Three of the main issues generating controversies in the country at the moment are whether or not Nigeria should embrace Islamic banking; the six-year single tenure for the president and governors, and the raging Boko Haram violence. While Nigerians from all walks of life have commented on these issues, a prophet, Apostle Perez Iyiola Oluyemi, who has on many occasions talked about national and global matters, according to the dictate of the Spirit, has also added his voice to these issues, Adewale Oshodi reports:
WHEN one mentions Islamic banking, Boko Haram or the six-year single term for the president and state governors, Nigerians are bound to listen. This is because these are issues of national importance which could shape the future of the country positively or negatively, depending on how they are handled.
First, on the issue of Islamic banking, most of those who had come out to oppose it are Christians who see the proposed establishment of the bank as an attempt to turn the country into an Islamic state. Although the running mate of General Muhammadu Buhari in the last general election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said that there is nothing wrong in Islamic banking or non-interest banking, his contribution to the delicate issue immediately drew tough response from members of the Christian community, who said that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had taken a position to oppose Islamic banking, and Bakare should not speak in its favour, so as not to confuse people that it was the position of CAN.
But Prophet Perez Iyiola Oluyemi’s opinion that nothing is truly wrong with Islamic banking would further bring with it more comments from Christian leaders.
Prophet Oluyemi, the presiding pastor of Achievers’ Rock Commission International, Ibadan, said whenever an issue was generating heat bordering on national or global issues, he would go to God in prayer to hear from Him, “and it is through this that I was able to predict a lot of events that had come to pass in the past.
“So, on the issue of Islamic or non-interest banking, I want to say there is nothing wrong with it. Let us look at the book of Matthew 5:42. It says,” give to him who asks and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.” This is the word of Jesus to the whole world and to the believers. In Nigeria now, people are living in abject poverty. Banks are not granting loans to people who should normally have access to loans. They are granting to a group of people who have money already, but not to the poor. In non-interest banking, I know people would be able to obtain loans without interest, and this will help our small and medium scale businesses, many of which are suffering under the weight of excessive interest. Therefore, I enjoin Christians to also go into non-interest banking to assist the less-privileged in the society”, Prophet Oluyemi said.
But on the issue of Boko Haram, the man of God disagreed with the thought that the Islamic movement was fighting a cause like that of the Niger Delta militants.
“Boko Haram is not like the militancy in Niger Delta. It has some political forces behind it, and these forces are trying to imprison their people for their own selfish interest”, Prophet Oluyemi said.
“They only want to make the country ungovernable and the government must fish out the sponsors of this sect”, he said, while appealing to northerners not to allow some selfish politicians to continue to use them as tools for their selfish agenda.
However, apart from lending support to Islamic or non-interest banking, the man of God also believes that the six-year single term being proposed is a welcome development, “since many of these political office holders, even before settling down for their first term, would have started campaigning for another term in office.
“The two terms for the president and state governors has been the bane of development in the country, and this would be the greatest legacy President Goodluck Jonathan would leave for this country, if it sails through at the National Assembly,” he said, while warning the president not to propose to stay beyond 2015.
The prophet also has a word for the United States president, Barack Obama. “Obama will win in 2012, but he should pray against human betrayer.
"However, after winning his second term, he would not be able to solve the issue of the economic meltdown that is going on in America right now.”