‘Insurgency: Prayers Saving Rivers’

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that the state has been protected from the adverse effects of militants’ attacks on the nation’s oil installations because of the prayers of the Christian community.
Speaking during a one-day Prayer Rally for Peace and Security in Nigeria organised by the Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt, Wike said that the state was now enjoying relative security because the efforts of the government were backed by prayers.
He said, “two months ago, Rivers State was on the front pages of most newspapers over cult-related killings. Today, the state has been able to contain the situation and we are experiencing relative peace.
“But for the prayers of the Christian faithful, where will Nigeria and Rivers State be? We can give all security agencies the logistics that they need, but without God, there is nothing they can do”, he said.
He said Nigeria requires fervent prayers for the developmental and security challenges facing the country to be resolved.
The governor said  that once those in authority take actions that will benefit majority of the people, crime and criminality will be drastically reduced.
Wife of the governor, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, in her prayer for prodigal children, prayed God to touch the hearts of children and youth, so that they may follow the path of peace and righteousness.
In his homily on the theme of the prayer rally, “I Will Heal Their Land”, the Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt, Most Rev.  Camillus Etokudoh, said that the country was living in perilous times, hence, the need for prayers.
He said God is able to defend the defenceless by divinely intervening at the point of the people’s  needs.
The Catholic Bishop called for repentance so that God can heal the country and Rivers State, and noted that seeking God’s face was necessary in the midst of insecurity and conflict.
The one-day prayer rally for peace and security in Nigeria was attended by leaders of different denominations of the Christendom.