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Sermon: Wonders of Creation 2: Fish

Published

8 years ago

March 4, 2018

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

The wonders of creation are all around us.

The amazing features found in different species of fish are just a sampling of the mysterious works of God’s creation.

Just as the stellar atmospheric heavens, the Oceans and its inhabitants present an unmistakable, evidence of the handiwork of God. Not only are myriads of fishes sustained there, but the greatest of all living creatures—the whale—is found there.

The Leaf fish, takes the colour of the surrounding foliage as a camouflage —they lie motionless on their side, almost invisible, until a fish strays into their view. Then, in a split second with a sudden dart, they engulf their prey.

The Cuttlefish protects itself by shooting out black ink-like fluid called sepia to darken the water, enabling it to escape its enemies. According to Dr Jerry Bergman the cuttlefish screams design and negates evolution.

The Archer fish is one of the most famous living water creatures. While most fish capture their prey while swimming, this innovative creature can also shoot a thin stream of water under pressure at insects as they fly in the air above the water! Natural selection cannot account for their amazing ability. Nor can evolution account for the unique ability of this marvelous little fish!

Fish have specially constructed eyeballs enabling them to look almost instantly in any and all directions? They see behind, below, above and on the sides; Fish can see 30 percent farther than other visual instruments because God designed the eyeball of the fish to take into consideration the refraction of light.

In the waters of Malaya lives a fish with bifocal lenses built right in its eyes. This little sardine-sized fish is prized for food by the seagulls. So the little fish has to watch carefully for approaching danger; hence it must have good far vision, but since it feeds on the microscopic larvae that abound in the water, it must also acquire very good near vision as well. And so the Creator provided a little membrane that comes halfway up on its eyes, giving it bifocal vision!

The salmon is an anadromous fish; that is, it spends years at sea, then comes back to its own river, and, what is more, it travels up the side of the river into which flows the tributary in which it was born. If a salmon going up a river is transferred to another tributary it will at once realize it is not in the right tributary and will fight its way down to the main stream and then turn up against the current to fulfill its destiny.

A reverse problem to solve is the case of the eel: A catadromous fish that spend most of their lives in fresh water but migrate to salt water to breed. These amazing creatures migrate at maturity from all the ponds and rivers everywhere, across thousands of miles of ocean, to the abysmal deeps south of Bermuda: There they breed and die. The little ones will immediately start back and find their way to the shore from which their parents came and thence to every river, lake and little pond. They can now grow and when they are mature, they will, by some mysterious law, go back through it all to complete the cycle. Interestingly, nature has also delayed the maturity of the European eel by a year or more to make up for its much greater journey.

The lobster, having lost a claw, will by a mysterious process grow it back. When restoration is complete, the cells stop work’. A fresh-water polyp , if divided into halves can reform itself out of one of these halves. Likewise, angle worm will grow another head if its head is cut off.

Describing the wonderful nature of fish in the Ocean, James Harvey wrote: “They are clothed and accoutered in exact conformity to their clime. They are clad, or rather sheathed, in scales, which adhere closely to their bodies, and are always laid in a kind of natural oil—which apparel nothing can be more light, and at the same time so solid, and nothing so smooth. It hinders the fluid from penetrating their flesh; it prevents the cold from coagulating their blood, and enables them to make their way through the waters with the greatest possible facility. If in their rapid progress they strike against any hard substance, this scaly doublet breaks the force of it and secures them from harm”.

Still more remarkable is that wonderful apparatus or contrivance, “the air-bladder, with which they are furnished, for it enables them to increase or diminish their specific gravity, to sink like lead or float like a cork, to rise to whatever height or sink to whatever depths they please.” James Harvey

Is it merely an accident that fishes, that need them not, are devoid of ears which are found in all the animals and birds asks James Harvey?

A spiritually minded naturalist has pointed out that almost all flat fish, such as soles are white on their underside but tinctured with darkish brown on the upper, so that to their enemies they resemble the colour of mud and are therefore more easily concealed. What is still more remarkable, Providence, which has given to other fishes an eye on either side of the head, has placed both eyes on the same side in their species, which is exactly suited unto the peculiarity of their condition. Swimming as they do but little, and always with their white side downward, an eye on the lower part of their bodies would be of little benefit, whereas on the higher they have need of the quickest sight for their preservation.

Were fishes to reproduce like the most prolific of our terrestrial animals, a dozen only or a score, at each birth, the increase would be unspeakably too small for consumption: Seeing as it were that they are food for their kit and kin of the deep. Therefore, to supply millions of assassins with their prey and millions of our own tables with food, yet not to depopulate the watery realms, the issue produced by every breeder is almost incredible. They spawn not by scores or hundreds, but by thousands and tens of thousands.

Mute though the fishes are, yet they are full of instruction for the thoughtful inquirer: Allahu Akbar!

Barka Jumuah and happy weekend

Babatunde Jose
+2348033110822

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2027: Peter Obi Raises Doubt About Clinching ADC Presidential Ticket

Published

8 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Eric

A former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed reservations over his ability to clinch the African Democratic Congress’ (ADC) presidential ticket for the 2027 elections.

In a video address to his followers, Obi stated that receiving the ADC’s presidential ticket is not guaranteed.

He said: “Someone asked me how I know for sure that the ADC will give me the presidential ticket. I cannot be certain. What matters is that we are committed to a cause.

I keep wondering how we ended up in this situation and what might happen if we decide to stop working on this project.”

“Obi also said he is still committed to his goals, and he hasn’t let any reported threats stop him.

The former Labour Party presidential candidate praised his supporters for their resilience, recognizing the difficulties of working within opposition politics in Nigeria.

Obi thanked everyone who stayed loyal even though they didn’t get much benefit right away.

“I thank you for your sacrifice. It’s not easy to be in the opposition in Nigeria, and I’m thankful to those who keep supporting even when there’s no clear reward,” he said.

He, however, expressed uncertainty about the future, especially concerning political alliances and commitments.

“How can we be certain that the people we’re working with right now won’t leave us behind tomorrow? I wish we could be sure, but we can’t,” he said.

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Terrorism: Tinubu Seeks UK’s Assistance Amid Challenges

Published

16 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Eric

President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, solicited partnership with the United Kingdom to crush terrorism in the Sahel before it engulfs the region.

“Our West African region faces complex terrorism challenges with roots in the Sahel,” Tinubu told King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and elite guests, at a state banquet.

Speaking as the first Nigerian leader at the historic venue, Tinubu said: “As one of the largest nations within the Commonwealth, Nigeria looks forward to contributing constructively to the continued growth and vitality of this global community.

“Our West African region faces complex terrorism challenges with roots in the Sahel. Nigeria carries an enormous responsibility to help safeguard regional stability. In confronting these threats, partnership with the United Kingdom remains essential and I look forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Kier Starmer tomorrow.

“Despite these challenges, Nigeria approaches the future with hope and confidence. We are a nation of diverse and vibrant people, of young people dreaming big, of entrepreneurs with a global outlook, and of a hopeful people determined to realise their full potential.”

The Nigeria’s President said it was an honour to stand before the royal family, representing the people of Nigeria to reaffirm the enduring bonds of friendship, history, and shared purpose that have united Nigeria and the United Kingdom for several centuries.

“Allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to Your Majesty and to Her Majesty, The Queen for the warmth and generosity extended to me, my wife, Oluremi, and the Nigerian delegation.

“As the first Nigerian leader to speak here at Windsor Castle, which has served the British Crown for nearly a millennium, is particularly historic. Windsor has stood as a symbol of continuity, witnessing the steady evolution of institutions that have shaped governance, culture, and public life not only in Britain but far beyond these shores.

“Nigeria and the United Kingdom have shared more than just history; our two nations share a vision of progress and resilience. Today, we continue that journey, committed to building a future rooted in partnership, mutual respect, and common values.

“Standing here in Windsor Castle, one cannot help but reflect on Britain’s impact on modern democratic governance worldwide.”

He explained further: “The Magna Carta of 1215 laid the early foundations for the rule of law and the development of parliamentary democracy, establishing enduring ideals around liberty, accountable government, and civic responsibility.

“Great British thinkers and writers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Edmund Burke helped to propagate those democratic ideals. Their influence continues to resonate to this day.

“The literary genius of William Shakespeare and other writers such as Charles Dickens, has enriched and shaped the English language, spoken by over 1.5 billion people worldwide.

“In Nigeria, elements of these traditions continue to inform the institutional foundations of our own republic. Our courts draw upon legal traditions rooted in English common law. Our parliamentary institutions reflect constitutional practices that evolved here over centuries. Our civil service structures have also drawn upon administrative models developed in Britain and adapted to Nigeria’s own national context.

“While institutions matter greatly, our people remain the strongest bridge between our two countries.”

He said the Nigerian community in the United Kingdom has become one of the most dynamic diaspora communities worldwide, adding: “Nigerians contribute enormously to the vitality of this nation. Within the National Health Service, Nigerian doctors and nurses play an indispensable role in delivering healthcare. Nigerian-trained doctors are among the largest groups of international medical professionals serving the NHS.”

He noted the exploits of Nigerians in the country especially in sports, saying: “in sport, rugby players such as Maro Itoje, footballers including Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, and champion boxer Anthony Joshua, illustrate the remarkable human connection that links Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

“Our partnership is further strengthened through the Commonwealth of Nations, which connects 56 countries under Your Majesty’s leadership.”

He expressed confidence that the friendship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom will continue to grow.

“Finally, Your Majesty, I wish to express Nigeria’s deep gratitude to this great nation for the refuge and support it extended during the dark years of military dictatorship. Like many Nigerians involved in the pro-democracy struggle, I found safety here, and I recall that my residence was placed under Metropolitan Police surveillance for protection following threats from agents of the junta.

“That solidarity remains etched in our collective memory, and it is deeply humbling for me to stand before Your Majesty today as the President of a democratic Nigeria.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria, I thank Your Majesty, Her Majesty The Queen, Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, other members of the Royal Family, and the people of the United Kingdom for their longstanding friendship.

“In the spirit of friendship and our shared destiny, I invite you all to raise a glass with me:

“To the special bond between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and to the bright future that we shall build together.”

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Bala Mohammed Debunks Defection Rumours, Affirms Loyalty to PDP

Published

16 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Eric

Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has dismissed speculation linking him with a possible defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), reiterating his commitment to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

The governor, who also serves as Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, had recently been the subject of reports suggesting he might be considering leaving the opposition party, with claims that such a move could occur within the week.

However, while dismissing the rumour shortly after presiding over the swearing-in of 17 newly appointed Permanent Secretaries at the Government House in Bauchi on Wednesday, Mohammed downplayed the claims, stressing that he had made no official statement indicating any intention to quit the PDP.

He maintained that the reports are unfounded, reaffirming his continued membership of the party.

“I find it amusing that even when I have not said anything officially, people are already discussing me as if I have moved,” he said.