The Church's Role in Nigeria's Future

In light of recent events, we need to talk about the church's role in Nigeria's future. Many Christians have lost hope in Nigeria and say they are done praying for the country. They believe the situation cannot be fixed. I understand this frustration. It has been tiring to fast and pray for years, attend night vigils, and join prayer groups, only to see Nigeria get worse. Gunmen now attack our night vigils and kidnap the faithful. They boldly invade our churches during the day, cause chaos, and escape without consequence. I know these feelings well because I have been there and, by God's grace, managed to overcome them. At one point, I lost all hope, passion, and faith in praying for Nigeria. I want to share some thoughts on this issue in this first part of my writing.

A Battle for Nigeria's Soul

I have been a believer for over 45 years. I know many prophetic voices in Nigeria and abroad who have spoken about our country's destiny. Nigeria is a spiritual center, a place where much apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic grace has been given. We are meant to play a major role in God's last move (InGathering) worldwide. It is not a coincidence that we have many spiritual leaders rising here. If we ignore this, we will waste God's resources by focusing on building branches, creating huge auditoriums, and competing with each other instead of working together.

Groups like ISWAP and ISIL have a clear plan to use Nigeria as their base after being pushed out of Syria, Iraq, and other parts of the Middle East. This goes against what God wants for us. This is why we see ongoing insurgency and insecurity. There have been claims about the political class and high-ranking officials being complicit, with no real effort to solve these issues.

Warfare of attrition means the one who gets tired first loses the fight. If the devil can convince us that our prayers are useless and distract us from our spiritual purpose, we might give up. Very few countries could handle the level of attacks from militant groups like we have without entering a full-blown religious war. It is not a sign of weakness for Christians to endure so much. Our prayers and belief in our destiny are what keep Nigeria from collapsing. Without them, religious warfare would have taken over. But it is certain that light will eventually overcome this darkness.

Leadership and Accountability

Romans 13:1 says, "For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." This is hard to accept in a situation where people steal ballot boxes and then challenge you to go to court. They know no justice will come from a biased judicial system. This has been the history of our current government. Yet, this authority is from God.

2 Samuel 23:3 says, "The God of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.'" Leading in the fear of God means being just and humble, respecting God's ultimate authority. This is God's intention for leadership, which is meant to benefit everyone. But sometimes, God allows certain leaders to come to power as a form of judgment for our long-standing sins. I believe this is where Nigeria finds itself today. Only God knows when this will end. Until then, we keep praying for mercy and reminding God of His promises for Nigeria. NIGERIA WILL NOT BREAK UP; at worst, we may restructure, but we will stay united.

We have the leadership we deserve today. People like Bwala, Reno, FFK, and others are not new. They reflect our reality. Those who blindly defend government misdeeds are not newcomers. They were once the voice of the people, promoting our democratic values. Most opposition figures once supported previous incompetent governments. Now, they are against what they once defended. These problems have existed since before our independence. If we do not recognize them and work to change them, we will continue to suffer and be led by those who enslave us instead of helping us rise.

Spiritual Responsibility

Our actions and inactions as believers go beyond ourselves. Job's righteousness stirred up trouble in the spiritual realm. Adam's disobedience affected everyone, while Christ's obedience brought salvation. Many Nigerians, both believers and non-believers, are facing challenges because of past generations' actions. We are reaping what they sowed, and sadly, we continue to plant the wrong seeds for the next generation.

My small act of obeying traffic rules matters. Living righteously in my space is important. Kingdom believers should set the standard in all aspects of life. Our roles in politics, business, and society should be meaningful, not just conforming to the crowd. Our families and relationships should reflect the standards we want others to follow.

It does not matter if no one notices; the spiritual realm is aware, and they remember. Righteousness lifts a nation, while sin brings shame. I do not need to be famous as a nation-builder; we all contribute to building or breaking our nation every day. If we create a culture of corruption, children born into it will naturally lean towards corruption. Conversely, if we promote discipline and lawfulness, people will respect the law.

Galatians 6:9 says, "So let us not grow tired of doing good; if we do not give up, the time will come when we reap the harvest." Let us work to cultivate a culture of righteousness, even when it is hard. This is the only way to fight against impunity, wickedness, and corruption. Do not follow the crowd into wrongdoing; just because everyone is doing it doesn’t make it right. The consequences affect us all. Why do we behave differently in the UK, for example? We excel abroad, often making others envious. There are no shortcuts to fixing this; we must all take personal responsibility, especially believers who understand what is at stake.

Civic Responsibility

I strongly believe we should not give up on INEC or decide not to vote in the upcoming elections. It is wrong to neglect our civic duties. Two wrongs do not make a right. INEC's mistakes do not justify my inaction. We must vote and protect our votes as much as we can within the law. Let’s pray and work towards righteous leaders.

Righteous leaders are not just those from my tribe or religion. As believers, we must overcome ethnic and religious biases. We need to be discerning in our choices. Tribal and religious issues are Nigeria’s problems, which politicians exploit for their gain. When we base our decisions on these issues, we often go wrong. Some of us have developed a Stockholm syndrome due to ethnic and religious biases.

I do not believe the church should be political. Individual believers should have guidelines from the scriptures to direct their voting choices. It is not right to disengage from the political process of choosing our leaders. Voter education should be our minimum standard. You do not need to be a politician to have a say in who leads you for the next four years.