The late Archbishop Benson Idahosa was once asked to comment on the “proliferation of churches” in the country. His rhetorical response was as cynical as it was clinical: “Why are people not complaining about the proliferation of beer parlours?” This came to mind recently when the old debate about whether or not we should pray for Nigeria was re-ignited. In a season when “Nigeria is doomed” and “Nigeria will never be great” have become the favourite sayings of so many people, why should anyone be so antagonistic to those who are praying for the country rather than those cursing it? A Yoruba adage says: “Whether it will come to pass or not, prayer is better than curse.”

On that note, I would like to be upfront that today’s essay is unusual. I am not an expert on religious matters, but I am weighing in on this prayer debate all the same. I think that we are being unfair to those who want to keep praying for the peace and progress of Nigeria. What is religion without prayers? Muslims are mandated to pray five times daily. Christians are asked to pray “without ceasing”. How can you tell them not to pray or dictate the topic? If you are not going to pray for your country, it is your choice. But if I decide to pray for my country, it is my choice too. No one should be attacked for choosing to pray — just as no one should be demonised for choosing not to pray.

Before I progress, though, I need to first confess my reservations about certain calls for prayers. For two reasons, I am sceptical when our leaders (or their wives) ask us to pray. One, there is the embedded element of hypocrisy (well, religion and hypocrisy enjoy each other’s company, don’t they?) I always feel the leaders are trying to pull the wool over our eyes. They know what they are doing to drag us down but rather than change their ways, they transfer the responsibility to prayers. It is called work avoidance. Two, politicians like to make an open show of religion because they know it appeals to the sentiments of Nigerians. We are a religious people, so they love to play the game.

I was especially enraged in 2017 when meningitis killed hundreds of poor Zamfara people and Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, their governor then (who famously spent more time in Mecca and Abuja than Gusau) blamed it on fornication. Surprisingly (maybe unsurprisingly, on a second thought), many of them agreed with him. On a radio programme, a caller said “our sins are too many in Zamfara”. If fornication were to be the causative agent of meningitis, Las Vegas would be the most afflicted in the world (I hear many people say Ilorin, but let it be on record that I strongly object to that). Yari knew what he was doing: guilt-tripping his people by applying religious verses. It is called manipulation.

I, accordingly, object to political leaders sponsoring prayers or gathering us to pray. That is not what they were elected or appointed to do. There are enough pastors, imams, dibias and babalawos in the land for that purpose. I object to the use of prayers to siphon public funds. Nigeria is full of prayer consultants who charge huge appearance fees. Some people went on trial for allegedly collecting billions of naira in 2015 under the subhead of “spiritual warfare”. Billions of naira. Nigerians can transform anything to business; nothing is too sacred. Even many respected men of God are cashing out on the filthy lucre. I, therefore, oppose the commercialisation of prayers with public funds.

In the camp of the anti-prayer movement, I understand that they want to save religious people from themselves. They want people to take concrete action, such as holding their leaders accountable, instead of hiding behind prayers to dodge their civic responsibility. They want Nigerians to open their eyes, rather than close them, to the bad governance. They want people to speak out — or speak with their thumbs at the ballot. I understand the frustrations of this movement but they are also assuming that “night vigils” and “night shifts” are word and opposite. You can do both. In fact, prayer could be the strength of one while action could be the forte of another. I think they don’t have to be at odds.

I have many friends who believe it is a waste of time praying for Nigeria. They are divisible into two groups. You have the religious and the irreligious. Some in the religious anti-prayer movement are saying God has given up on Nigeria and it is of no use praying for the country. Some in the irreligious anti-prayer movement are saying there is no God in the first place and any form of prayer is a waste of time. Let me make it clear here that I am a Christian and I believe in the power of prayers. Moreso, my Christian faith mandates me to pray for everyone and everything. In my church, praying for Nigeria is mandated at every Sunday service. We devote a couple of minutes to the assignment.

The anti-prayer movement says Nigeria does not need prayers to develop and that what we need are good leaders. Well said. They cite examples of countries full of atheists and how their quality of life is far better than that of many God-yelling countries. Very well said. In fact, one of my favourite countries in terms of development trajectory is Singapore, and Lee Kwan Yew, its founding father and moving spirit, neither spoke in tongues nor went for Umrah. In fact, I once spoke to a friend, a Christian, who said he almost stopped going to church when he relocated to the UK because what he used to ask God for while in Nigeria was now being made available by the British government. Word!

The logic, therefore, is that if countries are advancing without being religious and if they are recording remarkable development statistics without fasting and praying, then it should accord with common sense that there is something else driving their success stories. This view is held by both the religious and the irreligious and I don’t think we can minimise their argument. Even as a Christian, I am not averse to this line of reasoning, although I know at the back of my mind — based on the scriptures — that “the Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”. I believe God cares for every creature of his, not just the religious.

But that is not even the point. As my pastor, Dr. Sam Adeyemi, would say, God created some basic principles and laws to govern the universe and no matter who you are, they apply to you. The law of gravity, for example, applies to everybody: if you jump from a height, you are coming down — no matter how religious or irreligious you are. That is physics. If you mix two units of hydrogen with a unit of oxygen and add sufficient heat to provide the activation energy, you will get water. That is chemistry. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jehovah’s Witness or Ahmadiyya Muslim. If you add one to one, you will get two, even if you are a hired killer. That is mathematics. And so on and so forth.

Likewise, I would say the principles of national development are universal. Competent and patriotic leadership is the irreducible minimum. Any country lacking visionary leadership is heading nowhere. Any country blessed with good leadership is going somewhere. These are the laws and principles that govern God’s universe. I must quickly point out that contrary to the notion that most advanced countries are godless, some were actually founded on religious ethics. That they are in a living post-God age today does not mean it was atheism and agnosticism that catapulted them to greatness. This clarification is very necessary because some prayer critics are severely abbreviating history.

I hear people argue that we cannot have good leadership without good citizenship, that leadership is a product of citizenship and that citizens get the kind of leaders they deserve. This sounds quite plausible, but I am not aware of any country that developed without good leadership. There is a reason we have leaders, otherwise why bother? I believe leadership shapes citizenship. Good leadership begets good citizenship. Maybe I am wrong, but I have spent quite a number of years studying the development trajectory of several countries and one common thread I see everywhere is visionary leadership and good governance. That is the starting point. The rest is a matter of details.

I also often hear this argument that if Nigerians are not allowed to elect their leaders through credible elections, the country can never develop. It is argued that because people collect rice and vegetable oil during elections, they can never have the right leaders at the top. I am completely against vote-trading, but I also ask myself: even if voters don’t collect rice and vegetable oil, is that a guarantee that the people they will elect will automatically perform? How does a voter know who will do well in office? Is it from the campaign slogans, poster designs, eloquent debates or the glossy résumé? I don’t think voters have the capacity to see into the future. Voting is similar to gambling.

Moreover, what about countries where they don’t hold elections at all but still make progress? To be clear, I am an advocate of democracy (because I’m a sucker for civil liberties), but I am sane enough to acknowledge the bleeding fact that many countries are also making progress without democracy. The UAE is a praying country with visionary leadership — but without democracy. South Korea was developed under military rule. China is not your idea of democracy. Rwanda is not the home of free and fair elections. But one thing that these countries have going for them is visionary leadership. That is the driving principle behind the development of nations, whether or not they pray and fast.

What then? God forbid that I stop praying for my country. I will also pray for God to guide our leaders right. I believe that every ingredient to make Nigeria great is here, so I will pray for the right chefs at all levels — federal, state and local. The harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. Sadly, we have had promising chefs but when many of them eat the ogbono soup in office, their belly becomes their god. Still, I will keep praying. Is God answering our prayers? Well, praying is like planting a seed. The fruit doesn’t always show up instantly. A seed does not become an Iroko in one day. So, I will keep praying for good leadership that will build a great country. May God grant my heart desire. Amen?

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

TRUMP TIME

President Donald Trump has staged a comeback as the “leader of the free world”, winning the US presidential election in a very convincing manner. I was not surprised that he won — there was a clear indication that most American voters are in love with his style and ideas. I am also not surprised that Trump always beats women — Hilary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024. I am a bit worried about the impact of his polices on global trade, immigration, women’s reproductive health and world peace. But if the world survived Trumpism for four years before, it should survive him again. Now, will Trumpism be just a passing phase or become a global standard in politics? Worrying.

MINOR MATTERS?

Prof Muhammad Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, launched the Maternal Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII) on Thursday with a heart-warming announcement: that caesarean sections will become free for poor and vulnerable women. “No woman should lose her life simply because she can’t afford a C-section,” he said. This gladdens my heart. The reality is that all women hope to have normal delivery and hardly budget for C-sections. There is a lot to budget for already and it is not as if their resources are limitless. It is one thing to announce and another to implement, so I am hoping we will hold government accountable regarding this initiative. Positive.

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

Mr. Stephen Abuwatseya, the cab driver who was assaulted by Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the house of reps, has apologised to his assailant. Abuwatseya accused himself of provoking Ikwechegh into saying things like “I can make you disappear anywhere in Nigeria and nothing would happen”. Abuwatseya said: “Please Nigerians let us forgive and forget.” Ikwechegh will now most likely escape justice as Abuwatseya himself said: “There is no justice than forgiveness.” He has even become a philosopher. I think I know what went down, but it is not in my place to speculate. Clearly, Nigerian prisons are meant for the unfortunate. The big men always have their way. Warped.

NO COMMENT

Mr. Baltasar Engonga, aka “Bello”, has sensationally put Equatorial Guinea on global map with his astonishing sexcapades. Engonga, now suspended as the head of his country’s anti-graft agency, has been remanded in prison after it emerged he had allegedly slept with hundreds of women, including wives of relatives and VIPs, and recorded his activities. The legend was being investigated for something else — fraud, in fact — but over 400 pornographic videos were discovered in the process. He reportedly did not use any form of protection. That is a big danger to a country of 1.7 million people. People love to win trophies for their countries — but not this dubious one. Wonderful.