Kogiflame.com
Sermon No 1
By Pastor Sam Ojutade
This is the first sermon in a series that will attempt to draw correlations between GYB and some biblical characters. The Bible is complete, as it contains the records of all kinds of characters and what befell them at the end.
Our first character is Rehoboam. Like GYB, he was a king that ignored the advice of elders. His end was disastrous. People rose up against him and his kingdom was divided. His officers were publicly stoned.
GYB came to power under some peculiar circumstances: he did not canvass for any vote; he was not a candidate at the election that catapulted him to power; “he inherited the votes of a dead man” (as has been aptly put by a prolific writer) – the late Prince Abubakar Audu and he cheated Faleke by robbing him of what duly belonged to him.
In spite of all the above anomalies, he enjoyed the goodwill of Kogites, because, he is a young man. As a young man, the expectation of Kogites was that, he would be vibrant, visionary, innovative and modern in his approach to governance. Today, he remains a baffling disappointment. GYB is the crudest and most cruel person that has ever governed Kogi.
Second, he enjoyed the benefit of a circumstantial power-shift and, by that fact, he was expected to prove his mettle and demonstrate that leaders abound amongst all tribes in Kogi.
Today, tragically, he has messed up the chances of Ebira. Indeed, GYB has pissed off and squandered all the goodwill of the people of Kogi State. Regrettably he continues to live in denial and in a fool’s paradise.
After the reign of Solomon, Rehoboam was made king of Israel. He enjoyed the goodwill of the people of Israel, because the Bible records that: “…for all Israel had gone Shechem to make him king” (1Kg. 12:1). It was the same way many Kogites gathered at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja to corronate GYB in January 2016.
Upon becoming king , the people of Israel came to Jeroboam and said: “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” (1Kg.12:4).
In the same way, Kogites had put a lot of hope on GYB as governor for two main reasons. First, age was on his side. He remains the youngest to govern Kogi. People had thought that he would come with new ideas to govern.
Secondly , as at the time he came, his predecessor, Governor Wada was owing workers three months salary arrears. Those were heavy yokes for workers then. GYB promised to clear the arrears of salaries and people believed him.
Rehoboam sought for counsel from both elders and the young men on how to govern Israel. GYB was not short of counsel from the people of Kogi, both young and old, given the way he was embraced in his early days in power.
The elders advised Rehoboam to embrace the people and serve them. The words of elders, they say, are words of wisdom. Here are the words of elders to Rehoboam:
“If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever”
Huuuuuummmmmm. The Word of God, how accurate!
If GYB had served the people and listened to workers’ pains and cries, his second term bid would have been a forgone conclusion!
The Bible records that:
“Then, the young men who had grown up with him (that is, Rehoboam), spoke to him saying, “Thus shall ye say to this people :…My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist. And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, I will chastise you with scourges”
GYB has been listening to the advice of young men “that grew up with him”. Indeed, he said he did not need anybody older than him in his cabinet.
He ignores the advice of elders. The consquence of this is what we have today in Kogi: pains, griefs, sufferings, hunger, untimely deaths, suicides, agony, helplessness, emptiness, visionlessness, directionlessness, absence of projects, lack of developments, thuggery, rudderlessness, arrogance of power, egotism, non payment of salaries and pensions and degradation.
Today, many Kogites are no longer proud to be associated with the state. GYB has brought shame and disgrace to Kogi. Kogi is always in the news for the wrong and negative reasons.
Kogi State is more divided than ever before. What unites us now are the common sufferings and pains GYB has inflicted on us.
The way out
Arise, oh ye people of God and reject GYB and his chorus boys. Stand up and and say no to GYB’s second term bid! Peradventure APC gives him her ticket, don’t sell your votes. Stand against his thuggery and resist his force. The sufferings of another four years are better imagined than experienced.
May the grace of God restore Kogi back to his glory.
From Pastor Sam.
Watch out for the next series – Sermon No 2.
