The NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR

MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 20th - Sunday 26th May 2024

NIGERIA: THE DILEMMA AND THE WAY OUT

In 1 Chro. 12:32, the Bible talks about “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.”  Every season has its peculiar characteristics that demand skillful understanding of how it should be handled.  “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl. 3:1).  There is a time for war and a time for peace; there is a to love and a time to hate.  How one handles a time of war would be different from how one would handle a time of peace. The peculiarity of each season demands wisdom, insight, and foresight.

That Nigeria is in crisis is no longer news.  That it stinks globally due to corruption and unrighteousness is neither a secret. The issue now is, what should be done to restore normalcy? What does this season demand? 

Several intellectuals and well-meaning citizens have identified the number one obstacle to peace, progress, and prosperity of Nigeria: the fraudulent and illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended). Many analysts have dissected the 1999 Constitution and authoritatively affirmed that, so long as that document is in force as the sovereign document of Nigeria, the country is not going anywhere.

With this awareness, which is in the public domain, it beats the imagination how a country of over 200 million people could fold the hands and allow the situation to persist. Nigeria neither lacks intellectuals nor is destitute of human rights activists, yet a Constitution responsible for daily bloodshed in the land, for the penury of the people and discord amongst the citizens has been allowed to operate for twenty-five years.

This season demands the rising of all citizens in Nigeria to unanimously demand that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) be decommissioned and set aside. New constitutional arrangements are required urgently to initiate the rebuilding of the country. The so-called “amendment” exercise by the National Assembly is nothing but a political distraction. The current exercise would be the 6th alteration to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) without any positive result in the country. 

The political class, which profits enormously from the dysfunctional constitution, would not be willing to support new constitutional arrangements. It is not a secret that most of the politicians place their selfish interests above that of the country. However, they are able to persist only for as long as the people permit it. The illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended) acknowledges in its Section 14 (2)a that “sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority.” If sovereignty belongs to the people, why would the politicians not listen to the people? It is because the people have not spoken. Individuals and groups are speaking, but "the people" have not spoken.

If Nigerians are tired of suffering, it is time for the people to speak and demand new constitutional arrangements for the country. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) has been given 25 years to operate. That should be enough. The people should organize themselves to raise their voices all over the land against oppression, suppression, and regression.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should be congratulated for taking up the case of workers in the land, by demanding wage reviews. This is commendable, but it does not provide the answer that this season requires. The season does not demand salary increase. Rather, it is calling for a complete overhaul of governance. It does not matter how much wage increase NLC is able to negotiate, inflation will soon wipe it off. There was a time in this country when the monthly salary of a university graduate was N484.00. A brand-new car was sold for N4,804.00, while a three-bedroom flat could be rented at N200.00 per month. This was in the 80s. Today, all those goods and services are transacted in millions of Naira.

The current season in Nigeria is calling for new constitutional arrangements to renegotiate Nigeria. Why should a Federation have only one constitution? Each federating unit, whether it is state or region, should have its constitution, which it will use to negotiate its position within the union. As of today, there is no union. There is only a geographical area held together at gunpoint. If NLC, as the official representative of the Nigerian workers, is truly desirous of solving the problem of the workers, it should drop the agitation for salary increase and demand new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. 

The combination of the voice of the Nigeria Labour Congress with that of the other trade/professional unions like ASUU, NBA, TUC, NASSU, NMA, NUJ, MAN, NUT, etc, and the voice of the ethnic nationalities will dismantle every resistance to new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. The people have suffered enough.

Nigerians are not poor people requiring salary increase. They are freeborns whose sovereignty has been hijacked by hostile forces for the purposes of racial, cultural, and political domination. Therefore, the focus of Nigerians should be on regaining their sovereignty and liberty as a people. Consequently, agitating for salary increase while ignoring the weighty matter of the liberty of the people is not the perfect way to go for now. 

This prayer call is inviting all readers to become an advocate for the liberty of Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) has become an instrument of oppression and regression in the country. The land is mourning because the people are in bondage. It is time to break the chains and dismantle the shackles of oppression. 

For additional information, readers might wish to refer to two previous prayer calls entitled "WHO OWNS NIGERIA " (Parts 1 & 2). This prayer call should be shared for awareness, mobilization, and prayers. As we pray, we must be prepared to speak out so that the ethnic nationalities will rise as one to put in place new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. 

Our prayers must be backed with action. Faith without works is dead.

PRAYER POINTS

1.    Ps 124 
Thank God for sustaining Nigeria over the years. The attacks and conspiracies against the country have been many, but God in His mercy has sustained the country.

2.    Ps. 133 
Pray that God will pour the anointing of unity upon all the divergent groups in Nigeria so that they will act as one to give Nigeria new constitutional arrangements.

3.    Matt. 15: 13 
Pray that God will uproot any individual or group of individuals that stands in the way of new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. Pray that such opposing persons shall be neutralized by the power of God.

4.    Isaiah 8:9–10 
Pray that every foreign nation that opposes the liberty and progress of Nigeria shall be broken in pieces and all their conspiracies nullified by God.

5.    Luke 10: 18 – 19 
Take authority over Satan and all the forces of darkness contending God’s purpose for Nigeria. Take authority over Leviathan and nullify all its powers with the Blood of Jesus Christ.

6.    Isaiah 26:9–11 
Pronounce judgment on all evil priests and priestesses servicing satanic altars and shrines in the country. Shut down every portal they have opened to hell.

7.    Isaiah 32:13–18 
Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit all over Nigeria, for the healing of the land and the restoration of the people.