Nigerians are known to be prayer warriors. When General Abacha held on to power and wanted to mutate from military leader to a civilian leader, Nigerians went into a frenzy of prayers at every opportunity they had. If you ask Nigerians they will say their prayers worked. Since the new political dispensation, several times when there are political gatherings, prayers are said. Even at national occasions, prayers are offered both by Christian and Muslim leaders. So it is not new to us Nigerians that we pray. However, my worry is the contents of prayers that are offered in some gatherings.

In the past months, politicians have started praying in their closets and at public functions. Thanks to God for He is merciful. I thought prayer is to communicate with God truthfully for whatever issue the person praying wants to tell God about.  Though our God is a good listener, the kinds of prayers we offer to him sometimes appear comical especially in the political setting in Nigeria. I wonder what God will be saying? Those who are orthodox Christians know that Our Lord Jesus Christ thought us how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer and even if it has been modified in various ways through teaching in the Pentecostal movement the key principle still suffices. In fact part of it says ‘lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’.

So what is my quarrel with a prayer? Recently, it was reported that as part of prayer offered, a PDP elder asked God as follows: Please grant President Yar’Adua good health to complete his six remaining years’.  We all know that this issue of the President’s health has been a source of concern to Nigerians recently. So any mention of the President’s health in any gathering is bound to raise eyebrows. So what was the prayer about? Is that a confirmation of what most people have been suspecting that he is not in good health? If I were Yar’Adua, I will publicly disown these prayers because this is pure gimmick and temptation that will raise unnecessary questions.

Mr President, temptation always comes from people you know and therefore surveillance should precede saltation.  This is because, there is no way such prayers as said would have moved beyond the roof of the building in which they were offered. Besides I would think that such prayers do not mean well for the President if not how do we reconcile the fact that at the same period, during another gathering, a Minister of the Federal Republic emphatically said “I am telling you that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is in good health and will contest the 2011 presidential election.

There are two aspects of this prayer. The first is the plea to God to give Yar’Adua good health. I do not think there is anything wrong about that. The second part is that of completion of six years as President. This would have been okay if the normal tenure of the President is six years. However, when taken together, these two parts betray a sense of hidden agenda considering the fact that Yar’Adua has spent about half of his current tenure. So what are they praying to God for with a likely hidden agenda? That’s why I say our God is so merciful.

We have been told severally that our President is in good health and we believe and have no cause to doubt. After all we are very obedient Nigerians and love our servant leader. But the President has not told Nigerians that he has six more years to go. The fact is we know he has just over two years to go for his first tenure. So, why are they offering prayers during public functions for an ‘extended’ tenure not backed by elections? Even the President’s late senior brother because of whom the occasion took place would have been laughing in his grave. I am sure he would have been saying ‘Umaru don’t mind them we know them’; this was how they started with Abacha and also extended it to Obasanjo. They have brought it to you, please flee from such people.

The problem with us in Nigeria is that we have become so comical that we have relegated even very sensitive and constitutional matters to the background. The Minister has said that Yar’Adua will contest in 2011. I do not doubt that. Yar’Adua has a right to do that if his party wants him to and I believe he would win again. However, there have been denials or do I say non committal statements from the President. So why can’t they just allow the man do his job? It is not easy to manage oneself as well as state matters. So far he is doing what he could to salvage us from the woes we have been thrown into. I would therefore advise that the man be allowed to concentrate for the remaining two years. I know the President as a Muslim believes that it is God that gives power. God can do anything. He can use anybody even in ill health. But God will not use people in the grave to solve problems of those alive. Don’t they realize that this is more pressure for him? That is why I think they want to send the man to early grave O!

The question in my mind is- are they even really praying for Yar’Adua’s health? Will they care about his health if he is out of office? I may be wrong but I do not think so. They must be praying for the gains they will get if he continues in office. A change in leadership always brings new people on board and leads to loss on the part of those on the saddle. It is therefore apparent that people are praying for themselves. I believe the President is wise enough to discern the situation. What should he do? I believe he should possibly ban comments or prayers of such nature that will act as distractions and exert unnecessary pressures to his desire to leave a legacy as a servant leader. These prayers are harmful to his health. They will increase the pressures he currently has on himself with matters of state governance. Such intense pressures are not the best for him for now.

My advice to political prayer warriors is; they should be praying and asking God to give us our daily bread. They should pray that God should give us good health to tackle the stress of corruption on daily basis at least for the next two years. The current economic situation requires prayers, the Niger Delta needs prayers, and road construction and electricity provision need prayers. These are some of the areas they should pray for God to help us out. It is God that gives power. He will decide if Yar’Adua will continue whether they pray their comical prayers or not.

Robot  # 1 | 17.03.2009 00:44

Nigerians are known to be prayer warriors. When General Abacha held on to power and wanted to mutate from military leader to a civilian leader, Nigerians went into a frenzy of prayers at every opportunity they had. If you ask Nigerians they will say their prayers worked. Since the new political dispensation, several times when there are political gatherings, prayers are said. Even at national occasions, prayers are offered both by Christian and Muslim leaders.So it is not new to us Nigerians that we pray. However, my worry is the contents of prayers that are offered in some gatherings. In the past months, politicians have started praying in their closets and at public functions. Thanks to God for He is merciful. I thought prayer is to communicate with God truthfully for whatever issue the person praying wants to tell God about. Though our God is a good listener, the kinds of prayers we offer to him sometimes appear comical especially in the political setting i...Read the full article.

olusiji  # 2 | 17.03.2009 08:01

Those who have domiciled their hopes on the good health and long tenure of an unhealthy President Yar'Adua must not be criticised for wishing him well and for praying that their enjoyment be permanent. Some did just that with Obasanjo, they should tell us where that landed them now. Please let us concentrate on this electoral reform and guide its conclusions to a logical end. Only this, and not spiritual exhortations will determine Yar' Adua's tenure.