Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information, revealed on Thursday that no cabinet member of former President Olusegun Obasanjo had ever encountered evil spirits at the State House throughout his eight-year administration.
Gana announced this during a press conference to launch the African Biblical Leadership Initiative’s four-day International Conference, which will begin on October 21 in Abuja.
The ABLI effort, titled ‘Value-based leadership model for Africa’, will focus on raising a new generation of transformative leaders in Africa, particularly Nigeria.
The former minister reacted to a remark made in an article authored by Reuben Abati, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokeswoman in 2016. – Punch
In the article titled ‘The spiritual side of Aso Rock’, Abati alleged that there was a force higher than what we can imagine in the state house and ‘should be converted into a museum and abandoned.’
The journalist also hinted that a cleric once told him that Aso Rock was ‘full of evil spirit.’
While recalling his stay at the Presidential Villa, Abati added that he suffered injuries and could not breathe properly for six months just as he “never slept in the apartment they gave me in the villa for an hour”.
A puzzled Gana shook his head when asked if he also encountered such demons as a minister.
The politician, however, said the fact that they didn’t encounter it during Obasanjo’s administration doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
He said, “We don’t live in a free environment where you are not free to do whatever you like. You are either for light or darkness. You are either for God or the devil. There are forces within the environment in which we live that if you do not spiritually agree on who to follow, you can’t know where you belong. So the issue of spiritual forces is real. That is why the Bible says we are the light of the world.
“So whatever tension you are referring to, I don’t know. During our own time, we didn’t see the thing (demon). Maybe they are too afraid of us. But I am not saying they are not there.
“From my personal experience during the eight years of General Olusegun Obasanjo, we met for prayers every day when we were here in Abuja. We believe that God is sovereign and He will give us the understanding to be able to do the best for the country. We met every morning by 6 am to pray for just God’s wisdom and guidance.”
