An unnamed pastor visited former
President Goodluck Jonathan and asked him to pull down the “altar of Baal” in
his government — but left disappointed with the response he got.
The “altar of Baal”, in biblical
terms, could refer to ungodly pursuits or baggage that can hinder the presence
of God in a person’s life.
But Jonathan could not or did not
decode the message and wondered what “shrines” he had built, leaving the man of
God frustrated.
This happened before Jonathan
unsuccessfully sought a second term in 2015, according to a new book, ‘On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan Won and
Lost Nigeria’, written by Bolaji Abdullahi — who served as a minister under
Jonathan from 2011-2014
In the advance copy, Abdullahi
described the dramatic encounter between Jonathan and the pastor.
He wrote: “One day, a man of God
went to see President Jonathan. God had sent him to minister to the president,
he said. He opened to the book of Judges and read to him from 6:11. The
president followed from his own copy of the Bible.
…That night the Lord said to him
(Gideon), “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and
pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that
is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of the stronghold
here, with stones laid in due order…
“‘Mr. President, God has put you
here for a purpose. But you cannot fulfill the purpose, unless you “pull down
the altar of Baal” around you first. There are some things you need to deal
with before you can achieve your vision for Nigeria,’ the man of God concluded.
“Jonathan agreed. He had also
never ceased to wonder at his own incredible story. How from a humble lecturer,
he became a deputy governor and then governor. Without having to move a muscle,
he became vice president and then the president of the most powerful black
nation on earth. Within a decade, he had come a long way in such a short time.
‘You are right. Even me I know. But I don’t know what shrine God wants me to
demolish,’ he said.
“The man of God closed his Bible
and stood up. He had been a little taken aback by Jonathan’s code switching. He
was talking about altar; the president was talking about shrine. ‘Mr.
President, if you still don’t know what altar to pull down, then you need to
ask God.'”
Abdullahi said what Jonathan did
next might never be known, but concluded that the “altars of Baal” metaphor was
apparently a reference to the perceived corruption in the administration.
“We may never know if President
Jonathan spoke to God as advised, and if indeed God told him what to do. But as
the Archbishop of Canterbury Walter Reynolds preached in 1327, ‘Vox populi, vox
Dei’. Almost all through his tenure, Nigerians had made it known, loud and
clear, which altar they wanted him to pull down – the altar of corruption,”
Abdullahi wrote.
The book will go on sale
nationwide from November 30, 2017 after the launch.
Abdullahi is currently the
national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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