A President And His Many Popes BY Tobi Adebowale

This is not about the President’s recent visit to Israel with notable leaders of the Christian faith in Nigeria or the special sessions tagged a day with Jesus for Nigeria in Israel. We have been having many days with Jesus in Nigeria and rightly so, hence no need placing too much emphasis on another held in Israel with taxpayers’ funds, never mind that one of the most respected clergymen on the President’s entourage recently derisively asked Reuters why he should pay tax to Nigeria. Majority of Nigerian taxpayers quite frankly hold the belief that the prayers offered in Israel for Nigeria’s blessings just as the many that are continually being offered in Nigeria will in no time see to the end of corruption, build roads and hospitals, create jobs and generate electricity. Afterall, the fervent prayer of the righteous man makes much power available.

Let’s focus rather on Nigeria’s much-loved President, with an unprecedented charisma, playing a politics devoid of bitterness towards anyone even proven thieves and scoundrels. He has transformed from the world’s most-hated President as at 2012 when impatient Nigerians who knew too little of him ran their fingers and mouth on social media ceaselessly, to the world’s most-loved President in 2014 being begged by a major bulk of his countrymen to contest in 2015. If those twittering children of anger that Dr. Reuben Abati referred to some years ago are yet to see the bright light halo-ing over the President’s head today, it really is their fault, never mind that the $20billion sunk into the power sector in the last four years may be partly responsible for some of that darkness plaguing their faculties. Was it not the same Dr. Abati who in his previous unceremonious role as the chairman of some editorial board of some pretentious sentinel of thoughts newspaper went on a weekly binge of factual insults against a dove-like President and his wife until the spirit of transformation descended upon him? Just a touch of the hem of the President’s garment put an end to his issue of negative words and he now speaks a new tongue. Like Olivia Pope from the enthralling ABC series ‘Scandal’, he now leads the formidable army of President Jonathan’s cerebral fixers, plotting quick and effective responses to any and all detractors of the most pious and chivalrous President Fitzgerald Grant, sorry, President Goodluck Jonathan.

We should all thirst and hunger for that spirit for the President will send it to those who believe and ask. When that spirit visited a certain clergyman in faraway America, he returned home to administer subliminal truths on social media to the millions of twittering children of anger Dr. Abati had earlier diagnosed. The hearts of young men often need to be straightened and who better to do that than a man capable of being a Jew to a Jew and a Gentile to a Gentile, a Reno to Twitter and a Wendell Simlin to Yahoomail, adept at shunpiking the way to Aso Rock sanctuary with as many repentant souls even one that was once a radical youth-man. Since the arrival of Reno Omokri, the Goodluck gospel has been committed into many more hands than Dr. Abati could have enlisted with his fiery hell-raising approach, and for this we must be very thankful as a nation. Now we know the wonderful works that the President has been doing and undoing, once Dr. Abati shares the pictures, Reno Omokri tweets it and the spirit-filled disciples take it to Sapele, Jos and the uttermost parts of Twitter Nigeria and Facebook.

The Vatican probably missed a Pontiff in Presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe, a man of vast ideas and languages like Yoruba, English and Christianese. He is presently making do with being the Archbishop of the Jonathan Chapel of Transformational Goodluck, doing well to pray down fire on detractors and spoilers of the President’s good works. It is he who speaks and Obiageli Ezekwesili must listen and but for merciful judgment on her side, he would have shook her at Heathrow airport and proclaimed victory on BBC. His official reports, taking the rescue of abducted Chibok girls by the Nigerian Army for example, may be debunked often making you wonder if he has true access to the President but you cannot gainsay his praying effectiveness. You will recall he began forty days of prayers for the return of the girls on Twitter and now we hear there has been a ceasefire with Boko Haram and the girls will be back. If you still have doubts about who will win Nigeria’s presidential elections in 2015, just go and check the originator of the prophetic hashtag #BringBackGoodluck2015.

World leaders have a lot to learn from President Jonathan. No one has inspired a religious following in such a short while of being so hated a few years ago, like him. If his biggest critics can turn around to become the guardians and vanguards of his image, his fresh air of transformation needs to be packaged like SCOAN water and sent to Presidents like Assad of Syria and other leaders who are constantly dealing with unnecessary hate. Femi Fani-Kayode could shed his clothes in the market square two years ago to assert the President’s cluelessness and illuminati disposition but not anymore, he would rather prefer today to be nailed to the cross to prove the sanctity of the transformation gospel. He has a twin brother in Femi Aribisala with his untiring mishmash of revelations about the All Progressives Congress’ demonic agenda and President Jonathan’s righteous walk to triumph.

There are many more volunteer Popes for the President, some even manifesting signs and wonders of his touch without as much as getting within a 100-kilometer radius of the President’s knowing. If you have doubts, consult the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria who have truly gone forth to the ends of Nigeria with the gospel of the President’s reelection which they are simultaneously pleading with him to give a thought. These ones may be ridiculed but even their abusers forget they help propel their mission with affection through criticism just as they have been showing the President. The pettier they become as opposition party loyalists attacking every move of the President, the more sympathy they procure for the gentleman who can do no wrong. Goodluck Jonathan may not be a man of the cloth but he has millions of Olivia Popes fixing his image without a fee as well as paid preachers of his gospel in different collar-sizes.

Let us pray!

Tobi Adebowale

@tobiBowale