From WOLE BALOGUN Ado-Ekiti
General Overseer of World Bible Church, Ketu, Lagos State, Prophet Julius Babatunde Kumoluyi, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to set aside a special day for national prayers.
He spoke to Daily Sun while commenting on national issues. He said: “Personally, I have been fasting and praying for the country. But I still want a situation whereby all genuine men of God in this country would come together and pray for this nation. I am still advising the President again to encourage a situation whereby all clerics in the country would choose a particular day for periodic prayers for the nation. It could bi-monthily or otherwise. We really need to set aside a day for powerful prayer for our nation. And we could use our national stadium for the venue for such prayers by both the muslims and christian clerics.
America has a day for national prayers, why can’t we have it?.
During Buhari’s first term as military Head of State, he introduced War Against Indiscipline (WAI) and it worked. So, I advise that he should also introduce a national day prayer for the nation. In another way, the government can also set aside a day for all to seek God’s face for the nation, Muslims to go their mosques for prayers while Christians retire to churches to seek the face of God.”
Prophet Kumoluyi also advised the government to sell national assets if only the proceeds would go into critical infrastructure and get us out of economic recession.
“Personally, I don’t think it is bad to sell our national assets if that appears the easiest wayout. I give you an example of a company I once worked for in the ‘70s. There was a time we had financial problem and the management chose to sell some properties of the company and the proceeds was used to rescue the company and in about three years after, the company was revived and even began to buy other properties. So selling our assets can work instead of borrowing money again and impoverishing us with huge interest on such loan.
According to him, other things we can also do to revive the economy is diversiying to agriculture. “Thank God, this is already being considered by the government which is a very good development. But we will have to be patient to reap the benefits because the gains of plating crops is not immediate. Right now, Nigeria is investing in agriculture so I was told, and it will take two three years before harvesting would start.
“In the past, we have made the mistake of investing only in oil at the expense of rich agricultural products such as cutton, cocoa among others,” he said.
On regionalism, he said: “It is what is being practised in the United States and I think we should adopt that system where each autonomous state would have fiscal federalism, generate its own funds, control its internal economy and resources and make contribution to the central government.
There will be rapid development in the regions and all kinds of sectarian crisis, vandalism, kidnapping and all such would end. Nigeria is indeed due for state policing because that would be more effective in curbing anti-social behaviuors and crimes.
In the United States, there is community policing and the community is responsible for paying their salary and that gives room for effective security.
In abroad, they don’t have huge natural resources like we do but they generate huge money by taxing at almost all level of public service including parking in public places and they regulate these areas well.
Here, everything doesn’t seem well. Look at our education, a graduate cannot even articulate himself well.
Crime is on the increase in the country because the Nigeria Police cannot tame it. In the United States, there are several kinds of police. Nigeria is ripe for state police. Those in positions of authority are aware of this. It is only that there are fears in certain quarters.”