BY the projections of the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, 313 individuals will recite the Qur’an, culminating in the recitation of the Holy text 2,191 times for national stability over seven days. On the Christian side, “prayer warriors” [whatever that means] will meet at the National Ecumenical Centre for a week of intense prayers. The warriors will come from various denominations in the spiritual exercise focusing their efforts on the nation’s adversities.
That is a massive outpouring of prayers through which “we believe that with God’s wisdom, our leaders and citizens will find the strength to confront our common enemies,” according to Chief Segun Balogun Afolorunikan, Director-General of the National Prayer Forum (NPF). I thought the NPF acronym is supposed to be the exclusive of the Police just like their uniform. For daring to cross the red line without authorisation, Very Dark Man in his bid to create exciting content was said to have adorned himself in Police officer’s uniform without permission, is being prosecuted. Well, being that the wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the spearhead of the current prayer venture, the Police will maintain their lane. For the NPF, a special platform with a hilarious theme, “Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs”, has been coined. I am not sure the organisers are implying that God has not been involved in Nigeria’s affair until they came up with their latest prayer venture. But with the involvement of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, this prayerton is unprecedented and will be decisive.
It is not like Nigerians are being summoned to pray for the country for the first time. General Yakubu Gowon, former head of state who led the country through a fracticidal civil war, left his well deserved peaceful life in retirement to convene Nigeria Prays in 1996 to, according to him, “put an end to the various problems plaguing Nigeria.”
As desirable as prays are, even Gowon had to wade through some potential political landmines to engage in it. Late Sani Abacha was head of state then and he had to secure his buy-in before he and his group could pray.
“I did not want to go to jail because at that time the situation in the country was not palatable. You never know what you could do that would lead you to jail. And I did not want to experience the mosquitoes in Kirikiri. That was why I had to get the nod of General Abacha because he probably would not understand why we had to pray and could in fact have read meaning to our prayers.”
You see, prayers can be risky, even dangerous. Thankfully, there is no such concern for the NPF. All loopholes have been covered. Rather than have any fear, participants can consider the latest one bountiful and rewarding. The 313 people to recite the Holy Qur’an over seven days having a herculean task. They have to travel from their abode to the National Mosque in Abuja, get accommodated and fed over the period. For their prayer warrior counterparts, they have to be head hunted from various denominations first. The head hunters have to be impressed with their prayer prowess during auditioning, I guess.
Like every labourer, the NPF brigade would have earned their pay after seven days. They should be paid. If not, and I hope not, it will be an incomplete exercise. As Godswill Akpabio, our Senate President admonished fellow Nigerians, whenever you see free food, go and chop there. On Akpabio’s advise, I am his full agreement. Free food is hard to find. I would love to be part of prayer bonanza given how expensive food is to find. But it will not take rocket science for the head hunters to disqualify me if I apply to be one of prayer warriors.
My major handicap which I will be unable to disguise is that I do not believe in praying for leaders, not just Nigerian leaders. When I am in church and the presiding minister calls for prayers for leaders, I switch off or pray for us, the people, to strive to hold leaders accountable. Before a politician offers himself to ‘serve’ the people, I believe he already knows the challenges facing the country and the path to our redemption. Despite this fact, Nigerians vociferously pray for their leaders for God to guide them in doing what is right and just. But it is like the more leaders are prayed for, the worse they become.
By 1996 when Gowon founded his Nigeria Prays, he thought the people were living through excruciating times. But the minimum wage at the time actually took workers home. People went to their farms and travelled across without fear of their safety. There was a thriving middle class and the average Nigerian who could read bought newspapers of their choice. About 28 years later, the president’s wife and the country’s National Security Adviser are so concerned with the state of affairs that they are asking God to directly take over the Nigeria.
Since they consider the leadership incapable of getting the job done, they may have to tell God to create the tablet that will provide the guide on how to “confront our common enemies”. But first, the Moses that will go receive the tablets from God from wherever just as the biblical Moses did those days will have tobe so designated. Probably, they may ask God to name a new set of leaders to do God’s will. Whatever option they choose, the First Lady may not find it enobling. Will her husband, the President, not be undermined? For the prayer warriors on both sides of the aisle, my advise is listen to Godswill Akpabio. Whenever they are done with the prayerton, their people will be waiting to get their own share of free food. They must bring food to their folks.
