Brethren, the time was after 7 pm at night. It was Magrib time. I, in company of other travellers who were Muslims, immediately stopped to answer the call of the Almighty. We moved from our seats at the departure lounge of the airport to the small mosque that was tucked away in a corner of the lounge. After our prayers, the man who led in us prayer, a Professor of Arabic language from University of Ilorin, requested that I supplicate to the Almighty on our behalf. I looked the elderly Professor in the eyes as if I was in quandary as to what exactly should be our prayer point.
Hours before then, at exactly 2pm, we had arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in order to catch our flight to Ilorin. The estimated time of departure on the plane was 4pm. Five hours thereafter we were still in the airport. The airline had caused an announcement to be made once that ‘due to operational reasons, Flight OJ44 which was scheduled to depart Abuja for Ilorin at 16.00 Hours has been rescheduled for 17.00 Hours local time. Though disappointed, passengers on the flight were prepared to give the airline the benefit of the doubt. “One hour is not much of a delay”, the elderly Professor reassured us all. But alas, little did we know that we would not leave Abuja that day until well over 20.00 Hours local time. Throughout the waiting period, a period we all moaned, groaned and bewailed our circumstance, a particular airline which has achieved renown among air travellers for its notoriety for cancelling its scheduled flights did not ‘disappoint’ its passengers that day. For every flight it made out of the airport five others were cancelled. But something uncanny happened that day. I noticed that unlike before when the airline would announce the cancellation of its scheduled flight with impunity and audacity, the announcer tempered the information with some notes of remorsefulness- ‘Arak airline deeply regrets the inconvenience this may cause our esteemed passengers’. A co-passenger with whom I was travelling that day and who happened to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) then wondered aloud- ‘Is this a sign that the change is here already?’
Thus Brethren, when the Imam asked me to supplicate on his behalf and other Nigerians after our Maghreb prayers that evening, I became, for a moment, unsure of what to say. I knew we needed divine intervention to get us out of Abuja. I knew we needed divine intervention because it had dawned us that the airline we were travelling in probably had not more than two aircrafts which it deploys to the Abuja-Ibadan, Abuja-Ilorin and Abuja-Bauchi routes. I knew we had to seek divine rescue such that the aircraft would become like the ship of prophet Nuh (a.s). But I equally knew that to supplicate specifically for our safe arrival to our various destinations that evening would be selfish. I thought it would amount to lack of good judgment. I thought our supplications that evening needed to be holistic. I thought our supplications at this point and forever should be for divine redemption for this country. I realized that as citizens of this country, our prayer points should include divine assistance for the new administration. We have to pray that the Almighty should guide, guard and direct the new administration being led by President Ahmed Tinubu to that which would make this country a land of plenty, not of penury and poverty.
Yes. We need to pray. We must pray for this administration so that its ace would not become a menace. Yes. We need to pray. We must pray for President Tinubu so that he may be guided by the Almighty in appointing lieutenants who would be like Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar bn. Al-Khattab and Uthman bn Affan – lieutenants who would not become burdens to him and our dear nation. Yes. We need to pray. We must pray for President Tinubu that the Almighty should grant him the vision to avoid the Luciphers among the elites some of whom would have started to compete for his attention and spaces of authority in his administration. Yes. We need to pray. We must pray and supplicate thus: “Our Lord! Deliver us from this town whose people are oppressors; send us a protector by your grace and send us a helper from Your presence.”
Brethren in the mosque that evening all the worshippers chorused:aamin. Some minutes after 8.pm, passengers on Flight 0J44 were eventually invited to board the flight to Ilorin. Could this be a manifestation of the acceptance of our supplications?
Thus brethren, please join me in supplicating and rehearsing the above verse and other ones you may prefer from the Quran as many times as possible. We are indeed in a season of prayers and supplications.
