The Gathering Storm and Avoidable Shipwreck (I) by Dr. Tunde Bakare

Theme:

THE GATHERING STORM & AVOIDABLE SHIPWRECK: HOW TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC EUROCLYDON

Minister: Dr ‘Tunde Bakare | Created Date: Sun 04, January 2015

BEING TEXT OF SPEECH BY PASTOR ‘TUNDE BAKARE

AT THE STATE OF THE NATION BROADCAST ON SUNDAY THE 4TH OF JANUARY, 2015.

VENUE: THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY, END-TIME CHURCH,

4, AKILO ROAD, OFF OBA AKRAN AVENUE, OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS.

THEME: THE GATHERING STORM & AVOIDABLE SHIPWRECK: HOW TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC EUROCLYDON 

CENTRAL TEXT: ACTS 27:1-25 (NKJV)

ACTS 27:1-25 (NKJV):

                ¹ And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. ² So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with   us. ³ And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul    kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive   care. ⁴ When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. ⁵ And when we          had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we      came to Myra, a city of Lycia. ⁶ There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.⁷ When      we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off         Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the      shelter of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ Passing it with difficulty, we came     to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.⁹ Now when          much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, ¹⁰ saying, “Men, I      perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not        only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.” ¹¹ Nevertheless the  centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. ¹² And because the          harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail          from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a           harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and           winter there.¹³ When the south wind blew softly, supposing that       they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close   by Crete. ¹⁴ But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose,       called Euroclydon. ¹⁵ So when the ship was caught, and could not         head into the wind, we let her drive. ¹⁶ And running under the      shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with   difficulty. ¹⁷ When they had taken it on board, they used cables to   undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the     Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. ¹⁸ And because     we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened  the ship. ¹⁹ On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard     with our own hands. ²⁰ Now when neither sun nor stars appeared    for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we       would be saved was finally given up. ²¹ But after long abstinence    from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men,  you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and     incurred this disaster and loss. ²² And now I urge you to take heart,   for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the    ship. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to  whom I belong and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, ‘Do not be afraid,  Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has  granted you all those who sail with you.’ ²⁵ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

INTRODUCTION

Fellow citizens of our country, gentlemen of the Press, ladies and gentlemen:

At this crucial juncture in the history of our nation, I bring to you a word in season which, in time to come, may turn out to have been a final warning regarding the imminent storms threatening to hit our nation. At the same time, this is a word of hope; the assurance that despite the looming chaos, Nigeria in the hands of God is going to be the biggest miracle of the century.

First, I must reiterate in unequivocal terms that my position in the unfolding political situation of our nation is that of a nation-builder and not a politician, and that my desire is to see a nation that works in my lifetime. On the 16^th of November, 2014, as I stood on this platform to share with you “The Nigeria of My Dreams”, I laid it bare to all and sundry why I would rather incline my ears to the melodies within my reins as to the beat of a distant drum. Although the position I stand here today to declare may appear as controversial to many, I do not go about seeking controversies. It is the Lord who has a controversy with the nations, with the inhabitants of the land, and with His people, because their counsel is contrary to His, according to Jeremiah 25:31(NKJV):

 ‘A noise will come to the ends of the earth – For the Lord has a       controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh.       He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.

Let me therefore declare upfront my desire for a successful transition exercise irrespective of political party interest. About this time five years ago in 2010, when the nation was engulfed in a constitutional crisis that bordered on the refusal to transmit power to the current president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and the hijack of presidential powers by a cabal following the incapacitation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, as I was inspired by God to take action, I gathered the heroes of democracy with the help of civil society organization leaders at The Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, and the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) was born. We marched the streets of Abuja and Lagos until the Doctrine of Necessity paved the way for the restoration of constitutionality.

After President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in, we, at the Save Nigeria Group, had a series of meetings with him in the bid to chart a new course for our nation offering him what we termed “A Contract to Save and Transform Nigeria”, which we consider an irreducible minimum standard of governance below which the Nigerian people should not be subjected. We sought to lend capacity to a man in whom both God and the people had great expectations. We thought that, having come from a part of the country that had borne the brunt of our lopsided political structure, Mr. President would understand, like the Biblical Queen Esther, that “for such a time as this he was brought into the kingdom” to be the facilitator of geopolitical restructuring and national integration.

However, when we could not find fruit of genuine commitment to these ideals at that time and when it appeared to us that the president had chosen a path that could lead to the antithesis of what we consider his unique role, we went across the nation talking to leading political contenders in search of the most suitable candidate to whom we could lend our support. On the 31^st of July, 2010, we brought together those we called ‘Arrow Heads’ who could constitute a team of transformational leaders for our nation, including the likes of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, ex-governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu, Fola Adeola, Jimi Lawal, Hon. Wale Osun, Yinka Odumakin, amongst others.

Meetings were held in my home where I made it clear that I would not be seeking political office so that people would not think I convened Save Nigeria Group for that purpose. It was thereafter some of us found General Buhari to be the most suitable of the leading presidential contenders. When, months later, he invited me to be his running mate on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), I flatly refused until after much persuasion and corroborating counsel. Details of what transpired in that period will be out in my book, Strategic Intervention in Governance: Volume I, which will be presented to the public on the 4^th of February this year by God’s grace.

I say all of this to make it clear that I do what I do just because I desire a Nigeria that works, not because I seek any political office. However, it is my considered opinion that capable men and women who love God and love the people must offer themselves to serve when the opportunity arises, for, as Plato said, “the price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men”. That is why I am so grateful to God and thankful to General Buhari for offering me the opportunity to break the jinx and forever eliminate from our consciousness the notion that no pastor should have anything to do with politics. The fact that another pastor who has never won an election is running mate to General Buhari in the 2015 elections is a testimony to that.

As we approach the general elections few weeks from today with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) pitted against General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the second time around, there have been questions regarding my political leanings. It is clear except to the mischief makers where my loyalties lie but this broadcast is not about political endorsements; it is about alerting the nation of the storms ahead. If you must know, my political loyalty lies with General Buhari and I cannot claim not to know the issues surrounding the APC Primary and the processes that led to the selection of his current running mate. Nevertheless, this broadcast is about the counsel of the Most High who rules in the affairs of men and gives rulership to whoever He wills.