Prayer For Nigeria In An Election Year

By abiodun KOMOLAFE

Come February 16, 2019, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s sitting president, will be faced with two choices; either to remain in Aso Rock as Nigeria’s president for the next four years or, to go back to Daura in Katsina State, and begin to tend to his herds henceforth.

Whatever eventually becomes of the president’s lot, what makes the coming General Elections uniquely different is that it has assumed a larger than life posture, threatening to tear asunder the fragile socio-political unity of the country.

For instance, the extant political dynamics and imperatives have changed, so also are the attitudinal dispositions of the ‘principalities’ or, political gladiators struggling for the soul of Nigeria. The contending individuals for public office have become more desperate, intolerant, even deadly; exhibiting the zero-sum game attributes more than any other time compared within the Nigeria political history and elections antecedents! Principally, the battle ahead is between the Biblical “narrow road” and the “broad road”; between popular protests and fabulous narratives. Assuredly, it is between preference for national integrity and lust for “national cake”.

Coincidentally, this is the first time the country is turning out the largest number of presidential candidates who, in any case, are already seeing themselves as presidents-in-waiting. In a country where, even a councillor’s spouse is reverenced as ‘Her Excellency’, one can now see why Nigeria, like the prodigal son in search of his ancestral parentage, has since independence been struggling to establish an enduring democracy and build strong public institutions. What even makes the battle rather complex is that the current chief tenant of Aso Villa is not prepared to tempt the way of his predecessor while his major opponent is already deeply immersed in dangerous schemes which, if not professionally curtailed, are capable of capturing power at all costs. After all, this the last opportunity that fate can offer him. This is not to say that other pests and rodents who are also interested in Buhari’s job will want to go down without putting up a fight.

Well, it is one thing to enter into the New Year with lofty promises and hope! Nonetheless, it is another thing to ensure the delivery of the goods of governance through a strong foundation, workable public institutions, and prayers, especially, at a difficult time like this. As a starting point therefore, it’s time we commended Nigeria into God’s hands, especially, at this auspicious time of her history. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His inheritance.

” As Nigerians will be making crucial decisions that will affect the entire country this year, we beseech Thee, dear Father, restore unto us the healing that our country needs and deliver us from any relationship that is bound to separate us from our destiny.

Speak into our lives that every obstacle planted on our path be removed. Do not let the wind of peace blowing across the globe through which erstwhile enemies are striking inspiring chords of a new world order pass us by without reconciling feuding brothers.

With Your power, deliver our land from founders who have turned themselves into confounders and give us a greater vision of what You would have us do. In the New Year, let those who love our country see the results and let those who, like fathers who do not want their children to go further in life, reap the negative consequences.

We need this, O Lord, to fix our politics so as to fix any leadership crisis that may attempt to energize the failure of development. We are in a “world of deception” where men see vengeance as their legitimate right. But Your Word teaches us that those who see Jesus Christ as the son of ‘Joseph the Carpenter’ should expect nothing other than chairs and tables from Him while those who accept Him as their Saviour are sure to be healed by His stripes. El Elyon, you are the Restoration and the Life, the Door and the Shepherd. Though, we are no longer a country destined for its Egypt, corruption still remains a shameful and sometimes painful part of our beingness. Indeed, it is difficult to say with a tinge of certitude where we now stand in our counter-terrorism efforts. The comforting news, however, is that ours is not totally a tale of woes! For instance, in spite of more than 18% of employable Nigerians being jobless, Nigeria was recently named the best economy in Africa. So, as the ‘Battle of February’ nears us by the eyelids, blot out our starkness and send Your angel to resurrect every dead situation that has not brought a turnaround for us as a people created by You. Bless us with leaders who are capable of redefining governance in line with the vision and mission of the Next Level that Nigeria truthfully desires.

In times like this, we remember Leah Sharibu as a test of our faith as a deeply religious country. El Shaddai, You are the God who rescued Paul and Silas from Herod’s dungeon! You also shut the mouths of the lions because of Daniel so as to exalt Your Word. We therefore use Leah as a point of contact for those who are in servitude. The Fourth Man in the furnace, set them free from their captors. Save our country from huge doses of uncertainty, instability and the embarrassing acknowledgment of failure as an essential part of progress.

We also use Osun as a point of contact for other states in Nigeria. El Roi, grant our leaders the wisdom to “create employment opportunities through industrialization expand “agricultural activities through appropriate incentives” and provide “leadership in ways that do not bring additional burden to the people.” Grant the leaders and the led the wisdom to know that whatever challenges their respective states may be facing at the moment are not to be found in the blackness or whiteness of their people but that they’re foisted on the country by diabolical manipulators and articulated vampires of inevitability whose portion is in recklessly expanding our national frontlines of political and economic inclinations.[tps_header][/tps_header]

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria![tps_header][/tps_header]

*KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
abiodun KOMOLAFE,O20, Okenisa Street,Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun.

biodun KOMOLAFE, AMNIM
+234 803 361 4419  | +234 809 861 4418  | ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk  | Skype: KOMO2412 | O20, Okenisa Street, Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State