As a Christian reading the Holy Bible almost every so often, I frequently pore over what is happening in Nigeria and considered it a manifestation of the words of the Specialist in Impossibilities, the Omni-everything of Israel, nay Nigeria. Nothing new is actually happening!
One of such odysseys I am led to is the story of Babylon with its King Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon of old is like Iraq of today; and its story might need retelling to enable us draw the useful inferences the Controller of the times and seasons is placing at our doorsteps.
While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah; and for three years, Jehoiakim was propelled to surrender to his rule. The One that makes and unmakes king (God) sent armed bands of Babylonians, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites against Jehoiakim to rip down Judah in order to throw out the people of Judah from His sight because of all the sins King Manasseh had committed, particularly because of all the innocent people he killed.
Jehoiakim died, and his son, Jehoiachin, 18, succeeded him as king and ruled in Jerusalem. Like his father, Jehoiachin transgressed against God. It was during his reign that the Babylonian army, commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar's officers trudged against Jerusalem and overwhelmed it. During the raid in which the almighty Nebuchadnezzar was present, Jehoiachin, alongside his mother, sons, officers and palace officials were forced to surrender to the Babylonians. In the eight years of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he took off all the treasures in the temple and palace of Judah; and in addition, carried away all the people, including royal princes, leading men, 10,000 in all. He as well deported all the skilled workmen, including blacksmiths, leaving only the poorest people behind in Judah to wander in their ocean of indescribable affliction.
As it were, Babylon's gains and wealth were from the ill-fortune of others, even if ultimately, this would become the fuel for the fire to come because the sufferers and their cities would more readily or later cry out against their repression. Caught up in the pursuit of power and rot power, Babylon believed in its own greatness and claimed to be the only superpower on earth. It felt wholly secured and deluded by the fairy tale of self-sufficiency. Its people also became unbreakable as they had clasped total control - such that they saw no need for the Maker of wonders or anyone else, anymore.
In short, Babylon became a combination of an evil city and an immoral empire - a world centre for idol worshipping. Rather than be thankful for the Omni-everything who gave them the victory being savoured, the people began to seek advice and help from fortune-tellers, magicians, sorcerers and wizards, forgetting that like all idols, astrologers are more like fixers who are never able to rescue themselves from what was to come from the hand of God.
Of course, Nebuchadnezzar having won key battles had believed that it was all made possible by his own wisdom and self-effort. He could not understand that the captives exiled in Babylon were being cared for by the Omni-everything, who was in control of every situation. Indeed, the ways in which the Omni-everything worked on Nebuchadnezzar were that he was allowed the victories because it was through them that he was accomplishing God's purposes. For example, when God allowed him to triumph over Judah, he not only took their lands and robbed their riches, he also controlled their lives. He absorbed their best young brains to make stronger his kingdom. The brightest of the young Jews became his palace servants.
Idiotically, Nebuchadnezzar failed to realise that the God of the subdued people was the same God who made him what he became; rather, he started seeing himself as a god and refused to acknowledge the true God, the Omni-everything. Hence, when he attempted roasting three of God's children: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for refusing to worship a gold statue, the Omni-everything allowed the unsuccessful endeavour to make obvious to him that he did not really have power over life and death.
Quite a lot of times, the Omni-everything cautioned Nebuchadnezzar of the danger of pride, smugness, self-importance and stubbornness to no avail. Prophet Jeremiah, who spoke the bitter truth  of hope and consolation as well as trouble and gloom, became unpopular, while the likes of Hananiah who spoke comforting lies, urging him on against God's will were eulogised as the faithful and loyal. But in the completeness of time, the Omni-everything taught Nebuchadnezzar a pungent lesson by taking everything, including the glory of his office, away from him. His case was from glory to sorry. In other words, he was made to live through seven years of lunacy before restoration, after God had shown him who really was in charge.
The symbolism of Babylon in our polity today is progressively becoming more manifest. We seem to be unguardedly treading on political values that are incapable of standing the test of what is fair and just. The leading spirit is drifting towards the satisfaction, immunity and delusion of self-sufficiency of the Babylonians of yore. The danger is that as attention begins to shift to personal egos, laced with scheming and machinations, it is becoming complex seeing how the Omni-everything is working. From the adventure of Nebuchadnezzar, it was apparent that a leader's success  or otherwise, could be affected by the quality of his advisers; and that unrestrained technicality is an expressway to self-destruction.
Today, our President, Alhaji Musa Umaru Yar'Adua, is being lured to bop another detested macabre dance like his predecessor, General Olusegun Obasanjo, by acting against the spirit and letters of the laws of the land. Though many blinkered individuals would contend that Yar'Adua is a listening President and that it is too early to either carp him or his government, I for one, see him as a man trying to take undue advantages of the intelligence of Nigerians, again. He recently gave us a dirty slap on our face when he said he would resign if the Election Petitions Tribunal admits that he did not win the April 14, 2007 presidential election. To me, the statement credited to the President is rubbish. Does Yar'Adua need to be told that the 2007 General Elections were marred by electoral irregularities of the highest order? How many people really voted for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) across the country, which produced him as the President? Is he claiming lack of knowledge of the Billions of Naira that were stolen from State treasuries by the likes of former Governors James Onanefe Ibori (Delta), Peter Odili (Rivers) and Lucky Igbinedion (Edo) to sponsor his election?
On a closer look at the appointments made so far by Mr. President, a right-thinking political observer would discern that about 90 per cent of those given one portfolio or the other are either local political thugs, propagandists, legal manipulators - fighting against the standing of his election, or recommended by some very high-flying certified national criminals, agberos, warlords and murderers to do his deleterious bidding: the synchronised and technical deceiving of Nigerians, just as the IBBs, Abachas, Buharis, Obasanjos, Anenihs, Alis, and Adedibus cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

Your column, Voice Of The Voiceless, is really representing the voiceless in society with interesting write-ups, including the piece of October 31, 2007 titled, “Nigeria Still Under Siege At 47?” In fact, I need not say much again, afterall, you have said it all. May the Giver of wisdom and understanding continue to load you with first-class knowledge that you will go places, including the palace of His Highness, the Chief Oppressor of Nigerians, and tell him to his face to either repent or be perished. Of course, they will want to roast you, but your story shall be that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who God stood for till the end.