A New Year prayer for Nigeria

O God of creation, direct our noble cause

Guide our leaders’ right

Help our youth the truth to know

In love and honesty to grow

And living just and true

Great lofty heights attain

To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign

– Second Stanza, Nigerian National Anthem.

Almighty and Ever Living God, you are the Lord and Master of history. All times and seasons belong to you. In your great providence, you rule over us. We thank you for this country Nigeria that you have given to us. Out of all the nations of the earth you have allotted to us a rich portion of your estate, a land flowing with milk and honey, with abundant human and natural resources. We thank you for the beautiful landscape, the swamps, rivers, islands, forests, hills, mountains, valleys, plateaus and lowlands. We thank you for the amazing diversity of plant and animal species that beautify our country, and for the beautiful people who bestride our land, from North to South, East and West. Be pleased to accept our heartfelt thanks and gratitude! At the beginning of this New Year 2017, we beseech you Heavenly Father to look with kindness and mercy upon us. May this New Year bring glad tiding of happiness, joy, peace, and prosperity to all of us. Amen.

Lord God, we commend into your hands our political leaders at all levels of Government, from our President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet, to all the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation, their cabinets, and all our Local Government Chairmen in the 774 Local Government Areas of our country. Almighty King, all power and authority come from you. Your Word tells us that, “The heart of the king is like a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he directs it wherever he wills” (Proverbs 21:1). Direct our leaders aright according to your will; give them wisdom and integrity, knowledge and discernment to channel the resources of our nation for the progress and development of our people. Preserve them from the evils of bribery and corruption, nepotism and lawlessness. Make them docile to your summons. As they labour to serve the people you have entrusted to their care, bless their efforts in contributing to the progress of the common good.

Almighty Father, I also bring before you all the officers and men of our security and intelligence agencies: the Army, Police, State Security Services, Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Civil Defence Corps and all those who work behind the scene to protect lives and property. Lord God, your Word tells us that, “Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do its builders labour. Unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does the guard stay awake” (Psalm 127:1). Bless the efforts of these patriotic men and women who have committed their lives to serve our nation and to uphold law and order. As they work in difficult, hazardous and life-threatening circumstances, protect them from harm and from every adversity. Protect their families and help them to do their work with a firm sense of patriotism. For their colleagues, our fallen heroes, who have died in the course of their service to fatherland, may you console and comfort their families, and provide for their needs.

Heavenly King, I will not forget to present before you all teachers, lecturers and educators in all our nation’s educational institutions, from nursery, primary and secondary schools to colleges of education, technical and vocational schools, polytechnics and universities. These are the men and women who impart knowledge, values and morals to the young. They are the teachers of truth and the builders of our nation. Help them to be good models of emulation to the young. May they never corrupt the minds of the young through poisonous ideas and immoral practices, but carry out their work with dedication and commitment, for the good of our country. Enlighten our children in school with a sense of purpose. Give them proper direction and grant them the strength to learn, concentrate and act in love towards their teachers and fellow students. Preserve them from all forms of vice so that they may learn of your wonderful virtues.

Merciful Lord, I also commend into your hands all public office holders and civil servants, who manage the bureaucracy of Government and ensure that essential services are provided for the well-being of your children. Lord, they need your blessing to remain focused on their delicate tasks. Bless their work and bless their families as they strive to serve our nation. Provide for their needs so that they may never be in want. May they have the fear of you, and resist every temptation to corruptly enrich themselves with public funds. May they never succumb to the vice of bribery or do their work in hope of gratification, but always carry with them the spirit of patriotism, honesty and sacrifice. 

Lord God, I pray also for all those who manage the economy of our nation: businessmen and women, captains of industry, bankers, economists, investors, stockbrokers, and all who work in our nation’s financial institutions. Help them, Lord, to appreciate the immense responsibility they bear for the collective wellbeing of this nation. May they put ethics, justice, equity, and the good of the human person at the centre of their decisions, conducting public and private businesses with openness, accountability and transparency. I pray that your word will be operative in the lives of our business leaders and in the economic development of our country. I beg you to open doors of opportunity for people seeking to contribute their own quota to the progress of our nation. 

Remember, Lord, also all our religious leaders, traditional rulers and all those who work in civil society. These are the men and women who work to promote social justice, peaceful coexistence, goodwill, social harmony, and stability in our country. Help them Lord to always stand for the truth, and to lead their followers with wisdom and integrity. May they be shining symbols of peace and unity in our land. May their lives preach peace. Remove from their hearts and from the hearts of their followers all taint of hatred, violence, and bloodshed, and infuse them with the virtues of love, compassion, forgiveness and truth. Break down every wall of division, especially in our hearts, which threaten to separate us from one another; and help us to build bridges of friendship, trust and goodwill. May we always see ourselves as brothers and sisters, your dearly beloved children.

Heavenly King, words are all around us. We are flooded by words, streams of images weaving bonds of love and unity, but at other times weaving bonds of tears, fear and death. In the face of the hazards of life, I give you thanks for journalists, bloggers, writers and photographers, who seek social justice over profit, who are guided by empathy rather than sensationalism, who speak the truth in love and compassion. I pray for those who are victims of censorship and oppression. May their silent witness speak louder than any propaganda. I remember those who have been kidnapped, or injured or lost their lives. I remember those who have spoken up against injustice and lifted up their voices of peace and reconciliation. God of Mercy, may you never abandon them. In times of difficulties, may you be ever close at hand to support and strengthen them.

Finally Heavenly Father, I commend into your hands all the citizens of our dear country. You have created us in your own image. It is by your will that we are all citizens of Nigeria. Help us to appreciate our individual and collective uniqueness in the midst of our diversities. Help us to see your face in one another. Help us to love one another as you love us. May ethnicity, religion, language, or political affiliation not divide us, but seek to unite us. May the year 2017 bring glad tidings to each one of us, so that as one nation united under God, we can work together ‘to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.’ Amen.

Ojeifo is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja.