By Prof. Nathan Protus Uzorma
In such a case they say that God can either say, WAIT, YES, or NO to prayers. So when He says yes, it means that your prayers are answered and when He says wait, you then need patience (which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit), and when He says No, it means that one will consequently suffocate in hope and patience. This is a church man’s technique to believing God which has today destroyed many homes.
There are people that are not destined to have a child no matter how they pray and fast. If they claim all the biblical promises, it cannot change the will of nature. There are also some that are destined not to marry; if they do they will continue to live in disunity which is still part of their inner destiny in conscious life. Therefore, any answered prayer is the one ordained and destined to come through. After all, there are things one doesn’t pray for that comes ones way, why do they come? Nature has ordained them! No amount of noise making in the church can change nature. What the church man considers to be an answer to prayer is what God had ordained to come through, so the coincidence of your prayer and the purported answer is the miracle that gives the earthly shepherd daily promotion this is on one hand.
For instance, if God has decided to give you a cup of water today by destiny and you want to start praying for this cup of water by tomorrow, and eventually the cup of water is on your table, will you call it an answered prayer? Yes, it is because desire itself is prayer, this is the naïve voice of the earthly shepherd who would not want to lose his members to knowledge and wisdom. You fail to realize that there are so many things you don’t desire that come your way and a lot too you desire that fail to come through. I’m discussing the philosophy of prayer.
The case of Sarah is very clear. She lied thereby committing a serious religious sin. But her sin which was not confessed anywhere was consequently forgiven because her destiny was indeed speaking for her own good. Her sin was in line with her destiny as such her destiny overcame the power of her sin. Destiny which is the principal driver of human choice and will, can be traced to all that is holy that is why it is not possible for any religious person to pray him/her self into heaven when he/she is not destined or ordained to be in heaven. Heaven therefore becomes a destined home for destined people as Christ himself puts it. “…come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world” Matt 25:34
The best prayer therefore is to do good to all that comes across your way. If you turn away from the poor we shall not be ready to receive the reward of Him who blesses the poor. “Thy will be done o God…” simply means, let the voice of my oracle of destiny speak at the appointed time of my will of life. It is with this understanding we can identify the subtle voice of destiny that whispers to all men when they are asleep to lead them to the right path. May the will of God be done! May the destiny of all speak! And may the path leading you to your divine home be understood by you on time so that you will not be deceived by those who have no path in the light of divine destiny.
Hope you are aware that prayer does not forgive sin and that God alone does in accordance with ones ontological and primordial destiny. Sorry for wrong doing is but one step towards reform and the very easiest step. The nest and great step required by wisdom is the taste of our sincerity. Prayer is not to be used as a confessional to cancel sin. Such an error would impede true religion. Sin is forgiven only as it is destroyed allegorically by Christ. If prayer nourishes the belief that sin is canceled and that man is made better mainly by praying, prayer then becomes evil, for he grows worse who continues in sin because he fancies himself forgiven”.
Sins are forgiven to those who do not confess and can also be forgiven to those who confess, all of these depend on ones initial cum subjective agreement with the infinite. He said, “Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and those whose iniquities are covered”. This foregoing statement is in tandem with ones destiny and “will” of life for God does not foresee or foreknow in the strict sense. Writing on Eschatology: A Time For Eternity (Catholic Faith Magazine, May to June 1999), Mark Brumley gives the following insight into the point alluded above in what will be called Free Will Theodicy. God, being outside time, does not foresee or foreknow in the strict sense. For foreseeing or fore- knowing, implying seeing or knowing in advance. And in advance implies ahead of time. Since God is beyond time, He simply “sees” or “knows” from his vintage point of eternity, so to speak, what you are doing, at all points in your existence, not what you would do. All moments of your life are equally present to God.
Brumley concludes the argument by saying that just as your freedom is not impeded by my seeing or knowing what you are doing now, neither is it by God seeing or knowing it. The difference is, of course, that for God, all moments of your life are equally available, whereas for me travelling in time with you, I experience only one moment of knowing. He knows perfectly yet freely that is consequent freedom on both the side of man and God himself. We know imperfectly yet freely and authentically. In both cases knowledge is not constitutive but epistemological.
William Lane Craig, while making reference to Stuart Heckett’s book: The Resurrection of Theism (Chicago: Moody press, 1957), summarizes this argument in the statement that God could know the content of all knowledge: past, present and future- in a simultaneous and eternal intuition. Indeed he apprehends the whole content of the temporary series in a single eternal intuition, just as the reader can analogously apprehend all the parts of a circle in a single sensory intuition. This being that God does not interfere with our liberty. But he does have a “visio” of all reality including the being and actions of human being, without destroying human liberty hence certain events are determined by Him because He is Actus Purus (Pure Being).
The entire issue here is that God does not interfere with our human volition which is programmed and organized within the self. But on the other hand, the infinite past, present and future and its subsequent activities can only be known by He who orders it in its esoteric nature. So having programmed events in its subjective chronology and covering man with the vein of ignorance, which enables man to make effort within the provision of religious credo which in turn gives rise to religious rituals and sacrifices in order to unveil the mask of ignorance, man is thus bewildered. As a result of this, man thinks he can command God and receive something through Him via much supplication and worship. God is above all things. Man seeks to receive what was naturally given to him without knowing that the higher versions of him (man) are what he seeks for. Man is withholding what he seeks for through ignorance.
The danger from prayer is that it may lead us into temptation. By it we may become involuntary hypocrites, altering desires which are not real and consoling ourselves in the midst of sins with the recollection that we have prayed over it or mean to ask forgiveness at some later day. Hypocrisy is fatal to religion. The test of all prayers lie in the answer to these questions: do we love our neighbors better because of this asking? Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied with having prayed for something better, though we give no evidence of the sincerity of our request by living consistently with our prayer? If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbors unselfishly, and bless them that course us, but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith.
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Reps’ Call for Kyari’s Sack Is Unreasonable, Says Journalist Abati
Dr. Reuben Abati, a veteran journalist and former Senior Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, dismissed call by a fragment of the House of Representatives to sack the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari.
Abati, the lead anchor in the popular Arise TV breakfast talk show, Morning Show, described the call as “unfair, wrong, and unreasonable, nothing that it is wrong for the legislators yo ascribe the problem of the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry to just one man.
He argued that the NNPC CEO is not the root cause of the problems plaguing the petroleum industry explaining that the sector is plagued by deeper structural issues that have been ignored for decades.the
“The problem with the oil and gas industry in Nigeria is not Mele Kyari. The problem is the way we have run our affairs as a country. Leadership is what is required to address these issues, not crucifying an individual.”
While pointing out that the industry’s challenges have been evident since the 70s, yet successive governments have failed to tackle them, He praised Kyari for making efforts to solve the problems and should be given the chance to operate.
Speaking further, Abati criticized the sponsored advertisements by a fragment of House of Representatives members, clamoring for Kyari’s sack.
“I think the bigger story is that we have seen some people in the media saying Kyari is the problem with the Nigeria Oil and Gas industry.
“We have seen people put up an advertisement for and against the sack of Mele Kyari. No, Mele Kyari is not the problem.
“There are fundamental issues with the Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria, which has been there since the 70s and no government has been able to address it.
“So, it is not about crucifying an individual. What Kyari, in my own understanding, is trying to do is to make an effort to solve the problem. But to assume that one man is the cause of the problem will be very unfair, wrong and unreasonable way to go.
“So, the members of the National Assembly who are saying they want to take Kyari’s head, no, they have their own heads in the wrong place. He is not the cause of the problem.
Abati, however, emphasized that the focus should be on addressing the systemic issues rather than blaming individuals, saying “Nigeria, and the way we have run our affairs so far, is the problem. Leadership is what is required. So, the ball is back in the court of the leaders.”
Since the Petroleum Industry Act came into force leading to the creation of the NNPCL about two years ago, the company has grown in leaps and bounds.
NNPCL, as presently structured, has broken new grounds in the two years it has been in existence as the management of the company under the leadership of Mele Kyari has steered the company away from the unprofitable ways of doing business to a more transparent and financial prudent means of administering the entity in line with global best practices.
In addition to a plethora of successes actors it’s business value chain, NNPCL has received flowers for its success and renewed vigour in the execution of the gas commercialization programme aimed at leveraging the nation’s enormous gas resources to promote industrialization and boost revenues.
Another key stride recorded by NNPCL since 2021 has been the reversal of losses the company had been suffering. In 2022 it posted its second consecutive year of ‘profit’ announcing N674.1 billion in the 2021 financial period and growing it from N287 billion in 2020. The figure represented an increase of N387 billion or 134.8 per cent when compared to the previous N287 billion recorded in 2020.
The improvement followed the approval of the 2021 audited financial statements by the Board of the oil company. The NNPCL has progressed to a new performance level from N287bn profit in 2020 to N674bn profit after tax in 2021, moving higher by 134.8% year on year profit growth.
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Dangote Cement: Pan-African revenue for half-year grows by 139.9%
Dangote has continued to attract huge forex into the country through his pan-African operations as the half-year result for Dangote Cement indicates an increase in revenue from Pan-African operations by 139.9 per cent, growing to N807.1 billion as against N336.4 billion, reported in the corresponding period of 2023.
The cement plant also reported a 10.9 percent increase in the Nigerian market which rose from 8.0Mt to 9.0Mt in the half year ended June 30, 2024. According to the 2024 half-year results of the cement company, group volumes rose by 3.8 percent to 13.9Mt. Group revenue was up by 85 percent to N1,760 billion compared to N950 billion at the corresponding period in 2023 driven by 60 percent growth in Nigeria which rose to N991 billion from N618 billion.
As part of continuous efforts to promote a cleaner environment, Dangote Cement commissioned 11 of the 17 Alternative Fuel Projects across the Group and also took delivery of 300 full CNG trucks for its Nigerian business. It achieved a thermal substitution rate estimated at 10.5 percent for H1 2024 compared to 7.8 percent in H1 2023.
Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Cement, Arvind Pathak, in his remarks, said: “We effectively navigated macroeconomic headwinds to deliver positive results in the first half of the year. Group volumes were up 3.8%, with our Nigeria operations achieving double-digit volume growth of 10.9%. This growth was driven by improved efficiency across our operations and supported by increased market activity levels compared to the election year and cash crunch in 2023.
Despite the challenges of elevated inflation, high borrowing costs, and a further weakening of the currency in the first six months of the year, our business demonstrated strong resilience. This was due to our rigorous focus on cost minimisation and our diversified business model.”
He added, “Group revenue and EBITDA rose 85.1% and 50.3% to ₦1,760.1 billion and ₦666.2 billion, respectively. Our Profit After Tax (PAT) reached ₦189.9 billion, marking a 6.3 percent increase. I am pleased with the performance of our business, as key financial indicators are showing positive trends.
By leveraging our robust export-to-import strategy, Dangote Cement completed fourteen shipments of clinker from Nigeria to Ghana and Cameroon. This effort resulted in a 55.2 percent surge in our Nigerian exports, underscoring our commitment to fostering African self-sufficiency.
Looking ahead, we remain bullish about the growth prospect of the African region, evident in our increased capital investments. We continue to prioritise innovation, cleaner energy transition, and cost leadership towards achieving our vision of transforming Africa and building a sustainable future.”