Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said Nigeria will be great again.
He spoke during the 58th Independence Day Interdenominational Service at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
According to him, the season for Nigeriaโs promotion and progress has come.
He said: โThis anniversary is an opportunity to bless our nation. Nigeria, this 58th year of independence will mark a great new beginning of peace, prosperity, abundance.
โNigeria, you will be exalted, you will not fall, you will excel, you will rise beyond the imagination of the world, you will be a pride to Africa and the world.
โThis is the season of your exultation Nigeria, the season of your renewal, season of your restoration. All that we have lost will be restored, where we have failed, we will succeed.
โWe declare that deaths and destruction, every device of Satan has failed over Nigeria.โ
Osinbajo prayed for the family of the pilot, who died in the Nigerian Air Force jets crash and the survivors.
In his message entitled โHarnessing our diversity for National developmentโ Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, likened the present Nigeria to the Corinthian church, which failed to harness its diversified gifts for its collective greatness.
Taking his message from 1st Corinthians 12:14-27, he said โOur national development has not matched our great possibilities like the Corinthian church.โ
Nigeria, he said, could easily become the envy of many nations if there is commitment to national development.
Some of the problems facing the country, he said, included contention and divisions among Nigerians, worldly wisdom aimed at destroying the nationโs deliverers.
Others are blindness by selfish ingratitude, pride in harmful dissipations, crimes against fellowmen, families under siege, losing conscience in the nation.
The clergy listed other problems to include waning of selfless sacrifice for the good of others, Nigeria toeing the path of previous nations that destroyed themselves, lack of discernment and increasing reactionary individualism.
He proposed seven solutions to Nigeriaโs problems.
According to him, there is need to rethink the priorities of the country and the church, repentance, reconciling for peaceful partnership, reconnect for purposeful pursuit, recommit to positive principles, redirect Nigeriaโs plans and projects, and to renew passion for progress.
He further gave three critical factors including interdependence of diverse potential for national development, interconnection of diversified people for national development, and interrelationship of dissimilar personalities for national development.
On diversity, he said: โUnless each diverse member recognises and accepts his role in the whole body, diversity will divide rather than unite, destroy rather than build up.
โIn the nationโs interdependence and harmonious coordination is our strength, wisdom, glory, peace, progress, productivity, greatness, and expected position in the comity of nations.
โSelfishness is never satisfied and envy is never content. Independence, interrelationship, interconnection, in that lies the promise and the power for national development.โ he said
On interconnection, he said โUnqualified, rugged individualism is the bane rather than the bone of growth, progress, development and glory of any nation.
โThe philosophy of independence that promotes self-sufficiency contradicts Godโs plan for each individual and the nation. Manโs inclination to do his own thing, his own way, done by himself, without depending on others or connecting with others of different perspectives is short-sighted and disadvantageous, to say the least.
โIn Godโs infinite wisdom and incomprehensive providence, He has put seemingly diverse people together to fulfil His divine will. What God has connected together, let not short-sighed reasoning disconnect.
โAny nation intent on fulfilling great, predictable destiny, must make the interconnection of their diversified populace non-negotiable.
โOur national development demands that those who say โthey donโt need meโ and those who think โI have no need of youโ, realise their divinely ordained interconnection.โ
On interrelationship, he said: โIn the nation, mutual support and encouragement, sincere recognition and involvement of all well meaning and qualified citizens are necessary to avoid wastage of lives and resources.โ
He added: โThere is no disdain for one another, no rivalry or unhealthy competition, no false humility or fatal pride, no inferiority or vain superiority, no retaliatory indifference or reactionary independence, we can, we must and we do put the past behind us to build a great nation for the present and the coming generations.
โInterdependent, interconnected, interrelated we are on our way to national greatness, we are unstoppable.โ
Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon urged God to touch the heart of Nigerian leaders.
He also prayed that nothing will disrupt the countryโs peace as the 2019 general elections is approach.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha noted that Nigeria had not celebrated independence anniversary elaborately since the 2010 bomb blast until now.
โWe thank God that we can now celebrate it fully in 2018.โ
According to him, Nigeria is on the path to greatness.
โWe will not fail Nigerians,โ he said.
Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen read the first scripture taken from Exodus 13:8-13.
Gen. Gowon read the second scripture from First Corinthians 12:4-18.
House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who was scheduled to read the second Scripture, was absent.
There was intercessory prayers for the nation, for the President, Vice President, legislature and the judiciary.
Prayers were also said for peaceful coexistence, families, unity of the church, Nigeria at 58, and 2019 general elections.
Special rendition was given by CAN Mass Choir, and other invited choir group.
Present were Vice Presidentโs wife Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Victoria Agui lrosi, and Mrs Beatrice Ekwueme, among others.
Some service chiefs and cabinet members were also there.
