Jonathan prays for Buhari
President Goodluck Jonathan
yesterday prayed for the in-coming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari.
The President has also admonished Nigerian leaders at various levels of
government to be ready to make sacrifices for the growth of the nation,
stressing that Nigerians should not allow the challenges of today to weigh them
down
In the same vein, he challenged
Nigerian past leaders to emulate the sterling qualities of former
Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; and the former Head of the Interim National
Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, both of whom he said have demonstrated
unequal patriotism to their fatherland.
The President spoke at the fifth
presidential prayer breakfast held inside the old Banquet Hall of the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
We pray for in-coming administration
“We continue to pray for the
country and of course, we pray for the incoming government and also pray
for us who are leaving to have the opportunity to serve humanity
in different phases.
“I remember in 2009 when I visited
the Nordic countries, they told me they were celebrating 200 years of peace
that has enabled them to develop. Nigeria was 49 years as an independent
nation in 2009.
“If the Nordic countries, well
developed technologically and otherwise, it means crisis really retards
development.
“So we have challenges, today we are
talking about boko haram in the north, kidnapping in south south, south
east. Atimes you are forced to think that the nation is ending, definitely this
country will overcome this challenge. That is the reason for these
prayers. Just like prayers helped Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem,
our constant prayers will help us rebuild this nation.
“For me, I have to thank God and
Nigerians for the privilege and opportunity given to me this past 16 years. I
served my state as a deputy governor and governor for eight years. From
government house in Yenegoa and then I came here to the state house, Abuja
served the country as vice president and a president. That is a reasonable
length of time and so I have to thank God, first because if God did not will
it, it won’t have happened.
Emulate Gowon and Shonekan
According to the President, despite
their tight schedules and their ages, the two former leaders had always
attended programmes in the Villa any time they are invited.
The support for me within this
period, I will continue to do my best as I’m gradually joining Gowon and
Shonekan to serve our country in different capacities. “And I must
commend Gen. Gowon and Chief Shonekan and some of our other
leaders, for the eight years I have been as vice president and president,
whenever we called upon them wherever they are in this world, they will try to
come. I have seen that they are extremely patriotic and they
believe in this country. If all our leaders show that level of commitment, that
level of patriotism, that believe and sincerity of purpose to our nation, then
surely we will go where we want to go.
Leaders must be ready to make
sacrifices
“I always say leadership is not all
about giving directives, a successful leader must be ready to make
sacrifice. Everything about human life as an individual, a child, if you
don’t make the required sacrifice you can’t go to where you want to go.
“If you don’t sacrifice your
pleasure of course you will know where you’ll end. As parents we know the kind
of sacrifice we make for our children to go to school, to feed.
“To build a family you need
sacrifice. So for those who have the privileges of leading at local,
state and national levels, at all times we should be ready to make sacrifice
for our nation to grow.
“So as we call for prayers we also
call on our leaders not just local government chairmen, governors and
president’s alone , I’m also calling on leaders at other levels,
Ministers must make the required sacrifice, our lawmakers because they look at
all our laws, they can create crisis in country if they are not ready to
do things the right way.
“So all of us in leadership position
must be ready to make the sacrifice and with our prayers and with our
commitment Nigeria will surely get to where it wants to go” he said.
Source: Vanguard News
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