The
past few days have been one filled with grief, pain, lessons and disappointment
in Nigeria.
The
youths of the country took to the streets to ask for end to Police brutality
that has become the habit of a division of the Nigerian Police Force known as
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The youths also sought for justice for those
who have been oppressed and killed by the SARS and also to demand for
accountability from the ruling class. The #EndSars campaign took a sad turn
when the peaceful protesters were attacked in Lekki, Lagos State, on the 20th
of October by military men after over a week of gathering at that location
peacefully. This led to multiple level of violence in the state and country at
large.
The
gory clips and videos of the events flying around with no government official
taking responsibility for the dastardly act led to more anger in the land. The “Nigeria
dream” became a mirage. The energy invested in the two weeks of coming out to
make the case for a better Nigeria seem to dissipate totally when the president
of the country made a speech leaving out the Lekki incident and every of his
words were devoid of hope, empathy and any sense of leadership.
I
saw many people meddle with the idea of leaving the country. Here is the truth;
not all of us will be privileged to travel out of the country. So, from the
perspective of a believer, how do you draw joy in what seem to be as hopeless
as the Nigeria dream? Let me start from explaining the concept of nation
building to you, howbeit, from the kingdom perspective.
I
need you to first understand that when we talk about a nation, it is not
referring to a country as a geographical location. It is an ideology; a way of
life. It is the embodiment of character, nature and lifestyle that a people
carry even when they are not in the geographical expression of their birth.
Do
you remember what the scriptures said about Rebekah’s pregnancy?
“And
the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manners of people
shall be separated from thy bowels…” Gen 25:23a
This
is a description of two people who will be a type of a kind of life. They are
from same belly, but, they are two nations because they represented two
different expressions of a people who will come forth in the scheme of prophecy;
it is not a government.
Daniel
and his friends were exiled in Babylon. This is naturally a condition of
discomfort that makes any man look for every means to find safety and
acceptance before his captors.
The
king ordered that some of them were selected, trained and made ready to come
before him with the intention of serving on his team. Daniel and his friends
came out exceptional and they were enlisted. Although these men had left Jerusalem, they
were no longer where the Ark of the Covenant was, but the Ark was practically
living in them.
Having
been selected as the privileged ones, the king ordered they were well fed by
different delicacies. This was a treatment of honor in a strange land. A rare
privilege many will fight to have. However, Daniel and his peers had a nation
in them. They had been built into a nation of God. They were not in Jerusalem
but the ideology of Jerusalem goes everywhere with them- it was a consciousness
of honor to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That was the nation built in
them. This exactly was the nation in Rebekah’s womb and God is still in the
business of enriching that nation today.
“But
Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the King.
He asked the superintendent for permission to eat other things instead” Dan 1:8
The
refusal to eat the kings’ meal wasn’t because it was a sin but the nation in
them needed to find a way of expression. There needs to be a manifestation and
that avenue must be created to show forth the light. Daniel and his friends didn’t
miss out on that channel of expression. The people around noticed these guys
carried what they don’t and the nation (righteousness) in them was established
there through these men.
For
all the years lived in Babylon, they never behaved like a Babylonian because of
how much of what had been in them. This is the Nigerian dream of the Lord for
Nigeria. A nation where you can take a man who will stand for the truth
everywhere he is found because a nation (way of life of righteousness) has been
delivered to such a man. Can you see this is beyond what politics can drive?
And
this isn’t about becoming a preacher either as some may think. Joseph did it; he
held a political office in a strange land. We must take this fight from the
root. We are not ignorant. Nothing would have changed in Egypt if one of the
king’s magicians still managed the economy. What happens when there are no
Josephs? Joseph was a type of a nation of Israel (righteousness) in Egypt.
So,
friend, as a believer, you must first understand the kingdom perspective to
nation building to tackle the challenges we have rightly and to end up seeing
the prophetic become our reality.
Now,
you’d see that the challenge isn’t all dependent on the political class. The Nigeria
dream of the prophetic is about a people with the consciousness of righteousness
everywhere they go. You are not trying to build Nigeria in a sense; you are
building the kingdom into Nigeria.
I
will continue next week to show how we would do this; it’s impact on politics
and the society at large and more importantly, how you can stay joyful in the
midst of the seeming hopelessness
Stay
strong friend, I love you.
Be
Innovated
Olufemi
Ibitoye
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