I
never like his style of governance, and never will. I don’t like the
man’s personality either. In fact my spirit just cannot stand Godswill
Akpabio. But it does not matter whether I like him or not, the truth
still remains that he is a human being, who happens to reside in the
world populated by humans, even though he strongly considers himself to
be some kind of demy-god, who is above reproach, even from God.
When
I think of all the atrocities Akpabio has committed, my good conscience
is really struggling and is preventing me from saying that I can
honestly and in my true heart wish him a happy birthday. Of all the
evils he has committed within his short life on earth, Akpabio should
count his blessings that God has been kind enough to let him live as
long as he has.
Under
his watch as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, many young men and women
have not been lucky to live as long as he has, and there are many others
who were not lucky to even live to be one-half of his age, especially
when one considers the number of young people who have lost their lives
due to the support and promotion that Godswill Akpabio gives to the
practice and cultivation of cultism in Akwa Ibom State. Under his watch
as the Governor, the free-flow of arms and other weapons of assaults
have cut-short the lives of many young people, as well as the old, for
no other reason but so that Akpabio can remain as a governor.
Rather
than to flatter him with the usual cliché of “Happy Birthday,” my
recommendation is that Akpabio should turn towards God for salvation,
before it is too late. At 49 years old, he has lived half his life on
earth. Still, it is not too late for him to seek and find God and accept
Him with all his heart. He should stop visiting all those native
doctors, sorceress, and charm-makers, which he does frequently and
deceiving himself that no one knows about such visits. No charms,
talisman, and concoction will be able to save him from destruction. Only
God can save him. In fact, the very day he turns to God would be the
day he will begin to have peace with himself. It will also be the day he
will un-bundle himself from the robes of evil, with which he has been
using to wrap around his mind within the past several years.
With
this in mind, let me say that I am happy to hear that he has taken a
step (no matter how small) towards God Almighty. Information reaching me
from Uyo confirms that Dr. Kumuyi, the overseer of Deeper Life Church,
was conducting a crusade in Uyo on Thursday, December 8 (2011), when
Godswill Akpabio made up his mind to stop by. Reports say after a brief
encounter with Dr. Kumuyi, Akpabio, to the consternation of all his
aides and members of the public, looked confused and dazed. After a
brief moment of what seemed like being in an eternal state of trance,
suddenly, Akpabio went on his two knees and asked Akwa Ibom people to
pray for him and also asked for their forgiveness; everyone prayed for
him, in unison. According to a source, the entire episode was filmed and
beamed on Akwa Ibom State TV stations.
While
many may have felt embarrassed with the behavior of Akpabio at the
stadium, I think people should look at the incident with a positive
mirror; maybe that moment was the real beginning of the “Transformation,”
which Akpabio and his crumbs-from-the-table-eaters have been preaching
about for a long time now. Instead of looking at the visit of Akpabio to
the crusade as a bad omen, people should begin to perceive it as the
first day God finally decided to change Akpabio, which may transform
into a blessing for Akwa Ibom State. Please don’t forget the story of
Jonah in the boat; the lives of the people in the boat were saved only
after God decided that Jonah has to take refuge in the belly of a fish.
That is how God saved both the lives of Jonah and the lives of the
others who were in the boat. The analogy may be exactly what transpired
at Uyo Stadium on Thursday,
December 8, 2011.
I
commend Godswill Akpabio for taking the giant step to attend the
crusade conducted by Dr. Kumuyi. For that, I have changed my mind; I wish brother Gody a Happy and a wonderful Birthday.
Written by
Ikpafak Thompson Essien
The Voice of the Poor Masses
Defender of the Oppressed
Social Critic
A
native of Ibibio nation of Ubium Republic extraction, now living in the
safe and beautiful city of Portland, Oregon, where no AKPF, ADUMA, ADV,
and Akwa Ibom State politicians can reach.
The news has been circulating that, on December 8, 2011, at the Uyo Sports Stadium, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State found religion, as the Americans would say. We are told that he attended a religious meeting organized by the founder of the Deeper Life Ministry, Dr. W. F. Kumuyi, a former Lecturer at the University of Lagos. Akpabio, it is alleged, prostrated publicly at the event and asked for prayers. There are many who are reacting to this news and, permit me to add some of my views.
There are probably THREE classes of people who are reacting to the news. The first are those persons who will outrightly dismiss Akpabio's action as another political gimmick, a fake, not trust-worthy and insincere. These kinds of people are among us. They constitute what Evangelist Uma Ukpai used to call "unbelieving believers." These kinds of people do not believe that miracles are possible; they do not believe in the transforming power of God through His Gospel; they are great in judging, condemnation of, and putting down anybody who attempts to make a change or to improve himself or herself through the gospel. For them, there's not a chance for Akpabio. He ought to rot in hell for having committed the unpardonable sins. They forget about the thief on the Cross whom Jesus pardoned!
These kinds of people err in forgetting that the salvation of God is an unmerited gift called GRACE, offered by his Mercies and LOVE. God's Love, Grace, and Mercy are unfathomable. This is why He is the ONLY ONE who can turn a sinner into a saint. The assurance for this salvation is in the Word of God and one appropriates the salvation BY FAITH. Any kind of position which assumes that Akpabio is faking is rubbish and presumptuous. The Bible says:"The Lord Knows those who are His" and adds, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
The second group of reactionists are those who are very sure that by attending a public crusade, Akpabio has passed the acid test of transformation and ought to be heralded as "A BROTHER." Such people also err as they become easily gullible and are not aware that Satan sits in the Temple of God as an angel of Light. The Scripture warns us to be careful; "Not every one who calls Him, Lord, Lord" shall enter into the Kingdom of God.
I HOPE that not everyone in The Deeper Life Ministry will jump to embrace Akpabio. We should remember the case of a former President of Zambia who was tried for corruption, even though he claimed to be saved. Even the believers of the ancient Church at Damascus were skeptical of the new life which Paul claimed he had received. Paul was the early, first century, terrorist. It took the wisdom and spiritual insight of Barnabas to welcome Paul into the fold.
One of the problems of modern-day Christianity is the lack of wisdom and insight. We are people full of cranial knowledge but woefully destitute of Divine wisdom. This has opened the Body of Christ to the influx of many fake ministers and fraudulent people. We must be careful and act according to Scripture. The Bible says: "By their fruits, ye shall know them." Time will tell whether Akpabio had a genuine repentance and transformation. Again the Bible says,"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."
We come to the third group, namely, "the wait-and-see group." To become a true believer in Christ seems to be very, very easy. But to walk in the new life in Christ, particularly in times like this, is awesome and frightfully difficult. There are so many trials, temptations and persecutions, Life in Christ is A LIFE-LONG matter. No true believer can give up on JESUS CHRIST.
Having known Dr. Kumuyi personally for a long time and heard and read his messages and books, it is my feeling that Kuyumi had summoned for a lot of PRAYERS, knowing some of the things that have afflicted Akwa Ibom State. Perhaps, as Mr. Thompson Essien has ably argued, God may have had mercy on us, the people of Akwa Ibom State, to witness the actions of a known cultist, megalomaniac, and an evil man who, like Saul of old, terrorized our wonderful State, while believing that he was doing us good.
Therefore, we owe to ourselves, to lift up Akpabio in earnest PRAYERS as those worshipers did at the Uyo Stadium. The Bible commands us to first of all, PRAY for those in authority, for political leaders, and for Kings. It is not for us to worry about whether Akpabio has become a true believer. That will evidently be clear in time. But we ought to thank God that this December 8, 2011 event occurred as our window into what the power of our God can do, if we solely trust Him.
I support Mr. Essien and join him to say that Akpabio is not my enemy. He has never been. The devil is.
E.S. Etuk, Ph.D
Historian & Author of 14 Books
Akpabio's repentance will be like that of Soul who was killing the Christians, but latter became the greatest Christians who led people to Christ.
Though I doubt Akpabio's true repentance, he will still be my friend if he makes restitution for all that he has stolen including the governorship seat. Repentance is not about kneeling down and asking for free prayers, it is about the fruits of salvation being seen in a person.
I do not trust this man called Godswill Obot Akpabio. He is trying to garner unmerited sympathy for himself. Satan is a cunning creature and I cannot see Akpabio differently.
Once more, I wish him happy BAD day. And warn the people not to believe his repentance. Its another joker.
Chris Udoh PHC Ng
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