God, Man, and Politics
Senator Melford Okilo
I have traveled from =frica to America to present an unusual topic: God, Man, and =olitics. All I know about this topic is my little experience in touching others =s a human being and in being able to identify and solve the problems =f humanity; God—I don’t know God, but I know things that have =appened that I believe are beyond human comparison so that we allude them to =od; and what you call politics, the role I played in politics.
People who know me =now that I have prospered in Nigerian and African politics for over forty =ears. They have been posing some questions to me. They ask me, “Has =olitics had any special meaning for you, other than the dictionary meaning?” =thers ask, “Is there any relationship whatsoever between politics and the =ussellian science and philosophy?” Since politics is noted by many people =s a polluted profession, some people ask the question, “Is there any = relationship whatsoever between the politics you are involved in =nd God?”
The little I know is =ot what I have read somewhere, but real experience I have had on these three =opics, which is what I’m going to share with you.
Before doing that, may = digress a bit to brief some of you on the question of how I came from the =ungles of Africa to the Blue Ridge Mountains (in Virginia) and right to the =ld settlements of the Indians at a place called Swannanoa (where the =ussells founded the University of Science and Philosophy)? How come? It =as on the eve of the Nigerian civil war—the Nigerian-Biafran War—and it =as destiny that saved me from being caught in that civil war. As a young man = had a big mouth, and people promised me that they were going to close =hat mouth. I had a big mouth, not because I abused anybody; in all my =ears in Nigerian and African politics I have never pointed a finger at any =an. In my dictionary of life, I don’t know who my enemy is. So I took =verybody as my brother and sister. But some of the troops, those who were =n power, did not like to hear the truth, and I, who was on the receiving =ide, always had the courage to tell them what was going wrong in our =ountry, and so they did not like me at all.
As God would have it, =hrough what we now call inner-sensory perception or whatever form of =ommunication by which we have a hint that things are not going to be as they used =o be, I realized that I would have to leave the country. Thank God, I =ound my way out from the swamps of the Niger Delta, where my home is at the =libra Oil Field. I managed to escape from there and destiny took me to the =treets of New York on July 16th, 1965. Within three weeks, I saw a little =ook to which I was attracted. Not knowing what was in it, I bought it out =f mere curiosity. I read it twice and more. The more I read the book, the =ore I sat back. In those days when people came in from Africa to this =art of the world, either they came to look for the dollars or look for =ook learning. That was, of course, what I was originally thinking. =hen it occurred to me that perhaps my coming here might not be for =ook learning or for looking for dollars. It might be for some other =urpose—I didn’t know what then. After reading this book, The Man Who =apped the Secrets of the Universe, I followed it up, and by December =f1965, I was at Swannanoa at their Christmas gathering, where I met Mrs. =ussell. Even then it did not dawn on me what the purpose of my being there =as. But after that I got involved with the Russell studies. Much =ater, they described to me that what I could be looking for was the search =or higher knowledge. I did not know what higher =I>knowledge meant, but as I proceeded, I began to understand, bit by bit, that = higher knowledge is something that is not found in textbooks.
I became more and more =urious, but after meeting Lao Russell, there was no end to the study and =earning. Long after Lao Russell refolded, some days I used to sit back and =hink whether I had not indeed met an angel in human form, and if I had, =hat woman would have been such an extraordinary human being, who was =ere with us in flesh and blood.
I do not want to =ivert attention from that about which the Russells themselves warned us as =tudents, that the world has been making a lot of mistakes over the years, over =he centuries, over the ages, that whenever a messenger is sent into =he world, the world usually—used to, I don’t know whether we have =hanged now—worships the messenger rather than living the =essage.
For example, back home =n Africa where I come from, I notice in the churches that people are =93singing and dancing with Jesus.” But the moment they get out of those =eremonies, they don’t love one another any more. Two thousand years ago, that =oung man Jesus came and told us that we have one single purpose on Earth: =n this costly drama called life, we have come to learn only one =/I>thing—not two but one—to do everything with love. The motive for =very action should be nothing but love and selfless service. We talk about =im, but few ever practice his message. If we did, the crisis we are in =oday should never have been there. With our consciousness, we can =hange the world, if the majority of us—even a quarter of us—are thinking =f nothing but love and the welfare and the well-being of one another. =hat’s all. No medicine, no secret organization will save us. Change your =ttitude, be free, and regard every human being who comes your way as your =rother and sister. Whatever you are doing, don’t taint the motive with =xpectation of award. That is the law: reduced to the Law of Balance, the =reator, Creation, everything observes one Law, not two laws. The =cientist, the physicist, whatever work or profession one undertakes, all must =bey that Law, the Law of Balance. In any transaction, in any relationship, =etween any two—either between man and woman, or two men, or between two =ations, or groups of nations—we must insure that action and reaction are =qual and balanced. Whatever we do to others shall be done to us; what you =ave done to others will be done to you, and all the Nigerian army, all the =tomic bombs in the world, cannot save you. This is not preaching. This =s the expression of the law, the inviolate law. The law that you break =ill break you to the extent of your breach of that law. But we ignore =his, and keep looking for “higher law.” There is no higher law =nywhere. This is the only law. Those who do not observe it must pay the price.
To try to answer the =uestions of what I see as the relationship between God, Man, and Politics, we =ust consider how I got involved with the Russell philosophy and =cience, and how I got closer to the answer to the relationship between these =opics. Unfortunately I did not meet Lao’s husband, Walter Russell, but = had the rare privilege of interacting with Mrs. Russell for twenty-three =ears. It was a great privilege. She used to joke with me when I told =er stories about the jungles of Africa and how we used to jump from =ne tree to the other. After we had met two or three times, she said, =93One day you will be here, to be receiving guests on behalf of the =niversity.” I thought that it was one of those things she said to “pull my =eg,” so I brushed it aside, and did not take what she said seriously—until =lmost twenty years later, when I got a letter telling me that I had been =lected in absentia as President of the University of Science and =hilosophy. I couldn’t believe it. Then I remembered what Lao had told me =wenty years before. Did she know of this twenty years ago—a fisherman like =e from that part of the world, from the jungle, coming to this part of =he world to stay not even for just one day but for a full year? So it =appened that in 1996 I found myself on Afton Mountain as the President of the University of Science and Philosophy.
There is a letter Lao =rote, which I would like to share with you: An accident of history had made me =he elected Governor of Rivers State, the most coveted and richest =tate in Nigeria—where we were producing about 90% of all the oil in =igeria. The Military had become scared of the young politicians, so they =rganized a coup and clamped us down into detention. I was in detention for =hree years and seven months.
After we were sent to =etention, the cabinet met for four months. The Nigerian press thought that =he incarcerated politicians must all be wiped out; that unless they =ere all wiped out there would be no peace in Nigeria. So the Military was =appy. After those four months, they decided to try us—we thank God for =hat. My case, which was less than three to five hours long, sentenced me =o 105 years of imprisonment, in the absence of being shot. So we were =aken to prison. Every other day they would call one man out. That person =ould never come back, and nobody would give any account. So in that =ental state we lived for three years and seven months. Every day you =ould think it was going to be your turn to be called out and shot. In the =idst of that, in one of the prisons I was at—I was in all the major =risons of Nigeria—I got a surprise. One day a policeman and prison warden =alked up to me and told me I had a letter. A letter? Who would dare write =e here? Looking at the letter, I saw that it was from Lao Russell. She =ssured me that nothing was going to happen to me. She knew that my hands =ere clean, and that I should not be afraid.
The security men did =ot take it kindly that I had received a letter from a woman in America. They =aid they were going to find out what that woman wanted of Okilo in =igeria. I didn’t say a word, but I was smiling within, thinking that I =ished they knew who Lao Russell was. And so it was, at the end of the day, =ur cases went on appeal, and the Chief Justice of the Federation called the = prosecutors and asked them to release me within twenty-four hours, =r else he was going to take action against them. What she had told me was =xactly what happened. I was released. Nothing happened to me; they had no =ase at all, because the charges they brought against me were non-existent =harges to begin with.
After my release, I =eceived another letter from Mrs. Russell, dated the 22nd of March, 1988, =n which she told me that God had told her that her time had come and that =he was soon to return. I was writing a little book I had started in the =rison, for which I wanted her to write an introduction. By the time I got =t to her, she was gone.
When they are with us, =e do not know who such people really are until they are gone. I have often =ished that after I got out of prison I had come and sat by her feet. I =ould be a better human being than I am today.
The Russells told us =hat what they meant by higher knowledge was cosmic knowledge. =/I>I didn’t know what it was all about, but eventually I came to know =hat cosmic knowledge means the light of the mind: the =I>light of the mind that is in everyone. God is light, and everyone =as that light within, which is not part of the organs of the body, but is =ithin. At death, it flies away. I understand that that has been =hotographed. And that part of God in us has all the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God. It is within you, it is within everyone. We understand that Socrates himself was going barefoot in the streets =f Athens shouting, “Man, know thyself.” What you see outwardly =s not the “man,” the real man is within you. Jesus came and =epeated what Socrates had told mankind: that within you is a force that you can =se to achieve whatever you want. All the knowledge, all the power, is =here. Whatever God is, that power within is. It’s just like a piece of =old. If today you take a piece of gold to the lab, grind it and put it =hrough your machines and tests, you’ll find that whether the piece is =arge or small, the strength is the same, just as a drop of water from the =cean will tell you the quality of that part of the ocean. That =I>light, that invisible part of God, pervades the whole universe. But man =as not listened. Man spends a hundred years trying to experiment on what =he philosophers tell us is, and he wants to put everything =hrough tests. Scientists are not satisfied until they study all the =ffects, while the man of philosophy has told us: Mind has no limitations.
The search for truth =ives us inner satisfaction. Fears and worries are dismissed. You have extraordinary confidence in yourself. Some days you feel as though =ou can wrestle with the whole world, you alone. Nothing frightens you. In = politics—I pray this is the last election that I’ll undertake, = don’t want to go again—everybody knows that I am a poor man, with no =olitical friends, brothers, or sisters. And because of this big mouth, they =on’t want me to come into politics. But when elections come, when =thers come with all their money and with all their strength, at the end of =he day, it is this fisherman who beats them. So some people concluded that =ecause once upon a time I was in America, I must have become involved =ith American magic and potions and so forth and so on, or they say =hat voodoo is the cause!
In fact, success is =ecause of nothing more than the power of the mind. We rely on that power of =ind. To other men, it is miraculous, it is wonderful. There are many =tories about this divine spark, with all sorts of names: Jesus called it the =ingdom of Heaven Within. Everyone has his own name for it. Einstein, when he =as pressed to tell where he got his knowledge of science, said that =t was “true religiousness,” meaning that he knew the divine spark, =he God awareness, within him. So he knew how he was connected with his =reator and with the Universe; he knew how he was connected with everyone. =he moment this something within you is touched, you realize it, and =ike Walt Whitman, you will see God in everyone, irrespective of his status, =is condition of life. What you see is not the physical man. You know =hat in him is the same thing as in me, in you, and in everyone. He knows =hat the “brotherhood of man” is. It is the same, no matter what =ne’s external color. It has been photographed that when a man is dying, that something that oozes out of the body is white, bright, =olorless light. Everybody has the same thing. Men gained knowledge of this, =nd started looking for it. When you start looking for it alone, the =nner satisfaction it gives you is beyond human description. Where is =he importance in difference of size, age, or color? And so, with that = understanding, I went into politics, and I never lost an election =n Nigeria. Nigerian politics is jungle politics: they can do =I>anything to try to win over you! But no matter how hard they tried they =ould not stop me.
How is God related to =olitics? To the ordinary man, politics means cunning, deception, oppression, exploiting the other man, and using a privileged position to deal =ith the enemy. People say, “Look, politics is too rough. Men of =ntegrity should not come near. If you come near, it will destroy you. =olitics is meant for rascals. Politicians don’t mind those deadly games. =olitics is a very deadly game.” Frankly, I don’t see politics in this =ay. I see religiousness in politics. I see sacredness in politics. The =efinitions of politics in the dictionary do not help at all. “Science and =rt of government,” and so on. All definitions are literary =hings—mere words, having nothing to do with the moral and spiritual nature and where = politics should go with it. But in my search, I found the =efinition given by Emerson in his Gospel, defining politics as an =ctivity of the soul illustrated in power. Yes. So power is =olitics, and politics is not for money, not for numerical strength; politics is =rom the soul. And the soul is the mind and the soul is =scending. The Russells define this: the soul keeps the records and the mind does =he thinking. The soul and the mind are two sides of the same coin; =ou cannot have one without the other.
The soul has this =ower, and what I am doing in politics should be that. Then politics is sacred, =oming from God, from God in me. So we should not use this power for =vil. It is meant for good. And God is good. Everything that is good belongs =o God. It is recent history that the word “Good” was a word for =93God.” Everything that is good, honest, kind, humble is God. Since I got that =efinition, and compared and contrasted it with the teaching of the Russells, = have never felt so satisfied within myself. I have used this =nderstanding about the nature of politics successfully in my country, and I =elieve anybody can use it successfully in this country.
In the short span of =y life, our country was divided into three regions. The big tribes had the =overnment and power in their hands, but for the sake of our people we wanted =o divide Nigeria into smaller states. I championed two causes for =wo states. The first state I championed for came into existence. We succeeded, to the amazement of the ordinary men and women. When I =as Governor, I could see that we needed to create yet another state. =he second state I championed also came into existence. It is better =o describe this fact than to describe the ordeal we went through to =chieve that goal. The success could not be from me; it is of the =ower of the mind. The mind is the creator of the Universe. Whatever—good =r bad—you set your mind on and walk towards, one day you will see =t standing before you. This seems amazing, but in fact there is =othing special about it; walking towards the thing you believe in, not =inding when, but by the time you achieve it, you know—that is the power =f the mind. Mind conceives idea and the body walks towards it to find =he materials to clothe it, to bring that invisible idea to =isibility. Nothing in the world is an exception to this process. If politics =s the expression of power, then you are using God’s power. It is not =oney power. If it were money power, I would not have been in most of =he positions I have been in my public life. The accident of history =ade it possible for me with no money to become the Governor of Rivers =tate of Nigeria. My party could not finance me, because they believed that =he party could not win. So I was left alone. When it so happened that = was elected, people were amazed; they could not believe it: a man =ithout money, without connections, being elected Governor?
People see only the =ad side of politics. But the common man can do something to help his fellow =uman beings, to help the suffering masses, to provide for those who are =ot provided for, and this can happen through politics. When I =ecame Governor, I was able to build the first University of Science and Technology in Nigeria. The Federal Government was afraid of doing =t. Yet, as a mere Governor of a small state, I did it, although it brought =e trouble, because, when I was impeached, they claimed that by so =uilding a university, by doing something that the federal government could =ot do, I had wasted the government’s money. But I knew that we could do =t, and we did it, and the university we built is still today one of the best =nd most successful universities in Nigeria.
People in that part of =he world had never seen anything called electricity. Yet gas had been =lared in my vicinity twenty-four hours a day for nearly thirty years. So I =roceeded to use the gas that was being flared to generate electricity for =he people in the area. I was taken to court for daring to do =hat the federal government would not do—for daring to touch that gas, =hich belonged to the federal government, not to the state government. I =gnored them and went ahead. Today, the federation of Nigeria has no =lectricity except through using that gas turbine. Also, we were able to =eclaim land in the swamps of the delta. Today, in places where there were =wamps, there are big towns and cities. The canals I had cut are mighty =ivers today. You would think that God had created them the day that He =reated Adam. But they are done by us! Who could do that except for =urselves? The millionaire will not spend his millions to provide social services =or suffering masses.
So =I>politics—there is no short way; there is no way better in modern politics than to =xercise the power of God within. Religion limits me. Organized religion limits =e.
By the end of the four =ears that I was in office, all of the four other strong political parties =ecame members of the party of the fisherman—I was popularly known as =he fisherman. The power of love, the power of mind! And when that =omething in you is touched, you are humbled. You are bound to be kind. You =ill know what kindness means. You will know why you should do what it =s that you are going to do. You will have nothing to fear. Nobody will do =ou harm. Anybody who wants to harm you will harm himself.
I remember what Lao =old me the first time I went to see her. She was alone on the mountain. There =as no big fence around Swannanoa. I asked her why she stayed there =ithout a big fence and without a security man. She smiled and said that she was = protected by an invisible fence. I asked her what that fence was. =he said “love.” It’s electricity. If anybody is going to touch =ou or destroy you, it is as if they are going to hold a live electric =ire. You know what will happen—they will be electrocuted. So why be =fraid? If a person frightens you he doesn’t know you. If he knows you, he =on’t come near you.
Power in man! We are =ll co-creators. We are all mini-gods to the extent that we KNOW. =nowledge is the only thing that man needs. And every age needs new knowledge. Dark-Ages ideas are now gone. When new knowledge comes, it is =ighly recognizable. Two thousand years ago, a young man came and said, =93You are part of this drama called life. The Master Playwright designed =ife so that you can know what love is and put it into practice.” And =he only way you can manifest love is through ethics.
In politics, what I =njoy is the extended freedom to give to everybody and talk to everybody, love everybody and serve everybody. People look down on me for that. =hey do not know that therein lies my strength. We have to become humble, =e have to become little children.
In politics, according =o Emerson, not me—the Russells confirm it—the power that I have described =o you does not come from me. I am using the omnipotent power that is within =an. If you went to Nigeria and saw that this fisherman, who did not know =eft from right, could put down landmarks, you wouldn’t believe it. =he power of God! When you are in politics, you are asking God to give you =is power to use it so that men can see. And there is no field, no =epartment of knowledge that could have given me more opportunity to manifest =he power of God in me than politics. I wish party members would read =ermons when they go to party meetings. You cannot divorce politics from God. =an finds life very difficult because he refuses to enlist God. The Master Playwright says, “Go! I have given you this power for good, =hich may also be used for bad. Use the power for good.”
Of all creation, to =an only has God given free will. All other creatures are controlled by Him, =ither by polarity or by other means—the power of instinct. Man alone has =ree will. And you must use that free will, your moral sense. If you misuse =t, don’t blame God. If you put your hand in fire, it will be burnt. If you =old electricity, you know what will happen to you. There is a power =ithin us. We know it. Simply change your mind and know it and say that you =re a mini-god and that you want to emulate God, and step into the shoes =f God: God loves, God gives, God does not hoard, God does not fear =omorrow. You do not worry about what will happen tomorrow. Do your best. Leave =he rest. By the time you know, the answer is there.
Let me tell you a =tory. Someone in Nigeria owed me money for many years, because he was unable to =ay. I had forgotten about it. Recently, one of my daughters in America =as involved in a car accident. The damages that she had to pay =mounted to $8,000. In Nigeria, $8,000 is millions in local currency. I did =ot know what to do or where to go to get that kind of money. I hate going =o the bank. I can’t remember when I went to the bank to borrow money. =f I don’t have it, I don’t have it. They gave her a week or two before the =ase came to court. At the crucial moment, someone called me to tell me that =he person who had owed me money for years was returning the money, =hich came just in time for me to send to my daughter the amount that she =eeded. Miracles happen every day.
The law says that =very action and reaction must be equal. But what I am receiving now is more than =qual. The return for your right action is like putting money in the bank =or a long time and interest continues rising. So when the return is forthcoming, you will be surprised and wonder how come. There is =o life that is so simple and easy to live as that which obeys the Law of =alance. People suffer from fear of becoming poor, fear of losing their =osition, fear of doing this or that. If you give with love, if you serve =ith love, the reward is a hundred-fold. This is true.
The power within us =onnects us to God and man, to God and politics. Come to think of it, of all the =lements of human civilization, government is the most powerful of all, but =t can be either destructive or constructive. If the power of government =s used for good, as in the story I was telling you about when I was in =ffice as Governor, it is lasting. I built a university, for the first time =n the history of that country. I gave free education from nursery school =o the university level. People said, “Don’t worry, he’s going to =ollapse.” My government never collapsed. It grew stronger and stronger. Love! =ll the other political parties in that state collapsed and joined my =arty. Love action!
Nobody can resist this =ower. To be in Nigerian politics for forty years without a stain—in fact =o be still alive, is something. I do not see any other force. Had I not =et Lao Russell and the Russell teachings, I would never have become a =overnor. Who was going to make me a governor? By what means? I would have =een looking for money. The average man says, “If you have no money, =on’t go into politics.” When I hear that, I smile. I wish he knew =omebody who had been in politics all his life without a bank account. Yet, when it =omes to the day of need, I have enough money to do what is =equired.
As for this Trinity of =od, Man, and Politics, no aspect of it lives an independent life: neither =an, nor God, nor politics is independent of the other. They are a trinity. =nd when you apply the three together while you are going about the =orld, every day you will be smiling while others are crying. And they =ill say it again: voodoo!
In closing I will say: =o your allotted work. Forget about rewards. Don’t stop the action. If =ou give up action, you’ll fall. Continue working. Do your allotted work. =on’t mind what the world is saying. As a man like Mahatma Gandhi of India, =ou can conquer whatever opposition is there. One man with the power of =ind was able to conquer the foreign forces and drive them out of India. =hese are not fables. Gandhi did it. He did not throw a pebble at any man, =ut he led the struggle that freed India.
Power of the mind! =hen you know and use that power, nobody can destroy you, until you have =inished your assignment. This is a statement of fact. Nobody can destroy you. =f you dismiss fears and follow your mission, until you finish it, =othing will harm you. So why are you afraid? You are carrying something =ightier than the atomic bomb, twenty-four hours a day, and this light surrounds =ou twenty-four hours a day, this invisible light. And that’s what =e are.
Do not look for =eward; nevertheless, it will come. This is the Law of Balance. The moment =ou have acted with clear motive, that action will be motivated with =ove, and that action will be to render selfless service to those who need =t. And the moment you have rendered that service, go and rest, for the =eward is coming. You do not have to ask for it, you do not have to expect =thers to give it to you, for those things limit it. When you give right =ction, know that the universal force will bring the reaction and that it =omes a hundred-fold.
Let me give you an =xample: On the day I was taken into detention, I had only three hundred in local currency. Then the officials took and detained me elsewhere, and =y the time I came back, the security officers had broken into my =riefcase and taken the money. So I went into detention without a dime. Yet by =he time I was released, I had a lot of money. People brought a lot of =oney to prison for me, particularly where I was detained, the place where =heir Governor used to be my friend. They brought me so much money and =ood that what I did every day was like the story of Joseph: I distributed =oney, soap, biscuits—whatever other prisoners needed, I had it to give =hem. So you do not look for reward, for the reward comes, not from a =articular person, but the world will bring it to you.
Continue working! =eople say, “Time to rest! Ah, you have been here all these long donkey =ears in politics. Are you not tired?” I tell them what Gandhi used to =ay, “If you stop action, you will fall and die.” But if you continue =orking, without looking for reward, then you will continue to prosper all your =ife and to enjoy good health for the completion of your purpose.
God, Man, and Politics
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