The Life of An Average Nigerian – Prayer vs Actions

The Life of An Average Nigerian – Prayer vs Actions

I am aware that most Nigerians do not read beyond headlines and majority of those that read misinterpret and assume - in the process, missing the purpose of whatever they have read, you might understand this piece better if you read without your religious affiliations but as a human and relate it to your immediate society.

I believe in God and I am a living testimony to his series of blessings which includes the knowledge and the ability to write this piece. But he hasn’t taken away my liberty, freedom and sense of reasoning from me.

If there is anything Nigerians are good at, then don’t look further – It’s prayer. “Religion is the opium of the people”- Karl Marx.

For an average Nigerian;

When you are sick, hospital is not an option but Prayer! And then blame some external forces for your sickness.

When their car breaks down, rather than call on their local mechanic or do some common troubleshooting by checking the battery etc... No! Nigerians would lay their hands on the car and start speaking in tongues.

If it’s raining when a Nigerian has an important interview to attend, an average Nigerian would blame their step-mother or just about anyone else instead of looking for an umbrella and alternative way to get to their destination.

In a case of fire, trying to vacate the vicinity, save lives and properties, call fire service and allow ambulances with fire fighters to do their job is never an option but throwing some miracle water, calling on the Lord and turning prayer warriors are the “valid” and immediate response of an average Nigerian.

You would think when your child is struggling in school, the support required would be to arrange for extra classes and teach this child? In Nigeria, they would take the child to a Pastor for “Special Prayers”; how prayer would help in this case I really don’t know. I am sure if the Pastor has such powers, he would have chosen another career path as well but what do I know, this is Africa!

When an average Nigerian is struggling with their bills, in a sane society, you would do some self-analysis, reduce your outgoing and challenge yourself with additional job or any form of other income to mitigate the shortfall but in my dear Country, people would resort to prayers! Pray for more money? How? From where? Ask them, we have them as colleagues, friends and family members.

Many have lost loved ones as a result of their being stupid, how do you explain when someone is evidently sick and in need of a medical aid and this person is being rushed to a church instead of the hospital? I can’t wrap my head around this in whatever form! They are sick, they run to the Church, the Pastor is sick and he runs to his Doctor – Some people are definitely insane here and it’s not the Pastor!

Dear Nigerians, when you have headache, paracetamol would do the miracle and not some rosary or psalm!

Dear Nigerians, when there is fire, prayer is not required but effective actions towards saving lives, properties and do whatever it takes to curtail the fire from spreading – No! Prayer does not stop a fire from burning! Movies are not the same as reality!

Dear Nigerians, when a child is hungry or under the weather, food and medication with attention are all that is required! Not Prayer!

Dear Nigerians, it is okay to be broke, being poor is not a disease but when you leave actions that would change your story for actions that would bury you further in your situation then that is not okay. You can’t solve being broke with prayer but a plan with hard work, dedication, diligence and consistency with self-belief will get you out of that mess.

Dear Nigerians, praying for hours makes no difference to someone that prayed for just 10mins. It is in the quality and not the quantity or length of prayer. No matter how much you pray, you are still going to do what you have to do anyway, so why not limit the prayers and put more efforts into what you have to do, you may be more productive that way. In case you haven’t noticed, only the poor ones embrace religion so much and pray like they have lost something, the answer is simple – they are not busy!

Dear Nigerians, you cannot, I repeat that you cannot pass an examination with prayers, our parents made so much mistakes with emphasis on prayers over hard work, we have been made to think that praying can open any doors, those doors does not include where you must have an input in order to have a better and expected output.

Dear Nigerians, in whatever competition – be it football, pageant, music or a debate, NO – you can’t pray your way through it, you must plan, prepare and practice. Anything short of these three factors is a disaster waiting to happen and this has nothing to do with your step-mother or half-sister being a witch!

Dear Nigerians, misfortunes happen all over the world, including in developed nations that have the apparatus, technology and the manpower in place to avoid them but what they are doing differently is not just the pre-situation but the post-situation responses, they don’t go about blaming anyone for their share of misfortunes or praying about it, why pray over what is evidently a man-made problem? How does prayer avert a mishap that would happen anyway, a weak and dilapidated bridge is an accident waiting to happen – it was only a matter of time!

Dear Nigerians – You can’t lay your hand on an application paper such as visa application or loan application and be expecting a miracle? How? Forget the gamblers and fortune tellers parading as “Men of God”, they are only after their daily bread and only forecasting using the data you have supplied plus the trend of things – it is not a rocket science that you would stand a chance of admission to a university that requires more people to that department and from your zone of country! No – that has nothing to do with God!

My people – There is nothing wrong in praying but when it is excessive and being abused with wrong application then there is a problem.

When people are being killed, praying won’t change a thing but a concrete and cogent plan to tackle the menace is unavoidable. If you kill my brother and you are consoling me with prayer then that moment we have become sworn enemies, may our paths never cross again!

Let’s see it in a practical way. If God is like your father here on earth, can you go to your father for almost everything including domestic things that should not concern him? Dad I am hungry – where there is ready-made food in the fridge and the kitchen is packed? Dad my clothes are wet – where it was as a result of you walking in the rain? Dad my body smells – you know that you need a shower? Dad I can’t see my books – you know you left them on the dinning last night?!

We put so much pressure on God and we wonder why he never responds! Some things if not many are man-made problems that require man-made solutions and zero thing to do with God!

Our clowns in government are not making things better either, they “Pray” to win elections, in time of disasters and calamities, they look up to the Lord for guidance.

If by any chance, you desire a change in anything – Prayer and Actions, one of these two is more effective; it is up to you which one.

China and Japan don’t pray and yet we import anything and everything from their Countries including toothpicks.

If I am your boss and you pray more than you work then I bet you have found yourself another job in the convent!

Prayer does not quench a fire!!