Page 36 This is an opinion piece by Favour Amako.
Praying for the right Candidate to emerge in the 2023 Presidential and general elections, without making serious moves to obtain your Permanent Voters Card, PVC, is like a Student who prays and fasts to pass the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, examinations, without enrolling for the exams. What a wasted effort!
It is high time Nigerian Christians learnt that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, does not count prayer points, just like an Examiner does not mark prayer requests.
Prayer is good, but this time around we should move a step further by backing it up with our PVCs. We cannot afford to sit on the fence in times like these.
The nonchalant attitude displayed by most people when it comes to voting is simply appalling. What a devil’s strategy!!! You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. That explains why millions of us that are of voting age are still without PVCs, yet we expect the country to change.
We must show greater interest in who governs us, or we continue to labour under the yoke of worsening corruption, heightening insecurity, unabating criminality, evidenced by banditry, kidnapping, and endless daily bloodbaths.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, last month, launched the ‘operation show your PVC’ in all Provinces of his Church.
As part of its operation show your PVC, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, had last month also, mandated Christians to get their PVCs.
The National President of the PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, while addressing Journalists at the PFN National Secretariat, in Lagos, recently said that prayers backed up with PVCs is one of its strategies to change bad governance in the country, and to say good riddance to bad rubbish to corrupt Leaders.
Brethren, we have prayed enough without acting enough. 2023 is a battle between light and darkness, properity and poverty, boom and doom, better life or banditry, righteousness or rascality, qualitative education or quack education.
I remember the words of the Queen of England, when she said: “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than the Army of Scotland.”
The same in Nigeria, election riggers and bad Leaders fear the prayer soaked PVCs of millions of Christians, more than the Forces of boko haram and bandits.
We must arise and take back Nigeria from the grips of evil men and charlatans whose children are schooling abroad, but have kept our kids and young ones at home for almost 6 months.
We must take back Nigeria through our PVCs from the hands of evil men who invade and descrecrate our places of worship by killing, bombing, and raping us.
We must take back Nigeria through our PVCs from the hands of evil Politicians who can afford to fly around, jet abroad for treatment, leaving us with dilapidated roads, shanties as Hospitals and poor infrastructures.
We must take back Nigeria from the hands of those who think that our collective wealth are for their families and great-grand children’s inheritance.
Brethren, we have no another country other than Nigeria.
If you are of age (18 years and above) and you do not have your PVC, you are part of the problems of this country.
Go and get your PVC, and prayerfully vote for the type of Leader you truly desire for our once great nation.
We can make a difference, if and when we decide. Thank you.
