By Banji Ayoola
Nigeria still exists today as a corporate entity due to prayer according to the Coordinator of Nigeria Prays in Ondo State, Pastor Emmanuel Ekundayo.
In fact, he said this country would have long ago disintegrated if not for the prayer upholding her, enabling her citizens to live together, and pursue their various interests in peace despite whatever imperfections.
He stressed the impact of prayer in the existence and development of the country.
The cleric, who is also the Senior Pastor of Christ the Strong Tower Ministry, Akure, the Ondo State capital, who spoke in an exclusive interview with The Radiance, stressed that it is only prayer that is holding Nigeria together.
Nigeria Prays is a non-partisan Christian interdenominational prayer movement praying for peace, unity and prosperity of Nigeria, headed by former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, retired, whose regime fought a prolonged Civil War between 1967 and 1970 to keep Nigeria one.
During that war, the alphabets in his surname were coined into the popular slogan: “Go On With One Nigeria”, spread abroad by the media, and from mouth to mouth, that fired the zeal of the citizenry at home and in the diaspora, and rallied them behind the goal of the exercise.
The group was founded in October 1996, during the regime of the departed Gen Sani Abacha, following several meetings in London by Gowon with Nigerians in the Diaspora who felt disturbed about the political crisis, corruption, 419 fraud rocking their country, and her unimpressive international image.
It was then decided to take the case before God for intervention to save the country since human efforts had failed.
Thereafter Gowon took the initiative to Abacha, who approved its formation to seek divine intervention for Nigeria’s problems; promote peace, unity, national stability and moral rebirth; and promote attitudinal change among Nigerians.
According to Ekundayo, Nigeria has a prophetic destiny to be fulfilled, and the first step to this fulfillment is through prayer and revival.
He described prayer as a powerful weapon that brings restoration, restructures, and supports creativity and direction.
To him, prayer opens one to the realm of creativity and ingenuity, which must be backed up with action.
Noting that a nation is rooted in either of the two realms, occultism, or Godliness, he said that the Western nations’ creativity was rooted in Godliness.
According to him, the Wright brothers who invented the aeroplane were born by a Christian father, a cleric, while Isaac Newton, Graham Bells, Prof Watts who invented the bulbs, and many other inventors were Christians.
The cleric said that the United States is today the world’s foremost superpower because she is rooted in Godliness, the Source of creativity. Israel is also powerful on this basis. So also the Western nations generally.
According to him father’s of faith in these nation’s were the forerunners of creativity.
Ekundayo prayed that Nigerians would understand the impact of prayer in nation-building, saying all creativity has spiritual backing or undertone; while everything created has a supernatural originality.
He noted that the United States, which is the most powerful and advanced nation on earth today, attained its feat because she is rooted in Godliness, and prayer was her foundation.
The same, he said applies to the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany whose ingenuity and creativity were stirred up only when the light of the Gospel as concerned Jesus, came into them.
Coming back home, the cleric said that presently, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has opened a hospital that operates robotic surgery; Christ Embassy has rolled out electric cars; and Dr Dike Olukoya of Mountain of Fire Ministry has one of the first DNA laboratories in Nigeria.
Olukoya is a doctor of Molecular Genetics, who had written over 70 research books before he came into full-time ministry.
Stressing the importance of prayer, Ekundayo said that Gen Yakubu Gowon discovered that what guns and weapons of war cannot achieve, prayer can achieve it in a short time.
Besides, he said that presently around the world, Nigeria has shining stars in sports, music, medicine and other aspects of human endeavour.
He said over 90 percent of these are from Christian homes rooted in the light of the Gospel including Davido, Anthony Joshua, Israel Adesanya, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
According to him, churches in Nigeria are today the highest employers of labour following Dangote, with the Redeemed Church and Winners Chapel each having over 30,000 staff being paid salaries in billions monthly.
He said that the Church is making heavy impact in Nigeria with many farms; hotels; hospitals; universities; and secondary, primary and nursery schools; bakeries among other investments serving the people and contributing to the nation’s economic development.
Thus, he said it is wrong to downplay prayer and insult clerics when they pray and do what he said they are called for.
He said the clerics are still praying that righteousness will reign in Nigeria so that the right leadership will assume power and position.
