{"id":19234,"date":"2018-06-16T08:30:39","date_gmt":"2018-06-16T08:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=19234"},"modified":"2018-06-16T08:30:39","modified_gmt":"2018-06-16T08:30:39","slug":"rev-chris-okotie-says-buharis-anti-graft-war-is-enough-reason-to-re-elect-him-or-do-nigerians-need-more-jobs-and-strong-institutions-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=19234","title":{"rendered":"REV. CHRIS OKOTIE SAYS BUHARI&#8217;S ANTI-GRAFT WAR IS ENOUGH REASON TO RE-ELECT HIM; OR DO NIGERIANS NEED MORE JOBS AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS FIRST?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.newsroom247.com.ng --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Rev. Chris Okotie, founder of the House of God International Ministry, has opined that the ongoing anti-graft war is enough reason for Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari, should he opt to seek re-election in 2019.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Okotie said he has been able to take the battle \u201cto clean the Augean stable\u201d to the corridors of corrupt cabals that have held Nigeria hostage for years.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In an article, the former Presidential candidate stressed that if the ongoing anti-graft war is allowed to get to,\u201clogical conclusion, it would free the country from the labyrinth of a deeply entrenched tribe of Machiavellian politicians whose sole purpose for seeking power is to loot our common patrimony.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The article reads, \u201cThese, certainly are not the best of times for the grex venalium (the venal crowd) popularly known by ordinary Nigerians as treasury looters.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe ongoing battle by President Muhammadu Buhari against this corrupt cabal who have held this nation hostage for years leaves no one in doubt that it is no longer business as usual for politicians of fortune.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIt is a mistake to assume, that this is President Buhari\u2019s private battle to clean the Augean stable.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cRather, it should be seen as a determined effort to right the wrongs of the bad leadership which has been the bane of Nigeria\u2019s development for decades.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cPrevious attempts to fight corruption were somehow symptomatic but the present government has adopted a strong, pathological approach that aims to get to the root of the matter, which is why every Nigerian should give the president total support.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhat is being done now, if carried to the logical conclusion, would free the country from the labyrinth of a deeply entrenched tribe of Machiavellian politicians whose sole purpose for seeking power is to loot our common patrimony.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhen former President Goodluck Jonathan emerged on the scene, he came across as a power \u2013shy, harmless politician on whose shoulders providence placed the leadership of this great nation at a critical period in our political evolution.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=16457&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cHis moving story of grass to grace, with the memorable line that he went to school like many Nigerians without shoes, caught the attention of the electorate who gave him the mandate in his first-ever quest to seek elective office in 2011.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cOnce on the Presidential seat in that enclave called Aso Rock, we saw a different Jonathan altogether.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cNever has a President in this country come to power with such level of goodwill and blew it just as fast as Dr. Jonathan.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cPerhaps, overwhelmed by the demands of office, or ill-prepared for its challenges, the first president from a southern minority exhibited poor governing capacity and inherent weakness unbecoming of the leader of a huge country like ours.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cHe had to be goaded to act with firmness when occasion demanded, which was why he virtually lost control of his presidency to his cronies.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cHis appointees and associates went about looting the public treasury with unprecedented impunity; not even the intermittent public outrage moved President Jonathan to sanction them.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cAnd when he did, it was either too little or too late.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cCorrupt ministers were relieved of their posts with slaps on the wrist, while nothing was done about their loot.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWith the current anti-corruption saga, we can now understand why Jonathan and his PDP cohorts spared no expenses to buy themselves back to power.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThis time however, the fairy tale run of Goodluck failed them.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe hapless President was sent packing.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cSerendipity was out of kilter!<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThat era of impunity ended suddenly, but we cannot just sweep what happened during the PDP government under the carpet.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cRegardless of who is involved, justice must be done to send a clear message that leaders must be accountable even after they leave office.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cI perceive that this is what President Buhari is trying to prove, that is why I support him.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe charge of selective prosecution and the ethnic or religious card being played by some to discredit this Anti-corruption war is nothing but a mischievous charade.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThose arrested for suspected corrupt practices cut across the party, ethnic and religious divide.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Nigerians must therefore, not fall for the antics of the venal rich, who are fighting back, using media propaganda to win sympathy.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cOne is however, constrained to raise this point because of a public statement credited to Anthony Cardinal Okogie in which the Catholic prelate expressed reservations about the government\u2019s philosophy in prosecuting the Anti-corruption war vis-a-vis the Rule of Law and his perceived thinking that other governance issues are not being addressed as should.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe cardinal is entitled to his opinion, but there is no factual evidence to support this claim.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe venerable Cardinal is unappreciative of the dialectics of change within the Nigerian context.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe Nigerian scenario is indicative of an aberration embedded in our political genes.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhereas politics and economics are sociological kinsmen, yet politics maintains an ascendancy over economics in practical realities.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe hoi polloi determines the political leadership but economic superintendence is the prerogative of the elite.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cNigeria\u2019s existential bane is not lack of professors in mantled academia, nor is it a paucity of economic knowledge in the geo-political arena.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cRather, it is leadership, leadership and yet leadership. Ad nauseam!<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cLeadership is the terra-firma upon which the citadel of progress can be erected.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIf the foundation be destroyed by corruption what can the righteous do?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIt is my founded expectation that the respected cardinal would urge the government to probe the leadership of CAN, PFN and other pseudo religious organisations who acquired their fabricated titles under spurious Christian nomenclature.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIf Attahiru Bafarawa was the accredited agent of the Muslim prayers welfare package, who then collected on behalf of the multitudes of Christians?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWho?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWho is that Christian proboscis whose insidious suction availed himself of billions of naira on behalf of the followers of Christ?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWho is that Judas?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cMaybe Judases?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhat about Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor\u2019s one-plane airline becoming the surreptitious instrumentality for some covert military operations involving over 9 million dollars in South Africa?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cAll sacred cows must become secularized.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cGovernment must ascertain the scope of pecuniary inducement that informed their political alignments in the 2015 elections.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhat an irony, that those who should scrupulously guide the people are themselves poisoning the water from which the flock will drink.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cCorruption is a hydra headed monstrosity that must be confronted by the gladiators of righteousness.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cFor indeed, he who dares to face his maker, will not tremble before the Sons of men.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cSatis verborum!<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe must understand that even if the law is an ass, corrupt folks must not be allowed to ride it out of the dragnet of the law when apprehended.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe present campaign is a challenge to the integrity of our jurisprudence.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cMembers of the bar and bench are Nigerians, and they must not sabotage the efforts of this government to restore sanity to governance in this country.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThere\u2019s nothing the EFCC has done so far to suggest that it disrespects the rule of law.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe president himself has said, \u2018You cannot fight impunity with impunity\u2019.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19048\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"674\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg 1080w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-300x86.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-768x219.jpg 768w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-1024x292.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rev. Chris Okotie, founder of the House of God International Ministry, has opined that the ongoing anti-graft war is enough reason for Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari, should he opt to seek re-election in 2019. Okotie said he has been able to take the battle \u201cto clean the Augean stable\u201d to the corridors of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[4771,641,4770],"class_list":["post-19234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-house-of-god-international-ministry","tag-president-muhammadu-buhari","tag-rev-chris-okotie"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/OKOTIE.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-50e","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19234"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19236,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19234\/revisions\/19236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}