Kefson

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Kefson

My Opinion On The Current Hardship In Nigeria

~1.3 mins read

MY OPINION ON THE CURRENT HARDSHIP IN NIGERIA

Today the face of Nigeria cannot be identify. High tension everywhere as people struggles for daily bread. Souls are dying of hunger. People are crying for rescue.

This prompt me to throw some questions:

_ Where did we got it wrong?

_ Who caused us this hardship?

_ Is there hope for better Nigeria again?

My responses will be based on the above questions.

1. WHERE DID WE GOT IT WRONG?

You see, history is meant to be study to understand the past mistakes and not to allow the same to happen. We have been dealt in the past but yet we allowed religion and party to put us in this situation. Even with this, give some people another opportunity they will still vote base on religion and party sentiment not on credibility.

2. WHO CAUSED US THIS HARDSHIP?

We brought ourselves this current situation. Am happy we are all facing the hit. Be you Christian, Muslim or idol worshipper. Both APC, PDP, LP and all parties, we're all suffering our choices. Though, election doesn't count in Nigeria but we can still play our way out by voting the credible person in respective of our differences.

3. IS THERE HOPE FOR BETTER NIGERIA AGAIN?

Yes and No.

Yes_ Let's agreed with one voice as one nation. Let keep religion aside. Let forget about party. That's the only way Nigeria would be better.

No_ Nigeria can never be better if we continue with this system of electing leaders because he/she is a Christian or Muslim. APC, PDP or LP candidate.

Friends, the problem of Nigeria is from the above mentioned points. May God open our eyes to the reality.

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Kefson

SAD! Aggrieved Customers Beat Up AEDC Staff Over Alleged Exploitation, Poor Power Supply

~0.5 mins read

SAD! Aggrieved Customers Beat Up AEDC Staff Over Alleged Exploitation, Poor Power Supply

On Thursday afternoon, a mild drama occurred at a neighbourhood in Lafia, the Nasarawa State’s capital when staff of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company(AEDC) visited the area to disconnect customers from public power supply over debts.

The residents of the area who had for months decried “outrageous billing without commensurate electricity supply” however prevented the staff from carrying out the action.

A yet-to-be identified staff of the company who insisted on disconnecting the neighbourhood from public power supply was resisted and beaten to stupor by some dissatisfied customers.

The neighbourhood is around the residence of millionaire businessman and trader, Alhaji Turakin Gamji.

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Kefson

Happy Birthday Egba From Kefson Blog.

~0.4 mins read

Benjamin Egba was a student of ECWA Peace College Nasarawa, Nasarawa State. Currently he's a student of Nasarawa state University Keffi (NSUK).

He stand to be different with a unique character and lifestyle.

Egba pursue every of his dream to become a reality. May he achieve all his dream.

As today mark your birthday, I join you in celebration. Congratulations for witnessing another year. May the favor, blessings and peace of the Lord be with you forever. Amen!

Congratulations!

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Kefson

Dangers Of Air Pollution On Human Health.

~0.7 mins read

Information reaching us from EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is that the current change in weather / atmosphere across the country is not harmattan, but rather an extreme form of air pollution with dire consequences on human health

This can be hazardous and lead to :

1. Reduced Lung function

2. Respiratory infection

3. Inflammation

4. Oxidative Stress (low level of antioxidants which even creates an imbalance in your body)

Consequently, everyone is being advised to please :

- Mask-up (wear nose mask)

- Stay hydrated (Drink more water)

- Cover food and water very well to prevent dust from settling on them.

- Wash fruits very well before eating

- Stay indoors as much as possible

This condition may prevail for a considerable period of time.

Let’s take note, adhere strictly, keep our family and friends informed.

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Kefson

WHO IS A GODFATHER?

~1.9 mins read

WHO IS A GODFATHER?

To ascertain whether having a godfather is right or bad, we need to understand what it means to have a godfather, and who's a godfather.

I've heard lots of Christians speak against the idea of having godfathers.

The irony is, as I watched those people's lives closely, I realized they're people who even abuse the concept and practice of godfather.

For instance, it's a common practice among us that when people get into position of leadership, they often do things to favor people they consider their "boys" within the organization.

These are godfathers, but in an abusive way.

You see, a godfather is close to a mentor. But I feel a mentor plays a broader and bigger role than a godfather.

Isaac Newton is reputed to have said that if he ever succeeded, that's because he had people upon whose shoulders he stood.

A godfather is that person upon whose shoulders we stand tall.

We may go farther than them in life. We may achieve more. We may succeed better than them. But that's because they've given us their shoulders so we could stand on.

In a work organization, a godfather is that senior or superior officer who shows you the ropes, teaches you the politics of the organization, shares his experiences with you so you may learn, corrects or rebukes you when you're treading the wrong path, cautions you against bad association, shows you the right track, guides you with the right counsel, creates opportunities for you to put your skills and potentials into use, recommends you for tasks he knows you can do, deters you from taking up tasks that you may not be good at, and lots more.

Generally in life, godfathers are experienced people who allow others to learn and grow from their experiences.

I may say more about this subsequently. But let me pause here for now.

Let me point you to Christine Ishanpepe Vihishima. She does a good job at this.

She's a godmother to many. She too has godfathers. When you get close to her, you understand this better.

With my whole heart, I can boldly tell you that I have godfathers. And I'm glad that God has given me the right godfathers who are genuinely interested in my growth and progress in life.

I'm learning and growing under them.

Please, get yourself at least, a godfather. And commit yourself to being one to others.

Thank you.

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Kefson

THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING.

~2.0 mins read

THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING

Oftentimes, Christians look down on the place of preaching in the pastoral ministry.

This is one of the sad realities of our times now.

We practice a Christianity that attaches value to prayer, fasting, giving, sound, music, lightings, organizational structure, building structures, finances, etc. while despising preaching.

This mentality isn't just common among church members and parishioners; it's also found among pastors.

This unchristian attitude toward preaching has relegated preaching to a mere tradition that must be maintained even if it's not productive.

But based on God's design for the church and biblical job descriptions for the pastoral ministry and church Leadership, preaching is a fundamental element of the pastoral ministry. It's vital to God-centered Christian living. It's foundational to every Christ-driven church.

The pastoral constitutes of three basic components: pulpit delivery (preaching); church administration; human relationship.

This is true of every biblical pastoral ministry, irrespective of the local church or denomination.

And it's noteworthy that both church administration and human relationship are built upon and defined by preaching.

But sadly, it's not uncommon to hear people — including pastors — make remarks like: "Anybody can preach"; "The life we live is better than our preaching"; "Preaching is the least thing in the pastor's work"; etc.

Statements such as the above are pointers to the detestable reality that we take Preaching for granted.

Truth is, most of the things we call preaching in our churches today are mere expression of people's opinions on topics, themes, subjects, areas, Bible texts.

Yes, this is how mundane we've reduced preaching to!

But from biblical perspective, preaching isn't about our personal opinions.

Preaching is simply the declaration and proclamation of God's counsel, mind, thoughts, plans, intentions, etc. to people.

This is what makes Preaching fundamental and pivotal to every area, practice, mission, activity, etc. of Christianity and the Christian life.

When we understand this, we can't dismiss preaching as something anyone can do; and definitely, we wouldn't frivolous about preaching.

Preaching isn't trivial. Therefore, we must never trivialize it.

To large extent, preaching should be a major decisive factor concerning our choice of place of worship.

Preaching should be our first consideration whenever we want to choose where to identify with as church.

A Christian that doesn't place high value on preaching is worth being feared.

And any church that doesn't esteem and prioritize should be avoided.

So as you're in church (or go to church) today, your first concern and attention should be concentrated on the Preaching.

May God help us.

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Kefson

THE CHURCH AS AGENT FOR DEVELOPING THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY (Part One)

~10.8 mins read

Title: THE CHURCH AS AGENT FOR DEVELOPING THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY (Part two)

“The early Christians were a movement of the marginalized and under-privileged. They eventually came to power in the Roman Empire because their movement offered, culturally and politically, what was needed by the society.”

– Charles Davis

The above quote from Charles Davis is used in the opening of the part one of this teaching on the CASS series. This quote is critical in understanding what it means for the church to be an agent for developing a particular society. It is not about number. It is not about political power or viability. It is not about economic prowess. It is about doing the right thing.

Last week, I posted the part one of this teaching. In that part one I stated that the church has three mandates to fulfill as God’s agent for the development of the society. In Nigeria, the church must fulfill these three mandates. Where the church fails in fulfilling these mandates, the Nigerian society would not experience development. The three mandates are: The transformational mandate; the creational mandate; and the missional mandate. We treated the transformational mandate in the part one. We are treating the other two mandates in this part.

B: THE CREATIONAL MANDATE

Part of the Church’s assignment as agent for developing the Nigerian society is to work toward creating a new system for the society. When you realize that a particular system is faulty and failing, then the wise thing to do is to create a new system that would be working and succeeding.

Basically, what Jesus came to earth to do is the creation of a new system. First, as God whose creation (humans) went against Him, He came as human, lived among the failing human system, and created a new system that Apostle Paul calls “a new creation” (2Corinthians 5:17). Second, as one born into the Jewish religious-cultural system, He created a new system using few disciples, who later grew into many. The people of this new system created by Jesus were later branded “Christians” (Acts 11:26).

Till today, this system is called Christianity in the world. So using Jesus as our Model, we can see that the best way to deal with a failing system is by creating a new one. That is what the Church must be committed to doing in order to ensure that the Nigerian society experience progressive development.

And in our commitment to fulfilling this creational mandate, we must learn to do it the way Jesus did. Jesus began with the individual person first, before the society at large. The individual person must be our starting point. Developing individual persons unequivocally leads to societal development. Till today, Jesus begins His creational work with one man. He creates a new spirit, new perspectives, new philosophy, etc. in one man, then He uses the man to create a new nation and a new world. Creating a new system would require the Church to commit herself to five agenda.

1- Raising People with Political Consciousness:

We cannot separate societal development from the politics of the society. Hence, for the Church to ensure the progressive development of Nigeria, there is need to pay attention to the Nigerian politics. Matthew Michael opines that, “To be politically unconscious is to hang ourselves and our posterity.” In its reality, religion cannot be separated from politics. This is because humans are both religious and political beings. Luke Bretherton holds that: “Politics without piety is pitiless; piety without politics is pitiful.” Religion is the conscience of politics. Raising people with political consciousness enables the Church to play the role of giving the right guidance to the political activities of Nigeria.

2- Building a Sustainable Economy:

Economy feeds on politics. The economy of a society is largely determined by the society’s political leaders, their policies and their activities. Nigeria is blessed with almost every tool needed for national development, namely: human resources, natural resources, mineral resources, good climatic condition for human habitation, fertile land for agricultural practices, and vast land for infrastructural development. Yet, we suffer fuel scarcity. Our electricity is very epileptic. Our roads are very bad. We have poor agricultural economy. Our human productivity is very low. There is no system to ensure sustainable economy. So far, government is trying in terms of economic empowerment; but nothing to ensure economic sustenance. For us to build sustainable economy, we must first get rid of our xenophilia, and begin to use what we have in order to make what we need. The Church needs to device a means of building good, viable and strong economy system for the Nigerian society.

3- Advancing the Cause of the Kingdom of God:

The concept of the Kingdom of God is fundamental in the Christian faith. In Luke 11:3, Jesus teaches us to pray: “Your kingdom come”. Job Ayuba Shagaiya describes the Kingdom of God as “The manifest reign of God through justice and righteousness – it is a reign of peace and salvation.” Charles T. Matthewes argues: “The political language of the ‘kingdom’ arguably plays more profound and more compelling role in the Scripture than does the domestic language of ‘family’ or even of ‘marriage’”. All these bring home the need for us to advance the cause of the Kingdom of God. Apostle Paul tells us that the Kingdom of God is about “… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17 – ESV). The concept of the Kingdom of God is not just religious; it is political also. It deals with the society. Therefore, the Church needs to be committed to advancing its cause in the Nigeria.

4- Upholding the Four Pillars for Peaceful and Secure Society:

Going through the Old Testament, we see four social virtues that God kept referring the Israelites to, whenever He was talking to them about societal peace and security. These four social virtues are: righteousness, truth, justice and mercy. I have come to regard them as the four pillars for a peaceful and secure society. No society would ever experience peace and security if these social virtues are trampled upon in that society. Regardless of the religion of the society, or its political ideologies, or its system of government, or its race, as long as the government eschews these four social virtues, insecurity would not depart from that society. Of course, we know that peace is not the total absence of war. But a society can be considered peaceful and secure when there is a system put in place to effectively check and curtail insecurity problems. The Church needs to uphold these social virtues and advocates them in Nigeria.

5- Inculcating the Spirit of National Patriotism:

Nigerians have always been polarized along tribal, ethnic, regional and religious dichotomies. This is not something that started in recent years. It has been an inherent part of this country right from the outset. The concept of national patriotism is foreign to most Nigerians. Our allegiance goes more to our regions, ethnic groups and religions, than to the nation as a whole. As a result, we have turned our multi-ethnic status and religious plurality into a curse instead of blessing. Human diversity is actually meant to be a blessing. But without appreciating the creative beauty of that diversity, and using it for the greater good, we cannot experience the blessedness of our diversity in ethnicity, region, and religion. Diversity should lead us to unity; not divisiveness. The Church should preach national patriotism to Christians in Nigeria.

C: MISSIONAL MANDATE

This is the third mandate the Church must commit herself to in order to ensure that Nigeria experience progressive development. Charles T. Matthewes posits that “Christianity just is a public religion. It is not a mystery cult, nor is it fundamentally esoteric; it lives in public.” The missional mandate enables the Church to carry the Christian faith to the public square. The Great Commission mandate commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). This missional mandate is carried out through the following agenda.

1- Witnessing:

The Church needs to engage in the ministry of witnessing. This is done by simply sharing who Jesus is, and what He has done for humankind. Lives are usually blessed through this. This is done with the intention to see people receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. This is the act of offering people the person of Jesus and His principles as well. People that have received God’s mercy, love and forgiveness easily give it out to others.

2- Discipleship:

This is the art and process of teaching and training someone in the way of Christ Jesus. This is for those who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord. This takes time, and it is usually gradual. It also needs to be a voluntary commitment on the part of both the disciple and the discipler. There is no compulsion in discipleship.

3- Social Ministry:

This is the mercy ministry of the Church. It involves charity and philanthropic work. It is the act of reaching out to non-Christians with material things. Sometimes preaching is done, while sometimes it is not done. Relief materials can also be sent to those suffering the aftermath of wars and violent crises. It also involves raising camps for refugees of wars.

In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed series of violent crises, and killings of innocent people by Boko Haram and Herdsmen militia groups. Many have been killed, while many have been rendered homeless. The Nigerian government has done very little or nothing in order to attend to the victims of these mayhems. While government plays dirty politics and try to be politically correct about these killings, the Church needs to see this as opportunity to practice the ministry of mercy to the victims of these killings. Churches can build camps for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and also send relief materials to them.

There are individuals that have been committed to this aspect of the Church’s missional mandate. Pastor Gideon Agwom Mutum of the Governor’s Assembly is one of them. He has been operating a camp for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the Southern Kaduna killings for over two years now. The former General Secretary of ECWA, Rev. Yunusa S. Nmadu Jr. is also another one of those people. When he was the Senior Minister of ECWA Gospel Church, Lemu Road in Kaduna, he was reaching out to the Muslims of the community with food stuffs and other material things. Pastor Timothy Audu of the New Life Assembly, through His House Ministry that he is running, is committed to medical outreaches. These are outreaches through which he and his team offer medical services to people in very remote rural areas. If non-Christians do these social services, then the Church should do even more. The current EMS Director of ECWA has a ministry that is committed to social ministry agenda. It is called Hedges of Mercy. On individual grounds Christine Ishanpepe Vihishima , Stephanie Augustine , and few other folks have been committed to this agenda in different ways and forms.

4- Reconciliation Ministry:

The ministry of reconciliation is another aspect of the missional mandate handed over to the Church. Many people are living in Nigeria with deep hurts that have been caused by wars, violent crises and conflicts. The relationship between Christians and Muslims is becoming more strained, hostile and volatile. The Church needs to commit herself to the ministry of reconciliation among individuals and among ethnic, tribal and religious groups. The Church should create platforms for peace talks, and interfaith dialogues. There are Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that are already doing that. Rev. Yunusa S. Nmadu has an NGO that is committed to this aspect of the Church’s missional mandate. Individual Christian leaders such as Rev. Joseph Hayab are also committed to this. The Church should not expect the government to do this. The government may not care about the plight of those who suffer from these hostilities and animosities. It is part of the missional mandate of the Church to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation.

5- Provision of Quality Education:

My sister Swanta Blessing Bonat has been deeply committed to this agenda for years. She has made several and enormous sacrifices to fulfill this agenda. Her motivation is one: every child deserves quality education, regardless of their location. With this drive, she has abandoned better opportunities so as to provide quality education to children in rural areas.

This is something I believe the church should be committed to. Decades back when most of the secondary schools in Nigeria were owned and run by Christian mission organizations, the standard of education in Nigeria was very good. But since General Yakubu Gowon and his administration took over these mission schools and handed them to the government, our educational system began to go on a downward spiral.

Providing quality education does our nation a lot of good, more than we can fully understand. Each child that is trained well in school offers thousands of hope for the future of our country. With the way most schools are run today, we are simply educating Nigerian children in the ways of cheating, discrimination, ostentation, examination malpractices, etc. And if our children are trained to pass examination through exam malpractice, then we can rest assure that the same would go to any length to win elections through election malpractices. If our children are educated to value only jobs that require sitting in the office, the same would grow up to look down on other honest and noble jobs like being a driver, being a security man, being a messenger, etc. The church needs to be committed to the agenda of providing quality education in our society.

CONCLUSION

When Prof. Kingsley Moghalu contested for the presidency in 2019, he had brilliant aspirations and great manifesto for the Nigerian nation. However, I have fear with regards to his aspiration. My fear was that he might win the election but end up losing his personality after becoming the president. I still nurse that fear for any good political candidate contesting for the presidential office in Nigeria.

Why do I have this fear? It is because I believe the Nigerian system is not ripe yet for any kind of good political leadership. And since this is a democratic society, any good political candidate that wins presidential election might end up being the only person running with the kind of vision he has for the country. This reiterates in me the urgent need for the Church to really commit herself to creating a new system for Nigeria.

For the Nigerian society to really thrive, then we need a new economic system that places more value on domestic products and services than on foreign ones; a new political system that gives consideration to our diverse ethnic groups; a new socio-cultural system that allows for true freedom of religious expression; and a new educational system that enables application of knowledge acquired in real everyday life. We need a new system that will offer Nigerians one dream to pursue despite our political, ethnic and religious differences. We need a new system that will give us a philosophy we can together call “The Nigerian Dream”. And it is in the hands of the Church to create that new system; for the Church exists to make the society better.

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Kefson

TO MY READERS, I MAY NOT BE WRITING AGAIN. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS PLATFORM!.

~0.4 mins read

I deem it feet to stop being publishing from this platform. I have been writing for years and really invested my time but no positive result. The aim is to earn money but nothing forth-coming instead wasting my time.

At least on opera news I received payment every month but since I started writing on pejoweb, have not earn money. Better to put an end!

My apology to my readers.

Note: if the platform meant business, I will resume.

One love!

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Kefson

My Opinion On The Current Hardship In Nigeria

SAD! Aggrieved Customers Beat Up AEDC Staff Over Alleged Exploitation, Poor Power Supply

Happy Birthday Egba From Kefson Blog.

Dangers Of Air Pollution On Human Health.

WHO IS A GODFATHER?

THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING.

THE CHURCH AS AGENT FOR DEVELOPING THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY (Part One)

TO MY READERS, I MAY NOT BE WRITING AGAIN. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS PLATFORM!.

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