"All Nigeria's problems were caused by FESTAC '77"

Pastor Simeon Adesoji Ajayi is a social commentator and the President, Christ Apostolic Church Mission (CACM). And speaking on the state of the nation, he revealed the cause of Nigeria’s problems and also proffered a solution to them. He also told OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG when Nigeria’s problems will finally come to an end. The situation of the country is very worrying. What do you see for Nigeria? Until our leaders know that the spiritual controls the physical, until our leaders stop treating ringworm for leprosy, the nation is leprous in all areas, particularly in the area of the economy and the only thing that can take care of the situation is our Lord Jesus Christ and since the spiritual controls the physical, all we need do is to find out Lord, what is the cause of these things. The revelation given us among other reasons is the FESTAC ’77. I don’t know if you were born then, we are living witnesses. They brought into this nation occult powers from all corners of the world. They were worshiping idols in the name of culture and tradition and God became angry with Nigeria. Before then, it was the case that we had money; we do not know how to spend it. If God is backing a man, his ways will be pleasing and whatever he does will succeed. Immediately after FESTAC ’77, we started having problems and I told you the spiritual controls the physical. It was when I went to pray unto the Lord that why do we have these problems in the nation, and He revealed it to me. I asked what do we do, He then said, we should have Yom Kippur, a day set aside in Israel to call on God for forgiveness. Muslims should do theirs on a Friday, while Christians should do theirs on Sunday. If we do, the thinking of Nigerians will change; they will know what measure to take to correct the evils already on ground. Another fundamental issue is this; Babangida was an error to this nation, with all sense of apology. When Buhari came on board, December 1983, we got everything right except a very few mistakes, very expensive errors. Those that were in Shagari administration that were responsible for the woes that brought the problems, he did not arrest them, he started arresting the Yoruba leaders. Awolowo shouted and shouted, the ship of the nation was approaching a very huge rock, if the President fails to take an action, the consequences would be great. I know one Professor Edozie, an economic adviser to the government, he said Awo was talking rubbish, the economy was fine. A few months after Buhari took over, Buhari would not have arrested those who didn’t partake in the wahala. He went for Baba Ajasin of blessed memory, he went for Onabanjo, Jakande, Ambrose Alli. Those people who had the economy of their state intact. Those who actually partook in the looting, he arrested a few of them, not all of them, apart from that error, Buhari meant well. Every three months, he announced to us the state of our economy. Buhari can be said to be the savior, he has well intention for this nation, you can’t take that from him, slow and steady. He won’t rush at anything, if you are patient with him, you will enjoy him. But he has his snag. Apart from that probity, ability and transparency, which I term PAT, you can’t take that away from Buhari. What’s your advise to the government in light of it seems to be a new beginning for Nigeria? Number one, go back to God, the Yorubas would say someone’s maker is the one who knows how to repair one. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows the end from the beginning. Go back to God Yom Kippur. Whenever the Israelites, before the new generation came on, every year they called on God, Lord we have sinned. I think Jonathan did something like that, he gathered some of his officials to Israel. What would those people do? Sinners, looters, going there for what? We mean the people on the streets, who should prostrate and beg God. The government will direct us what to do, first of all thank God for keeping us together, number two, forgive us all our sins, we must confess them before forgiveness. A lot do not know the meaning of forgiveness. David confessed and he was forgiven despite the enormity of his offence. Let us go to the Lord in prayer and tell Him we have sinned particularly during the FESTAC, we faced satan and took our face from you, ever since 1977, Nigeria never got it right. But in my prayers, the Lord said by 2017, it would have been 40 years and if Nigerians can be patience with Buhari, by 2017, our problems would have been abated, because it is perfect year. 40 stands for a lot of things, the nation’s fortune would change and we would start enjoying the nation once again. Jonathan is a Christian. When he was the president, it appeared the CAN President hobnobbed with him a lot to the extent that the CAN President's plane was involved in taking money for arms to South Africa. What do you have to say about this? The CAN president is an error to the country, and I say that without any apology. An error by the virtue of his involvement, by virtue of his dirty involvement. How many churches has he established? Who were the donors of his jet? What does he need a jet for? Is that part of evangelism? If Baba Adeboye says he buys a jet, it is okay. There are over 300 parishes of the RCCG in UK alone that call for his attention. The so-called CAN President, I’m not sure if he has any parish in the south. If he has, it must be a mushroom one, so what are we talking about? Junketing for what? Then Jonathan is an ignorant Christian, a man who is so naive, his naivety has caused him a lot of errors. Without prejudice, you can’t compare Buhari with any of them, Buhari will never soil his hands in any shady deal. If you want to put yourself in trouble, just take some money and say Oga Buhari, this is for you. Do so with those other people, they would thank you. If Buhari knows that the price of any contract is inflated, the contractor and all those involved are in trouble, he was thorough and I believe he can still be through, he meant well, but with bias for the north. Awolowo was bias to the south, he believed in the south of course, if he was President, he would have been bias as well. We all know. The issue of wanting to rule Nigeria would make Awolowo to feel constrained to accept them. There was this complex in Awolowo, you cannot take that away from him. He was a sage but he believed in his people. As a matter of fact, even till now, you cannot compare the south to the north in terms of intellectual capability. They lure the north to accept to be part of the independence slogan, and you cannot compare the Yoruba or the Ibos with them. If you ask a typical Yoruba man, I want you to do this, he would ask you why should I do that? Many people go out to seek spiritual help for their problems from men of God, but some of them end up falling victims of some evil men of God. How can you advise people seeking such spiritual help so they can get genuine spiritual help? You have the good the bad and the ugly even among those who have the so-called spiritual powers. 95 percent of the people they go to are the fake, the hustlers, dogs and goats in sheep form, snakes, serpents and vipers in the form of human beings. Their belly is what they run after, a lot of them are not genuine spiritualists and that was the main problem of Jonathan. He was running after charlatans. I had an interview, I spoke to a lot of journalists and one of them came back and said President Jonathan wanted me to come, I still have his number somewhere. You don’t follow the government if you are a real man of God. Contentment should be the watchword. I have seen people who come here and I tell them, go to God and seek forgiveness. But spiritualists manipulate them and worsen their problem because God is plain and honest. You cannot manipulate God, you cannot hoodwink God. But some people would just do some rituals for the devil, he would get you what you want but at the same time he would get it back.