By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Living Faith Parish, on Tuesday, raised 64 prayer points for Nigeria, in commemoration of the nation?s 64th Independence Anniversary.

The Pastor In Charge of the parish, Jide Ologun, led his congregation in the prayers, as part of independence day celebrations held at the RCCG Living Faith Parish of Lagos Province 27, Region 19.

Ologun, a Constitutional Lawyer and Public Affairs Analyst, said the prayers were for a new season of restoration, revival, and glory for the nation.

Amidst great joy, the congregation expressed their praise to God for sustaining the nation.

Responding to President Bola Tinubu?s Independence Anniversary Broadcast, Ologun commended the President?s recognition of the struggle and hardship Nigerians were facing as a result of his reforms.

The cleric said: ?I wish the President wisdom to effectively respond to the groanings of the citizens and facilitate their rejoicing in earnest.?

Chronicling what Nigeria had gone through, Ologun said it was wise to know that if Nigeria were to be a civil servant, he or she would have retired from active service four years ago.

?Sometimes, what is left undone, undoing what has been done; that is why the efforts of the years appear wasted by the enemies of the nation if left unpunished and unaccountable.

?The dreams of greatness conceived by the heroes past have been beclouded by maladministration over the years.

?As the nation passes through the tunnel, the new paradigm shift is to have light even in the tunnel and not just at the end of the tunnel.

?This calls for decisive action of justice to subdue the enemies of the nation, the fantastically corrupt officials, oil thieves, illegal refiners, illegal miners, sponsors of terrorism.

?If we are to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future,? the cleric said.

He said that God?s destiny for Nigeria should no longer be taken for granted.

According to him, in the 1950s and 1960s, Nigeria was as primed for development as the four Asian Tigers of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

He said that all these nations put premium on exports, industrialisation, and integration into the world economy, emulating Japan and growing at over seven per cent.

He added: ?Decades later, and despite the slump of 2008, they have sustained their prodigious leaps, more or less.

?Nigeria has continued to reel under its self-inflicted limitations, thus becoming poor: Passing, Over, Opportunities, Repeatedly.

?An average citizen wishes the country well.

?The President needs not beg citizens to join in the journey towards a brighter future, rather he should facilitate that journey as he is invested with the executive power to carry out that mandate.?

While wishing the President and his team the best in the efforts to position the nation on the path to a brighter future, Ologun said that the President must be deliberate.

?The future can either be engaged by default or by strategy. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, the future depends on what you do today,? he said.

Ologun prayed for a turnaround that would make the next independence celebration a high key celebration.

NAN reports that President Tinubu, in his address earlier on Tuesday, said that his administration was taking appropriate measures to reduce the high cost of living.

He said that his administration was retooling the economy through necessary reforms, to serve Nigerians better and more sustainably.

The President said that the Federal Government would convene a National Youth Conference to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting youths. (NAN)

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