Hyenas, Jackals and the Lion King: A Prayer For Nigeria's SIMBAS AND MUFASAS
Prayer By Rev. Br. Kenneth Alamezie, BSS
These days, people pray all manner of prayers with view to obtaining relief from many self-made troubling circumstances bedeviling humanity. Some of these prayers, no doubt, sound anomalous to the ear as they are often filled with death sentence proclamations and evil wishes to some superficial enemies, even spirit beings, perceived to be responsible for one’s predicaments.
Yet, to pray is an exercise of faith in the Supreme Good for His intervention in one’s affairs, especially as circumstances in our world today continue to go acerbic by the day, hence we shouldn’t and won’t stop praying simply because some people have chosen to pray the wrong way—the death prayer.
Men have become like the wild cats to fellow men, tearing, and sucking dry the blood of one another. Hope dashes by the minute, if not seconds, given that each day greets us with happenings as bizarre as they are spine-chilling. Seeing all these, prayer, then, becomes a must-do as it has proven repeatedly to be a better alternative to whining; and for this reason, I am going to pray here for You, yes you; for my country, for Church, and for other sundry issues bothering us today. It’s a humble prayer kind of, and I’ll do it as the spirit directs me. You may kneel, that’s if you haven’t arthritis, as we begin our prayer:
Father, I thank you for caring for humanity since the time of creation. You have always been there for us even though we fail to recognize how close you are to us.
Father, I pray for Nigeria my country, whose name some of her custodians have changed to something very demeaning. By their recent rhetoric, they have now made it obvious to the world, that the secessionist was right all the while in his allusion of the nation as a zoo. And to prove how serious they are with this, these lackadaisical caretakers now employ witty but deprecating metaphors to best portray their view on this, referring to each other as Jackals and Hyenas, and their Principal they refer to as Lion King. I never knew the APC government was only prepared to reproduce for Nigerians another live version of the SIMBA movie. What a wrong choice we made at the last general elections, to have voted in a team of entertainers or at best carnivorous animals, wild Cats and Dogs, as our leaders! Oh, what have I said in my prayer! But I didn’t call them that. They did themselves. The Principal’s wife (I shouldn’t call her SARABI, not minding that she has already taken up the name by herself) also followed them in this obnoxious trend, referring to her ailing husband as the Lion King, although she didn’t tell us whether here he is playing MUFASA OR SIMBA. Needless to remind her to tell us who then is the NALA. I think we also need to know who the SCAR is in this show.
Little wonder they named our national team after an Eagle. Mayhap they knew very well about the Zoo nature of the nation ever before the intrepid and fast rising secessionist, NKOK, ( Nnamdi Kenny Okwu Kanu) came up with the scurrilous metaphor. I pray thee, Father, to let not these self-proclaimed hyenas and Jackals, and even the Lion King and his Lioness queen succeed in their quest, so it seems, to make our nation a jungle and turn us human beings who make up the citizenry of this country into lesser animals like cockroaches and ants. Father, by your Good Hand remove every wild animal in any position of power in our country.
A deadly thing has fastened itself on our president; the waters have risen against him. May you save him, if it be thy will, from the grasp of the grave and bring him home soonest.
I pray for our beloved Anambra state, that the gritty IPOB members in the state would see reasons why the scheduled November guber election should be allowed to hold. And come November 18, I pray that you guide the people’s decision aright; let them vote wisely for our common good. May they vote only for a candidate that has the interest of the people at heart, has vision, and most importantly is prepared to end touting, multiple taxation, thuggery, and intimidation reigning in the state. You know, Father, of the reign of terror caused by these miscreants and their paymasters, who seem to have backup from the government. You know of their devilish activities in this state, how they go about without fear or restraint inflicting pain and terror on commuters in the state, extorting money from them in the most despicable and gruesome manner. These hoodlums spring up like grass and multiply on a daily basis. With hard sticks, iron rods, and a heart equivalent to that of Leopard, they devour the weak, beating the hell out of Keke and Bus riders, who try to question their originality; and this evil they perpetrate even before security operatives, who see no wrong in their actions, showing they are all working in tandem. Holy Father, may they never operate on our roads again after this coming guber election. May their reign in this state be brought to an end. Give, O Lord, whoever will emerge governor come November 18, the wisdom and strength of heart to deal wisely with these uncontainable touts by relocating them from our roads to our farmlands, where they’ll use their strength in the most judicious manner.
I pray for the Body of Christ, that revival may sweep across the nations of the world. I pray thee to save your numerous sheep from the grasp of hired hands, slimy characters and religious racketeers, ‘Christian’ witch doctors and occult grand masters, indeed charlatans, whose numbers grow ceaselessly and multiply by the day, just as their shenanigans continue to bloom as though being watered by the dew. Righteous Father, I ask that you disgrace and dislodge these Machiavellian characters from among your people. Break their satanic hold on your sheep and raise shepherds in their stead who are people after your own heart. Give both our leaders and the led enough light to know the power of unity among us and seek same. Help us to overcome the issue of power tussle and petty doctrinal differences fermenting squabbles among us, thus tearing us apart and preventing the full manifestation of your Son’s prayer for unity in his Body. Bless and keep Pope Francis as well as every church leader who has the interest of the poor at heart and works for their betterment. Help our pastors and priests and indeed all those saddled with the responsibility of preaching the Good News, that they may comprehend the true meaning of gentility and being poor in spirit. Bring back some of them who have run off into the desert of sin in their pursuit of ephemeral things and vainglory. Save those residing with Delilah in her adulterous marquee. Keep us all from the clutches of her numerous insidious daughters perambulating the earth now. Enlighten the eyes of the hearts of your priests, pastors, prophets, and evangelists whose hearts are beclouded with confusion and filled with trickery. To those of them who have become taskmasters, using every ploy possible to fleece the susceptible, ignorant, and unsuspecting sheep of their hard-earned valueless naira, may you expose and relocate them to their rightful job. They can do well as sales men for companies in need of their talent. Save, O Lord, your sheep from heartless wolves parading amongst the sheep in their skin. May their sins find them out. May their days be numbered. May their horns be broken and their jaws busted, and their teeth remove O Lord from their mouth. By this you’ll show forth your justice and righteousness and your name will be feared among your people.
I pray for the Igbos up north, that the threat by AREWA youths to expel them from the region by October this year be brought to naught. Father, I ask that you break the power of those sponsoring terror in our nation; expose these warmongers and shame them accordingly. Give us the wisdom to know and understand that despite our diverse cultures and religious background affected by events and time, we all came from one stock, which makes us brothers and sisters (siblings) to each other.
Thank you for answering my prayers, Amen. God Bless you for praying along with us.