Some popular Nigerian clerics ushered in last year with prophecies, some of which did not come to pass. ARUKAINO UMUKORO , GBENGA ADENIJI...
Many Nigerians are not going to forget the prophecies reeled out by some Nigerian prophets last year. This is particularly because many of the spiritual predictions, apart from generating controversies, did not also come to pass.
I saw a woman win US election — T.B Joshua
The General Overseer of The Synagogue Church Of All Nations, T.B Joshua, got the world talking when he predicted a win for Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton, against Republican candidate, Donald Trump, during the November 8 presidential party election in the United States.
The man in the Synagogue, as Joshua’s teeming followers love to address him, had stated during a Sunday service that he got a vision that a woman would emerge as the US’ 45th President.
He said to an estatic audience, “I want to share with you what I saw in a vision 10 days ago. I saw the new president of America with a narrow win. That was 10 days ago. In a vision, it was a man that would have won the election. The Lord said narrowly 99 per cent voted for this woman and the woman narrow win (sic). I saw her facing challenges… It was in a vision. They were telling me that 10 days ago. There are a lot of visions and prophecies on the Internet. The men of God saying opposite things, maybe they saw it 15 days ago. They saw a man. I saw a woman 10 days ago because of two straight lines that came together. I want to salute the opposition.’’
He also said the major challenger (Trump) of Hillary Clinton should be awarded after the election for putting up a good fight. However, the emergence of Trump as the US President-elect threw a spanner in the works of the prophecy.
The Sunday after the Tuesday election, T. B Joshua told the congregation, ‘‘We were at a controversial service last Sunday. The prophecy itself was not controversial. The prophecy caused uproar to many who gave it different meanings and interpretations. The prophecy I gave, thousands of people in the US cried to God. They called and sent me emails. They said they heard my prophecy and prayed to God to change it.’’
A northern group’ll recreate CPC — Ayodele
The founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, is no stranger to prophecies. In fact, he reels out prophecies every New Year. Believed to have made many spiritual prophecies that came to pass in the past, some of the ones made in 2016 did not materialise.
Ayodele prophesied that “A northern party will emerge. CPC (Congress for Progressives Change) is not yet over. A group from the North will recreate the CPC with a northern person in charge.’’
In the nation’s political space at least last year, no group from the North has recreated the CPC which merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria and two other parties to form the ruling party, All Progressives Congress. If anything, apart from the 40 political parties in the country, about 60 fresh applications for party registration are currently before the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Nigeria’s economy’ll shock the world”
The General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangel Mission, Apostle Eugene Ogu, reportedly predicted that the country’s economy would improve despite the global drop in oil prices, adding that the naira would gain strength in the first quarter of 2016.
He said, “Nigeria’s economy will shock the nations of the world. 2016 is a year of divine promotion by the will of God. No man or political party will ever toy with the destiny of Nigerians again. Those who dug the pit of corruption will fall into it.”
In reality, Nigerians complained of hard times throughout the year as the country’s economy entered recession while the naira had since fallen to its lowest in decades against the US dollar.
Buhari ’’ll perform well in 2016 — Abidoye
Also, the Spiritual Head of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement, worldwide, Most Reverend (Dr.) Samuel Abidoye, predicted that President Muhammadu Buhari would perform creditably well in the year 2016 and surprise Nigerians with an improved and better government
Although the military recorded key victories against insurgency in the North-East, including the capture of the dreaded Sambisa Forest, Nigerians are groaning under economic hardship and the current recession.
‘Peterside will be Rivers governor’
Presiding cleric, Christ Apostolic Church, Ori-Oke Irapada, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Prophet Christopher Owolabi, said the Peoples Democratic Party’s Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State would be removed from office in 2016 unless he prayed fervently against it. He also said the APC would win the governorship election in Rivers State.
“Fayose should pray very hard to overcome an imminent impeachment from office in 2016… I can also see, as it was revealed to me, the APC candidate in the Rivers State re-ordered fresh governorship election, Dakuku Peterside, being declared the winner of that election,” the cleric, who reportedly predicted the emergence of Bukola Saraki as Senate President, was quoted as saying.
Removal from office could be said to be the least of the troubles Fayose battled in 2016. He ensured that the tenure of the 19 APC lawmakers ended without achieving their aim to remove him from office. Once the state House of Assembly became populated with members of his party after the legislative election, he heaved a sigh of relief.
It was the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services that tasked his political and physical strength. Besides, his open and continued criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration became one of his major focuses in 2016.
It is not also contestable that Governor Nyesom Wike of the PDP is still in charge of Rivers State.
Buhari may be killed – Father Mbaka
Controversial Catholic Priest, Reverend Fr. Ejike Mbaka, warned of the possibility of some masterminds of corruption killing President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.
Mbaka spoke while delivering his prophetic messages at the Adoration Ground, Enugu State.
He said, “Many people are planning, as it is revealed, to kill Buhari. There are many plans on how to eliminate his life so that corruption, embezzlement will continue.” But throughout 2016, there were no reports of plots to kill the President. So far, the President is hale and hearty. Also, the cleric said the President would expose names of looters.
He said, “By the end of this year, Buhari will expose the names of the people who looted money meant for our roads. What we are suffering now is the resultant effect of the last malignant administration that was intrinsically corrupt. What we are suffering now arose from past administration. But the Lord says there is hope. Many people are going to suffer. We should all get ready. But after the suffering, we will all smile.”
Last year, President Buhari did not reveal names of those who looted the country’s funds. Many Nigerians had expected the President to reveal the identities of public officials from whom stolen public funds were recovered. Instead, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo explained that the government did not name the looters because doing so would jeopardise ongoing investigations.
Osinbajo may go missing after a meeting — Kasali
Like other clerics, the General Overseer of the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry, Prophet Muyideen Kasali, unveiled some of his prophecies for the year 2016, on January 10.
Kasali, who is a blind prophet, prophesied that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would go missing after leaving a meeting.
He said, “Pray for Nigeria’s vice-president so that the enemies would not triumph over him, and that he won’t get missing after leaving a meeting.”
Nothing of such happened to the vice-president. In fact, many Nigerians have described Osinbajo as a workaholic.
In 2016, Osinbajo travelled round the country and attended several meetings on behalf of the President. There were times he travelled to two or three states in a day. He also went on many foreign trips.
Not on one occasion was Osinbajo reported to have gone missing after leaving a meeting.
Also, the cleric said the All Progressives Congress would split into four groups last year.
He warned the party against mismanaging the electoral success it attained in the 2015 general elections. According to him, the APC after becoming too proud and drunk with success, will eventually crumble at the federal level and split into four groups.
He said, “This year, 2016, will be a year of many political crises. APC will split into four groups, and there will no longer be unity among them. They will be over bloated; too much success will destroy the party.”
Though there was crisis within the party, the party did not split into four groups throughout the year 2016.
The Queen of England may die — Iginla
In January 2016, the General Overseer of Champions Royal Assembly, Prophet Joshua Iginla, an Abuja-based pastor, released his predictions for the New Year. Unlike other clerics, Iginla’s predictions cut across various countries. Many of his predictions about Nigeria were correct. In fact, he warned that the country would experience economic recession and that is the current situation in the county now. But on his foreign predictions, one of the most controversial of them was that the Queen of England may die.
He said, “The Queen of England should pray for her health. I see strong challenge and should pray to see the end of the year.”
Apart from a cold during Christmas, the Queen had a spectacular 90th birthday celebration in the year.
Similarly, Iginla also said a major stampede at a religious gathering in Zambia would claim lives.
He said, “I see a major stampede in a major programme that will be held by a major man of God in the country of Zambia. It will claim lives. The prophet should work on his crowd control unit so that he won’t be accused of using people for rituals while his hands are clean.”
Last year, Zambia did not record any ‘major’ stampede at a religious gathering. Instead, it was in India that a major stampede at a religious gathering occurred.
El-rufai should revoke preaching law or die — Suleiman
Following the furore that greeted the proposed religious preaching bill by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministry declared that the governor should revoke the bill or die.
Though Suleiman’s pronouncement could not be classified as a prophecy, its weight made it controversial since it amounted to a spiritual decree. It also generated a lot of reactions on social media.
During a service, Suleiman expressed distaste over the bill, noting that such amounted to suppressing the freedom of religion.
He said, ‘‘I am not against sanitising the state. But you say people should get licence for preaching, it is not applicable in Nigeria. Even a herbalist does not get a licence for practising herbalism. When you say licence for preaching, you are standing against the constitution that gives freedom of worship. There are certain laws that cannot happen in this country. Not when Nigeria is under God. If need be, heaven will intervene over this matter. I am saying this to the Executive (Governor) of Kaduna State, revoke this law or die.’’
In his reaction to the declaration, the governor said he was sure to die someday but challenged the cleric to name the day he would die.
The governor noted, “I have not seen anyone talking about Islam actually. Most of the people that say I would die, as if I would not die, are people who call themselves Christian clergymen. Of course, I will die. If that apostle is truly an apostle, he should mention the day I will die.’’
The state government has not revoked the bill though the noise over it has abated. But el-Rufai is still living despite non-revocation of the bill.
Among his predictions last year, Suleiman predicted that except Americans prayed, President Barack Obama would seek third term with a likelihood of the presidential elections not holding.
The cleric said, ‘‘If Americans don’t pray, there will be no election in 2016 as Obama wants a third term.”
Clearly, there was no such case of desire for tenure elongation by Obama. The presidential election held and a winner emerged in person of the Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump.
Obama did not only concentrate on smooth transition of power, he also campaigned for his party’s (Democratic Party) candidate, Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump. At no time, before or during the electioneering was any issue about seeking third term in office raised.
New STD to emerge — Adeboye
The revered cleric and General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on January 1, also gave prophecies for the New Year.
About Nigeria, he said things were likely to get tougher before they got better but things would get better before the end of last year. He also said international natural disasters, floods, fires, earthquakes were likely to get progressively worse, until governments realised that these were part of divine judgments against those who pass ungodly laws.
Aside prophesying that a major war would be averted this year, Adeboye added that a new sexually transmitted disease would surface in 2016.
Last year, there were no reports of any new sexually transmitted disease. The only virus which made headlines last year was Zika virus.
Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first discovered in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys through a network that monitored yellow fever. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
On social media, several reactions trailed Adeboye’s prophecy on new sexually transmitted disease. There were arguments about whether or not the prophecy came to past.
An anonymous person wrote, “It’s almost the end of the year and we are yet to see the newly minted sexually transmitted disease that Daddy G.O promised us. And no, Ebola doesn’t count. Ebola has been sexually transmitted in Africa for years.”
Besides, things were tough in 2016 for Nigerians as the country faced an economic recession.
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