2019 elections may witness bloodshed —Ositelu

Aladura Patriarch and Primate   of   The Church of  the Lord (Prayer Fellowship) Worldwide (a.k.a. Aladura), The Most Reverend (Dr) Rufus Okikiola Ositelu, at  the Grand Finale of the 82nd Holy Mount Tabieorar retreat on 22nd August, 2018, made prophecies on the world and  Nigeria in particular  for  the year 2019,  and recommendations for addressing various national issues.

People of God,

The  LORD says the year  201 9 is a year of retribution and reformation. For many shall receive the fruits of their actions. Watch for the new thing I AM going to do, says the LORD God of Holy Mount Tabieorar.

The LORD  says,  there will be political blood shedding in the country. The blood of many souls killed will call for revenge, which will lead to mysterious deaths, says the faithful God.

Therefore, let all children of God pray fervently against the continuous shedding of innocent blood that may lead to the breakup of this country into pieces, says the Living God. My reward is coming quickly and everyone will be rewarded accordingly whether good or bad. I AM the Alpha and Omega, says the LORD Almighty. Quite a number of burning issues affecting the polity keep coming to the fore, thus calling for urgent attention by the Federal and State governments and indeed all stakeholders. The Church of God does not exist in a vacuum and therefore, has the duty to speak truth to power at times like this. Some of the challenges confronting this country include:

Free and fair elections

The importance of having free and fair election cannot be overemphasised. It is a precondition for peace, stability and socio­ economic development of the country. Therefore, urge all levels of government to work assiduously towards ensuring free and fair elections.

May I also use this opportunity to call on all Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and vote for intelligent, dynamic, credible and God-fearing persons of integrity.

Peace and security

There can be no meaningful or sustainable development without peace. The primary function of governments all over the world is to protect lives and property of their citizens.

According to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government” The wanton destruction of lives and property being perpetrated by Herdsmen and Boko-Haram have wrecked untold havoc.  It is, therefore, imperative that perpetrators are not only prosecuted but efforts should be intensitied at curbing their wicked and barbaric acts.

I hereby  urge the  Federal  Government to consider the decentralisation system of  policing by introducing State  and community  police  to  deliver  cheaper  and  more  effective  and efficient services.

Economy and infrastructure

Government at all levels should give priority to the provision of power, good road, rail network, education and health care facilities both in the urban and rural areas. For instance, electricity all over the world is to national development what blood is to human body. Therefore, adequate provision of power is cardinal for any sustainable development I hereby urge the Federal Government to address more vigorously the issues of diversification of the economy, especially in the area of extraction of mineral resources.

This will increase our   revenue earnings and decrease   our dependence on revenue from crude oil and reduce unemployment.

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Unemployment

The high rate of unemployment, especially among the youth remains a source of concern.

I hereby urge the government to:

1. Overhaul the educational   system in   other   to   produce employers of labour and not only job seekers.
2. Build more skills acquisition and various youth enterprising employment programme centres should be established in all parts of the country.

iii.   Diversify the economy and use the agricultural, mining and manufacturing   sectors   to   reverse    the   trend   of   mass unemployment.

Corruption

Corruption has become Nigeria’s best thriving industry. It is indeed one  singular   factor   responsible  for  the  woes  of  this  country. Therefore, the fight against  corruption  must be comprehensive without any partisanship (partiality).l hereby enjoin all and sundry to join the present administration in its fight against corruption.

Hate speech

This    is   another    dangerous   phenomenon   currently    causing disaffection in the country.  Unity in diversity should be used as a source of great strength. 1hereby urge all and sundry to desist from acts   and utterances capable   of  breaching  national   peace   and security,  as  no  nation  can  progress in an atmosphere devoid   of peace.

Restructuring

The time has come for Nigeria to be restructured in order to ensure good governance, fairness, equity and justice.

Fiscal Federalism  is the major antidote  for many of the woes confronting Nigeria  With  Fiscal  Federalism  i n place, all the  regional  violent groups  will  seize  to  exist, as they  will  not  want  to  destroy  the economy of their regions.

I hereby urge the Federal Government and the National Assembly to introduce and  promote  Fiscal  Federalism,  and  promote  regional integration  and healthy competition  among the component units of the federation.

Rule of law

Respect  for rule of law  in any  country  is sacrosanct.  The recent invasion  and siege on the National  Assembly complex in Abuja by men ofDepartment of State Services (DSS) was an illegality and an affront  to democracy.  I, therefore commend the Acting  President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at the time, for acting appropriately and decisively by sacking the Director General of DSS.

Thereby urge all and sundry to continue to prayerfully intercede for Nigeria that peace may reign supreme, and for adequate security and good   governance,  so  that  the  teeming   masses   can  enjoy   the dividends of democracy.

Nigeria  will be refunded, and have  good  progress  and success  in Jesus name, Amen

God bless Nigeria!