Embrace peace, unity for Nigeria to remain great, Bauchi gov tells Nigerians

Nigerians irrespective of ethnoreligious differences have been urged to shun violence and suspicious living but should rather embrace peace and peaceful coexistence for a better Nigeria.

The call was made by the Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, when he joined the Convener of Nigeria Prays, General Yakubu Gowon, during a North-East Zonal prayer rally of prayers for Nigeria held in Bauchi on Sunday.

The governor has stressed the importance of prayer for the country, requested particularly citizens of the state to close ranks by embracing peace, preach tolerance and advocate unity for the nation to remain a great, united and strong entity.

During the one day National Prayer Rally held at COCIN LCC, Mellinium Quarters, Yalwan-Kagadama, Bauchi, the governor said that the rally was an opportunity for the participants to pray for the country to overcome its numerous challenges and seek God’s guidance for the leaders without which he said the country will not make positive progress.

According to him, people of the state are one family regardless of their ethnoreligious and political differences, a development he said has made the state to be the most peaceful in the North-East sub-region.

Bala Mohammed further appealed to the participants to use the period to pray for the state to overcome its challenges of population explosion which presently stand as more than 7.5 million from just a little over 4.6 million people a few years back due to influx of people ravaged by the insurgency in the subregion.

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The governor said: “Bauchi State is proud of this initiative, we have over the years assumed the status of the most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria. We appreciate our complex status of more than 300 languages.”

He added that: “Nigeria Prays is a divine movement started more than 20 years ago by General Yakubu Gowon, a former Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Judging from his antecedents, Nigeria Prays must have undergone spiritual incubation in his mind, resulting from his experience in ending the Nigerian Civil War.”

The governor while praying for the event to be successful in all respects, hoped that its outcome would find a lasting solution to some of the challenges facing the country.

Convener and Chairman, Nigeria Prays, General Yakubu Gowon, said that the initiative has provided a forum and platform for national repentance, reconciliation and intercession in order to deal with the intricate national problems

Yakubu Gowon explained that since its inception in 1999, Nigeria Prays project has continued to mobilise and sensitise Nigerians particularly the church to pray fervently for the nation, her leaders and the entire citizenry.

Yakubu Gowon also said that the initiative has provided a forum and platform for national repentance, reconciliation and intercession in order to deal with the intricate national problems.

He said: “Nigeria Prays mission is to mobilise all Nigerians to regular, fervent and result oriented prayers for the healing and transformation of the nation through prayer rallies and to promote the virtues of patriotism, transparency, integrity, incorruptibility in leadership, governance and in the entire society.”

The Octogenarian who arrived Bauchi State on Thursday had earlier held meetings with various arms of Christians under the umbrella of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to discuss the need for peaceful coexistence among each other.