenuga, two attributes catch my fancy the most. One is his grass-to-grace story. The other is his personification of the tigritude philosophy of Leopold Sedar Senghor, parodied in a conversation Wole Soyinka once had. Soyinka had lovingly articulated the tigritude of a tiger thus: "A tiger does not proclaim his tigritude; he pounces". Put succinctly, when a tiger is in the jungle, he does not sit regally in the forest to mouth his prowess by saying "I am a tiger". Upon a walk past the spot where the tiger has walked heretofore, what confronts you are a conqueror’s memorabilia like the skeleton of the duiker, decapitated head of an impala and caked blood that paint the jungle leaves red. When you see these insignias, as the holy writ says, verily I say unto thee, these are proclamations that a tiger was here.

Experiences of life either toughen one into a monster or open up the trough of humanity latent in those experiences. For Adenuga, they seem to have provoked and strengthened his humanity. If the youth of today can study his life, his rise to where he is today, they have the tendency of providing ample ground for their role-modeling and mentorship. His life can unlock the can-do spirit in them and open situation-blurried eyes to see a glorious tomorrow.

History has it that the young Adenuga, born April 29, 1953, wasn’t your idea of a silver spoon. With a school teacher father and businesswoman mother, Juliana Oyindamola Adenuga, (nee Onashile) as early as when he was a student of Ibadan Grammar School, Adenuga swore that his life would make a difference. Those who knew him while growing up in Ibadan in the 70s talk about a young man who hawked lace cloth materials while distributing soft drinks. Coupled with the renowned industry and financial doggedness of Ijebu people, Adenuga must have caught the bug of the business acumen while helping his mother oversee her businesses. He subsequently pulled himself off by the lace of his canvass by working as a taxi driver in America to eke out a living and self-secured the funding for his university education.

There are several Mike Adenugas dotting the landscape of Nigeria. Unfortunately, rather than see prosperity in the current hardship, they are blinded from a prosperous future. I am sure that as plenty dotted the landscape of the 1970s and 80s when Adenuga was struggling to wriggle out of lack, complaints of an opaque tomorrow also filled the land. Determination and vision helped him punch the walls of challenges that lined his way to the top.

Now to my second fancy about him. Bookmakers claim he is the richest Nigerian. The names of some others are equally mentioned. Adenuga does not attempt to denounce or affirm this. This does not seem to matter to him. He has something in common with MKO Abiola who once said he might not be able to say that he was the richest African, but that he attempted to be the most generous African. Rather than worship wealth as is the vogue with rich Nigerians, Adenuga deconstructs wealth by becoming a tree that makes a forest without noise. Those who have seen him are far between but his imprints dot the landscape. Like the Soyinka tiger, Adenuga does not proclaim his tigritude. However, when you walk past the spot where his tiger has walked heretofore, the memorabilia confirm that The Bull is indeed the tiger of humanity. It is said that he grants a $32 million annual scholarships to students and endows professorial chairs for research and development in the mould of Bill and Melinda Gates.

If you read the autobiography of Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, you would have a glimpse of how Adenuga suffered to get here. In 2001, his application for GSM licence met its waterloo, leading to huge financial loss. His Ogun State kinsman, Olusegun Obasanjo, who was busy making billionaires of other people from other ethnicities, swore to liquidate him. Like Bob Marley said about the magical touch of his feet, Adenuga’s feet are personified in his audacity, his focus, his hardwork and a brain that is tirelessly innovating.

Adenuga’s life should be a book of inspiration daily read by upcoming youths. It should also demonstrate to emergency mega-billionaires who litter Nigeria that money is a vehicle, a journey and not a destination that they erroneously assume it to be. Money should not be venerated because in doing that, its vanity looms large. By deconstructing it, money assumes a utility and functional humanity of its own that gives its owner unquantifiable joy and satisfaction. This is wishing The Bull a happy 71st birthday tomorrow. 

For Ayogu Eze and Ezinne Margaret Nwomeh

On Thursday last week, I had just arrived Enugu for the funerals of Ezinne Margaret Nebechi Nwomeh of Ozalla in Enugu State when another news of demise hopped in like a demonic apparition. Big brother and friend, Ayogu Eze, senator who represented Enugu North, had passed on.

I met Eze 21 years ago there in Enugu. Once the Commissioner for Information in the first term, I felt it a great honour to serve with him in the state. Blessed with a gift of the garb, Eze was detribalised in every sense. Perhaps resulting from his matrimony to a woman of my stock or his years as journalist with the Guardian newspaper, Eze had inspiring stories to tell about his association with the Yoruba, a language he struggled to flaunt.

A couple of years back, told I was visiting Enugu, he visited me in my hotel room where, for hours, we filled the gap of physical absence from each other. I reciprocated later on by attending his father's burial at Enugu-Ezike in Igboeze North where I was treated to a variety of Igbo culinary delicacies.

Talking of culinary delicacies, Mama Nwomeh reminded me of my Enugu years when her son, my friend, Dan and I used to dash to her Ozalla, Four Corner home. Her first demand was what we would eat. As we gathered in Ozalla for her wake ceremony on Friday, I spent quality time with her son, Benedict, a professor of surgery and vice-chair of global surgery in the department of surgery at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he drilled down on the humanity of his mother. 

Widowed at the age of 23, Ezinne Nwomeh single-handedly guided her five children to the zenith of their lives. She could have taken them to the motherless home for the challenges ahead her were daunting. Wrote Ben in his tribute to Mama: “On the fateful day of March 12, 1970, tragedy struck our family as Papa was called home, leaving Mama shattered. The war had just ended, and Mama, at the tender age of 23, found herself widowed with five young children to care for. Angela, the eldest, was merely 7 years old at the time. Mama was thrust into a world of uncertainty, facing homelessness and the daunting challenge of providing for her children with no means to do so.

“Amidst the haze of post-war years, my earliest memories of Mama began to take shape. Even as a young child, I observed her unwavering resolve to secure our survival. One poignant memory stands out vividly: Mama's relentless struggle to ensure we had food on the table…While instilling in us the code of honor expected of the “children of Peter Nwomeh,” Mama also went to great lengths to ensure we enjoyed a normal childhood alongside other neighborhood kids. She taught us the importance of family, tirelessly working to maintain connections with all our extended relatives, in every direction, and never once attempting to sever our ties with anyone.

“Mama fostered a spirit of generosity within us, serving as the driving force behind the creation of the Peter Nwomeh Foundation. In honor of both our parents, it will now be renamed The Peter and Margaret Nwomeh Foundation, and its sister charity, the Peter and Margaret Nwomeh Foundation USA.

“As we bid farewell to Mama, we do so with hearts full of gratitude for the seventy-seven years of love, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion she bestowed upon us. May her soul find peace in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father, and may her memory continue to inspire us all.”

Yesterday, as we celebrated this amazon’s 77 eventful years on earth in Ozalla, my heart grieved on the passage of Ayogu. He was an avuncular spirit who left fond memories in the hearts of everyone he encountered. Sleep well, Ezinne Margaret Nebechi Nwomeh and the great soul, Ayogu Eze.

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart ~ Psalms 15:1-2.

Introduction

Man today is in a constant, frantic and insatiable search for power. This is directly connected to the systems of our present world, wherein the powerless is treated as a hopeless pauper. Hence, the constant striving to accumulate more.

Albeit, what we need is real power to become better versions of ourselves, make true progress and fulfill our assignments on earth. But such power can only be accessed in God’s presence through purity of heart. Hence, the place of purity in our quests on earth can’t be overemphasized.

There is power in purity, and there’s progress in power! Your character is the taproot of your future excellence (Matthew 7:17-19). No wonder that God lamented the deficiency of purity in the hearts of men, and how dangerously deprived we are in the absence of it (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Nowadays, many believers who wereprogrammed for dizzying heights in their callings have astonishingly become victims of character deficiencies. Lasting blessings call for Christ-like and unsoiled character: slightly soiled, greatly reduced in price!

God always waits to confirm your character before He defends your destiny. Hence, real men/women seriously pursue purity of heart, and none truly chases God and remains stagnant (Amos 3:3). David choseto have his life regimented by the Lord’s statutes, and he ended up as a wonder unto many (Psalm 18:22; 19:8; 119:5,12; 71:7).

Myles Monroe said: “no matter the beauty of your picture, it is still at the mercy of your nature”. Without godly character, you lose the essence of your grace and charisma. Without functional reverence and fear for God, you misplace your relevance on the earth. The day you become tired of living right, you start becoming a victim of trials.

Now, your true character is what you do in secret, when no man will find out. But remember, even if men won’t ever find out, God constantly has you on His supernatural radar!

Character is integrity manifested. It is matching your words with your deeds, and aligning your outlook with the musings of your innermost recesses. Godly character is a virtue that everyone must learn to develop.

To develop your character, you shouldn’t allow negative opinions to rule your world, or your fleshly desires to overrule your goodsense (Genesis 16:1-2). You shouldn’t give attention to, talk less of giving in to, those who are unfamiliar with God’s Word(Genesis 16:2-4).

Those who truly aspire to develop a lifestyle of purity don’t feel free to disobey God’s Word, neither do they enjoy drifting through life and refusing to mature  in the things of God (Genesis 2:17).

If you’re presently immoral or dubious, discipline yourself before that poison destroys your colourful destiny. If you’re proud or arrogant, deflate that satanic ego before it rubbishes your essence and degrades your status. You must sit down, think and make necessary adjustments before sin hits you with an unforgettable pain.

Good character is never worked out without pressure, and it’s never developed without determination. Nevertheless, where you stand will determine how you withstand the odds against your character formation. When you stand in righteousness, you glow even in life’s challenges (Romans 5:3).

Purity, Power And Possessions!

In God’s presence is the gracious outflow of His ultimate power and might. Albeit, abiding in His presence requires a well-maintained purity of heart (Psalm 62:11-12).

One of the sterling qualities of the Most High God is His characteristic holiness(Isaiah 6:1-3). He is incontrovertibly holy; He cannot even behold iniquity.

Holiness is a particular demand of God from His people (1Peter 1:14-16). When Jesus Christ was bearing our sins on His shoulders on the Cross, God turned His face away from Him temporarily (Psalms 22:1-3).

Anyone that would be a channel of God’s power must be manifestly pure in His sight.When we live in purity, creative forces will obey us and our glory shall burst forth like the sunshine (Isaiah 48:17-19). No doubt, God’s commandments are there to make us powerful Commanders!

Again, most things “we have” in life are as a result of “who we are”. We supernaturally attract “what we have” by “who we have become”. Promotion is a function of “what we do” but, more importantly, it’s a reflection of “who we are” (Joshua 1:6-9).

The destiny of every seed lies in its nature. The quality of your character is the foundation of greatness (Matthew 5:8). Your competence can truly take you far in life. But, after a certain point, it’s your godly character and civilized behaviour that will catapult you to the positions of honour, nobility and greatness!

Undoubtedly, God’s best is available to those who stand with Him in purity of heart (Psalms 34:18). Thus, each time the Holy Ghost touches human lives, He works to change our personalities (1Samuel 10:6).

If you aren’t happy with your current position in life, work harder and smarter, and the place to begin is with yourselves. It takes a principled lifestyle to make you a principal; your lack of it will certainly keep you local and stagnant!

The joyous answer to a breakthrough life lies in becoming more than we currently are. Nevertheless, it’s our wise endorsement of God’s Word that will eventually bring us excellent approval.

Every error defeated by discipline paves a way for our future glory (Galatians 3:24).Contrariwise, every philosophy of life that contradicts divine instructions will eventually lead to destruction.

Any day you choose to attract better things to yourself, start cooperating with the Holy Spirit by allowing necessary changes. Otherwise, you will have exactly what you have now — same level and same frustrations.

There are many disciplines that keep God’s law implanted in us for good: humility, self-control, obedience to divine commandments, diligence, balanced attitude, planning ability, wise investment, sensible belief system, etcetera.

When the Master approves you by reason of your purity, godly characters and honorable virtues, the world will become attracted to your worth, and will readily pay any price for your talents.

Friends and brethren, Jesus Christ is calling us to be His genuine disciples today, and to be dead to self, sin and to the satanic systems of this world. Only His true disciples can change the world, and only they will make heaven at last!

The place of genuine repentance, acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, being born-again and living right cannot, therefore, be overemphasized. A monkey is still a monkey, and it will remain nature-limited no matter the packaging it has.

You cannot take pleasure in the works of the sinful flesh and still enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:19-25). God is never tired of blessing us if we are not tired of pursuing His values. When you pursue godly values, valuable things will certainly pursue you. May you never miss it, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

The Lord told me a story. A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by armed robbers. They stripped him of his belongings and beat him black and blue. They beat him until he slumped and died. Then the Lord asked me a question. He said, “Femi, what happened after the man died?” 

I did not know the answer, so I asked the Holy Spirit. He said: “They stopped beating him.” Then He said to me: “Femi, if they are still beating you, it is because you are not dead yet. Once you are dead, the beating will stop.”

What does a dead man do if he is abused? Nothing! What does he do if he is provoked? Nothing! What does he do if he is flattered? Nothing! What does he do if he is tempted? Nothing! What does he do if a seductive woman undresses in front of him? Nothing! What does he do if he is offered a bribe? Nothing!

Whatever you do, a dead man does not react. He is dead to this world but hopefully alive to God. That is what it means to be born again. Therefore, Paul says to born-again believers: “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:11).

Are Christians Born-again?

The word of God says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Many Christians claim to be born again, however, old things have not passed away in us. We claim to be born again but we remain the same. We then try to put the new wine of Christ in an old bottle. But this cannot work. We come to Jesus by faith. But faith without works is dead. (James 2:20).

The man who is born again is that man who was crucified with Christ. That means when Christ died, we also died.  Our body of sin was nailed to the cross. We then came back to life when Jesus rose from the dead.

However, we do not come back to life as our old selves. We come back to life as new men and women. We come back to life in the likeness of Christ. Jesus becomes our life. (Colossians 3:4).

Baptism into Christ’s Death

We are baptised into Christ’s death when we are truly born again. The old carnal man of the flesh, which is congenitally unrighteous, is crucified with Christ. That sinful nature is responsible for our alienation from God. It ensures that sin is natural to the man in the flesh. And righteousness is unnatural.

David says: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3).

You do not have to teach a child to tell lies. Telling lies comes naturally to him. But you have to teach him to stop telling lies. However, no matter how much you teach him, he cannot stop. He cannot help himself. As long as he is in the flesh, he will be a slave of sin.

But when a man receives Christ, he comes alive spiritually and the Holy Spirit comes to live in him as his Helper. The Bible says: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit breaks down the gates of brass, and the bars of iron that have tied him to the life of sin in the kingdom of death.

Prophecy of New Birth

When a man is born again, he discovers that an Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled in him. He finds that there are two competing natures in him. This is how God describes this to Rebecca:

“Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23).

This is where Christians miss the road. We are not determined to realise this prophecy that the older shall serve the younger. We fail to insist as Jesus did: “Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

The older man is the man of the flesh, that comes with natural birth. The younger man is the man of the Spirit, that comes alive when we are born again. The word of God says the older shall serve the younger. But in most Christians, including those of us who claim to be born again, the younger (the spirit) still serves the older (the flesh).

Crucified Flesh

The reason is that we do not allow our flesh to be crucified. When the flesh is crucified, our body of sin dies an agonising death. Death by crucifixion is slow. But the inevitable end is death.

This is presented symbolically by the war between the house of Saul and the house of David: “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”  (2 Samuel 3:1).

When the flesh finally dies, we are freed from sin: “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:7).

Jesus came to earth in the likeness of sinful flesh to break the power of sin in the flesh. He used spiritual powers to prevail over the flesh. He refused to accede to the demands of the flesh.

He allowed malefactors to arrest Him. He did not resist when they beat Him. They clothed Him in purple and put a crown of thorns on His head. They slapped Him and spat on Him. They mocked Him, saluting Him as “the King of the Jews.” They then led Him out naked and crucified Him.

In all this, Jesus put up no resistance: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).

We can only emulate Jesus’ example if we walk in the spirit. We cannot if we walk in the flesh. If we do not crucify the flesh, the old man of the flesh will make us respond to abuses with abuses, insults with insults, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

Crucified Life

Many Christians are not aware that we are supposed to be baptised into Christ’s death. Even when we undergo water baptism, we only see this as a religious ritual, without realising its practical implication.

Thus, Paul asks the Romans:

“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:3-6).

Jesus died for us so we can live for Him. But we Christians do not see the crucified life he exemplified as “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6). We give an eye for an eye. We give a tooth for a tooth. We fight, we cheat, and we steal. We abuse others, curse, and betray our friends.

We don’t walk in the spirit. We walk “in the internet.” We do not spend time in prayer but on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

We fornicate and commit adultery. We pledge: for better, for worse; for richer, and for poorer, but then divorce our wives and choose younger models. We walk in lies and hypocrisy. We tell lies all the time. We waste our lives trying to make money. We love the world and the things in the world. We are lovers of pleasure not lovers of God.

But then we go to church on Sunday. Go to midweek services. Speak in tongues. Fall under the anointing. Sing praise songs and quote choice scriptures.

Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23). CONTINUED.

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A report by an open-source blockchain website, Elastos on Thursday revealed that 20 per cent constituting at least one in five Nigerians are using Bitcoin to carry out transactions everyday.

According to the platform, the research was compiled from online interviews conducted with 1,407 self-defined ‘tech savvy’ respondents in Brazil, Germany, Nigeria, South Korea, UAE, UK, and US.

The interviews were completed by a third party, registered market research company and completed between 30 March and 04 April ’24.

The report further revealed that 67 percent of Nigerians would have more trust in Bitcoin to protect their life savings than traditional services such as banks, local governments and, even, cash.

It read, “The inaugural BIT Index (Bitcoin; Innovation & Trust) – compiled from over 1,400 self-defined ‘tech savvy’ respondents from 7 countries across the globe – sheds light on the actual perception and use of Bitcoin in people’s daily lives, irrespective of its current valuation. Elastos’ BIT Index is part of ongoing research to better track the ‘real world’ use of Bitcoin together with users’ motivations, expectations and barriers around the same.

“In particular, the data reveals the role being played by emerging markets in terms of understanding, usage and confidence around Bitcoin.  Nigerian respondents’ levels of usage and trust compare starkly with those expressed from so-called ‘established’ markets such Germany and the UK and Germany where daily usage levels are just 8% (for German respondents) and (9% for their UK counterparts).

“In terms of trust – in addition to Nigeria – significant proportions of respondents from Brazil (35 percent) and the UAE (32 per cent) would have more confidence in Bitcoin-based services to protect their life savings compared to those from markets such as the UK (20 per cent) and Germany (22 per cent).

“When it comes to ensuring the integrity of online transactions, emerging market respondents also revealed their relative confidence in Bitcoin, compared to alternatives. According to the data 66 per cent Nigerian respondents and 35 per cent from Brazil have more confidence in Bitcoin-based systems than alternatives such as banks, or national Governments, compared to figures of just 16 per cent (Germany) and 21 per cent (UK) who feel the same.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Hargreaves, Elastos’ Global Head of Business Development & ESG, described the BIT Index’s inaugural findings as indicative of the role the ‘global south’ is playing in the adoption of decentralized currencies such as Bitcoin.

“The BIT Index offers a fascinating and sobering insight into the industry. The fact that over two-thirds of Nigerian consumers and a third of their counterparts from the UAE and Brazil would feel more confident entrusting their life savings in Bitcoin than traditional financial instruments speaks volumes about the protagonism these regions are already playing.  In many instances, the driving factor is the absence of viable – accessible – alternatives to, for instance, conduct cross-border transactions or mitigate the impact of inflation,” he said.

Punch

Multiple fatalities are feared following a devastating tanker explosion along the East-West Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The incident occurred around 9:45 pm Friday night. involving a tanker carrying petroleum products which ignited, engulfing nearby vehicles.

The explosion, near the Indorama Petrochemical Company, has raised concerns due to its proximity to critical national infrastructure. Witnesses describe hearing loud blasts followed by flames and thick smoke billowing from the scene.

Hamas again raises the possibility of a 2-state compromise. Israel and its allies aren't convinced

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has said for more than 15 years that it could accept a two-state compromise with Israel — at least, a temporary one. But Hamas has also refused to say that it would recognize Israel or renounce its armed fight against it.

For Israel and many others, especially in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that spurred the latest war in Gaza, that’s proof that Hamas is still irrevocably bent on destroying Israel. The United States and European countries have joined Israel in shunning the militant group they have labeled a terrorist organization.

For some observers, Hamas has signaled a potential pragmatism that could open a path to a solution. But the group’s vagueness as it tries to square the circle of its own positions has fueled suspicion.

Hamas offers long-term “truces” instead of outright peace. It has dropped open pledges to destroy Israel but endorses “armed resistance” — and says it will fight for liberation of all “the land of Palestine.”

In the latest iteration of its stance, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday the group would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip along the pre-1967-borders.

Though he again spoke of a truce, it was also a rare suggestion that Hamas could dissolve its armed wing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas after the militants’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the creation of a Palestinian state and, critics say, worked to severely undermine the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority that has recognized Israel.

Here’s a look at some of the nuances in Hamas’ positions, in the past and now:

UNITY TALKS

In 2006, after Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections, it entered talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over a unity government. Amid the negotiations, Ismail Haniyeh — who today is Hamas’ top political leader — said the group supported a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines “at this stage, but in return for a cease-fire, not recognition.”

The two sides eventually reached a deal under which the unity government, including Hamas, would “respect” the Palestinian Authority’s peace agreements with Israel. It was a formula that allowed Hamas to avoid accepting the accords and recognizing Israel.

Israel and the U.S. refused to recognize the unity government and imposed economic sanctions. The government quickly collapsed amid fighting between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah faction — ending with Hamas’ 2007 takeover of Gaza.

In 2008, then-political head of Hamas Khaled Mashaal said it would accept a state in the West Bank and Gaza along with a 10-year truce with Israel. He rejected ever recognizing Israel, but he suggested Hamas would accede to a permanent peace accord with Israel if Palestinians accepted one in a referendum.

Hamas and Abbas’ PA have had multiple rounds of unity talks ever since, often emerging with variations in phrasing on Hamas’ stance. Every time, unity efforts have been wrecked by the factions’ own bitter rivalry over power and the West’s refusal to accept any government that includes Hamas unless it expressly recognizes Israel.

THE NEW 2017 ‘CHARTER’

After years of internal discussions, Hamas came out with a new political platform in 2017 that presented a dramatic change in tone from its original charter, issued in 1988.

The 1988 charter presented the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in stark religious terms. It spoke of “our struggle against the Jews,” insisted the land belonged to Muslims and declared that jihad, or holy war, was the only way to solve the Palestinian question.

The 2017 document dropped much of that religious and antisemitic rhetoric and instead presented its cause in terms of human rights, including the right of refugees to return and the right to resist occupation. It said its fight wasn’t against Jews but against Zionism, which it called a “colonial” project that had taken Palestinians’ land and repressed their freedoms.

The document enshrined Hamas’s quasi-acceptance of a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It said such a state, with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of Palestinian refugees, was a “national consensus.”

Still, it said it rejects “any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.” That area includes what is now Israel, and in the context of Hamas’ agenda, such language is seen by Israel as a call for its destruction.

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia attacks Ukraine's rail lines to disrupt supply of U.S. arms, source says

Russia is targeting Ukrainian rail lines with airstrikes to disrupt the delivery of desperately needed U.S. weapons to the front and complicate military logistics, a Kyiv intelligence source said on Friday.

The United States approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine this week and said the first deliveries should arrive in a matter of days, easing acute shortages of artillery shells that have hamstrung Kyiv's forces for months.

As the aid was finalised after six months of congressional wrangling, Russia's defence minister said on Tuesday that Moscow would increase attacks on logistics centres and storage sites holding Western weapons.

On Thursday, Ukrainian rail infrastructure was targeted by Russian strikes in the eastern Donetsk region, northeastern Kharkiv region and central Cherkasy region, the national rail company said.

The attack in Donetsk, which is the main focus of Russia's offensive in the east, killed three electrical mechanics working for the railway company and wounded four more, it said.

In Kharkiv, which borders Russia, a strike hit the railway station in the city of Balakliia, injuring 13 people, including three rail workers, officials said. The town of Balakliia was liberated from Russian forces in 2022.

Ukrainian officials seldom provide detailed statements about strikes on sensitive military targets, but the Ukrainian intelligence source confirmed to Reuters there had been attacks on rail infrastructure aimed at disrupting the supply of weapons.

"Also, the overall complication of our logistics," the source added.

Outnumbering and outgunning Kyiv's forces many times over, Russian troops have had the battlefield momentum since February when they captured the long-time bastion town of Avdiivka.

A U.S. defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that the goal of the aid from the United States was to enable Ukraine to regain the initiative.

Kyiv faces manpower shortages on the battlefield and questions linger over the strength of its fortifications along a sprawling, 1,000-km (621-mile) front line.

Russia has periodically attacked rail infrastructure throughout the 26-months invasion.

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In April, Ukrzaliznytsia, the railway company, temporarily suspended all deliveries to the southern Black Sea port of Chornomorsk.

It gave no reason for the decisions but Ukrainian media outlets reported that Russian attacks could have damaged railway tracks to the port's cargo terminals.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

US has no Patriots to spare for Ukraine – White House

Washington is not willing to risk undermining its own security, but the US government is working around the clock to pressure the EU, NATO and other partners to share their air defense capabilities with Kiev instead, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said.

Addressing the virtual meeting of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Friday, President Vladimir Zelensky demanded “at least seven”Patriot batteries from his sponsors, but Kiev’s main backer allegedly has none to spare.

“The US Patriot systems right now are being deployed around the world, including in the Middle East, to protect US troops,” Sullivan told MSNBC later in the day.

“If we can unlock further American Patriot batteries we would send them. But we are doing a lot of the supplying of the actual missiles that go into those batteries that get fired,” the US official insisted.

The Pentagon has indeed pledged additional Patriot munitions as part of a “historic” $6bn assistance package announced on Friday. However, the interceptors could take months or even years to arrive, as the batch will not come from the existing Pentagon stockpiles and the announcement “represents the beginning of a contracting process” with the US defense industry.

A single MIM-104 Patriot battery, which is manufactured by US arms giant Raytheon, costs over $1 billion, and consists of multiple truck-mounted units, including power, radar, antenna, engagement control and other support vehicles – as well as up to eight launchers with interceptor missiles.

The US produced over 1,100 Patriot launchers over the years and is estimated to have hundreds of them in active service and in storage – but only sent a single battery to Ukraine. Two more full batteries were donated by Germany, while the Netherlands shared two individual launchers.

“In the meantime what we’re gonna do is work with European partners and partners in other parts of the world to get them to provide additional air defense capability to Ukraine,”Sullivan added.

Besides Germany and the Netherlands – Poland, Spain, Greece and Romania are also among European nations that operate the Patriot systems. While Berlin recently promised to supply yet another Patriot battery to Ukraine, Warsaw said earlier this week that it has no air defense systems to spare. 

Spain said it will only provide air defense missiles to Kiev, but not the actual systems. Greece also rejected the pressure, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying that no action would be taken “that could even remotely endanger our nation’s deterrent capabilities or air defense.”

Reuters/RT

From time immemorial, electricity has played a significant role in fostering economic development and growth in both industrialized and developing nations. It has become a social glue that ties capacities to intentions. It is, first and foremost, crucial to the general developmental strategy of every society, sine qua non, developmental possibility would be a mere fuss.

After the Industrial Revolution, economic and social activities were built around the electricity supply, and it gradually became the force behind the actualisation of the state blueprint. It is an essential part of the manufacturing process for many companies ranging from all levels of the economy and, most importantly, micro-businesses that satisfy social, immediate needs.

Despite the importance of electricity to the survival of the economy, Nigeria has regretfully suffered from a lacklustre power supply for many years. According to Tracking SDG 7’s Energy Progress Report 2022, the nation has the lowest access to energy internationally, with over 92 million of its residents living without a power supply. It goes to the root of their existence and survival, as long-sighted logic suggests that it contributes to the country’s poverty rate. Where there are means to survive and the power to successfully discharge services and minor productions, the buying capacities increase and the economy flourishes in the long run.

Aside from business and economic survival and development, it also tells about the building of human resources that would engineer the progression of the nation. It is rather inconceivable that Nigerian students are expected to study effectively for exams when there is a complete blackout for several weeks leading up to the exams. The epileptic power supply prevents them from performing their regular activities. It discourages intentional research and studies and tells about their academic performance in the long run. The situation worsens as the incidents of epileptic power supply become predominant during examination periods and cause poor performance. More importantly, it makes it impossible for electronic-based medium of learning and educational sectors. This presupposes that the epileptic power supply is a step backwards while students, citizens, and working classes try to take two steps forward. On November 2, 2023, the lamentation of the ASUU chairman of the Kaduna State University was reported. Peter Ademu had lamented about the months of lack of electricity supply that had led to “total system collapse.”

The health sector has been one of the sectors that have been badly affected by Nigerian society. From the middle of March till April 04, 2024, University College Hospital (UCH), a medical legacy in the whole of West Africa, had about 16 days cut off from the general grid and power supply. This may be attributed to the supposed inability to pay its bills, but it has become a national habit that has caused health facilities to become disadvantaged in power supply. Modern healthcare facilities and equipment and state-of-the-art medical advancements can not work or function without adequate facilities. I wonder what the death rate caused by these people with epilepsy would look like if anyone cared to inquire. Hearing the tearful account of a seven-year-old boy’s mother who described the severe difficulties her son’s birth was caused by a lack of power supply in one of the top hospitals in Nigeria was truly depressing. The baby was born in the dark, in need of oxygen, but was unable to get it since the hospital’s generator was not working when the lights went out during the delivery. The child finally passed away after a protracted illness caused by delivery complications.

This erratic and epileptic power supply has also forced many industries to generate power themselves by mostly using diesel-run generators as an alternative. According to the World Bank, this costs over $29 billion annually. Numerous international corporations, including GSK, Sanofi, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever, among many others, have left the nation because of the stringent difficulties in maintaining business in the country. The Nigerian Employers Consultative Association also revealed that more than fifteen international corporations, some of which employed more than two thousand people, had either completely or partially ceased operations in Nigeria. The effects of these widespread, massive job losses will include increased insecurity, a rise in child labour as children are compelled to work as wage earners, a negative impact on families’ disposable income, a decline in people’s purchasing power, and a sharp decline in the output of the economy.

One would wonder why imported goods maintain close-range prices with locally produced goods. The fancy and benefits of local production have always been the reduction in the cost of importation and ease of production processes. Epileptic power supply, coupled with other mundane complications, have made the cost of production necessitate fixing prices almost at the same level as their imported counterparts. So, if the price difference between Nigerian-made fabrics and imported ones is not too large, then the efforts towards promoting local manufacturing and production are just wishful thinking.

It seems that many parts of the nation are in the theatre of the absurd, with suspense, darkness, fear, and the blasts of whatever could come to your mind. This situation is quite dangerous as it contributes to the rate of insecurity in the nation. I mean, that’s why the perpetrators are called the “children of the dark.” There have been publications on hotels complaining about customers becoming stranded in lifts because of power outages and printing presses charging much more than they normally would because they have to pay outrageous costs for fuel and diesel to run their machines. In reality, every industry in Nigeria is negatively impacted by the breakdown and inefficiency of the energy sector.

One would ask what efforts the nation and its leaders have been making year after year to resolve this problem. After every form of political promise and wasted resources towards the supposed sustainability of the power sector, the national grid still falls like Olympus, and the people wait, wait, and wait for any modicum of hope. It is said to have fallen for the fifth time in the previous four months.

Amidst this greatly distressing situation, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has announced that the government may not be able to continue funding electricity subsidies and has announced an increase in tariff for some parts of the country known as Band A, although there has been outrage that the policies affect others. Band A is supposedly enjoying 20 hours of supply with increments from 66/kWh to 225/kWh. The policy could rather be seen as more of an administrative strategy to make the rich pay for the poor, but the disruption in supply would neutralise the motivations. More so, there are people of low earning standards who reside in these Band-A areas. The right approach should have meant categorisation by the purpose of consumption. Commercial and industrial apartments should pay more, while residents should pay less.

More importantly, these policies would not be favourable to environments that are not metered, wherein the power-distributing companies bring arbitrary bills every month. This snowballs into the undermining of the importance of providing pre-paid meters to every household, especially with the new era of privatisation. Pre-paid meters suggest that you only charge the power that power used from the power supplied. Hence, if the distribution company fails to supply power for a month, it gets almost nothing for that month, and as such, it would be obliged to supply electricity so as not to run at a loss.

This should be the first step to be taken, even if there is any need for subsidy removal. It circles back to these private institutions looking for solutions when there are problems with power supply. In the current situation in many places in the country, the companies do not feel the effect of these people with epilepsy as they make their money notwithstanding.

Do not get me wrong, Nigerians are not asking for a 24-hour electricity supply. They are simply looking for reasonable supplies that would meet their immediate commercial and residential needs. A consistent and reliable supply of power is a first step towards strengthening the Nigerian economy.

According to stakeholders, economists, and industrial experts, the increase in tariff would result in a significant decline in consumers’ disposable income, high prices for goods and services, high utility bills, and high business operating costs, all of which could have a detrimental effect on Nigeria’s low and high-income earners. Even as the effects of inflation and the foreign exchange crisis persist on consumers and businesses, it may force more people into poverty. A growth in poverty also means a rise in security risks, such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and online fraud, which puts the lives and properties of vulnerable citizens in jeopardy. Where there must be tariff increment, there must be commensurate consistent supply.

The government must see beyond the present and keep going to the roots of Nigeria’s problems, one of which is the erratic power supply. It is a fundamental phenomenon, and a reasonable government should not hold it with levity if there is any desire for economic growth. So, “let there be light” is let there be “economic growth,” “individual sustainability,” “security,” and “lower cost of living,”