A wise man had said, more things are wrought with prayers than the world can imagine. If there is a time Nigeria needs prayer, it is now. In any case, we (Nigerians) are the religious lot. Praying in the churches, mosques, shrines, mountains, camp grounds, etc has become our habit and an established culture of the nation. Let us, therefore, utilise this mysterious power to uphold the nation as she marches towards the April elections.Let all well-meaning Nigerians join me in this short prayer; Our Lord and Our God, we thank thee for keeping Nigeria one, despite all forces of division that had militated against her in times past. As we movetowards another milestone in our national development, we pray thy mercy and grace shall be sufficient to keep the nation one and indivisible. We cannot run the elections, if there is chaos and violence, so we pray that the peace of the land shall not be disturbed.Lord, please, mend the ways of MEND; block the harassment of the Boko Haram; capture the heart of the kidnappers; bring calm to all the boiling spots within the nation. Lord, remember Jos in its afflictions. Please, help the law enforcement agencies to maintain peace, prevent crime and be fair to all the parties involved in the polls.Remove the instinct of do-or-die from the minds of our politicians, especially the ruling political elite. Let them allow the will of the people, which is now like a wind of change blowing all over the land. In past elections, we had the selection of the anointed cronies by the ruling class, instead of the election of representatives of the people. Lord, uphold this chance and let us really have elections.Lord, help the people to vote right. Let them not be deceived by the usual gifts (cash and kind) the politicians dole out during election period. Help them to stand firm, and immovable, no matter the level of monetary temptation.Help them not to mortgage their childrens future by selling their votes. We ban the spirit of rigging, manipulation, ballot box snatching, thuggery, vandalism, gunrunning and other modes of violence, that could derail the normal process of the poll. Lord, please, arrest the minds of our youths, that they shall desist from acts capable of causing chaos. Let them realise that their future starts from these polls.Let INEC be honest, sincere, fair and just. Keep the polling agents unpolluted. Let the returning officers maintain clear, unspotted consciences. Let the collating officers be honest while adding up the figures. Keep all INEC personnel in the fear of God throughout the entire period.Let each candidate accept the result with equanimity, the winner with grace, the loser in the spirit of sportsmanship. If any feels cheated, let no one resort to violence or take the law into his/her hands.We have seen what the courts of justice have become of recent, it smells of corruption and injustice. We have no other place to run to if we are aggrieved by the polls results. Lord, despite these inadequacies, let justice reign supreme in all election tribunal. Let whoever becomes a member of these tribunals receive new heart, heart of flesh touched by divine grace to do justice. Remove the concept of my hands are tied from all these judges. Let their heart be free in thee to pronounce the freedom of justice, uphold the will of the people and the counsel of God for the land.Whoever wins this election, let him/her do the wish of the people by really serving the masses, bringing about changes that are beneficial to the people and policies that shall improve the lot of the citizenry. Let the era of get rich quick come to a shameful end. Let all electoral offenders be adequately punished to serve as precedents and deterrent to others in future.We have high hope for this election; let not our hope be dashed. Save us from any form of disappointment. God, please, hold Nigeria as one, let your peace reign in our land and let thy people change their minds to seek righteousness, godliness and justice.All these we pray in Jesus name. Let all that wish Nigeria well say a loud amen, amen and amen.Dr Ayilara can be reached via diversecomment@yahoo.com
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