President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday raised the alarm that evil forces were working to derail Nigeria.
He, however, said if Nigerians sought the face of God wholeheartedly, He would empower them to overcome all the forces.
Jonathan spoke at the third Presidential National Breakfast Prayer held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“In the book of Jeremiah, God said, ‘If
you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.’ May we seek Him with
all our hearts so that He can empower us to overcome all the evil
forces trying to derail this nation. May we seek Him with all our hearts
to let His light shine over our nation and to guide us in leading our
great nation to its destined goal,” the President said.
Jonathan stated that if all Nigerians
resolved to do what was right and serve as change agents, the country
would get to its right destination and would become a great nation.
“Providence has placed us all at our
various posts at this particular time in our nation’s journey to
greatness, therefore we must not be deterred or be weary in spirit at
this time. We must be hopeful, focused and watchful to overcome all that
is evil confronting our nation. We should believe in the saying of the
scriptures that with men, it is impossible but with God all things are
possible,” Jonathan added.
Justifying the annual prayer session
which he started in 2010, the President said prayer was the way ordained
for men to link up with their creator.
He said the session had become a forum to establish God’s link at the Presidential Villa.
Pastor Julius Falola of Kano-based
Believers’ Foundation of Nigeria, delivered the sermon at the prayer
session that featured special prayer sessions for the country, its
leaders and the citizens.
Falola said God had great promises for
nations that submit to Him and that, “He would make their adversaries
fall before them and make them creditors and lender, to others.”
Meanwhile, the President’s wife,
Patience, was conspicuously absent at the prayer session, which was
attended by dignitaries including former Head of the Interim National
Government, Ernest Shonekan; Deputy President of the Senate, Ike
Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka
Ihedioha; Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State; Governor Gabriel Suswam
of Benue State; his wife, Yemisi; members of the diplomatic corps and
top government officials among others.
Mrs. Jonathan returned to the country on
Friday evening from what is believed to be another round of medical
treatment in Germany.
Some of her aides however attended the session.
A source told our correspondent that Mrs. Jonathan was resting after her Friday trip.
Meanwhile, the Prelate, Methodist
Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Makinde, has berated northern leaders for
seeking amnesty for members of violent sect, Boko Haram, without
identifying them.
He said leadership failure in the North was responsible for the insurgency in the region.
He described the call for amnesty by the
North as a bait, warning President Jonathan not to succumb to the
pressure. He said the amnesty, if hurriedly granted, would be
counterproductive.
Indications had emerged after a meeting
between Jonathan and the Northern Elders Forum at the Presidential
Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, that Jonathan was considering granting
amnesty to members of the sect as a way out of the ongoing insurgency.
In an interview with our correspondent,
Makinde however said it would be premature to grant amnesty to Boko
Haram until northern leaders, who are calling for amnesty, invite its
members for a public dialogue.
The cleric, who accused the leaders of
knowing members of Boko Haram, said dialogue and amnesty should be put
on hold until the leaders identified the fundamentalists, as they were
not “ghosts.” According to him, amnesty could not be given by proxy.
Makinde said, “The warning I’m giving is that what Boko Haram is doing now will set the North back for about 20 to 25 years.
“Boko Haram has set the North back
because no local, regional, national or international investor will ever
go there to invest because they have destroyed what some people
laboured for years to achieve.”
Makinde said amnesty could only be granted to members of Boko Haram, if their reasons were justifiable.
He argued that the Niger Delta militants
were justified because they fought for the control of their resources
and for being neglected.
PUNCH
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