Monday 31 March 2014

New security architecture to end Boko Haram, says Jonathan

New security architecture to end Boko Haram, says Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan


President Goodluck Jonathan Monday maintained that the Federal Government is adopting new security architecture to end the Boko Haram insurgency, farmers/herdsmen crisis and other security challenges in the country.
He made the remark when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Stakeholders from the North Central zone led by former PDP Chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali paid him a solidarity visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Stressing that the government through the National Security Adviser (NSA) is tackling the security issues in the country, he said that the North Central zone is a zone for the PDP.
He said: “The security personnel are moving in to strengthen the conventional security, that is the police. But we are working very hard with  the NSA office to make sure that the security challenges that we have across the country, whether in Borno state or the kidnapping in Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia and so on.”
“We are coming up with different architecture that will deal with this insurgence.  As we progress, we will begin to bring the situation under control.” He said
Disclosing that litigations in court has been delaying the privatization process of Ajaokuta Steel project, he promised that the issues will soon be resolved.
Jonathan said: “Of course on Ajaokuta, the key thing is that we had some challenges with the privatisation process. The people that got it there were some issues but because of these litigations, the project was held down.”
“And all along, we have been trying one way or the other but the project cannot take off very effectively because we want the private sector to come in robustly. If we must get out from where we are but they will find it difficult except the legal issues are sorted out.”
“So, what the AGF is saying is that the issues are being sorted out because without mines and steel, the nation cannot industrialize, yes you can import but its easier when you are producing locally because we believe that Ajaokuta will be one of the bedrock for own industrialization programme. So it is a project that is dear to anybody who wants to move this country forward.” He added
Stressing that the north central is known for solid minerals and provides food, power for the whole country among other good things, he said: “We thank you for this solidarity visit and for giving us a senate president that has been able to stabilize the National Assembly.”
On the governors’ forum crisis, he said: “The governors from the zone who have been stabilizing the country because the way  some of the governors talk and behave, if 50 percent of the governors behave that way, probably, we would have vacated this place and allow others to come and manage it for us. But they have been able to help to stabilize the whole country. When the governors forum became a monster and we had a lot of challenges, it was the north central that came on board to stabilize the governors’ forum.”
“So, the zone has been able to produce very great leaders, not just great leaders but they are patriotic leaders, so, we will continue to work with this zone, we will continue  to encourage you. As we approach elections next year, let us know the problems on time, we will work with you to ensure PDP continues to maintain the zone,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the governors from the zone, Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam urged for the full attention of the Federal Government in tackling the farmers/Fulani crisis in the zone, noting that the Fulanis fermenting the trouble are not the normal ones as they are carrying sophisticated weapons and well trained to kill.
According to him, once the north central is destabilized, all the other zones will be easily destabilized.
Pointing out that the crisis needs to be brought under control as the 2015 general election is fast approaching, he expressed worries that since the Fulani attacks in the zone, no single individual has been arrested.
He said: “The security situation in the north central. Virtually all the states in the zone are affected by the activities of the ‘herdsmen’ in quote, we believe that its not just the Fulani herdsmen that are doing what they are doing in the zone but some insurgents who are  camouflaging as Fulani men.”
“Because the Fulani men that will all know and we have lived with them, some of them are part and parcel of the north central, we know that they carry sticks  and at times, few of them carry den guns to catch bush meat for Tiv people.”
“But Mr. President, what we have witnessed lately are well trained people who are trained to kill and destroy and the manner of destruction is so massive and is unimaginable. The north central is very worried. The state mostly  affected are plateau, Nasarawa and Benue. That is not to say that other states are not affected,” he said.
Even as he said that he cannot claim ignorant of the efforts the President is making to address security issues in the country, he said that he had to call for special attention for the north central zone because of its stabilizing factor.
“The reason being that if the north central is disorganized, Mr. President you are disorganized because that is where you have your stability and so whatever it will take Mr. President to address the security challenges that we have in the north central.
“You have just directed the military to move in, they have started moving in between Nasarawa and Benue. As of last night, there were lot a security movement between Benue and Nasarawa state and we hope  that the same thing will be applicable in Plateau state because the state has had a longer history of this than any one of us.
“Mr President, what has worried us as governors who are also leaders is that inspite of the magnitude of destruction, no one person has been arrested and these destroyers move in large numbers. We are worried that without appropriate sanctions, they will continue with impunity because once people are not sanctioned, they don’t take that serious and I think the appropriate example must be shown.
“Mr president how these people get their arms, because they are carrying very sophisticated weapons, is also an issue that we are worried about and I believe that Mr. president is also very worried because all of us swore to the constitution to protect lives and property.
“But in a situation where we have some evil men deliberately conniving with some forces that we believe are subterranean forces to destroy this country and the good achievements that you have put in place should be something that should worry all of us. So, the governors of the zone ask me to urge you to continue to put in all efforts in addressing these very important security problems,” he said
He went on: “One great U.S president said if we want peace, we must prepare for war. I think that the fact that we are peaceful, a lot of our neighbours  are not happy about it and we must be ready because we are being, to some large extent, attacked in our country by people that are not known to us.
“I have  interacted with a lot of Fulani friends and they have told me that those people are not the fulanis that are indigenous to Nigeria. Last night, the president general of Miyetti Allah spent the night with me in Benue state. He told me there was a need for us to form a joint force, that is the Benue and the Fulani communities to fight these people who are creating these problems which clearly shows that these are people who are foreign even to the fulanis  that we know.”
“And so we are all worried because elections are around the corner and most of your strong areas which will bring millions of votes are being destroyed and people are moving out enmasse. We pray that God will keep giving you the wisdom, the knowledge to tackle these security problems.” He said
The Senate President, Senator David Mark, maintained that the North Central zone remained essential to the stability of Jonathan’s administration and that is why some unscrupulous people want to destabilise the zone using insecurity.
He promised the President maximum support from the North-Central zone, especially from the National Assembly which he heads despite the antics of those he called ‘rebels’ in the House.
“We cannot betray you, our word is our bond. We want you to trust us because we trust you. All we want is mutual confidence, and so far, you have shown it” he said
Mark assured that the huge electoral support Jonathan got from North Central in 2011 will be repeated in 2015.
The leader of the delegation, Ahmadu Ali said that the PDP North Central remained proud of him and commended him for what he has been doing   for the zone.
Declaring that the zone will continue support Jonathan in future elections, urged Jonathan to find solution to the challenges hindering the Ajaokuta Steel Complex from contributing to national development.
He also canvassed for the establishment of a solid minerals development commission for the zone.
PDP Chairman, Adamu Muazu noted that the PDP will continue to wax stronger in the zone, he said that the centre will give the 100% support especially towards the 2015 general election.
Among the delegation include Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, Kogi State governor, Idrus Wada.
Also on the visit are the  former Kogi State governor, Ibrahim Idris, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, and Senator Khariat Gwadabe.
Many cabinet members from the zone were also among the delegate.

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Court orders 37 PDP Reps to resign seats

Court orders 37 PDP Reps to resign seats

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered 37 former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resign their seats at the House of Representatives for defecting to the All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Delivering judgment, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the defected lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally, to stay in the House of Reps.
He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members of the House of Representative , having moved to another political party, while their tenure had yet to expire.
“Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform.
“It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP.
“The defendants are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives.
“An order of perpetual injunction is, hereby, ordered, restraining them from altering or attempting to change the leadership of the House of Reps,’’ Ademola said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP had on Jan. 7 instituted a suit seeking to restrain the House of Representatives from altering the composition of its leadership.
The party had commenced the action following the defection of 37 lawmakers, who won election on its platform, to the opposition APC.
Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), PDP’s counsel had, while arguing his originating summons, faulted the cross-carpeting of the lawmakers, saying that the legislators did so during the dependency of a judgment.
He argued that by virtue of the Oct. 2013 judgment of Justice Evoh Chukwu, which said there was no division in PDP, the matter had been laid to rest.
Usman had further submitted that by virtue of the provision of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution, as amended, the  lawmakers ought to have vacated their seats immediately.
Mr Mamoud Magaji (SAN), counsel to the defendants, had in his submission, argued that it was wrong for the PDP to have sought to restrain its former members from House activities for defecting.
Other defence counsel, Mr Niyi Akintola, SAN, Mr Sebastian Hon, SAN, Mr James Ocholi,SAN, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko,SAN, and Jibril Okutepa,SAN, had prayed the court to dismiss the suit.
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FLASH: Etisalat Nigeria Sacks Over 2000 Staffs Nationwide



Telecommunications company, Etisalat Nigeria Friday sacked over two thousand permanent staffs across the country. The sacked workers were paid off our source say.

The Telecom operator seeks to hire adhoc staff to run the operations of the company as the company is said broke and can no longer retain the permanent work force.

Most of those sacked have expressed surprise and disappointment over the development which has thrown them into the already saturated unemployment market.
“We were asked to leave and our cheques handed to us yesterday, it is unfortunate that I am again back to the Job market” a source who does not want to be mentioned revealed.

“They want to recruit contract staff/new agents and they can no longer run the cost of paying those of us that are permanent staff, they claim.”
Another source went on to say the management of the company is insisting on hiring contract staff to replace those sacked but “it is unfortunate they had to send us home the way they did”

She continued, “Do we even have labour laws in this country? How can you wake over night and ask people to go without months of notice, at least for us to be prepared for the worst”
Some of the reasons by the management for the sack is that the company can no longer manage the wage bill and the company is going through financial crisis and can’t afford to keep permanent staff, hence the need for the sack.

In Lagos alone, over 1,200 were sacked while more than 800 were asked to go home in states like kano.
The company has also terminated their graduate trainee program for all fresh graduates. The Company sent out emails that the program has ended without prior notice.

Some members of the graduate trainee had spent years with the company only to receive mails about their sack at the close of business.
Attempt to speak to the management of Etisalat to confirm or deny the allegations has been unsuccessful so far as at the time of filing this report, we’ve sent mails and no response.
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United Kingdom Cautions Citizens In Abuja


David Cameron: aid boost to Nigeria




















The United Kingdom Foreign Office has advised British citizens in Abuja to maintain ‘heightened vigilance’ following the foiled jailbreak at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The revised travel alert on Nigeria was posted on the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) website today. The website was updated few hours after the DSS confirmed that it had foiled an attempted jailbreak by insurgents detained at the Asokoro headquarters of the security outfit.

The travel alert advised British citizens to be vigilant ‘should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone’ in Abuja. The statement read: “On the morning of March 30, there was an incident involving exchange of gunfire within a Nigerian government compound in the Asokoro area in Abuja.”

“The incident was brought under control swiftly, and the Nigerian Government has now confirmed that the incident is over and has declared the area safe.”

“We recommend that British citizens maintain heightened vigilance in Abuja, particularly after dark, and given today’s incident, to be especially vigilant should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone,” it read.
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Nyako slams Jonathan over Boko Haram blame game

Governor Murtala Nyako
Governor Murtala Nyako

Who should carry the blame for the rising Boko Haram insurgency in the northeastern part of Nigeria?
To President Goodluck Jonathan, the governors in the zone should be blamed for not educating their citizens, making them available for recruitment by the Boko Haram leaders.
To Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, one of the states affected by the deadly insurgency that had killed over 1000 people this year alone: the fault lies with Jonathan’s Federal Government for not being able to rise to the security challenges.
Jonathan spoke yesterday at the North East Zonal rally of the PDP in Bauchi, capital of Bauchi state. Nyako, who used to be a member of Jonathan’s PDP and has now joined the opposition APC, responded today.

He described the President’s claim as unfortunate and insisted that it was the poor leadership exhibited by the Jonathan administration that had aided and abetted the rising spate of terrorism in the North.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that if there is any proof of bad governance, it will be located in the way and manner the President executes his priorities and the kind of statements he and his spokespersons make. Governors are not and cannot be held responsible for security challenges since they have no control over security apparatus. The President is the Commander-in-Chief with powers over the Armed Forces, Police and other security agencies,”Nyako said.
Jonathan stirred the controversy by locating the rise of Boko Haram to the lack of basic education. And he charged the governors to take charge and stop blaming their inept leadership on the Federal Government. To him, the federal government, constitutionally responsible for the provision of tertiary education, has done its bit. The states in charge of primary and secondary education had failed to perform their part.
“ Sometimes governors will come and say we have some issues because of bad leadership. I was governor, deputy governor before I became a governor. I spent eight years at the state level, I handled security challenges. That was the state where the first commercial kidnapping took place because of excess militancy. More than 70 % of the state is swamp. I knew how we handled things. A governor will come and say bad leadership, bad leadership from whom? If we have security challenges, whether you call them Boko Haram or whatever, these are people who couldn’t go to primary school, who couldn’t go to secondary school and they have no hope and miscreants or criminals now recruit them and using them; if you see what they wear, they wear rags and not normal clothes; all what they put on their bodies is not worth N10, but they carry rifles and bullets that are worth more that N250, 000. Somebody gives them food to eat so that they can kill.
”You ask how did we build this army of unemployed or unemployable youth? The Federal Government does not control primary education; it does not control secondary education, and a governor has been on seat for almost eight years and we have people in that state that can’t go to primary school, that can’t go to secondary school. You say bad leadership, who is the bad leader? Is it the Federal Government? I made sure that every state has a university. That is the responsibility of the Federal Government and I have done it.
“Governors must make sure that our children go to primary school, governors must make sure that our children go to secondary school. Somebody hide under the cover of politics and cannot do it in eight years or seven years plus. We still have do many children in your state that cannot go to primary school, not going to secondary school and you open your mouth to say bad leadership; is it the Federal Government or Mr. President that should come and take your children to primary schools? Federal Government by the constitution faces tertiary education. “
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Not less than 22 killed during gun battle at SSS headquarters



About 22 insurgents were feared killed during a the Sunday morning fierce shootout at the headquarters of the State Security Service, SSS, located less than 30 meters from the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The insurgents were said to have been shot after they escaped from their cells and engaged the operatives in a fierce gun battle.
An authoritative security source told PREMIUM TIMES that trouble started when an operative went to feed one of the suspected insurgents in one of the cells in the maximum security facility.
Apparently careless, the source said, the operative failed to observe laid down security caution while trying to feed the inmate.
Ordinarily, he said operatives are not expected to enter cells to feed inmates, adding that the operative, who was caught off-guard, not only entered the cell, but also went in with his service pistol.
He said, “When he got into the cell, the suspected insurgent immediately disarmed the operative and shot him at point-blank range.
“From there, he started shooting other armed operatives inside the premises and freeing his fellow detainees, who also joined in fighting for their escape.”
The source said an alert was triggered within the highly fortified security facility and a full-scale hunt was declared to ensure that none of the insurgents running around free could make out to safety.
While the skirmishes lasted, the source said the insurgents, who had seized guns from some of the operatives within the premises put up a fierce resistance.
They were, however, crushed by the superior firepower of the military who were hurriedly deployed and surrounded the entire facility.
The source also said a number of operatives were killed and others injured during the early-morning gun battle.
In an earlier statement, the SSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, confirmed that the gun battle began after a detainee disarmed an operative and tried to effect a jailbreak.
She stated, “At 0715 hours, the Service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the Headquarters to feed the suspects.
“One of the suspects attempted to disarm him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. His attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility who fired some shots to warn and deter others.
“The gun shots attracted the attention of the military with which we have an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat.
“The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control.”
However, in a recent statement, Ms. Ogar confirmed that 18 insurgents were killed while three others sustained gunshot wounds.
Ms. Ogar did not disclose the number of SSS operatives who were either killed or injured during the attack.
But knowledgeable security sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the SSS narrative begs further questions because they seem “untrue and misleading”.
The sources frame their doubts around the presumed impenetrability of the DSS facility and headquarters; the unusually huge military intervention force; the quality of ordinance deployed; and the prolonged period of gun exchange.
“The truth is that a jailbreak is impossible in the SSS headquarters,” one of our sources said.”It has two fences and is highly fortified. And there is no way a man on handcuff could launch an attack vicious enough to disarm an operative.
“Also our people need to tell the world whether it was only one gun taken from the disarmed operative that the detainees used in engaging soldiers and SSS operatives in sustained gun battle for about three hours.
“If it is about subduing one man who attempted a jailbreak, why did we need truckloads of fully armed soldiers and deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers, RPGs and other sophisticated weapons?
“Also, why did the exchange of fire last for so long? Why did we have to deploy helicopter gunships to hover around the villa and Yellow House (SSS headquarters).
“Nigerians should demand the truth. I can tell you that a more serious incident happened than our people are willing to admit and there is a serious attempt at cover-up.”
Some residents of the area also believe what happened could not have been just an attempted jailbreak.
“Whatever this is, it appears more serious than an attempted jailbreak claimed by the SSS,” former Minister Nasir El-Rufai, who live a few meters away from the SSS headquarters said. “May God Protect the innocent and destroy the murderers, kidnappers and planners of genocide, Amen.”
Another former minister, whose home neighboured the SSS headquarters, Femi Fani-Kayode said,”I live 50 metres away from the SSS headquarters and the Villa and what I witnessed with my eyes and heard this morning was a full scale battle.”
The entire vicinity of the presidential palace and the SSS headquarters has been cordoned off, making it impossible for journalists to do area assessment with a view to determining what actually happened.
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Sunday 30 March 2014

Utomi to convene alternative confab

Prof. Pat Utomi
Prof. Pat Utomi

A former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party, Prof. Pat Utomi, on Saturday via a microblogging and social media site, Twitter, indicated his intent to convene an alternative national conference.

He began by writing that, during the week, he had been approached by people who are interested in convening an alternative confab, and that he found it attractive.

“A group of us had done something similar under (the late Gen. Sani) Abacha (administration), convening a dialogue at St. Leos, Ikeja with Fr. (Hassan) Kukah, and others. I will begin consulting,” one of his  posts read.

He explained that youth groups, professional bodies and national groups were on his list, and that the emphasis of the conference would be the future, rather than “hurts and mistrust from the past.”

He added that the past would be to educate, but the thrust would be winning the future.

“Emphasis would be on national character, strategy, etc. It is not the age of many in this (ongoing) confab that is the problem; it is the locus and focus of their concerns and the age of some of their ideas.

“Yesterday’s bitterness, and the problems from their previous rivalries may ensure deadlock. It is also too elitist. When will the  people count and the future not be beclouded by quarrels over economic rent?” he said.

Prof. Utomi stated that the current types of conference see structure as key to harmony and progress, but that it comes after values that shape national character.

He added that what should be priority are correcting the disposition to impunity, elevating the dignity of the human person and accountable governance.
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W’Cup: I don’t need Ike Uche, Keshi concludes


Ikechukwu Uche

Nigeria coach, Stephen Keshi, on Tuesday made it clear that Villareal striker Ikechukwu Uche would no longer play a part in the national team.

The Spain-based forward has been excluded from the Super Eagles by Keshi after a poor outing at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where Nigeria emerged champions.

Keshi had repeatedly said that Uche “lacks tactical discipline and doesn’t know how to play football.”

And on Tuesday, he put paid to hopes of the player making his team to the World Cup despite a brilliant season for the Yellow Submarines in the La Liga.

Keshi dispelled rumours that he excluded Uche from his squad because the player refused to make him his manager.

 “Ike Uche was with me at the Nations Cup. I had said I won’t speak about him anymore. People would make a lot of comments, people would say a lot of things but I don’t need him, period. The most important thing for me is the Super Eagles and if you are against the Super Eagles, you are against Stephen Keshi and I will fight you,” Keshi said at a TomTom Roundtable session with journalists in Lagos.

“He is my player and I have no personal grudge against him. He is a good player but not all good players play in the national team if you are not a team player.  If you are not a team player, you are not going to be with me. You can with other coaches but with me, no way because the game is about team work. There’s no money that can buy me.”

Keshi, the second African to win the AFCON as a player and coach, added that no player could use money to influence his decisions as a coach.

He added, “Before any of the players started playing, I had money. I still have money. I’ve been in the game before they came. I don’t think any of them can give me enough money that can satisfy my hunger.

“Probably he (Uche) has been doing it in the past with other coaches but there is one coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (CON) that he cannot bribe.

“I’ve seen a lot of people asking me to include their players in the team. I didn’t come to Nigeria for money. If I wanted a lot of money, I would be with Equatorial Guinea where I was offered four times what Nigeria is paying me.”

 Our correspondent learnt that an off the pitch incident at the 2013 AFCON led to a soured relationship between the coach and the player.

Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation were alleged to have used Uche against Keshi during the group stage of the competition, in their reported failed bid to sack the coach.

 “Because the NFF wanted to bring in a new coach after the Eagles poor start at the AFCON, they needed players, who would voice their discontentment with Keshi’s tactics and Uche was one of them,” a member of the Eagles technical crew revealed.
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Banks raise e-mail fraud alert


Banks raise e-mail fraud alert

Worried by reported cases of online scams, major commercial banks operating in the country have begun campaigns targeted at educating their customers.

Findings by iPUNCH on Thursday revealed that the majority of the banks have since resorted to reeling out tips on digital platforms to their customers on how they should safeguard their financial information.

Some of the banks that have issued such fraud alerts on their social media accounts and websites include First Bank of Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, First City Monument Bank, Zenith Bank, among others.

According to the banks, the con artistes on the prowl have continued to perfect their schemes to send out e-mails purportedly from them with increasing frequency, creativity and intensity.

First Bank, while admitting that fraudsters were increasingly making use of emails and other methods to obtain banking passwords and other personal information, said on its website that criminal activities — including identity theft and fraud — are more prevalent today than ever before.

It warned customers on its Facebook page against responding to emails that look like those emanating from it and requesting them to disclose their security information.

Urging them to exercise extreme caution, the bank added that its attention had been drawn to the circulation of fraudulent emails asking customers to ‘verify your account’, or ‘confirm your sign-in details.’

It warned that recipients of such emails should not respond to the message, or click on any of the links on it; adding that the mail should be deleted immediately.

In the event that the customers click on the links or attachment in the e-mail, First Bank advises that the computer used to access the email be promptly scanned for possible viruses and malware.

The bank added, “You may receive emails that look like they come from First Bank and ask you to disclose your security information. We’ll never ask you to disclose your personal or security details by email.

“Usually, the links contained in these ‘phishing’ emails will direct you to a site that asks you to ‘update’ or ‘verify’ your details on the page. Be warned, these can appear to be genuine. Don’t click on the links or provide any of your security details.”

Also, Guaranty Trust Bank, which has a provision for opening bank accounts via Facebook, said it would continue to encourage online banking. It, however, stated that it would never ask customers to update or provide personal log-in or account information details on the social network.

Alerting its customers to the menace of identity theft online, it reminded them that their Internet banking account, ATM card details and PINs are confidential and should be treated as such.

In a scam alert on its website titled, “scam e-mails in circulation”, GTB added, “Our attention has been drawn to mails being sent out by fraudsters, requesting such sensitive information as Internet banking account and ATM card details.

“Some of these mails also request that customers update their account records by clicking on links to fake Internet banking and Interswitch websites. You are hereby advised to ignore these mails and do not respond to them.”

Meanwhile, an online security expert, Olorunfemi Lawore, has also provided some tips on how to distinguish between phishing mails from valid bank emails.

Lawore noted, “You can tell that the link is fraudulent just by placing your cursor on it (not clicking on it) and then looking below at the status bar of your browser to see if the link you are about to click on reads the same address on your status bar on the browser.

“Of course, a good hacker could do a perfect job to decipher the linked URL very well, but the basic thing to note is that you should ask yourself a question, which is, ‘Why am I clicking on this link?’ You must weigh what could happen if it is a fraudulent link and this should be a good check for you.”

Lawore, a certified ethical hacker and head of operations, GNT Nigeria, an IT training and consulting firm, advised the banking public against clicking on email links out of curiosity, especially those that offer too much promises/benefits.

The online security expert also asked members of the public to be wary of emails from unknown senders.

To fend off online phishing scams he added, “Don’t trust unknown e-mail senders; ask unknown senders if they were the ones who sent a mail with a link and why. Be careful with personal information online.”
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Proactive Leadership, By Taiwo Odukoya

Taiwo Odukoya

Where there is no vision, the people perish…  (Proverbs 29:18a)
A 2005 research by Tiina Jokinen of the University of Vaasa, identified proactivity as one of the key global leadership competencies of the modern age. Proactivity we all know is acting in advance to deal with an unexpected difficulty; it is initiating change rather than reacting to events.
Proactive leadership is broadminded, it considers the seemingly little issues of today and their possible impact on tomorrow, with the view of stopping the problem ahead of time. It was the American songwriter Kenny Longins that said, “Real freedom is proactive, and will take me into new territories. I am not free if my freedom is predicated on reacting to my past.”
Unfortunately this is what most leaders find themselves doing most of the time; responding to the past instead of creating the future.
Come to think of it, one of the best definitions of leadership is articulating a preferred future and taking the necessary actions to bring it to pass. As every leader knows, there may be one or two unforeseen situations that could impede the actualization of our set goals, but effective leadership will always anticipate them and put plans in place to deal with them appropriately.
A case in point is one of the challenges facing the industrialized world today. I am talking about climate change and environmental pollution. One leader, as far back as the 1960s, before his country ever became industrialized, foresaw the need of envisioning a clean, industrialized city that would serve as a model in the years to come, and he set about building one. That leader was Lee Kuan Yew. In 1963 he initiated a tree planting campaign and in 1968 set a goal for Singapore to become a model green city.
His leadership was marked by a series of sustainable long term policies that translated into one of the most enviable model countries in the world today; one characterized by low levels of corruption, quality education and a clean environment. Lee crafted a vision, anticipated problems and went to work. “Vision without action is a daydream, action without vision is a nightmare,” a Japanese proverb says. This is what proactive leadership is about, and Lee Kuan Yew demonstrated it.
“Public leadership and proactivity in Nigeria” would be a good study for any research student in leadership and governance. The truth is, most of our challenges today can be tied to a lack of proactivity and continuity in our leadership. Only recently the BBC confirmed that there has been a record of about 191 killings in the northeast in the last two weeks.  The truth is, the scourge that has become Boko Haram is hardly a sudden occurrence.
We can recall that in 1980 the late Malam Muhammadu Marwa alias Allah Ta-tsine, a violent religious zealot, spearheaded what has become known today as the maitasine crisis, leaving over 4,000 people dead. In 1982, even after the death of Marwa, religious riots continued in Maiduguri, Kaduna and Yola.  If successive leadership in the country since 1980 had been proactive we will not be where we are today. It is time for us not only to deal decisively with this issue, but to put plans and structures in place to prevent a reoccurrence.
The robust and complex nature of Nigeria’s history provides enough room for those who lead today and those who aspire to lead tomorrow to be proactive. Uprisings of religious and ethnic hues are not new to us. Examples are the issues of sea piracy in the Niger Delta, the settler-indigene issues in the middle-belt and Boko Haram in the northeast. We do not always have to wait until these become crises of international magnitude before we act; we must develop plans that prevent them from escalating even when they occur.  A culture of proactive leadership will not only prevent these crises, but will accelerate development.
Today’s leadership cannot afford to fail where its predecessors have. And those who aspire must also understand that leadership is great responsibility and will not lend itself to those who will not be proactive. So let us roll up our sleeves today and tomorrow to take the decisive actions we need to take to stem the current crisis and to prevent future occurrences.
And as we mourn all those who have lost their lives in the ongoing crises, let us seize this opportunity as a people to assert our common humanity. We are all affected and our common enemy are those who insist that the only pathway to peace is that we bend to their will; those who kill innocent children in the dead of the night to make an unintelligible point. They cannot defeat us unless we create an opportunity for them through divisions and indifference. We will not be defeated if we unite in prayer and in strategy.
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ANTP bus found in forest


The bus

A bus belonging to the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners, Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, was found in the forest at Soka. The bus had two phone numbers inscribed on the door.

When our correspondent called one of the numbers, it was answered by Mr. Ismail Saheed, a former secretary of the association. He said the bus was towed by the Oyo State government during former Governor Alao Akala’s tenure.

“The bus was parked outside the association’s office along Oke-Ado Road, Ibadan, but was towed by the government. The man we met there told us to go to the environmental department at the Oyo State Secretariat.

“We went to the secretariat and met their boss who told us to bring N25,000. We told them that we were artistes and that we didn’t have money. The bus was given to us by one of the local government chairmen in Oyo State.

“We appealed to them to collect N5,000 but they refused. We went there almost every day but it was fruitless. So we got fed up and abandoned the bus.”

Mr. Ogunkola Moses, former chairman of the association, whose number was also found on the bus corroborated Saheed’s story.

PUNCH Newspaper
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Ibadan Evil Forest: They beat some to death — Nafiu, victim

Nafiu Shittu
Nafiu Shittu

What is your name?

Nafiu Shittu

Where do you come from?

I am from Isale-Osun, Osogbo. I live in the Foko area of Ibadan city.

Are you married?

No.

 When and how were you kidnapped?

I was kidnapped seven months ago in Ibadan. Some men dragged me into a vehicle. I only remember that I later saw myself chained to the wall in a room. I was held there all alone.

What were you eating in the forest?

I was rarely fed. There were two men who brought food every four days. It was food meant for sacrifice – rice and palm oil. But I couldn’t eat the food, so I drank only water.

Can you describe the people who held you?

The men were hefty and were always smoking in the place. I remember there were two of them. I don’t remember ever seeing a woman among them. On the day we were rescued, there was a lot of noise coming from outside. Before I knew it, some youths broke in, freed me and others who had been held captive.

Do you recall seeing other people there?

Yes. I was not the only one in the place. Everyday, they brought new people there and beat them.  I heard cries from other rooms daily. I don’t know if they were killed later, but I often saw dead bodies taken out.

Where were you kept and how was the condition of the place?

I was kept in a small room without a roof. I was isolated. I was chained throughout the duration I was held captive. And whenever it rained, it drenched me.  There were many rooms there.
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Fire razes nine tankers in Lagos

fire-tanker-fire

No fewer than nine tankers loaded with diesel were yesterday razed down by fire at a trailer park located along Apple junction/Ijesha road, opposite Interland Transport Limited, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State.

For several hours, thick cloud of smoke enveloped Amuwo Odofin area of the state. Sympathizers gathered watching helplessly as the fire razed the tankers one after the other. No casualty was recorded. It took the joint effort of the Lagos State Fire Service and the Julius Berger Construction Company to put the inferno under control.

At exactly 4:15 pm when Sunday Sun got to the scene of the incident, men of the state fire service were seeing battling with the raging fire. Reinforcement later came from Julius Berger with two additional tankers to prevent the fire from getting out of control. No fewer than eight tankers were totally burnt beyond repair, while combined teams of the two operatives battled endlessly to put out the residual fire raging in one of the tankers.

The exact cause of the sudden fire outbreak could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report. Sunday Sun, however, gathered that the fire started at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. An eye witness account said the inferno initially started with one of the tankers and quickly spread to others in quick succession.

None of the workers working at the trailer park was available to speak with the press. Although the park housing several tankers with F&B Petroleum Limited logo looks like a mechanic workshop, there are suspicions that the cause of the fire outbreak might not be unconnected with illegal loading and transfer of petroleum products by unidentified dealers.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Idowu Fadipe, who spoke with Sunday Sun on phone, said the park was an illegal site being used for loading and transfer of petroleum products. His words, “the place looks like a mechanic workshop but it is a local depot used for transferring of fuel.  They are only using it as a camouflage. I expected the people in that area to have reported them to Lagos State Government.”

He said the quick intervention of his men mobilized from Isolo, Sari Iganmu and Ojo Fire Service stations combined with Julius Berger averted the disaster that would have resulted from the inferno. “Emergency situation is not handled by one hand. It takes collaborative efforts to deal with situation like this,” he added.

He confirmed that nine tankers were involved in the inferno but the effort of the fire service men prevented further damage to life and property. Men of the Nigeria Police were also on hand to provide security at the scene.
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Jonathan’s government shameless – Tinubu

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Saturday described President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as shameless.

He added that rather than account for the alleged missing $20bn oil revenue, it kept giving untenable excuses.

Tinubu said, “They are so shameless that the number of years they have ruled does not matter to them. Don’t change the subject matter. Account for the missing money or go. All the explanations they gave about the missing money are just explanations. They steal from pensioners. We must kick them out.”

The APC leader who spoke at the sixth Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos titled ‘The Summit of the Common man’, added that the electorate would not continue to vote for a government that refused to give them electricity.

“The change is for you to vote and defend it. We must break the shackles of poverty. How can we continue to vote for a government that refused to give us petrol and which removed subsidy on petroleum products. Are we sadistic? Do we enjoy being punished?” he stated.

Also, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola urged the electorate to be mindful of those they elect.

He said, “ You must pay critical attention to the people you vote for.

I know that we have employed somebody for the top job in this country but when we asked him about his qualifications and experience, he said he had no shoes. You must decide whether you want someone who spends most of his time in church or mosque, or the man who is ready to spend his time on the job.”

Fashola also said Tinubu had solved problems, built an array of leaders and passed the torch to them.

Selected Nigerians across the country also shared their experiences ranging from unemployment, poverty, and injustice to audiences at event.

They included a farmer, Nasiru Daudawa, an unemployed graduate, Sopriye Victor and a fisherman, Eric Dooh.

In his remark, Chairman of the event, The Most Reverend, Ephraim

Ademowo, described the APC national leader as an uncommon man.

He said, “He is a consummate and tested politician. A master strategist and a libertarian par excellence. He is kind to a fault.”

Those who attended the event included APC interim Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, a former military Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), Chief Segun Osoba, Prof Pat Utomi, Governors of Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states, among many others.

Efforts to reach the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan Dr. Reuben Abati, for his comments were futile on Saturday night. Calls made to his mobile number by our correspondent didn’t go through while a text message to the same number was not replied as at press time.
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Salvador knocks Bakare, Falana for rejecting confab allowance

A delegate to the ongoing National Conference, Moshood Salvador
Moshood Salvador,

A delegate to the ongoing National Conference, Moshood Salvador, said he engaged professors as researchers to facilitate his work at the conference.

He had dismissed the popularly held opinion that he and his colleagues were being paid jumbo allowances.

The former member of the House of Representatives also accused his co-delegates – Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare; a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana – of playing to the gallery for rejecting the confab allowance.

Salvador explained that since the conference began, he had spent more than the bi-weekly allowance of N1.5m for employing aides and researchers including professors to enable him to perform optimally at the confab.

Salvador spoke on Wednesday in Lagos, during the public presentation of his memoir titled, “Hon. Moshood Salvador’s Memoir: Beyond the Dream.”

The former lawmaker, who served between 1999 and 2003, said he decided to employ the services of the professors whom he declined to name with a view to “getting the best formula for Nigeria.”

He said, “It is only when we don’t love this nation that we will be talking about money. On the issue of jumbo pay, I don’t know anything about it.

“Those saying they are going to donate that allowance to charity are only playing to the gallery. I have spent more than N3m on this cause (National Conference). I’m not waiting for government money.

“I have rented an apartment of about N800,000 a month. I have employed the services of a media team, researchers and they are there in my private office in Wuse, Abuja, conducting research and surfing the web to get information.

“In fact, I don’t want to mention professors that we are working together with to make sure we get the best formula for this nation. This money is from my pocket, not from anywhere. At my level, that’s not jumbo pay. I don’t even think about it (the pay).”

Chairman of the paper presentation session who is also a delegate to the conference, Senator Anthony Adefuye, described the jumbo pay allegations as an “exaggeration.”

Adefuye, who stated that he would be pushing for a parliamentary system of government and state police at the confab, said the 2014 national conference would be the cheapest in the nation’s history.

Arguing that the confab allowance is “not as jumbo as you think,” he said the bi-weekly N1.5m allowance could hardly take care of his needs.

He added, “But let me add that I stay in a hotel where I pay N67,000 a day. I have a car hire that I pay N12, 000 a day to take me to and fro the conference venue.”
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National Conference Inaguration Ceremony: Anyim’s 22-minute sleep

Sen. Pius Anyim
Sen. Pius Anyim

The amount of responsibility bestowed on the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim, in organising the conference is indeed enormous.  It was his office that compiled the list of delegates, got the venue, prepared the bags and its contents, supervised accreditation and arranged other logistics for the smooth take-off of the conference.

It was probably the enormity of his responsibility that made Anyim doze off on the day President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the conference committee.

Anyim, who welcomed delegates to the conference, slept throughout the 22 minutes that President Jonathan spoke. But intermittently, Anyim shook his head as delegates clapped in response to points raised by the President in his speech.

Although no provision was made for members to sleep in the conference hall, some delegates were also seen napping. Their sleep was, however, interrupted when other delegates raised their voices in heated arguments.

One of the delegates had asked the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, to caution journalists against reports on sleeping members. But a delegate from the South-West, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, told the conference that the floor should not be used as a sleeping ground.

“If instead of doing what we are supposed to do, we come here to sleep, then it is not a bad thing if journalists report that,” Odumakin said.
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Delegates disagree over extension of confab


Delegates attending the ongoing National Conference in Abuja have disagreed over the extension of the three-month period stipulated for the exercise, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

The delegates, since the inauguration of the conference by President Goodluck Jonathan on March 17,   have achieved very little, especially in terms of decisions and resolutions on nagging national issues.

The work plan of the conference shows that the list of members of committees proposed by its leadership ought to have been released on Thursday.

Also, the delegates have been unable to agree on the mode of voting.

While some of them want the conference to adopt the 75 per cent approval proposed by the President, others prefer two-thirds majority.

Going by its programme, the conference is to wind down on Thursday, June 10.

But some of the delegates are of the opinion that three months may not be enough for the work assigned to them.

A delegate and spokesperson for the Pro-National Conference Organisation, Mr. Wale Okuniyi, said  the three-month duration for the national conference was inadequate for thorough work on national issues by the delegates.

In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, he stated that Nigeria remained a complex society with divergent issues that required very careful, meticulous and thorough consideration.

He suggested that nine months could be used for the conference even though he noted that PRONACO had earlier prescribed 18 months.

“We are going to do a surgery on the life of our nation. We have inherent diversities that are expansive and the animosity over time is deep-rooted. There is no way three months can be enough, but we should try and work towards it as a guide. I laughed when I saw the time duration. The Federal Government was quick to say it was tentative.”

Another delegate, who is also the President, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Mr. Richard Uche,  expressed doubts over completing assignments within the  stipulated time.

He said, “Given what has happened in the last two weeks, it is doubtful if this assignment can be completed within the period. Just to ratify the National Conference Procedure Rules 2014 cost us two weeks. We have to hurry a little if we are to meet that deadline.

“If we move a little faster, we can still catch up. But if we proceed at this rate, we will not be able to meet the deadline.”

Another delegate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “Soon, we would meet with stakeholders at the conference and decide on how to handle the matter.

“If we used two weeks to read the drawing of a house, and we have not finished reading it, tell me, can that house be built in few weeks when we have many people claiming to be professionals?”

A Kano State delegate also, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said there were signs that the conference might take a longer time.

“We have spent two weeks and we have yet to agree on the modalities of this conference. You can bet that when certain issues are raised, there is going to be rancour,” he said.

A delegate from Delta State, Mr. Paul Enebeli, however disagreed.

He said, “It is too early to contemplate that we won’t finish in three months. We will soon begin to understand one another. It is critical to get the rules right from the beginning because that is the foundation upon which the conference would be built.”

One of the delegates from Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa also,  expressed optimism that the conference would be concluded in three months as stipulated, going by the enthusiasm with which the delegates were carrying out their tasks.

She disagreed that not much had been achieved in the last two weeks, saying the fact that all the delegates had agreed on the indivisibility of Nigeria was a pointer that there was progress.

Ita-Giwa said, “We are working day and night to avoid extension and we are working to achieve this at record time. Nigerians have been able to address salient issues and it looked promising in the last two weeks. One of our achievements is the fact that we have established that the country is indivisible.”

Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, a delegate from Ondo State, explained that the initial teething problems arising from efforts to develop the procedures for the conference were slowing down the conference, but that things could speed up once those problems were over.

He said, “I think three months should be enough to run the conference because it is hoped that once the knotty issues have been taken care of, other activities would be done faster.

“This is not undermining the fact that the President has already created a room for a possible extension of time as the three months given is for a start.”

He added that most of the work would be done at committee levels and that would speed up the process.

Another delegate from Ondo State, Mr. Remi Olatunbora, a serving commissioner in the state, said he did not see any reason for asking for more time, provided the disagreements causing a stalemate at conference were resolved soon.

He said, “I am of the view that if we are able to resolve the lock-jam of what constitutes a majority in accepting a decision, we will be able to finish in three months.”

Asked when the issue would be resolved, he said he believed  it would be done before activities commence next week.

Similarly, The Director-General of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., on Friday said  the  conference could be concluded within three months despite the initial hiccups.

Nweke, who is a delegate to the conference, said he had no reason to believe an extra time would be required at this point.

“All that we want to achieve would definitely be achieved within three months,” he said.

He added, “We still have enough time but in the event we may need extra time, then that would not be an offence.”

However, Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and a delegate to the conference, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, declined commenting in details on the issue.

Nwaorgu said, “I don’t think I am the kind of person that should be commenting on such issues.”

A delegate from the South-East geopolitical zone, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, said it would be premature to start thinking of extension for the conference.

Nwajiuba, who agreed that two weeks had already been spent at the conference, said since issues to be discussed were already known by Nigerians, delegates, would not spend much time arriving at a conclusion.

“Once we get started on these issues, it will not take much time for us to conclude. But the truth is that it is premature to begin to think of asking for an extension of time,” Nwajiuba stressed.

Similarly, a delegate from the South-South geopolitical zone, Professor Kimse Okoko, said the call for an extension of time might not be necessary if the committees carried out their work without delay.

Okoko said, “It may not be necessary for us to call for an extension of time now. What we need to do is to get things right. By the time we get to the committee stage and the committees end their tasks without delay, there will be no need for an extension.”
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Sunday Sermon: QUESTION: Why is Jesus called the Son of Man?



ANSWER: Jesus is called the “Son of Man” at least 76 times in the four Gospels. It is the title which our Lord used most often to refer to Himself. When He is referred to as the “Son of Man” His humanity is brought into view – that is, His divine purpose toward us and His relationship with us. This is best summed up by Scripture itself in Luke 19:10 (NKJV) which says that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Generally speaking, if we read the Gospels and take note each time reference is made to our Lord’s Sonship, we will find that when the “Son of God” is mentioned, His divine character is in view. However, when the “Son of Man” is mentioned, aspects of His humanity are brought before us. Luke’s gospel is referred to as the “Gospel of the Son of Man” because it, more than any other gospel, focuses our attention on those events that demonstrate Christ’s humanity and the identification of the Son of Man with men. However, John’s gospel, especially verses 3:13-15, may give us the most striking picture of why Jesus is so called: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down out of heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

As we meditate on our Lord’s title of “Son of Man” in relationship to God’s purpose toward us, we will not only be satisfied with the explanation Scripture gives but we will be blessed as well. The Son of Man came down from heaven, sought and found us, bled and died on the cross that we might have eternal life, and is now in heaven seated at the Father’s right hand. What a blessing to know that there is a Man in the glory – the Lord Jesus Christ!

Answered by Larry Ondrejack
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Sunday Sermon: Your Destiny And God’s Foreknowledge


Picture Frame

Our destiny results from God, in His sovereignty, giving us the power to choose.

“Human Destiny” was the title of a highly-regarded book written many years ago, in 1947. It portrays man as a being who evolved through mutations and natural selection to be the predominate species on earth. The author, Lecomte duNouy, suggests by analogy that Jesus is a spiritual mutation who by a kind of spiritual natural selection will eventually produce spiritually superior human beings. This may be an enthralling scenario, but it is totally unscriptural and untrue!
God’s Foreknowledge
In the beginning man, created in the image of God, was “very good” and was to “rule ... over all the creatures that moved along the ground” (Gen. 1:26-31 NIV). But human beings did not rise spiritually, but fell. They were led into rebellion against God by “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan” (Rev. 12:9). Mankind was thus lowered into the present low spiritual state we see today. This fall, however, did not take God by surprise – being omniscient, He foreknew all this!

God created human beings with the power to “reject the wrong and choose the right” (Isa. 7:16) and He also created angels with the power to choose. Surely, He knew when He did so that men would choose the wrong and fall, that angels “did not keep their positions of authority” (Jude 6), and that evil would result from their choices. He knew that there would thus be a “broad ... road that leads to destruction” and that many would choose it. He also knew that there would be a narrow ... road that leads to life and that “only a few” would find it (Mt. 7:13).

Some, in ridicule, might ask, “Why would a God who is good, allow there to be a road that leads many people to destruction?” One possible answer is that in His divine wisdom, God decided that having some people choose life and others choose destruction is better than having people created as robots who could only mindlessly do His bidding. Who are we to challenge God!

Satan is a prime example of an angel who chose to fall. He, apparently the highest of all created beings, chose to become the enemy of God (Satan means adversary or enemy). Using the king of Tyre as a figure of Satan, God says through the prophet Ezekiel: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God ... You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you ... and you sinned” (Ezek. 28:12-16). The nature of his sin is described by the prophet Isaiah, who says of him: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God ... I will make myself like the Most High’” (Isa. 14:13-14). Satan used the same way of thinking when he enticed mankind into sin. He said, “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Nevertheless, knowing all this, God still decided to create men and angels. Why? Because He had an “eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11).

God’s Eternal Purpose
God had this purpose for us from the very beginning! “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). “We were ... chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will” (Eph. 1:11). According to His plan, people would have the opportunity to be “redeemed ... with the precious blood of Christ ... chosen before the creation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Thus redeemed, our destiny would be to “be holy and blameless in His sight” (Eph. 1:4). He knew that although many would accept the proffered redemption, many would also reject it!

Those whom He knew would accept are called the “chosen” (“elect” KJV) and this was “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet. 1:2). Furthermore, “Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). We who have accepted the redemption offered through Christ our Savior are those “who have been called according to His purpose” and are predestined to be “justified” and “glorified” (Rom. 8:28,30).

Predestination
God knew that those who would choose the offer of salvation were predestined to eternal life while those who would reject it fell into damnation. This whole truth was written in John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Those who reject the Son are thus unwittingly choosing to side with Satan, thus choosing “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41). Note: Hellfire was not prepared for human beings! But God knew that many would choose the path that leads to destruction and end up there. Our destiny results from God, in His sovereignty, giving us the power to choose, not from some arbitrary decision He made before we were born!

God’s Sovereignty
God foreknew the outcome of giving man the power to choose, and we can only think with clarity on the subject of the sovereignty of God if we start with His foreknowledge. Let us never assume that in giving man the power to choose God has given up any of His sovereign power.

The people of Nazareth were free to try to “throw (Jesus) down the cliff” but God would not allow that to happen (Lk. 4:28-30). God’s power also enabled Him to cause “the wrath of man” to bring Him praise and “with the remainder of wrath” to arm Himself (Ps. 76:10 NKJV). Men are free to do evil but God, in His power, brings good out of it. What could have been more evil than the crucifixion of Jesus? But look at the good God has brought out of it (Jn. 3:16). Look at the evil that was done by Joseph’s brothers when they sold him into slavery, and by Potiphar’s wife when she made a false accusation against Joseph. Then look at how these evils were used by God to “save ... lives by a great deliverance” (Gen. 45:5-7).

Also, let us never attribute arbitrariness to God in what becomes the eternal destiny of any one. Instead, let us attribute to God sovereign power in giving each person the power to choose. Peter tells us that God is never “wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). And Paul tells us that God wants “all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).

From the very beginning, God made those whom He knew would believe in the Son “the objects of His mercy ... prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:23). And those who would reject the Son became “the objects of His wrath – prepared for destruction” (Rom. 9:22). What an affront it would be for anyone to challenge God about this (Rom. 9:20) or for a rejecter to charge God with wrongdoing by saying to Him, “I would have accepted Your offer if You had only given me better opportunities!”

Your Destiny
The power to choose is from God and the faith that results from your choice is “the gift of God” (Eph. 2:9). You can choose to be like Christ, an opportunity He offers you if you accept Him as your Savior and Lord, or you can reject His offer and inadvertently choose hell-fire as the consequence. It is up to you!

By Alan H. Crosby
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Sunday Sermon: ZEPHANIAH: Prophecy For Israel And The Nations


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If only people would read this terrifying prophecy concerning the “Day of the LORD.” But there is little likelihood that many will. People do not like to read their own fate clearly written in the Bible. Nor do people like to read that God in the end will have His own way whether they like it or not. Even if happiness and blessing is the result they still do not like it, for men are at enmity with God. They hate Him because their master Satan, the Devil, also hates God and wants to destroy everything which is of God, anywhere and everywhere.
Judgment Of Israel
In Zephaniah 1 there are 14 references to the Day of the Lord. It is a day when God speaks to the nations in rebuke, so that He might not have to act in judgment. But He will act in judgment if the nations do not listen. Though all the nations of the world have committed many heinous sins, yet the sins which God will not forgive in the end are their cruel treatment of Israel and their rejection of the Lord Jesus.

Though the people of Israel too are in rebellion against Him, they are also God’s people and He will not let them go nor cast them off (Rom. 11:1). So the Day of the Lord is coming and, in God’s good time, will put everything right. The foolish politics of this world, by the intervention of God will be brought to nought for, “the lofty looks of man shall be humbled. The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down. And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isa. 2:11,17 NKJV).

The first chapter is about the judgment of God upon Israel. In particular the rich are marked out for punishment: “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy” (Zeph. 1:18). It is worth noting that Zephaniah concentrates on the rich and powerful, and the nations as a whole are seen as deserving of God’s anger, finally unleashed on unrepentant peoples.

In fact it is precisely this which is the purpose of many of God’s judgments. They can be and often are remedial. We see that more clearly in Zechariah which shows God eventually pouring out “the spirit of grace and of supplication” on Israel that they might be brought to repentance. This is a time, eventually, when “they will look upon Me whom they pierced ... they will mourn for Him” (Zech. 12:10.)

If Zephaniah deals with the rich and powerful – magistrates, priests and false prophets – the other prophecies at the end of the Old Testament deal with other segments of society. Haggai ends with an overthrow but is addressed to Israel and the task they ought to have been about but were not – that of building God’s house. In Zechariah God gives us a perspective on world events from heaven itself. And in Malachi we see more clearly His dealings with the common man in a rare and beautiful picture of the remnant, “those who feared the LORD” during a period of great terror and earth-shattering judgments. They “spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them” (Mal. 3:16). The godly remnant encouraged one another by resting in God’s precious Word.

Judgment Of The Nations
It is important to realize that salvation must come to Israel before there can be any blessing for the nations. Chapter 2 has God acting justly and bringing under His hand a succession of world powers who have persecuted His people: The Philistines, in our day the Palestinians, who wish for complete destruction of Israel; Ammon and Moab, the modern state of Jordan, that has likewise “made arrogant threats” against Israel (Zeph. 2:10); the Ethiopians and the Assyrians, northern Africa and the rest of the Middle East. None of these have yet felt the full weight of the Lord’s anger against them for their irrational hatred of God’s people.

Chapter 2 begins this theme of judgment with a reminder of what we saw in chapter one – “the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zeph. 2:2). In 1:15-16 it is described as “a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers.”

It is not hard to imagine the dark clouds rolling across the sky, the gloom deepening to a thick darkness like that of Egypt (Ex. 10:21-23), a darkness that strikes dread into every heart. Then out of the dark the sound of the trumpet getting louder and louder, rising to an ear-splitting crescendo which goes on and on while it heralds God Himself, no longer standing apart from world affairs, but involving Himself personally to bring judgment and justice. It is long overdue but in His mercy it has been withheld until it is impossible to withhold any longer. With all this we hear the noise, the screams and shrieks of battle also rending the air. These tell us that “the day of the LORD’s anger” has come at last (Zeph. 2:2-3).

This crescendo has also its political and military climax, for God says: “My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy” (3:8). God has yet to have out His controversy with the nations. Joel develops this theme saying, “Let the nations be awakened, and come to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations” (Joel 3:12). It is clear that the nations refuse to let go of their satanic determination to exterminate the one nation which God has called.

Judgment here begins at the center of things – at the house of God. Peter reminds us of this principle in no uncertain terms, writing: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’” (1 Pet. 4:17-18; Prov. 11:31). If neither Israel nor the churches are under God’s government then there is no hope for the world. We are channels of God’s grace to the world, His ambassadors. If the channels are blocked and if the ambassadors are conspiring with the governments to whom they are sent, then there is no hope for anyone; only anarchy prevails and this will usher in a tyranny such as the world has never seen. It will be the direct rule and worship of Satan himself as he sets up his chosen man, his anti-Christ, on the throne of the world.

We must remember that all this was prophesied during the early part of the reign of Josiah, when he was about to start his reforms (2 Chr. 34:14-25). We may see from time to time some small revival of God’s ways, but on the whole godliness and justice are very much in decline in this world since men’s minds are set upon evil. Whatever Josiah was about to do it was to effect only superficial changes; and as soon as he was gone Israel would revert to its habitual corruption and idolatry. The world has never bothered even to try to drag itself out of the cesspool of sin and depravity – to cheat, lie, quarrel and intoxicate itself with its degraded worship of its perverted gods and goddesses.

Judgment Applied
Paul, writing to the Romans, opens up to us in simple terms the inevitable logic of this. The corruption and therefore the need for judgment is due to the worldwide idolatry which involves the refusal to see the clear evidence of a Creator God. For a little while the nations of the English-speaking world believed Him. Then came Darwin with a monstrous lie that was so interesting to the perverted tastes of the natural man that they eagerly swallowed it against all rationality and all the clear evidence to the contrary. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in the thoughts and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man – and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things” (Rom. 1:18-23).

Reforms are at best ephemeral – that is the verdict of God. There is an inevitability of judgment: “‘I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land,’ says the LORD; ‘I will consume man and beast ... birds of the heavens ... the fish of the sea ... the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,’ says the LORD.” (Zeph. 1:2-3).

The inner reality is that, in the words of Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind” (Jer. 17:9-10). It is not that we are intellectually incapable of righteousness, but temperamentally we have a hatred and mistrust of God and a tendency always towards what is vile.

This wicked fixation on idols was deeply entrenched in the national and the human psychology. Things had plunged to the depths of depravity during the long reign of Manasseh and during the short one of his son Amon (2 Ki. 21). Josiah could only enforce the Law of God and the temple worship, destroying the idols and the sordid practices imported from the nations. What he could not do was to change the hearts and the minds of his subjects: If the idols were burned and the groves cut down they were not burned nor cut out of the hearts of the people.

We are given a view of the future in the final chapters of Revelation and see that even after 1,000 years of peace and plenty, of justice and truth, the people will still listen to Satan’s lies rather than to God’s Word (Rev. 20:3,7-10). So it has ever been. We see the truth and the urgency of the words of Jesus to Nicodemus: “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God ... unless one is born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3,5). Israel has yet to learn and experience this truth, but they will (Ezek. 36:24-29).

Zephaniah’s prophecy deals with the upper classes (whereas in Malachi we see God’s ways with the lower classes). In chapter 3 he compares the leading men of Jerusalem to “roaring lions,” her magistrates to “evening wolves” and he calls her prophets “insolent, treacherous people” while their “priests have polluted the sanctuary” (3:3-4). Once more we see this in our own day as well. Speaking for my own country, Great Britain, in the last few years we have had scandal after scandal among those who should know better and who should be examples of decency to the people. Can we discern that all is not as it should be in Christendom (the worldwide body of professing Christians) nor even among true, born again Christians?

There Is Hope!
Nevertheless, there is hope for those who remain faithful. It is not all judgment, for out of it will shine all the brighter those who have, “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). The fears, the tears and the sufferings will all be forgotten as God says to His people: “Sing, O daughter of Jerusalem! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your judgments. He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more ... For I will give you fame and praise among all peoples of the earth” (Zeph. 3:14-20).

By Roger Penney
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