Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A former Nigeria Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has declared that prayer remained the only potent weapon to stop the myriad of killings in the country.
Gen. Gowon, who is Chairman and Convener of Nigeria Prays, stated this, at the weekend, in his opening remarks to open the National Prayer Conference with the theme ‘Lord Rend the Heavens’ at the Ecumenical Centre, Igbogene, Bayelsa State.
According to him, prayers can solve Nigeria’s problems better and faster than military generals and soldiers can do with physical weapons of war.
He assured Nigerians that God will honour the collective prayers and intercession for the nation, and advised the people to shun violence and retaliation.
Gowon stated that Governor Dickson has demonstrated his faith in God by building the Ecumenical Centre and urged other state governors to emulate his noble and progressive initiative to provoke God’s blessings.
Governor Dickson who also spoke at the event lamented what he called the continued wanton killing which is said is symptomatic of a failed state, called for prayers for the country to surmount all the challenges facing it.
While calling on Nigerians to unite in prayers and resolve to work together to ensure fairness, justice, equity and equal citizenship, he challenged the leaders across the Nation to take the responsibility to stop the bloodletting.
His words “In this country, God’s children, human beings irrespective of the God they worship are being slaughtered mercilessly, remorselessly in many parts of the country.
“Our nation is bleeding; we must unite in prayers and resolve to do what is right and fair. Our nation should be a nation of fairness, justice, equity, equal citizenship and United by common ideals of being the greatest black nation.
“We are united by our common shared humanity and nationality, so injustice and unfairness anywhere should be a concern to anyone and everyone in our nation.
“I join you in praying that the bloodletting, unnecessary killings in our nation under any shape or guise ends in Jesus name. God should intervene so that people will feel the need to do the right thing, be fair and just to one another.
“Anyone who denies his fellow man justice is less human than his victim because what qualifies us humans created in the image of God is our belief in doing what is right and just. So I call for a just, egalitarian, fair Nigeria where everyone is proud to call his or her country. No one should play the ostrich”.