Start Parking, It's a New Beginning!

Niran Olatona

It is no more news that the 8 years tenure of PMB is ended! A new government has come in after a lot of torturous experience for the fowl and the rope whereon it chose to rest. It is a new dawn that may mean a downward trend for some and an upward move for some. I have chosen it would be for my good!

Whoever is taking a new role has more at stake than the person who is signing off. The one exiting already has his name written on the marble or sand and whatever he says or does at the last minute would not carry as much weight as the first few statements of the one taking over the baton.  

If leading is simple, families will not be in disarray and there would be no case of divorce anywhere. Mortal men are however the most difficult to lead and so whoever is coming to a position of leadership in a multi-ethnic and multi-language nation like Nigeria should know that rulership can’t be as it was before the language of man was divided severally to compel them to spread abroad and jettison the inordinate ambition of building a tower that would reach the palace of God.

While the aggrieved may continue seeking redress in courts as a mark of their civil right, the ones coming on board should begin to park. Yes, they must park in from their personal residences into their Aso Rocks. But as they physically move in, it is wise to mentally begin to move out with glory that is higher than the ones they brought in. They should have the end in mind. When one is celebrated at the beginning and one is booed at the end of an event, it is a tragedy.

No one sets out to have a tragic end but a tragic or glorious end commences from the moment of setting out. A pilot who refuses to confirm that his compass and other equipment are functioning well before taking off has planned to crash, even if inadvertently. While many may keep having reservations and even fighting the process that brought the governors, legislators, president etc into power, once they are sworn in, they have become our “leaders”. If all we desire is a better life and better governance, distracting them with curses and cases may be like the lice that think feasting on a living dog is a way of killing it not realising that when the dog dies, it would also be affected as the blood of goats is not its delicacy.

I have read posts and watched videos sent to deride pastors who have been tagged fake or liars because their prophecies didn’t come to pass. In my view, this is an unnecessary distraction. One of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament was Samuel. He was told to anoint the tallest in Israel and he poured the oil on king Saul in full obedience to divine leading. Was Saul the choice of God or the choice of men? Israel demanded for a king to rule them like other nations, God gave them Saul. The same Saul went against God’s commandment and God changed His mind and rejected him. Instead of Saul, He led Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint another man. Samuel carried the jar of oil and was almost pouring it on Eliab when God instructed him to stop. The oil eventually came not on the tallest this time around but the young shepherd boy called David!

If your candidates won the elections and are on the throne, congratulations. If yours didn’t win or some won and some lost, this needs not to lead to unnecessary agony. If your preferred candidate wasn’t the one favoured to occupy the seat you desired for him, cursing whoever is there is pointless. An elder wrote, “The land that you curse CANNOT yield for you her increase”. The government you curse cannot bring you joy!

If the reason why you preferred your candidate is for you to have a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence, then heed the bid of Paul in 1 Tim 2:1,2.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

In order to prove that Israel did wrong in asking for a king, Samuel called for thunder and rain which brought sobriety to the people. But in verse 23 of 1 Samuel 12, he mentioned something significant.

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way”.

He admitted that it would be a sin for him not to pray for the people. likewise, it would be a sin for us not to pray for our leaders. If we curse them or wish them evil, we should not blame them when the devil capitalises on such and make us victims of leadership errors. If you think there is nothing positive to say about Nigeria today, please accept the responsibility that it is the inadequacy of your prayers or positive actions/contributions in the past.

We are already in the boat. If you think Captain BAT is not taking us to the right destination, first pray for a safe landing in the wrong destination rather than curse the ship or wish it capsizes. You need not commit suicide with your confession. Speak well about the nation.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: " Pray for Jerusalem’s peace! Prosperity to all you Jerusalem-lovers!" Psa 122:6,7 Msg Bible

We have started a new journey in our history. Park with wisdom. Don’t forget your lamp. The wise will carry extra oil along and in readiness for the journey into the unknown. If your source of illumination is blocked, the lamp will guide your step in the right direction. God bless you.

Okemesi Ekiti born Niran Olatona is the Chairman of Ekiti State Internal Revenue.