President Jonathan has advised Nigerians to continue to pray for the avoidance of crisis in the country as in the event of same, there would be nowhere to run.
He made the comments at the Christmas Day service held at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja, in reaction to a sermon preached by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most. Revd. Nicholas Okoh.
Okoh has asked if Ghana or Sierra Leone could accommodate Nigeria in the event of a crisis.
During his address, the President said, “The Primate was asking if Ghana or Sierra Leone could accommodate us if we have a crisis. I was just laughing because now , the people of those countries are not even comfortable with Nigerians living with them. If not for political and diplomatic reasons, they would have even asked some of them to leave.
“Assuming we have crisis, where will you go? Is it the Atlantic Ocean? So I urge you to continue to pray.
“I also thank religious leaders for praying for this country and I believe God has been hearing your prayers. We will do our best within the period that God has asked us to occupy the positions we are occupying.”
“As we celebrate Christmas, we call you to pray for peace not just for yourself or the nation but also for the world.
“We should pray for agents of war, bloodletting and hostilities. Let us pray that God will restrain the powers of evil.
“How many Nigerians can Togo, Dahomey, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia absorb as refugees? It is important for Nigerians to ensure peace reigns here because we have nowhere to go. God has given us the best of places; it is in our interest to maintain it.
“I charge you to work for peace. We must be grateful to God by living responsibly, not conducting ourselves as if nothing can happen.
“Do not join anybody to cause trouble or confusion because you may be the recipient and there is no where to go. Some of you don’t even have passports. But those who are instigating you have bank accounts and houses abroad. They will run there and come back when things have settled down. You may not be alive then.
“Do not join evildoers, it is not part of Christmas. Refugees are not the best set of people. Don’t make yourself a refugee.”
Comparing National Leadership to the experience of Jesus Christ as outlined in the Bible, President Jonathan said it was not always what the leadershipp style the people expected that they received.
He said, “When Christ was born, the Jews were told that God was giving them a King and a saviour.
“Today, because we are used to reading the Bible, immediately you hear of the word ‘saviour,’ you will think about Christ and his attributes.
“The Jews were being dominated by the Romans, it was like when we were under the colonial masters. The Jews thought they were getting somebody who will lead them to a war and chase away the Romans for them to be free. But the war they expected was not Christ’s own style.
“I think it is only in one place that Christ was quoted as carrying the cane and flogging people in the synagogue for trading and doing other things they were not to do in the House of God.
“So today, we have similar situation. The expectations of the society are hadly met by leaders.”
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