Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed optimism that the current clouds and travails covering Nigeria would give way to a glorious and bright new nation.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Friday, said the vice president spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast, which was held at the NAF Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.
Former Head of State, retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Dr Samson Ayokunle, among other notable Nigerians attended the meeting.
According to Osinbajo, the new nation is birthing already; it is covered by a cloud, but the cloud will pass, and God Almighty will take all of the glory for the birthing of a new nation.
He said that the theme of the Prayer breakfast, the “Birth of a New Nation”, was significant, especially with the current challenges.
The vice president harped on the need for collective prayers, faith, hope and action, adding that Nigeria would prevail over the current challenges.
“Today’s National Prayer Breakfast comes at a time of great travail and tribulation for the nation: in the throes of a pandemic for well over a year, leading to a severe economic downturn, loss of jobs and livelihoods.
“And as we climbed out of the recession, we have been faced with an unprecedented scale of insecurity, in different zones of the nation.
“But we know that every time that a nation where the lives of the children of God are challenged, it is God’s call to His people to take action.
“It is an opportunity for God to demonstrate that He is God over the nations, that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, that He knows the beginning from the end.
“But God also wants us to know that He has ordained us to speak to life.”
Osinbajo recalled the work and prophetic actions of men and women of faith who played vital roles in nation-building during biblical times.
According to him, the Scripture has consistently shown that children of God are central to the birth of a new nation and the rebirth of nations.
“They must desire the change, cry to God, be ready to make the sacrifice of repentance.
“As we are the salt, we are also the light, the light ends the darkness; it marks the end of the night of weeping and marks the glorious sunlight of the morning of joy.
“So, the pouring of the salt into the source of the water, the source of the problem, is the prophetic act we perform today.
“2 Kings 2:19-22—we, the salt, are also poured today by prayer and prophecy, to the source of our nation’s problems.
“And as we pray and prophesy, a new nation will be birthed; one where, like the city to which Elisha went, the land was healed, the people prospered and peace and joy prevailed.”
Osinbajo thanked the organisers, as well as CAN and Gowon whom he described as the father of the Nigerian Prays movement.
The vice president commended Gowon for his commitment and dedication to the nation from his youth, when he was Head of State.
“When he led the fight to keep Nigeria one, to his later years as an elder statesman where his well-seasoned words uttered in Godly wisdom have counseled our nation’s leaders for decades,” he said.(NAN)
