President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, previewed 2015 politically and economically and returned a grim verdict: It may be a turbulent year and there is need for Nigerians to pray.
Speaking at the Christ Apostolic Church, Area I, Durumi, Abuja where he joined other worshippers for the last Sunday service of the year, President Jonathan specifically enjoined religious leaders to pray to God to guide him and other politicians in the country aright so that they will not set the country ablaze through their utterances.
On the drop in the price of crude oil, Nigeria’s main foreign revenue earner, Jonathan admitted that the trend will “affect us in one way or the other” but promised that “the economic team is working very hard to stabilise it and we believe that although there may be temporary inconveniences, it will definitely not bring the economy down.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate reiterated that the ambition of anybody in the country was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.
According to the president, for every office in the country, there are a thousand and one Nigerians who are qualified to occupy such office, so no politician should think that he is the only qualified person for the office.
“Next year is a tempting year for us. Election year in Third World countries is always a turbulent year with all kinds of predictions. I, however, believe that God who brought us to this level will see us through.
“All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for us politicians, myself and other politicians from all political parties, for God to guide us in our utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions.
“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray to God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our personal ambitions.
“There are so many good Nigerians that can hold the offices we are occupying or aspiring to occupy, it is by privilege of God that we are here in positions to ask for the mandates of Nigerians.
“None of us should begin to think that he is the best person to be anywhere from state houses of assembly to the Presidency. There are a thousand and one Nigerians that are super qualified more than those people who are even aspiring to occupy offices.
“Pray for us that God should give us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in a manner that at the end of the day, this country will triumph.
“The development of Nigeria is what all of us want. If every aspirant has the mind to develop the people, then you do not need to kill or maim people to get there. You do not need to kill the people you want to develop in order to get to the office you want except if you are aspiring for that office for a different reason.
“If the idea is to help the people, grow the economy and make the people happy, you won’t want to kill, you won’t want to maim or burn down houses, vehicles and property,” he said.
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