And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” – Matthew 17:20 (New American Standard Bible, 1995).

Every time I look at the situations in Nigeria, it almost looks as if devil is more powerful than the God we pray to ever day.  Every sin known to man is ascribed to the devil even the ones we consciously commit.  Why does this look so and why does the devil look more powerful than God?  Armed robbers pray and succeed in their operations, kidnappers pray and are able to kidnap innocent kids and adults at will, politicians who have no business in leadership pray and are rigged into office with ease and with our corporate help, and pen robbers are the ones recognized and praised to high heavens in our different churches and mosques.  But why does it look as if the devil is more successful than God?  The devil has recruited all Nigerians but even then, those that tend to pray for Nigeria do not have the faith their prayers will be answered.  The answer is said to be by “faith ye shall be answered.”  Jesus talked the power of faith, philosophers preach it, politicians, robbers, and demonic gods believe it, why don’t born again Christians and Muslims act on their faith to change Nigeria?

Faith is the firm belief in something for which there is no proof.  Prayer, on the other hand, is prematurely thanking God for what we have already started actualizing and agreeing to with strong conviction will come to pass.   Praying, believing and having faith in what we pray for are two different things.  Faith can be liken to a bird that feels dawn breaking and still sings while it is still dark.  We know that when God calls us to do something, He enables and provides us with the means to do it.  Then, why is it that whenever we seek God to intercede on behalf through prayers, we do not show Him the conviction that we too believe in what we are praying for?  Prayer only releases the power and wisdom of God into situations that is already consciously and actively requested by those who believe in what they are praying for.

This brings us to the statement that “Nigerians are the most prayerful in the world.”   If this is true, why is God not answering our prayers?  Maybe God has been answering the prayers made by Nigerians.  Doesn’t the prayers of armed robbers, the thieving politicians, and all the demonic forces in Nigeria answered to our detriment, may be not by God but by the god they believe in.  Many of our politicians, the armed robbers and the kidnappers believe in the power of their prayers, they visit marabous, Okija shrines and any of their gods and their prayers are answered.  This is because they pray and act to see their prayers are answered.  Christians and Muslims, on the other hand, just simply go through the mechanics of praying, most do not even believe in what they pray for nor do they have faith their God can perform the miracles they seek.  Many Christians go to church to jump for joy, yell, shout Alleluia on Sundays but on Monday through Saturday they are busy dismantling what they pray for. 

The Muslims pray every hour on the hour and in most cases but only the prayers of their leaders are answered.  The leaders become insolently rich while their followers become inordinately poor.  In any nation, there are many good pastors and Imams but there are more bad ones than the goods ones.  There are Pastors and Imams that pray in the churches and mosques but when the services end they go to the babaalawos and marabous for the conclusion of their requests.  Nigerians need to decide which God they wish to serve.

As Nigerians, we have prayed for good governance and God answered us in so many ways.  He drove IBB who may be planning a comeback out of office, got rid of Abacha, and recently thwarted OBJ’s Third Tern life presidency project without our shedding blood.  What else do we want from God, bring out fire and flood to destroy the world?  We are forgetting that God has promised that he would never again destroy the world with fire and water.  Maybe that is why we think God is a toothless bulldog and we disparage Him.

A people that pray for God’s guidance in governance, for eradication of corruption, and bring forth good leaders are the same people that are supporting sycophants, creating bottle necks for corruption, transfer resources to those who are already endowed, shed crocodile tears and they go out in the dark of night nude to sacrifice human beings so that they can remain in absolute control of our minds, money, resources, thoughts and our soul.  For prayers to be answered, it must be practical, purposeful and meaningful and we must speak and seek the truth 90% of the time for our benefit.

Jesus believed in practicality of prayer.  Whenever he went up the mountains to be isolated and for prayer, he prayed for what was practical and meaningful to him and God always answered His prayers.  As God, He could have changed water into wine without being at the scene but he didn’t.  Instead, He was present at the scene of the miracle because he wanted His followers to know that wishes and prayers of conviction are two different offerings.  If we have faith, perform what it takes for the miracles to happen, and we believe, Nigeria can be transformed.  These days, it seems, Christians are considerably more pessimistic than secular humanism because they always pray to God for miracles when such miracles are hopelessly not needed.  A man who has no time or willingness to study for an examination within the last twelve months suddenly wakes up three hours to the examination kneels down to pray for success; such prayer is doom to fail.

Human beings on one hand and religions (Christianity and Islam) on the other are grimly realistic about the recalcitrance of the human condition such as the perversity of human desire, the prevalence of idolatry and illusion, the scandal of suffering, the dull persistence of oppression and injustice, the scarcity of public virtue, the insolence of power, the fragility of goodness and the formidable power of appetite and self-interest.  But these results of greed and avarice are only seen by praying people when they are on the receiving end.  When they are the ones dishing them out, these people see the results as prayers answered.

The domain of prayer is both immanent in the present and a goal to be aimed for.  Given the urgency and severity of our present condition in Nigeria, achieving a just social order involves passing through the valley of the shadow of death, nothingness, chaos and self-dispossession.  Even Jesus Christ was not spared of these trials and tribulations. 

We pray for salvation without taking steps necessary for such salvation.  The only kind of political history that mattered to Nigerians is salvation history.  Unfortunately for citizens, the leaders believe in conformist history and if we can only shut up, conform to the evil deeds of the leaders we did not elect, praise them for looting and causing capital flight, then, the “odi” strategy will not be visited upon us.  These two histories and acts are diametrically opposed and one has to hold sway and we know which one.  Cowards die many times before their death but the villains die but once. 

The catholic Archbishop John Onaiyekan candid speech on bogus prayer is the medication that Nigeria needs to sanitize her system.  Performing more actionable deeds is probably the first engagement before meaningless prayers.  These rambunctious leaders and their followers believe in looting and they provide all avenues to make sure they succeed and they pray to make their wish come true.  This is why they are able to destabilize our polity.  They believe in what they are doing and then pray for it to happen.  Why can’t Nigerians fight for their rights first, drive the rascals out, correct all the ills in the society and call on the almighty not to allow them to repeat the mistakes of the past leaders before engaging in an unending prayer of nothingness?

Many of us pray for good roads, constant electricity, safety of lives and properties, good healthcare delivery system but when we are given contracts to provide any of these, we think first of how to be rich without executing the contract.  When we speak and pray to God we continue to ask for restoration of these amenities.  When electricity does not work, we are the ones shutting it off by our actions.  When there is no water, we are the ones turning the tap off form our own facets.  When the roads are bad, we are the ones digging the potholes.  When our fellow citizens die on our roads we are the ones killing them by our inactions and when there is no good healthcare system, we contributed in no small way to it.  Let us first stop the needless prayer and make sure that we stop what is not making our system work then call on the almighty for His intervention. 

While America claims to be built on the Judeo Christian pillars, it is not a mirage to note that their divorce rate is too high, their family system is destabilized.  She acquires what does not belong to her in the name of national interest through war and covert actions.  She encourages same sex marriages even when the bible condemns it.  It takes America’s glory to shine when nations like Nigeria exit with subservient leadership, a nation that has both human and material resources but whose citizens pray more than any other nations but side steps their responsibilities and whose leaders are too greedy to serve but to eager to loot.  Who won’t like to belong to a nation such as America? 

One can easily say that American is less believing and prayerful than Nigeria but, God answers her prayers.  There is a lesson to be learned in this.  Is God of America different from God of Nigeria?  I don’t think so.  The difference is that America believes in the resources, the abilities of her citizens, the power to acquire what she does not have, then pray to God for her plans to succeed.  In Nigeria, citizens go into government just to have opportunity to loot the treasury dry.  Very few Nigerians go into to office to serve, little wonder why we are not moving forward.  If the purpose of going to politics is to serve, all that we pray for such as good education, roads, constant electricity, solid family, happiness, and good leaders would have been answered.  Yes, prostitution is condemned but how will a nation that pauperizes citizens fair when the judgment comes?  We are actually the architect of our own fortune and misfortune whichever one we choose to pick.

 A lot of Nigerian’s moral consciences like Tai Solarin are dead, and some that remain like Professors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, and Fani Fawehinmi are getting old.  Who will take over in this dangerous Nigeria?  Prayer, faith and the ability to tell ourselves the truth are the necessary ingredients needed for prayers to work in any society.  Nigeria is the proverbial tower of babble where there is communication but no understanding.  Nigeria needs to try a combination of these God given medications and see if God will not answer their prayers.  Let us do less praying and do more of what God needs to answer prayers we have tabled on his divine desk. Let us stand against looters who are our distant cousins as those of family members and wait for God blessings to finally rain on all Nigerians not only on our leaders.  If our actions and decisions as a nation are based on common good that provides the greatest benefit to the greatest number of our citizens, God will have no choice but to answer our prayers.

Robot  Villager

# 1 Every time I look at the situations in Nigeria, it almost looks as if devil is more powerful than th...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 04.12.2007 18:03

overdryv  Villager

# 2 Nice write-up but the author needs to go the extra mile by emphasizing the truth that the god the white man imposed on Africans has failed woefully. The recent rebuke attributed to CAN president, Onaiyekan is a clear admission that prayers have failed us. This is to be expected because these alien religions have upset our traditional values and we have become disjointed. In a truly African setting, we dont pray to achieve something, we worked towards a goal and thank our ancestors thereafter. What role does prayer play in cultivating a field of crops? If one is able-bodied and not lazy, the yams you plant would eventually be nutured to maturity and be harvested. The problem of our elite is that they deceive the gullible masses by telling them that their salvation lies in the bible and the white man god. The elite themselves are people imbued with artificial intelligence since the knowledge they possess is of second hand value. The black man could never surpass the white man in physics, maths, space travel. There was a time we were hearing of the likes of Emegwali who claimed he was the father of the internet and one of Oyibo of GAGUT fame who said he has discovered the theory of everything. Now no one hears of them. Fela it was, who admitted the plain truth that we Africans must strive to excel in other areas completely different from the white man. If we can fly in groundnut shells from Lagos to Washington, then we must made a feat not equaled anywhere in the world. The bible could be a great book no doubt, but it makes little or no sense to the African because he is completely ignorant of the process that threw it up. It is a book he must commit to heart but only after studying the white man's language. What is the purpose of quoting the words of Jesus in the bible and forcing them down on a people most of whom have never visited a classroom? The author wrote that Jesus used to withdraw to the mountains to prayer. How would he rationalize that after saying Jesus is god. Its like praying to himself. If the bible should be the basis of salvation for mankind, then we Africans have been left out of the scheme of things. After 2000 years of christ supposed departure a lot of Africans have not seen a verse of the bible and they say we are in the last days. Nigerians having been making the same mistakes since independence. They have been in supplication to these foreign gods since then but their fortune has been dwindling. Like the author mentioned that it was Nigerians' prayers that thwarted IBB's comeback bid and made Abacha to kick the bucket. This is a statement one expects from someone who has lived in a church all his life. In what way could it be said god answered our prayers in sending Abacha to the great beyond? Why would god wait for him to kill thousands of innocent souls before taking his life. And how would he be punished for his numerous murders? Does it mean the hottest part of hell would be reserved for him?On IBB, I could tell you that he still call the shots in Nigeria. The incumbent illegal president has been known to have consultations with him before and after the elections. The very fact that IBB is still alive shows that god must be selective in answering prayers. IBB equally committed murders among Nigerians. The author seems to be fixated on the US. If America's progress could be ascribed to their judeo-christian leaning, then which god is responsible for the peace, security and rapid development in China that surpass that of America? Prayers have never helped anybody to actualize his dreams. In history, the sanity in France was never brought about by prayers. The people revolted against the corrupt aristocracy by spilling their blood. Recently in Romania, the president and his wife were shot because of their crimes against the masses. But such would not happen in Nigeria because the country exists at the whims of some internal and external interests. Coupled with that, is the fact that Nigeria is a country of many nations. A revolution in Nigeria is practically impossible. Let an easterner rise up today to eliminate say IBB for his corrupt deeds. That would be an outright de3claration of war since the northerners would their leader has been killed due to sectional interests. This was what precipitated the civil war. Nzeogwu had noble intentions but ethnic allegiance is far stronger.All the different nations have their own aspirations and destiny. Until the country is disbanded, we shall never know peace. Posted by overdryv| 05.12.2007 04:19

overdryv  Villager

# 3 Nice write-up but the author needs to go the extra mile by emphasizing the truth that the god the white man imposed on Africans has failed woefully. The recent rebuke attributed to CAN president, Onaiyekan is a clear admission that prayers have failed us. This is to be expected because these alien religions have upset our traditional values and we have become disjointed. In a truly African setting, we dont pray to achieve something, we worked towards a goal and thank our ancestors thereafter. What role does prayer play in cultivating a field of crops? If one is able-bodied and not lazy, the yams you plant would eventually be nutured to maturity and be harvested. The problem of our elite is that they deceive the gullible masses by telling them that their salvation lies in the bible and the white man god. The elite themselves are people imbued with artificial intelligence since the knowledge they possess is of second hand value. The black man could never surpass the white man in physics, maths, space travel. There was a time we were hearing of the likes of Emegwali who claimed he was the father of the internet and one of Oyibo of GAGUT fame who said he has discovered the theory of everything. Now no one hears of them. Fela it was, who admitted the plain truth that we Africans must strive to excel in other areas completely different from the white man. If we can fly in groundnut shells from Lagos to Washington, then we must made a feat not equaled anywhere in the world. The bible could be a great book no doubt, but it makes little or no sense to the African because he is completely ignorant of the process that threw it up. It is a book he must commit to heart but only after studying the white man's language. What is the purpose of quoting the words of Jesus in the bible and forcing them down on a people most of whom have never visited a classroom? The author wrote that Jesus used to withdraw to the mountains to prayer. How would he rationalize that after saying Jesus is god. Its like praying to himself. If the bible should be the basis of salvation for mankind, then we Africans have been left out of the scheme of things. After 2000 years of christ supposed departure a lot of Africans have not seen a verse of the bible and they say we are in the last days. Nigerians having been making the same mistakes since independence. They have been in supplication to these foreign gods since then but their fortune has been dwindling. Like the author mentioned that it was Nigerians' prayers that thwarted IBB's comeback bid and made Abacha to kick the bucket. This is a statement one expects from someone who has lived in a church all his life. In what way could it be said god answered our prayers in sending Abacha to the great beyond? Why would god wait for him to kill thousands of innocent souls before taking his life. And how would he be punished for his numerous murders? Does it mean the hottest part of hell would be reserved for him?On IBB, I could tell you that he still call the shots in Nigeria. The incumbent illegal president has been known to have consultations with him before and after the elections. The very fact that IBB is still alive shows that god must be selective in answering prayers. IBB equally committed murders among Nigerians. The author seems to be fixated on the US. If America's progress could be ascribed to their judeo-christian leaning, then which god is responsible for the peace, security and rapid development in China that surpass that of America? Prayers have never helped anybody to actualize his dreams. In history, the sanity in France was never brought about by prayers. The people revolted against the corrupt aristocracy by spilling their blood. Recently in Romania, the president and his wife were shot because of their crimes against the masses. But such would not happen in Nigeria because the country exists at the whims of some internal and external interests. Coupled with that, is the fact that Nigeria is a country of many nations. A revolution in Nigeria is practically impossible. Let an easterner rise up today to eliminate say IBB for his corrupt deeds. That would be an outright declaration of war since the northerners would their leader has been killed due to sectional interests. This was what precipitated the civil war. Nzeogwu had noble intentions but ethnic allegiance is far stronger.All the different nations have their own aspirations and destiny. Until the country is disbanded, we shall never know peace. Posted by overdryv| 05.12.2007 04:23

tanibaba  Villager

# 4 Mr Odetunde I want to thank you for this article. Indeed you have examined an issue that has become a source of worry to so many Nigerians, but just as most of the other commentators before you, you have created more problems and have become part of the problem. There are certain principles that you have not considered and your understanding of the behaviour of the average Nigerian (especially the so-called poor ones) appears to be inadequate. Firstly you wrote: 1)Every time I look at the situations in Nigeria, it almost looks as if devil is more powerful than the God we pray to ever day. Every sin known to man is ascribed to the devil even the ones we consciously commit. Why does this look so and why does the devil look more powerful than God? The devil can never be more powerful than God although the devil will continue to increase his flock with those who have battered right for wrong. In this regard we can only rely on the holy books for guidance and it is clear - the road to heaven is narrow and the road to hell is wide. All manner of people from pastor to imam and followers will be partners on each route. 2) The devil has recruited all Nigerians but even then, those that tend to pray for Nigeria do not have the faith their prayers will be answered. The answer is said to be by “faith ye shall be answered.” Jesus talked the power of faith, philosophers preach it, politicians, robbers, and demonic gods believe it, why don’t born again Christians and Muslims act on their faith to change Nigeria? My brother this is far from the truth. The devil has not recruited all Nigerians. I thank God that I have not been recruited by the devil as I seek God’s face and I am guided , in most cases by His commands. It does not mean that I am a saint. I am human and commit sins once in a while. To understand this seeming paradox you may want to check the holy books for explanations. How do you know that Nigerians do not have the faith that their prayers will be answered. It may be true in some cases that people manipulate things and fake “testimonies” but your statement is an exaggerated generalization. Only God knows who put their trust in Him and He is there for them always. I am a living example. 3)Prayer, on the other hand, is prematurely thanking God for what we have already started actualizing and agreeing to with strong conviction will come to pass. Praying, believing and having faith in what we pray for are two different things. Faith can be liken to a bird that feels dawn breaking and still sings while it is still dark. We know that when God calls us to do something, He enables and provides us with the means to do it. Then, why is it that whenever we seek God to intercede on behalf through prayers, we do not show Him the conviction that we too believe in what we are praying for? Prayer only releases the power and wisdom of God into situations that is already consciously and actively requested by those who believe in what they are praying for. The statement is faulty because the nature of prayer is not properly understood by you. In Islam, prayer is of three types. The first which is the five daily prayers is indeed a DUTY that we owe the creator. It belongs to Him and it is done for Him alone. So when you see a muslim observing his/her five daily prayers it is not exclusively a sign of piety. Indeed people leave the mosque after prayers to commit heinous crimes. Is there any explanation in the Quran? Yes there are several. Check Suratul Maun, God has no use for the prayer of such people. Jesus was also quoted as saying that it is not all that call me Master that will enter the Kingdom. He told us not to pray like barbarians but to pray to our Father silently. So it is not the outward prayer that matters. The second type of prayer is the sunnah and the last is the one in which a muslim prays for favours from Allah. The last two are not compulsory and are for the sole benefit of the seeker 4) Christians and Muslims, on the other hand, just simply go through the mechanics of praying, most do not even believe in what they pray for nor do they have faith their God can perform the miracles they seek. Many Christians go to church to jump for joy, yell, shout Alleluia on Sundays but on Monday through Saturday they are busy dismantling what they pray for. You are right about this. What is the effect of our Godliness on our daily lives. ZERO. One pastor recently told me that it would have been worse if people are not going through this hollow rituals or gyrations. My answer to him was that God may also have decided to punish us for trivializing the worship of Him and turning His house into a casino. 5) Many of us pray for good roads, constant electricity, safety of lives and properties, good healthcare delivery system but when we are given contracts to provide any of these, we think first of how to be rich without executing the contract. When we speak and pray to God we continue to ask for restoration of these amenities. When electricity does not work, we are the ones shutting it off by our actions. When there is no water, we are the ones turning the tap off form our own facets. When the roads are bad, we are the ones digging the potholes. When our fellow citizens die on our roads we are the ones killing them by our inactions and when there is no good healthcare system, we contributed in no small way to it. Let us first stop the needless prayer and make sure that we stop what is not making our system work then call on the almighty for His intervention. You are right here too. It is a sign of the depth to which we have fallen. Instead of our pastors seeking after the fruits of righteousness they are preoccupied with earthly things and the followers are so blind and afraid that they cant call them to order. Well Nigerians know what is bad but they are not, in most cases willing to change the situation because of the expectation of profit from such abnormalities. It is the Obiageli spirit in all of us that makes us condone and encourage these things even when we know it is wrong. Everybody looks for what they will benefit. I have been crucified several times for standing up for the truth and fighting against corruption. But it is your colleagues that will fight you and call you all manner of names. Some even said I am a foolish man and that I cannot be rich without stealing. But I thank God that I didn’t have to steal a penny to achieve all that God has given to me today. Even those churches provide jobs, business opportunities for both their followers and the press (especially the electronic media) . So who is interested in the costs to society? Definitely not my people , they will rather sing LET THE MUSIC PLAY ON. My brother you have tried but the matter is not resolved yet……………………..A people get the type of society that they build. Chikena taslim ? Posted by tanibaba| 06.12.2007 05:53