My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am most thankful to God for the privilege of life and to be here with you to mark the first year of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
All so soon, one year has passed. The word of the psalmist in Psalm 90:12 on an occasion like this comes to mind: “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom”.
As we count our days so also must we count our blessings and the promises of God for our great country. For indeed God has been faithful to us as a nation. Many nations may not have withstood the several pressures and challenges that continue to confront us as a people but by God’s grace, we still continue to stand and we will prevail. Although it appears as though these are trying times, I am confident that the Lord’s work of restoration will surely bring Nigeria to the promised land — and Nigeria shall fulfill its purpose of being a land flowing with milk and honey for all her people.
But as scripture reminds us, God will only act and quicken his work of healing our nation when His people act with integrity of heart and seek his face in prayer and repentance. Brothers and Sisters, the startling levels of wrongdoing by people of influence who also profess faith in Christ have added in no small means to the current condition of the nation. As people of faith we have to be deeply aware of our faith, and not just observe the rituals of professing Him while ignoring the conscience of virtuous action. So here’s an attempt to reflect aloud on what we must continue to set our sights on — all of us — Christians in government, in business, and other places of influence.
Our faith starts and ends with the example of Jesus. Jesus’ main preoccupation in His first coming was the lives of people; the poor, sick, and rejected. Jesus goes so far as to suggest that caring for the poor — or neglecting to do so — is caring for or neglecting Him. As Christians, we must take the welfare of the poor and vulnerable in our society very seriously. We must detest all acts of corruption that take away resources that could address the needs of the poor and put them in private hands. Also, we must champion giving, and support systems that promote this objective. This is why I am appealing to you Brothers and Sisters to begin to pray for this administration’s Social Investment Programme. This plan as a first of its kind intends to provide hope and substance to millions of our brothers and sisters who are struggling to survive. We must become personal champions of this programme.
In the center of our faith as Christians stands the mystery that God chose to reveal his divinity to us by submitting Himself unreservedly to the service of man in all humility- the one who was from the beginning with God and who was God revealed himself as a small, impotent child; as a refugee in Egypt; as an obedient adolescent and inconspicuous adult; as a preacher from Galilee followed by some simple fishermen; as a man who ate with sinners and talked with strangers; as an outcast, a threat to his people. He moved from power to powerlessness, from greatness to smallness, from success to failure, from strength to weakness, from glory to ignominy. The whole life of Jesus of Nazareth was a life lived in total submission and ultimately death! But afterwards,glory came! And now every knee must bow to His name. We have to submit totally to a service of virtue in our land. It cannot be halfhearted. We must be humble and place the interest of others above ours. We must shun the clannishness that rejects as strangers those who are not of our ethnic stock. We must sacrifice what we must, voluntarily, as we press forward to the Promised Land.
The glory of a restored Nigeria is in your actions, sacrifices and prayers. I believe that God who has brought us this far will not take us back again. The wilderness pangs that we feel now will soon be gone. Herein lies our hope, herein lies our confidence that God is with us and He will never let us stumble.
May I encourage you all my dear brothers and sisters to keep your voices in continuous prayer for our nation. Continue to declare good things concerning the future of this country and our destiny as a people. Let us continue in thanksgiving to our Lord.
It is well with Nigeria in Jesus name. Thank you so much and God bless you all.
