Tinubu’s wife, Ribadu to lead national prayers against hardship
Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu, and National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu have been chosen to lead a national prayer session to evoke a spiritual intervention to the challenges bedevilling the country, especially economic hardship.
The event, a brainchild of a collaboration between Christian and Muslim leaders, aims to seek the Man Upstairs’s mediation in the nation’s prevalent upheavals.
The Director General of the National Prayer Forum (NPF), Chief Segun Balogun Afolorunikan, announced the initiative themed ‘Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs’ during a briefing in Abuja.
Afolorunikan explained the importance of collective action in overcoming the country’s multifaceted challenges, noting that unity is crucial for finding lasting solutions.
“By the end of this prayer session, we believe that with God’s wisdom, our leaders and citizens will find the strength to confront our common enemies,” he stated, hoping Nigeria would cross into 2025 with renewed purpose and stability.
The prayer sessions will take place at designated venues as Muslims will gather at the National Mosque in Abuja for seven days, during which 313 individuals will recite the Qur’an, culminating in the recitation of the Holy text 2,191 times for national stability.
On the other hand, Christians will converge at the National Ecumenical Centre for a week of intense prayer, with prayer warriors from various denominations focusing their efforts on the nation’s adversities.
The organisers disclosed that extensive outreach had been conducted, including meetings with leaders from the National Mosque, traditional leaders such as the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Nigerians grapple with hardship under Tinubu
Nigerians are enduring a torrid economic time under the Tinubu-led administration due to the high cost of living caused by the increasing price of petrol.
On his first day in office on May 29, 2023, the President announced the end of the fuel subsidy regime, triggering an immediate rise in the pump price of petrol from N185 to over N600 across the country.
However, the product now sells for between N950 and N1,200, depending on the part of the country. This is because the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has fully deregulated the downstream sector, signalling the total end of the subsidy regime.
The development has resulted in untold hardship for millions of citizens as the cost of transportation, goods and services skyrocketed with inflation at a three-decade high.
Many Nigerians have appealed to the Federal Government for a reversal of the policy and others such as the floating of the naira, but President Tinubu has repeatedly said these are necessary measures to bring the Nigerian economy out of the doldrums.
