Between Gov. Fashola, Reno Omokri And Lanre Oguntoyinbo

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After Lagos State Governor advised Nigerians to elect leaders who will do the job and not a leader who will spend most of his time in a Mosque or Church, like President Jonathan is doing, one of the presidential aides, Reno Omokri has replied him, insisting the president was only doing what God has commanded him to do.

Gov. Fashola was also quoted to have said, so many leaders instead of doing the needful, will tell you God will do it; like God will fix our hospital, roads, power, insecurity and so on. Interestingly, a writer known as Lanre Oguntoyinbo thinks Reno went out of context and chose to reply him.

He said, he was marvelled when he read Reno’s reply to Fashola and wonders if he was just having fun writing or was less busy because there was no occasion for him to tweet pictures of the president from events which has been his primary work. First you will read Reno’s reply to Gov. Fashola and how Lanre Oguntoyinbo also replied Reno. It’s a long read, but you will enjoy it.

Reno’s Reply To Gov. Fashola

"I was stunned when I read the various headlines about the comments made by Governor Raji Fashola regarding the President and his habit of worshipping at a church every Sunday. There were various headlines, but the one by one newspaper best captures the sentiments expressed by Fashola. It ran thus ‘Jonathan is Busy Going to Church Instead of Leading the Country-Fashola’.

The governor was further quoted as saying “I know that we have employed somebody for the top job in this country but when we asked him about his qualifications and experience, he said he had no shoes. You must decide whether you want someone who spends most of his time in church or mosque, or the man who is ready to spend his time on the job”.

I cannot really understand the governor’s rationale for making such a comment given that the President attends regular church services in fulfillment of his own personal convictions as a Christian especially as The Holy Bible says “let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25).

It is also a fact that regular Friday mosque attendance is obligatory in Islam. Qur’an, Sura 62, āyāt 9 says “O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew”.

President Goodluck Jonathan did not just pick up the habit of regular Sunday worship in church with other believers. This has been a life time habit for him and many others and I have a hard time understanding why this should attract criticism from the governor of a metropolitan state like Lagos who was voted in by both Christians and Muslims.

Is governor Fashola saying that the administration of Nigeria suffers just because the President attends a 90 minute service every Sunday and short devotions every morning before work?

I am sure that governor Fashola is conversant with the life and times of American Presidents including Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Both of these men led America during the Second World War and both attended services during the pendency of the war.

John F. Kennedy was also a U.S. President who led America during the heady days of the Cold War when America almost went into nuclear conflict with the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR, as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is on record that Kennedy never missed any church service during his presidency. According to a CNN biography on his life, President Kennedy “faithfully attended Mass once a week, wherever he happened to be”

The current President, Barrack Obama not only attends church services, but he also has devotionals at the White House. In fact, once when he was attending church service at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC on the 27th of October 2013, he refused to answer a question about governance stating to the reporters present “come on guys, I am going to church”.

In England, both the Head of State, Queen Elizabeth the Second, and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, attend church services every Sunday, yet no one has used this against them or accused them of abandoning the ship of state.

It is also on record that the Presidents of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, and The Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Yudhoyono, the two largest Muslim nations in the world regularly attend mosque services on Friday as well as perform daily prayers and are seen to be better leaders because of these actions by their own people and the world at large.

Given this historical account, I wonder why governor Fashola chose to hit at the President the way he did.

Leadership is more than going to the office and attending meetings. A leader must identify with his people. This is why President Jonathan celebrates when Nigerians are celebrating and mourns when they are mourning.

Every year, the President fasts when the Islamic Ummah is fasting as well as when the Body of Christ is fasting. He does not publicize this, but it shows that he has a connection with the people that he leads.

If a person does not have a moral core which can only come by an attachment to a faith which promotes virtues, I do not see how such a person can even begin to be a good leader.

The problems of Nigerians in 2014 are not whether or not a leader attends church or mosque services. Their issue is that they want leaders who can improve on their Standard of Living and who can facilitate the education of their children and who can ensure that they have hope for the future and can independently pursue their own happiness.

These have been the focus of President Jonathan and that focus is sharpened rather than diverted by the little time he spends attending weekly church services and regular daily devotion at home.

If the Per Capita Income of the average Nigerian has increased from $1091 in 2007 to $1721 in 2014, I do not think that is a sign of failure to lead. If the travel time between Lagos to Benin has reduced from eight hours in 2009 to three hours today, I do not think that is a sign that the nation is not under a good leader. If Almajiris are now going to school in one of the 125 Almajiri Model Schools built by the Jonathan administration, I don’t think they would complain that he attends church every Sunday.

I am sure many Lagosians and indeed Nigerians have demanding jobs that require leadership skills. I do not think that this critical mass of highly effective and employed Nigerians would choose to stop going to regular church or mosque services because of the leadership expected of them at their jobs.

In fact, if I am to hazard an educated guess, I would wager that it is precisely because of the demands of their jobs that they would attend regular services at their mosques and church because some leadership challenges require divine intervention.

Many world leaders have written biographies after their times in office and have in those works suggested that it is difficult if not impossible to have any sense of personal accomplishment, successful personal and inter personal relationships, peace of mind and hope for the future without a regular habit of faith.

Perhaps this is why leaders are either sworn into office on The Holy Bible or Qur’an. This action at the beginning of the tenure suggests that the framers of the Constitution and the people who elected them expect them to draw inspiration from their faith which in most cases would flow from The Holy Bible or Qur’an, both of which require that believers attend regular worship services. In fact, how can such inspiration come if you do not perform one of the core expectations of the faith which is to fellowship regularly with other believers?

I understand that some governors and other elected officials regularly go to their leader’s house even more than they go to their places of worship. While this may be the practice of some, it is the practice of others to worship God either at the mosque or the church. I encourage those who prefer the latter to allow those who prefer the latter to worship as they please. After all Nigeria’s Constitution allows for freedom of religion.

Finally, let me say to governor Fashola and others who may not understand why it is necessary to obey the dictates of one’s professed faith. Reason is for your intellect, while faith is for your spirit.

Attempting to use your intellect to lead without sharpening it with your spirit inspired by your faith is like attempting to cut down a tree with a blunt knife. It is better to stop and have that knife sharpened than to keep cutting with a dull knife. This is the difference between those who work hard and those who work smart.

It takes a lot of hard work to lead a state like Lagos, but I am sure that that hard work will go further if smart work is added to it.

God has given too much to Governor Fashola for him to have made the comments he made. Fortunately for him God gives and forgives, but unfortunately for Lagosians, men get and forget!"

Lanre Oguntoyinbo To Reno

I read Reno Omokri’s response to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola advice to Nigerians that they should elect leaders who will do the job and not a leader who will spend must of the time in Mosque or Church.

Reading Reno’s work I was marvelled and was thinking if this guy is just having fun writing or he’s jobless... I think it’s because there was no occasion for him to post pictures from events involving President Jonathan (his primary work). When you start reading the article, you’ll know that the article is built on lies and either misinformation or mere act to spread religious bigotry.

Going back to his writeup, it’s obvious Reno does not understand simple sarcasm, Governor Fashola of Lagos wasn’t talking about you entering church or mosque to pray, he was talking about leaders who instead of doing the needful, they tell you God will do it, like God will fix our hospital, roads, power, insecurity... like God will sack Denzieni, sack Moro or reinstate Sanusi.

Mr. Omokri is known to be a promoter of religion bigotry, that’s the more reason why he tried linking Sanusi Lamido Sanusi with Boko Haram with his Wendell Simlin account but unfortunately he was caught and he couldn’t deny.

Omokri is doing it again, cooking up religious stories with former aviation minister during Obasanjo’s regime, he and Femi Fani-kayode has been telling those who cares to listen that the main opposition party in Nigeria is planning a Muslim/Muslim ticket, Mr. Simlin (sorry Reno) confirmed this when he sent a tweet at Femi, telling him how he’s happy all they planned offline has materialised, they are cooking up religious stories to divide Nigerians and deviate our attention from the mismanagement and inept Govt of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Going back to Reno Omokri’s article on Governor Tunde Fashola, I was at the venue that day, I heard it with my two ears. I had gone to Oriental hotel to celebrate a sound Lagosian at 62. I was there to celebrate a man that gave hope to my state of birth and residence, a man that gave us the best man for the job, a man that opened the eyes of so many Nigerians to mismanagement of Government at all levels. I was there to celebrate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that night gave me the hope and a chance to listen to common men in Nigeria including the disabled.

I heard Tunde Fashola made those statements offhand. I heard the words correctly. I heard him talk about how the Government has neglected the primary responsibilities and how they have given everything to God like God will come down to do the jobs while they seat back at home doing what they shouldn’t be doing, I heard it all Mr. Reno Omokri.

It’s adviseable you throw away shenanigans, it won’t help you neither will it help your gov’t and principal, nobody is telling President Jonathan not to pray or visit church like President Obama is doing or how Franklin Delano and Harry Truman did. But the question is: is President Jonathan taking up his leadership responsibility like these men and even Joyce Banda of Malawi?

I think Governor Babatunde Fashola is too big for you Mr. Reno, even your principal’s intellectual might can’t stand this man, combination of all of you at the Presidency can’t stand this man. It’s not an insult but a fact you can’t dispute that’s why Nigerian Govt is coming to Lagos at midnight to copy policies and ideas of Lagos State Gov’t under this man Tunde Fashola.

Mr. Omokri, if you feel like engaging a State Governor, try another state not any of the South-West Governors even Mimiko you can’t face, try Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, Abia’s Ochendo, Pleateu’s Jang is there, and please do not forget Idris Wada of Kogi or Bauchi’s Isa Yaguda.

If you come to Lagos and showcase your bigotry no one will listen to you as they are all busy working and restructuring Lagos to be a mega city (where you come every weekend to relax), who can you compete with there? Even Deputy Chief of Staff Moji Rhodes is bigger than you, Lateef Ibirogba won’t even answer you, Lateef Raji too busy for you, who will now listen? Coming to political party, Joe Igbokwe is thinking of bigger fish, Rinsola Abiola’s political intellect and religious advancement will destroy your career. Gbenga Gold Olorunpomi who would have squeezed out time to write you two lines might be too busy with A new Nigeria’s project.... I think Gbenga can use his time for Pepper Soup/Arsenal match (15mins half time break)on you just to give space to blogger who blogged your bigotry article but mind you he’ll tell you religion is used in dividing Nigerians by your Gov’t.

Everybody knows your trick of division, it’s advisable you get a better job description than what you are doing now.

Better still Mr. Reno, get in front of you HP Computer and tag another Nigerian that’s against your Government a Boko Haramist as that you know how to do and you have been doing best since I have heard of you. Just make sure Feyi Fawehinmi is off the internet whenever you are sending that to media houses as he’ll expose you like he did in Sanusi’s case and don’t forget to use a local name unlike the Wendell Simlin. Nigerians (who are driven by your lies and deceit) can’t pronounce and spell during arguments to support your clueless Government.

Fashola is far too BIG for you Wendel Simlin (sorry I keep calling you that.) I mean Reno Omokri.

I’m @lanreneville on twitter