President Goodluck Jonathan use ‘God’ blasphemously as excuse for his failures as President of Nigeria

Posted on 14 April 2012.

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that though he and his team may not have been the best hands for the job, God knows why he put them at the helm of affairs in Nigeria.

Speaking at a national breakfast meeting which was held at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Saturday morning to intercede for the nation, the President noted that by God’s grace this government will not fail and was very optimistic that the nation will change for good.

“I always make my supplications to God that in selecting me as the President of this country, the Vice President, the Governors, members of the national assembly, the ministers, we are not the best material but God knows why he choose us and we pray He should use us to change this country.

“We believe that with God using us collectively we will be able to transform this country. We all as Nigerians we want a better country, we want a country that there would be peace, power, that will take care of our health needs, that we can move freely from one part of the country to the other, that our children will have hope. And God sometimes use most impossible cause to solve human,” he said.

President Jonathan also said that as daunting as the challenges facing Nigeria may appear, he trusts in the efficacy of the Bible truth that the prayer of the righteous avails much adding that Nigeria will emerge from this, a stronger nation.

“With unwavering faith in God and renewed recommittment to the national course by us all, I’m confident that Nigeria will emerge from these trying times a stronger, more united, more stable and more prosperous nation.

“Now than ever before our nation’s leadership needs to rededicate itself to the realisation of the grand vision of one big strong multi ethnic, multi cultural, diverse but united nation which steered our founding fathers. We must live above that primordial tendencies which can only compromise our growth as nation. We should be guided by the ideals of justice, equity, selflessness and above all the fear of God in every conduct public or private,” he said.

President Jonathan noted that the country can only attain its heights and endowement which God has destined if Nigerians are individually prepared to make the requisite sacrifice as “championing narrowing sectional courses does not add value to our national development efforts”.

He reiterated his commitment to fulfilling promises made during his electioneering campaign saying “Our administration was voted into office by overwhelming majority of Nigerians cutting across ethnic, social, cultural and even political barriers. We therefore owe all Nigerians the sacred duty to toil endlessly for the enhanced welfare and wellbeing of all. This is a duty I have vowed to commit my all to achieve.

“I am aware that the task of national transformation is daunting one, I am however more aware that there is nothing that God cannot do. With Him on our side I am confident every stumbling block on our way shall become a stepping stone into national rebirth.I assure you that our trials at all times for the greatest good of the greatest number guided always by the fear of God.”

The President enjoined Nigerians to continue in prayers for the nation and those at the helm of affairs and to focus on building the bridge of love and enduring harmony across all barriers. “We all have equal stake in the Nigerian project” he said.

Earlier in his message, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor said it was pertinent that Nigeria builds an altar.

Reading from the book of Judges 6:25-26 he explained in his own words that an altar is a place where God meets with man and man meets with God. A place where there is a trafficking of spirits either positive or negative.

He identified four altars, the family, church, personal and national altar and said the gathering of the day was that of the national altar and at the national altar there is power to change the situation of Nigeria.

He spoke of Gideon who was supposed to be a great man instead lived like a mere man because the people of Isreal were sacrificing on the wrong altar and asked “Is this not the situation with Nigeria today? A rich but poor country, a giant yet crawling”. He noted that this maybe because of wicked men who sacrifice different things on different altars.

He noted that there are two kinds of sacrifices that Nigeria has to make. The sacrifice of righteousness: he explained that Holiness is not necessarily the absence of sin, but the presence of repentance.

“One of the greatest things that ever happened to Ngeria is the transformation agenda. But it must find its expression on the altar” he said adding that men and women must go to God with conscience in their hearts.

Speaking of the pension scam he said a lot of people have lost their conscience. Lack of conscience he said is also why people can go into worship houses and detonate bombs.

“I believe Nigeria will be transformed but there must be a conscioous effort by those handling the affairs of the nation to constantly go to God’s altar”.

The second sacrifice is that of prayer. He noted that christians are becoming discouraged by their continuous prayers as nothing seems to be happening. “we must not judge God’s ability to perform by what we see but by what we know” he said.

Oritsejafor concluded his message by using the example of Elijah and his servant in the days of famine. He said, “the hand of man is not on Nigeria, but the hand of God is on Nigeria and it shall not go under”.

Former Heads of State, Governors, ministers, members of the diplomatice corps, the Vice President of Kenya, judges, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives as well as leaders from churches in Nigeria were present at the breakfast prayer meeting which held at the banquet hall of the Preidential Villa.

The programme which was birthed by the current administration, is the second to be held in what has turned to be an annual gathering.
Culled from Daily Times