Tunde Thomas
Archbishop Joseph Ehindero a.k.a Halleluyah, is General Overseer, Messiah New Life Ministry, Lagos. He spoke on President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election and other issues in this interview.
Excerpts:
What is your reaction to the victory of President Buhari’s re-election victory?
Buhari’s victory is divinely ordained. His victory was revealed to me months before the election. Several ministers of God predicted Atiku Abubakar’s victory but God clearly told me that Buhari would win.
Buhari is on a divine mission to salvage Nigeria from the rot of the past. He has a divine mission to fulfill for this nation, and I enjoin Nigerians to support his government.
What Nigerians must realize is that this nation has been in a mess before Buhari came into en then and now he has done a lot to bring Nigeria back on the path of greatness. It would have been a big tragedy if Buhari had lost to Atiku because Atiku is not the man God wants to use to redeem Nigeria.
How do you see Atiku’s court case against Buhari’s victory?
Atiku is wasting his time. Buhari’s victory is secured. My advise to Atiku is that he should not waste his time. Nothing would come out of his efforts. What I expect him to do is to be sober, and reflective. He should do stocktaking. God have a divine mission for Buhari for this period in Nigeria’s history. God wants Buhari to consolidate on his present achievements, and Nigerians are enjoined to co-operate with his government.
Before the polls some prominent clerics predicted victory for Atiku but…
Cuts in.. It is very sad and unfortunate that some highly regarded men of God were also involved as they predicted Atiku’s victory. What God revealed to me was that those eminent men of God who claimed that they saw Atiku being declared winner were not led by the spirit of God to make the pronouncements; they were led by the flesh.
They should not have allowed their emotions to lead them into taking wrong decisions. I am also not happy that some Christian bodies appear to be taking sides in a subtle manner canvassing support for Atiku Abubakar. It is the same thing that happened to Afenifere leaders.
Now that Buhari won, what is your advise to him?
Buhari should hit the ground running. He should quickly form his cabinet, and set to work immediately. First, he should sustain the war against corruption. Buhari should not spare looters. Every loot must be recovered and looters must not go unpunished. His administration must also sustain the on-going tempo in the area of infrastructure development like the construction of roads and rail lines.
It is good that his administration is already shifting attention to the agricultural sector. For those Nigerians complaining they need to exercise patience.
For those elected leaders, what do you for them?
They should see politics as an avenue to serve people. They should not be self serving or self-centred. I also want to advise our politicians not to see politics as a do-or die affair. If you lose today, you may win the next time. Politics is like a game so our politicians should develop the spirit of sportsmanship.
Our political leaders should not see public office as an avenue or short cut to ill-gotten wealth. In other climes their leaders use public office to serve people, this is what our leaders should emulate. Many of our leaders have traveled outside the country and they have seen how leaders over there serve their people with love and passion. This is what I expect them to do in Nigeria.