‘The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah’ – Jonah 1:1-7   
This afternoon, God was speaking to me about Nigeria. God said, “the lots of Nigeria’s problems are more on the Nigerians, the electorate than on our leaders, the elected in the church and in government.” Just as the world is going through a great wind on the sea of nations, such a violent storm that is arising over the ship of Nigeria is threatening its break up. The truth of the matter is that, the elected Nigerian leaders are afraid, no political or economic ideology or clue to the problems that they have caused through corruption for many years, hence each of them are crying to their own god, their idols, their money, greed, corruption, and position. Imagine a nation, exporting crude oil since 1957 and still importing refined oil for the past 100 years. God is saying to Nigerians, the electorate, arise from your sleep, break the yoke of divide and rule by the elected leaders, get up, repent and worship God in Truth and Spirit. The story about the geographical areas called Nigeria is like the boat with Jonah as passenger, the world’s worst missionary and Samson, the destroyers of nation’s pillar of unity, development, and common wealth. Nigerians resonates with the personality of Jonah who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. Nigeria is called to be the trigger for world evangelism, but we have escape the divine mission for domestic prosperity and empire building.

In Nigeria, position has become a  source of power, success, prestige, and wealth acquisition rather than a call to sacrificial service. Jonah, like many Nigerians, the rebels that God can use and especially churches are running away from God in the opposite direction of Nineveh and we are enjoying heading by boat for signs and wonders through different Tarshsish cathedrals, camps and mountains. There is great storm upon the ship of Nigeria and no captain or sailor in the world can rescue it except when the Jonahs, all Nigerians are thrown into the water of baptism for repentance. Nigerians, we need to come out of the boat of corruption and disobedience. We need to come out of our religious boats and come under a different spirituality that I called ‘whale theology.’ In the belly of the big fish, we need to pray to God for help, repent and praise God rather than worshipping the looters of our commonwealth and destiny pillar destroyers. 
Nigerians, God is sending us to the Nineveh of this world for a purpose, to declare and warned the world of the impending destruction coming upon the face of the world. ‘Nineveh is whatever pulls you out of your comfort zone. Nineveh is the place God calls where you don’t want to go. Nineveh is the people who have hurt you deeply and God says, “Go and give them my message.” What do you do when God says, “Go to Nineveh,” and you hate those people? You need to think about that because sooner or later, that’s what he’s going to say.’ The world will only believe in Nigeria when we obey and follow God’s command, when we walk and work in the Light of His Word. God is concerned with the heart condition and lives of the people of the world but we are pursuing individual prosperity, destroying the pillars of national development and holiness to God. The reflection is that, no amount of election will give Nigeria a good leadership if Nigerians will not arise from our sleep and blindness of following the Samsons’ of this nation, the destroyers of our pillars of development, common wealth, and growth. Arise and let the change start with you and me. Nineveh is danger. Nineveh is discomfort. Nineveh is whatever you hate that God loves deeply. Remember any nation or person that run from God, never go “up”; you always go “down,” and there is always a boat going to Tarshsish for a disobedient nation.
Are you in the big fish
Are you sitting in the belly of a world gone mad
Have you turned your back in His wish
On His will for your life, have you made Him sad
Do you want to get out of the big fish
Listen to God and follow His plan
And you won’t be part of the main dish
He’ll spit you out on to dry land
Nigerians, God is calling us to first seek His guidance and leading before election. Election is not the problem, but the electorate and the elected.