President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he gets encouraged by the various challenges the Isrealites in the Bible went through and overcame, assuring that Nigeria will overcome it’s current challenges.
He said this when he gave his short remarks at the Christ Apostolic Church, Area 1, Durumi, Abuja, where he join worshippers in Sunday service alongside his mother, Madam Eunice, Chief of Staff. Brig. Gen. Jones Arogbofa, Chief Physician, Dr. Fortune Fiberesima, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati among others.
The President who said that 2015 would be turbulent because of the elections, however expressed confidence that God will see the nation through.
“Next year is a tempting year for us. Elections year in third world countries is always a turbulent year with all kinds of predictions.
“I however believe that the God who brought us to this level will see us through.
“All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for us politicians, myself and other politicians from all political parties, for God to guide us in our utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions.
“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray to God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our own personal ambition.
“There are so many good Nigerians that can hold the offices we are occupying or aspiring to occupy, it is by privilege of God that we are here in positions to ask for the mandates of Nigerians.
“None of us should begin to think that he is the best person to be anywhere from state houses of assembly to the President. There are a thousand and one Nigerians that are super qualified more than those people who are even aspiring to occupy offices.
“Pray for us that God should give us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in a manner that at the end of the day, this country will triumph.
“The development of Nigeria is what all of us want. If every aspirant has the mind to develop the people, then you do not need to kill or maim people to get there.
“You do not need to kill the people you want to develop in order to get to the office you want except if you are aspiring for that office for a different reason.
“If the idea is to help the people, grow the economy and make the people happy, you won’t want to kill, you won’t want to maim or burn down houses, vehicles and property.
“Human beings may see things differently but God can guide us”, he said.
Jonathan admitted that but for the fervent prayers of Nigerians the situation would have been worst off, assured that his administration which has delivered on critical sectors like agriculture, roads, rail, power among others, will not relent in working for Nigerians to improve their daily lives.
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“I am pleased be here with you. One of the reasons I go round churches, at least in Abuja, is to use the unique opportunity to thank my brothers and sisters for the prayers you have been having for the country, the government and for me.
“We are facing a lot of challenges now as a nation. The pastor has said it all. The challenges did not start today but somehow, instead of abating, the problems started increasing for one reason or the other.
“But I am convinced that it would have been worse than this but for your prayers. With the prayers you continue to offer to God, God will see us through.
“I always say that whenever I read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, particularly the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land, the kind of challenges they faced; the confrontation, the wars up to the days of King David, people were always fighting and you will ask why the children of God will continue to be fighting.
“I believe that what is even happening to us is not even as serious as sometimes the passages we read in the Bible and God was able to see them through.
“The God we believe will see us through. What I will request from you is to continue to pray for us.
“For me and members of my team, in spite of the challenges, we will continue to do our best.
“As a nation, we have not reached where we want to go, definitely not. But we are coming up with a number of policies. Those who are taking pain to look at what we are doing will agree with us that if we progress as a nation steadily in this manner, in the next four or five years, this country will be a better place.
“Only a few days back, the Vice President was in Port Harcourt to flag off the Eastern railway. The Western one moving from Lagos to Kano has been running. We will start using the modern one from Kaduna to Abuja by the first quarter of next year and the one from Port Harcourt.
“When we were young, there were railways. But I believe most of our children of about 30 years only see railway as cartoons in the television but now, they are seeing it.
“We relied on agriculture before the oil boom or doom and all that died. We are reviving it and the whole world has appreciated that we are moving forward in agriculture.
“When they start something, people do not see the benefits immediately. We know that as a nation, we have a lot of challenges in terms of getting jobs for our young graduates and we have set up a lot of programmes that can bring job opportunities for our young men.
“The result may not be obvious immediately but God willing, job opportunities will continue to increase and many more young people will be engaged,” he said.
