The NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 9th – 15th Feb. 2026
TOWARDS 2027
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness (Ecc. 10:16-17).
In Sophocles' “Oedipus Rex,” fate is offered as a force that none can escape. Many try to present themselves as someone other than they truly are. Villains have sought the honour of heroes, and others who have sought claims to nobility have turned out to be base fellows. It does not matter how long one pretends, true character shows up in the end. In Sophocles' play, King Oedipus' life was summarized as follows:
“Learn, then, that mortal man must look to his own end, / And none can be called happy till the day they carry / Their happiness down to the grave in peace." Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe added a pungent quote to that maxim when he said, “Never call a man fortunate until you see his end.”
In recent times, two people were presented to Nigerians as great leaders whose potentials the country needed to tap from. The hype around those two was so great that if God had not allowed them to lead the country, people would have turned their graves into worship centres. In the eyes of their cult followers, those men had assumed mythical proportions that men were prepared to die to defend, especially their acclaimed leadership prowess. Both became presidents, and the presidency exposed their true character.
Under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria had 33 million people living below poverty level. Supporters of the APC arose, chanting “CHANGE”, claiming that they would take Nigeria to Eldorado, that “33 million poor people in a land flowing with milk and honey was too much”. They were going to “CHANGE” the obnoxious figures. Three years after becoming president, instead of reducing the poverty level in Nigeria, Buhari in 2018 increased the figure to 87 million Nigerians living below poverty level. He added 54 million poor people to the statistics of poverty, and turned Nigeria into the "poverty capital of the world." Today, no one in Nigeria will chant “Sai Baba”. Baba got demystified.
Then came the current tenant in Aso Villa. The praise singers went to work, chanting that someone who had “built” Lagos could build a modern Nigeria. Fortunately, Nigerians were not persuaded. So, “he snatched it, grabbed it, and ran with it.” One year after forcefully entering into Aso Villa, he added 52 million Nigerians to the poverty figure left by Buhari. The official figure of Nigerians living below poverty level rose to 139 million. Some economic observers claim it is 141 million people living below poverty level in Nigeria.
If those two had not been presidents, they might have claimed the title ascribed to Chief Obafemi Awolowo: “the best president Nigeria never had.” It is instructive to note that it was after his death that Awolowo was call “the Sage”. It is the end that matters.
Between Buhari and Tinubu, the APC added 106 million poor people to the poverty figure that the PDP had left behind in 2015. They practically pauperized Nigerians. Instead of providing solutions to the problems of the country. Both presidents resorted to blaming the opposition for their every failure whereas available statistics was to the effect that the opposition had been far better than they were.
As the country prepares for another election in 2027, all things being equal, Nigerians are invited to conduct a comparative analysis of the cost of living under the PDP and the APC. This is not a campaign for the PDP or any party. The National Prayer Altar is not a card-carrying member of any political party. However, as citizens, everyone has the right to evaluate the performance of government in preparation for a next election, if God should permit it to take place.
A similar analysis was done in the prayer call entitled "THE LOCUST INVASION." In the present exercise, the percentage differential shall be presented while the scope of the items shall increase, which will enable Nigerians to see how the country fares under the APC government, and prepare Nigerians to take their destiny into their own hands.
These figures are easily verifiable because they are obtained from the public domain, and any interested person can conduct a personal research to confirm if they are correct. There is no pleasure derived from sharing this data. It is very distressing, yet the reasons for sharing it are:
1. That this data would get to government officials, particularly the President, and he would reassess the performance of his government;
2. That Nigerians would consider this data and be guided in their decision at the next elections.
The percentage differential in the prices of basic items in the country was compared for 2014 and 2026. The percentage of increase in cost of selected items in Nigeria are as follows:
50 kg bag of rice +550%
50 kg bag of beans +800%
50 kg bag of garri +463%
Loaf of bread +900%
Fuel (PMS – per litre) +798% to +1050%
Diesel (per litre) +900%
Kerosene (per litre) +567%
House rent (1-bed urban) +700%
Nigerian passport +200% to +400%
Cement (50 kg bag) +300%
Toyota Camry car (used) +500%
Electricity unit (₦/kWh) +167% to +300%
Dollar rate depreciation 687%
According to available figures, in 2014, 33% of Nigerians lived in poverty. By 2026, the figure has risen to 62%. There is 88% increase in poverty in Nigeria relative to the 2014 rate.
One is not unmindful of the often-acclaimed efforts of the Tinubu administration at “reforms”. However, a reform that cannot improve the standard of living of the people should be interrogated. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), quoting World Bank sources, published in October 2025 that “Tinubu reforms fail to lift 139 million Nigerians out of poverty.” It was therefore curious when another World Bank official, the Managing Director of Operations, Anna Bjerde, visited Nigeria last week and in publicised media commented that she extolled the effectiveness of the “reforms” of the Tinubu administration. One wonders with what magic the Tinubu administration was able to perform, between October 2025 and February 2026 to warrant such encomiums. It would have been good news if the government’s “reforms” are working, unfortunately, the evidence is yet to be seen or felt by the citizens.
As pointed out in previous prayer calls, the APC government is good in two areas: corruption and propaganda. This matter was addressed in last week’s Marathon Prayer call entitled "A LAND OF FALSEHOOD."
To date, the APC government has not told Nigerians to where N210 trillion disappeared to in NNPC, or who has been prosecuted for N6 trillion that vanished in NDDC. Meanwhile, there has been no response on how the APC government spent N17.5 trillion in one year on “pipeline security and related costs”. That figure is the equivalent of twelve years fuel subsidy.
While the situation in the country is fluid, vis-à-vis the pressure placed on the unity of Nigeria by Islamic terrorists, it is a matter of concern that government is yet to demonstrate verifiable commitment to the well-being of Nigerians. To date, the impression created by the ruling APC party is that it is in government to loot national resources. No amount of propaganda can erase this perception. Chief Akinwumi Akinfenwa wrote an article with a very telling title: “STOP INSULTING NIGERIANS: An Economy That Works Only in Government Speeches Is a Fraud.”
As Christians, we call on the President Tinubu to review his performance and curtail excessive corruption in his government. He should also heed the call of well-meaning Nigerians and initiate the process of giving Nigeria a new constitution. The country should return to regional autonomy so that the federating units can develop at their own pace and remove the pressure for development from the Federal Government.
The President should bear in mind that he will be judged by his actions while in government, not by what sycophants and propaganda mercenaries say. A situation in which in 2014, one in three Nigerians was considered poor while in 2026, two in every three Nigerians is poor should make any conscientious leader worried.
God bless Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Ps. 10:12-18
Pray that God will render powerless all those perpetrating evil and wickedness in Nigeria.
2. Nah. 3:4-7
Pray that every evil altar that is promoting wickedness in Nigeria shall be destroyed by the power that is in the Blood of Jesus Christ.
3. Ps. 149:5-9
Execute judgment on all priests and priestesses servicing satanic altars and evil covenants in Nigeria.
4. Ez. 21:25-27
Pray that the power base of all the evil and wicked rulers in Nigeria shall be destroyed.
5. Ps. 7:9-13
Pray that wicked men shall no longer have access to the throne of the country.
6. Ps. 72:11-14
Pray that God will raise Godly and righteous leaders for Nigeria who will pity the poor and care for the needy.
7. Ps. 65:1-4
Thank God for the release of all the kidnapped Christians from Kurmin Wali in Kaduna State on 18th January 2026.
AMEN
