Seven ministers to vacate post on October 20 for guber ambition

As part of President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent pronouncement that members of his cabinet with political ambition should vacate their seats, seven ministers will leave under their posts on October 20.

Of the seven, no fewer than six of the ministers are set to quit the federal cabinet to pursue governorship ambitions in their respective states.

They are: FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Labour, Emeka Worgu (Abia); Education (State), Mr. Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Trade and Investment (State), Samuel Ortom (Benue); Defence (State), Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos) and Special Duties, Kabir Tanimu Turaki.

The Minister of Information will resign his ministerial position to join the 2015 gubernatorial race under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Maku disclosed this at a special mass thanksgiving at the Catholic Diocese of Lafia, St. Patrick’s Parish, Akwanga, Nasarawa State.

“By next week 20th, anyone in cabinet or government that wants to contest election will have to step out because the time has come for us to do that and I have always made my interest known.

“So next week by the grace of God, I will sacrifice the comfort of the office of Minister, it’s a comfortable office and I am not tired and my leader is not tired but you see a time came when Moses stepped out of the palace to enter the wilderness with his people.

“That’s exactly what I am about to do now,” Maku told the congregation.

Speaking at the special mass, Maku, said it was time for him to sacrifice the ministerial position to join in developing his state.
He also used the occasion to donate the sum of N7.6 million on behalf of his family and friends both in cabinet and outside for the Cathedral in Lafia, attributing all he has achieved from 1999 till date to the grace of God.
He likened himself to a typical example of ‘grass to grace’, noting that he was born to peasant farmers who did not even record the date of his birth in a village that is liken to the biblical reference that “can anything good come out of Nazareth”.

Maku, said “Just thank God for me, just pray for me because by next week October 20th, anyone in the cabinet that wants to contest election must step down because the time has come for us to do that.

“It is time to make my interest ‎known by the grace of God I will sacrifice the comfort of a minister, to go into the wilderness.

“I want to sacrifice the comfort of the high office that I am in now to join my people in the wilderness in Nasarawa State to fight for peace and justice in this state.

“There is too much blood being shared here, there is too much evil taking place here, there is too much ‎destruction going on in Nasarawa State. The time has come for us to ask God to bring this era to an end.

“And is only God that can do it, we are asking God that as we step out voluntarily which is very important to me, that as we go into the wilderness that God as He did for Moses he will lead us to cross the red sea of politics, rip water from the rock, give us manner of heaven, pull down the wall of Jericho.

“There may be giants out there, all over, but like Caleb we trust God, we are able to conquer, we are able to subdue. So all we need is prayers and thank God for what He has done for me, not for what we are looking at, being governor will not really add anything to my name, I think I have made all the name I could make in Nigeria. But this sacrifice ‎is for my people, to liberate my people.

“I’m here to thank God just like he took David from the bush to on king over his brothers, God has been good to me.‎ The summary of my life is that I’m here by the grace of God. God can go to the unlikely places and raise a leader”.
Rev, Fr. Je‎rry Ngbaya‎, in his sermon taken from the Gospel, Matthew 22:1-14, earlier, said banquet is celebrated by the kings that have the money and has nothing to do with the poor.

He assured that with God a meaningless life, ebola, terrorism, marginalisation is something that will not last forever in Nigeria. “In His time God will remove all obstacles ‎from our country Nigeria.

“In Matthew 22:1-14 the special guests treated the banquet with levity and treated the king’s servants badly. Eventually he was not happy with them and dealt with them as they rightly deserved.

“This gospel is a warning to all Christians that is not enough to go to church; we must work for our salvation.

“Nigeria is rated one of the most religious nations in the world but is an irony that is among the most corrupt. Her citizens are insulted as a result of corruption. Even countries that are not religious have warned their citizens of doing business with Nigeria, yet Nigeria has the largest religious people in the world with the largest contingents to pilgrimage.

“It is important that we must detach ourselves from material things. Some of us make material things take the place of God in our lives. The Catholic Church is to pray for good leaders and not to identify with any political party”.

Commending Maku for coming out to thank God for what he has done for him since 1999 till date said, “Thanksgiving remains the best thing you can give to God. Is an opportunity to think of the degrading situation our citizens are condemned to live in our land. Everywhere you go poverty is steering into the eyes, is our sincere prayers that God will raise true men of God who will work for the people.

“We continue to pray for peace so that the current situation will ‎not consume us,” the man of God said.