I can’t solve Nigeria’s problems alone President

Ist October, 2012 by Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

               President Goodluck Jonathan.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said he could not single-handedly surmount the challenges confronting the nation.

Jonathan, at an  interdenominational church service to mark  the 52nd independence anniversary of the nation  at the National Christian Centre, Abuja,  stated  that only the collective efforts of all would take the country forward.

He  expressed the conviction that the problems of the nation would soon become things of the past.

The theme of the service was “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.”

The President said, “Leadership at all levels of government is a collective thing. One person cannot change a nation. The President, governors, lawmakers, members of the judiciary alone cannot do it.

“The leader matters but he cannot change things alone. All Nigerians, men and women, will change things in the country.

“If God can use Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, in all arms of governments, I believe we have many Nehemiahs. There are many of them among teachers, artisans, and clergy.

“God will use these various Nehemiahs to rebuild this country. I can say again that Nigeria will succeed; with our cooperation we shall succeed!”

Jonathan said if the nation must rise above  diseases, insecurity and other ills, Nigerians must earnestly play their roles  and intercede for the land.

He said his administration had succeeded in sanitising the electoral process and assured stakeholders that more efforts were being put into the government’s anti-corruption war.

He said although the works might not be obvious to many now,  his administration had also been doing well in the economic sector.

 Promising  that his administration would continue to work hard on the security challenges in some parts of the country, he added that he and his aides would not sleep until power supply    stabilises in the country.

In his sermon at the service, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, described the fundamentalist  Islamic sect, Boko Haram, as a terrorist organisation.

Oritsejafor said the sect was being funded by some politicians who wanted to create political space for themselves as well as some outsiders who  desired Nigeria’s disintegration

He said, “Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation; you and I know it. The activities of Boko Haram are not fuelled by poverty but by a religious fundamentalist ideology.

“Boko Haram is funded from within by people who desire to use them to create political space for themselves and funded from without by those who want to see Nigeria divided along religious-ethnic lines.

“Boko Haram is also sustained by media apologist who feed the unsuspecting public with politically- incorrect half-truths.”

Oritsejafor said as a nation, if Nigerians were serious about getting answers to national prayers, they must turn from their wicked ways.

 The cleric identified the two conditions necessary for answered prayers as humility and turning from wickedness.

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in his remarks said the nation’s independence anniversary called for a sober reflection and more prayer and supplication from all.

He said, “Together we can rescue our nation from its present difficulties. Nigeria would have been worst of if not for prayers.

“We have a divine responsibility to pray for the peace of our land, a nation bombarded with multiplicity of challenges. I urge church leadership to put on the armour of prayer to seek divine intervention from God. We must begin the process of mobilisation for prayers.”

Senate President David Mark read the first lesson of the service while Jonathan read the second.

Other dignitaries at the service were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice- President Alex Ekwueme, members and the  leadership of the National Assembly, ministers, service chiefs, diplomatic corps and captains of industry.