Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: THE UNSPIRITUAL SIDE OF ASO VILLA

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Sunday, October 23, 2016

THE UNSPIRITUAL SIDE OF ASO VILLA

Let me begin with two clarifications. Aso Villa is not my home, I am just passing through. Even this world is nobody's home, we are just birds of passage. So, let nobody turn up his nose in derision, and say; "he's writing like the landlord of Aso Villa, defending a place where's he's just a tenant." 




Yes, nobody is landlord in the Villa, not even rational presidents. They can only live there for maximum of eight years, if Nigerians so decide. And for me, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels only need to beckon me from Heaven's open door, and I wouldn't feel at home in this world anymore.


The second clarification. Let nobody, particularly on social media, begin to insinuate that  Femi Adesina is at war with Reuben Abati, his immediate predecessor as presidential spokesman. This piece you are beginning to read is not about Abati as a person, it is about his spiritual ideas and convictions, which I think need some appraisal, as they are rather unspiritual. 

Abati and myself have been professional colleagues for almost 30 years, we have a lot of mutual friends, and know how to reach each other when necessary. So, this is not a case of Muhammadu Buhari's spokesman being at war with Goodluck Jonathan's spokesman. What for?


In his piece on October 14, 2016, Abati wrote under the headline, 'The spiritual side of Aso Villa.' What were his conclusions? For the benefit of those who did not read the highly entertaining piece (in fact, there were moments I had my two legs in the air, laughing, as I read), let me do a brief summary. 


Call it 'gospel' according to Abati, and you would be right: There is some form of witchcraft, which causes occupants of Aso Villa to take weird decisions. Working in the Villa makes you susceptible to some sort of evil influences, because there is something supernatural about power and closeness to it. Some of those who lived or worked in the Villa had something dying under their waists (for the men), while some of the women became merchants of dildo, because they had suffered a special kind of deaths in their homes. 

"The ones who did not have such misfortune had one ailment or the other that they had to nurse. From cancer to brain and prostate surgery and whatever, the Villa was a hospital full of agonizing patients," Abati posited.

Reading the piece through, you would think Aso Villa was nothing but what Godfrey Chaucer called "a thoroughfare of woes." In fact, Abati submitted that the Villa "should be converted into a spiritual museum,and abandoned." Holy Moses! Jumping Jehoshaphat!


If Aso Villa was such a haunted house, why then do most occupants like to stay put, right from the first tenant, Ibrahim Babangida, who was virtually forced to step aside in August 1993? And why did Goodluck Jonathan, Abati's principal, spend money in trillions (in different currencies of the world), just to perpetuate himself in a house that consumes its occupants? Being a literary scholar, Abati would remember the doctor in Macbeth, that work of William Shakespeare, who was detailed to cure Lady Macbeth of the neurosis that afflicted her, after she had been party to the deaths of King Duncan and Banquo, so that her husband would be the king of Scotland. 

A spiritually troubled Lady Macbeth sleepwalked every night, trying to wash her hands of the innocent blood that had been shed. The doctor was so fed up with the terrifying atmosphere, that he said to himself:"Were I from Dunsinane away and clear, profit should hardly again draw me here." Did Abati ever say the same of the Villa, a place where men became women "after something died below their waists?" We do not have it on record that Abati showed a clean pair of heels, or that he would not have stayed if Dr Jonathan had won reelection, and had asked him to continue in his position as adviser on media. Or was it the case of eternal fascination for the thing that repelled and terrified you? Mysterium tremendum et fascinas, as it is called in Latin.


For me, what Abati did in the October 14 piece was simply a glorification and deification of superstition, something that attempted to elevate works of darkness above the powers of God. The writer merely fed the cravings and propensity of people for the supernatural, in a way that stoked and kindled the kiln of fear, rather than that of faith.

Let's take the issues one after the other, and look at them against true spiritual principles. Christianity is the one I am most familiar with, and that would be my benchmark.

In Aso Villa, houses were haunted, people were oppressed into taking curious decisions, they fell ill, died, or suffered the losses of loved ones, so Abati claimed. Are such peculiar only to the presidential villa? Should all those who live or work there automatically enjoy immunity from the vicissitudes of life, simply because they walked the corridors of power? Wasn't President Umaru Yar'Adua right inside the presidential villa, when he told us on national television: "I am a human being. I can fall sick. I can recover. And I can die." That was a practical man for you.

 Abati unwittingly wants his readers to believe that once you operated  in or around Aso Villa, you became a superman. No. You are as mortal as can be. The Holy Bible does not even give us such leeway. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man..."(1 Cor 10:13). There are certain things common to man, and they can happen to you wherever you are. At the White House. At 10, Downing Street. Buckingham Palace, Aso Villa. Wherever. "But such as is common to man..." Let no man feed us with the bogey that such things happen because of where you live or operate from. There are some things that are just common to man, and which may happen to you as long as you are on this side of eternity.


I lost my sister in a road crash last year. She was a professor of Dramatic Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. Abati knew her well, as they both did post-graduate studies at University of Ibadan in the 1980s. Abati was among those who called to condole with me. My sister never visited the Villa in her lifetime. Even if she did, that could never have had anything to do with her death on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. To believe and teach otherwise is to carry superstition to ridiculous level, and venerate the Devil, granting him omnipotence, an attribute that belongs to God only. For the Devil, doing evil is full-time business, and whether you had anything to do with Aso Villa or not, he continued with his pernicious acts. 


Does that then suggest that mankind is helpless before evil? No. God still has ultimate powers. He can spare you "as a father spares the son that serves him." (Malachi 3:17). If you are under the pavilion of God, sleep, wake and operate daily in Aso Villa, you are covered, no matter the evil that lurks around, if any. There is a better covenant established on greater promises, and that is the canopy under which you should function. God can spare you from all evils, and if He permits any other thing, it is "such as is common to man," and not because of Aso Villa.


If houses catch fire in the Villa, how many conflagrations occur in other parts of the city? If some men in the Villa suffered erectile dysfunction in Abati's time, doesn't the Journal of Sexual Medicine tell us that about 20 million American men have something that has died under their waists? It is one thing that became prevalent in the last two to three decades, due to modern lifestyle. 


Causes range from age, to stress, depression, anxiety, alcohol, medication, and several others. Even, a study showed that watching too much television kills something under the waist. So why does Abati make it seem as if it is a copyright of Aso Villa?
Now, another clarification. Don't I believe in demonic infestation and manifestation? I sure do. I wouldn't be a student of the Holy Bible if I don't. Jesus talked of the man who got delivered from demonic possession, and because that man did not yield himself to a better influence, the evil spirit that inhabited him came back with seven more powerful spirits, and the end of the man was worse than his beginning. Abati wrote of  persons in the Villa, "walking upside down, head to the ground." Let me share this story I heard over 20 years ago. 


There was this young Christian who gave scant regards to demons and what they could do. In fact, he almost didn't believe demons existed. One day, as he walked along the ever busy Broad Street in Lagos, God opened his spiritual eyes. Some people were walking on their heads! And not only that, as they passed by other people, they slapped them with the soles of their feet. If you got so slapped, you developed an affliction, which you would nurse for the rest of your life. Yet, you never knew where it came from.


As the young man saw that vision and got its spiritual explanation, he began to s-c-r-e-a-m. Was that in Aso Villa? "Such as is common to man..." Evil exists everywhere. Trying to source and locate it in Aso Villa is disingenuous. You need God everywhere. In Europe, Asia, America, Oceania, Aso Villa. There is evil everywhere, and we need not make fetish of any place as being more evil infested than other places. Since Satan got thrown out of Heaven due to his inordinate ambition, evil had resided in the world. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12). The Devil lives in the world, but God is never helpless before evil. He will never be. Let the Devil commit suicide if he is not happy about that fact. God rules!


If every principal officer including the President and his wife suffered series of tragedies as Abati claimed, and he himself had breathing problems, and walked with the aid of crutches for months, it was " such as is common to man" and not necessarily because they were in Aso Villa. But of course, if such people put their hands in evil, possibly to gain some things in power or perpetuate themselves beyond the time heaven granted, then "he who rolls a stone, a stone shall be rolled back to him. He that digs a pit, shall fall into it." That is what the Good Book says. You can then hardly blame Aso Villa for such payback time, can you?
To avoid getting sucked into what Abati calls "the cloud of evil" that hangs around power, what to do is to hold ephemeral things loosely. Know that they are temporal, and will truly end. Power is one of such things. Will anybody be a permanent landlord at Aso Villa? It would be foolhardy to have such mindset. A couple of times I'd had some private discussions with President Buhari, and he had lamented the state of the nation, he invariably ended with the statement, "while we are here, we will do our best." It shows a man who knows that he's not a permanent landlord at Aso Villa, and can never be. 



He would use the opportunity he has to do his best for Nigeria, and then move on. That is a good mindset, and a safety valve from getting sucked into "the cloud of evil." Daily, I tell myself that I am just passing through Aso Villa. And while there, just like my principal, I will do my best. It could be long, it could be short, depending on God and the man who appointed me, but one day, it would be over, and some other people would come in to do their bit. It is inexorable. The real treasures are laid somewhere beyond the blue.



Abati says we should pray before people pack their things into Aso Villa. I say not just Aso Villa, but everywhere. Pray before you pack into any place, because there are some things "such as is common to man." It is only God that keeps from such. And He is sovereign in terms of what He prevents, and in what He allows. Ours is to pray, and believe. Prayer works.


"Aso Villa is in urgent need of redemption. I never slept in the apartment they gave me in that Villa for an hour," wrote Abati. Well, different strokes for different folks. Hear what the Good Book says: "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Here am I. For over one year, I have lived in the house allocated to me at the Villa. I sleep so soundly, I even snore. In fact, I snore so loud that at times,  I wake myself up with the sound.



.Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari

69 comments:

  1. I snore so loud , I even wake myself up with my snore!
    That's d statement I love d most🙌🙌🙌.
    As for Ruben,we all know his bored and always wants to write!
    Alot of people have been living in aso villa and are doing so fine.
    Abeg when is ur Oga Buhari retiring?????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What do reuben abati and stella dimokokorkus have in common?

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    2. I don't read reubens piece but I read that spiritual article. Reubens was right, he doesn't even need validation because we all hear about the deaths. Femi since you entered office how many have you lost? 3! A whole 3 people in one year!

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    3. That abati's write up ehn.... infact! I sent a long comment that day but it wasn't posed. But this is a good comeback. After chopping money now you say we should pray for you? Abeg... they should eat their stolen monies and leave us alone

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    4. Hmmm a nice come back from Adeshina. Word for word I read it all and I dare say, Abati made a mockery of himself in a way. He would have remained there if his principal was re-elected so stop the fuckery.

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  2. This Mr Femi is a clown, what a funny funny man. This should be Sunday laughs

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  3. When will I finish reading this, have to stop half way too lengthy

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  4. What abati said is true but every body still want to die there as if its their papas house

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  5. Wow he had to reply Abati....?
    Is this the solution from hardship that the people are waiting for from this regime? Adesina no get better work to do oo. He is so freaking idle. What the ....! Nothing from the President or the 'Cabal' to communicate in order to pacify the populace. This APC or the Buhari regime have really gone rogue on Nigerians.

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    Replies
    1. But that's his job na. Remember his title? Scroll up and check again. He's paid to respond to every every.

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  6. Thank God I didn't read.!!!.. I even thought it was Sir Reuben not knowing it was the special Adviser on media and publicity to Nigeria's problem that wrote this.

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  7. This one is even longer than Abati's own.

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  8. Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwa
    But we have a Pastor living there now
    Abi them no dey live there? They just come and go ni?

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  9. Wow...nice read, nice comeback on Abati

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  10. Where is cynhams cakes comments stella?

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    Replies
    1. The comments were so unfair on Cynhams Cakes hardwork! There is a big difference between being a critic and being mean.
      Some bvs were trying to destroy her business by being very mean.
      I was happy to see that Stella, not only removed the previous comments but also closed the comments section.

      Delete
    2. What is bein mean.? Her cakes are not very neat and that's the fact....she is a very nice lady, hardworking too but my gospel,truth is she needs to make her designs really neat

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  11. the new Abati one

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  12. Brilliant, impeccable.....an interesting read.

    Who is this man, I can see he is a Spiritual brother and understands well the meaning of life.

    Lovely article... just one flaw "I believe evil exists.... not I believe in evil".

    But still real words in the article... well written.

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    Replies
    1. I love the Macbeth quote the most. Very succinct.

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  13. This is a more realistic article.

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  14. Abeg,they should all gerraway.

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  15. Beautiful piece. People should stop glorifying the devil. The lord reigns supreme

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  16. Nigerians na wa o. Ill health and sorrow is every where now

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  17. Demon is everywhere, even in toilet, market place et el. I think the major thing for us a human is to continue to seek protection against evil from the most high as prophet S.a.w. Taught us.

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  18. I respect and vaue your write-up sir. You truly know your bible and your God. May God keep you and help you to contribute your quota to the development of the nation. Both yourself and Mr. Reuben are wonderful writers. You guys should keep doing your thing. Truly the devil has no other business but to do wickedly. My prayer is that God would give a change of heart to those who constantly allow him to perpetrate wickedness through them to their fellow Nigerians-which is double wickedness. Godd bless Nigeria, God bless Stella and the SDK blog family and me.

    Osas_9

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  19. The problem I had with Abati's piece was that it absolved our leaders of all responsibility for their failure. It's not their fault, there are spiritual forces at work. So why should we blame Goodluck or Buhari when it's spiritual forces that are in control

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  20. Hoorah!

    Mr Adesina, I Am pretty sure after your oga's tenure,give or take eight years, you'd also come tell us the negative side of aso villa.
    Now, this is not to say aso villa is not without its fair share of badluck, it's the fact that una eye no dey clear until you are out of the place.
    What do I know?

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  21. I don't know how this people write these long stories ad expect people to read..after reading it who e epp?? Abegi biko ,unto the next one.

    Allergic to bullshite*

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  22. Please summarise if you took time to read.

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  23. Adesina keep quite,we all know what Abati said is true,the jazz that is involved with politicians is too much,that dose not stop you Greedy mofos from wanting to die on power, your vuhari contested so many times,so he can be @ Aso rock villa.
    May all the juju work against you all

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  24. Keep the entertainment coming, guys. Abati 1-0

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  25. Niyah coconut oil Lagos 0806150543823 October 2016 at 10:42

    Hehehehehe

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  26. "I even snore. In fact, I snore so loud that at times, I wake myself up with the sound".
    This got me rolling on the floor.

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  27. Femi you also lost your sister and her in-law to road accident remember ? Your mum too within a year as soon as you got your post. So think...Ruben is right.

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    Replies
    1. Ruben is right losing 3loved 1s within a yr I evident,& is one of the signs of the thing Abati mentioned.

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  28. More realistic than that of Mr. Reuben Abati, they both made some solid points. One is more rooted spiritually than the other.

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    Replies
    1. I just love you@Mrs Romas! Chop kiss

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    2. Do not be deceived, Mrs Romas.
      Anyone can quote scripture to suit their needs or actions.
      Doesn't make him more rooted spiritually.

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    3. Exactly.

      Andromeda I beg to disagree. You may know the scripture but not understand how to apply it relatively. Adeshina here understands both. There's a difference my dear.

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  29. Very interesting read. I enjoyed every bit of it.

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  30. Politics, politics and more politics.

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  31. I don't understand why people complain about a write up being too long, how do we instill reading culture in our kids when we don't have same. I fear for the next generation.

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    Replies
    1. Dont mind them..but they can read gists from dawn to dusk.

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  32. Let me guess, this is part of Buhari's frantic effort to restore an already lost integrity? well, this is what happens to any man who does not heed to the counsel of a woman. Any such man is as good as dead because the counsel of a virtuous and intelligent woman is equal to life itself.

    please visit my blog--hiextent blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Errmm. Interestingly this has nothing to do with Buhari or his works directly. Rather, I see it as a war of words and reasoning btw two media gurus who claim to have insight about working with the presidency. You get?

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  33. Mr Reuben is right..this is just to not keep quiet,because it maybe perceived as he Mr Reuben is correct which in fact he is. In any case carry on.

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  34. Interesting piece,
    But why the reply to Abati?
    Abati mentioned a lot of truths as regards Aso Villa
    That you Mr Adeshina are privy to, except you are in denial.
    Nobody disputes the fact that evil abounds everywhere
    So what are you on about?
    I'm not a fan of Abati but I am so expecting a reply to this writeup,
    Putting you in your place.
    For Chrissakes, there are more pressing issues in the country, Mr Special Adviser.
    Focus on them.
    But then again, you are doing your job trying to water down the truth about Aso Rock.
    Dang! English language has really tried;
    Just know how to construct words and then you can sway people into believing what you want them to.

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  35. As I scrolled down quickly, I prayed that it won't be Adesina writing in....
    So of all the problems we have, responding to Reuben's article is more important?


    Look at you taking precious time responding like they gave you a query to respond to before the end of the day. Chai!

    Go and write about the psychological state of the young girls captured by boko haram... the challenges they face after fleeing from their captors and the effects on their families and the kids born in captive!!!

    Can you guys leave all distractions and focus????
    Aarrgggghhhh

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    Replies
    1. Biased much. Hypocrisy at it's peak @ iphie

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  36. And he has to reply Abati

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  37. Lol @'abati make it seem like it is a copyright of Aso villa '

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  38. Femi Adesina. Youve spent only one year. After your tenure come back and write again

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  39. Not as interesting like the other man's own

    Why is it that some Bvs do not know the difference between quite and quiet, been and being, persons and person's, leave and live, etc?
    How did they manage to pass their O Levels? Some claim to be graduates, how come?

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  40. So we will now blame it on Aso Rock witch craft

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  41. Femi Adesina you said it's not about Abati but you keep mentioning his name, The above comments says you've lost 3 within a year yet you want to rubbish Abati's write up.
    You didn't comment about the way the citizens misunderstand news from the presidency. How about the many errors?
    You talk of a career of over 30years I hope you understand that is success on its own and not this noisy appointments that blindfolds.
    Posterity, posterity

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  42. Coolio (Mama Patience Sister)23 October 2016 at 18:48

    Abeg, after reading the write up from start to finish, I was looking for where they will say that the price of rice has come down. Abeg December is at hand, anyi g'erikwa rice Na 25th? How will some people keep there mouth when explaining to their people that there is no money to buy them rice this year

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  43. Must this administration respond to meaningless talk? Like seriously? How come sharp responses like this one do not come for creating jobs, coming out of recession etc. But you always have time to respond to rubbish. How this take reduce the price of garri or even bread for the common man. You are in power not opposition. Do the work for which you rigged yourselves into office abeg.

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  44. And he had to reply! What childishness, atta nduk.

    ReplyDelete

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