As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence, Christian leaders have offered prayers, warnings and prescriptions for national renewal, focusing on economic hardship, insecurity, leadership, corruption, unity and the responsibility of citizens, SEYI SOKOYA reports:
AT 66, Nigeria’s challenges have become a recurring burden for its citizens, but Christian clerics across the country believe the nation’s story can still change.
In their Independence-season messages, the clerics combined prayers with strong calls for responsible leadership, economic relief, security, integrity, unity and a change of attitude among Nigerians, insisting that rebuilding the country requires both divine intervention and human responsibility.
Tribune Church chronicles the positions, demands and messages of the Christian bodies and clerics across the country for a better nation after the celebration.
CAN: Prosperity must reach every Nigerian home
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), through its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, placed the welfare of ordinary Nigerians at the centre of its Independence Day message.
CAN welcomed the Federal Government’s declared shift from economic reforms to an era of prosperity but said the real test of progress should be whether the gains of those reforms are reflected in the daily lives of citizens.
The Christian body said prosperity should not be measured by economic statistics alone, but by whether families could afford food, young people could secure decent jobs, communities could live safely and children had fair opportunities to build their futures.
It consequently called for lower food, transportation and energy costs, stronger social protection for vulnerable households, improved access to education and healthcare, and affordable credit.
CAN also linked economic prosperity with security, stressing that Nigerians cannot fully benefit from economic opportunities if they are afraid to farm, trade, travel or sleep peacefully.
It urged the government to sustain efforts to protect lives, secure communities and restore public confidence.
The association also sounded a warning as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, cautioning politicians against presenting themselves as the ultimate solution to Nigeria’s problems or using Christianity as a political weapon.
CAN reaffirmed its commitment to remaining a non-partisan moral voice, speaking when citizens are hurting and holding public office holders to the principles of justice, accountability and compassion.
Wale Oke: Confront insecurity, hardship
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), through its National President, Archbishop Francis Wale Oke, used the 66th anniversary to call for deeper reflection on Nigeria’s journey and the challenges confronting the country.
Oke called for stronger action against banditry and terrorism, including efforts to identify and prosecute those financing criminal activities.
He also expressed concern about economic hardship, arguing that Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources should benefit the wider population rather than a privileged few.
The PFN president advocated industrialisation and policies capable of strengthening businesses and expanding the country’s productive capacity.
Corruption, he added, remained a major obstacle to development, while the illicit drug trade posed another threat, particularly to young Nigerians.
Despite the difficulties, Oke urged Nigerians across ethnic, religious and social lines to unite and recommit themselves to building a nation founded on peace, justice, love and righteousness.
Sam Adeyemi: A new Nigeria needs functional systems
For Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, the question of Nigeria’s future goes beyond who occupies political office.
In his Independence-season reflection, Adeyemi urged Nigerians to look beyond the 2027 elections and recognise that elections alone cannot create the new Nigeria many citizens desire.
His central argument was that the country needs functional systems and institutions capable of producing consistent results, regardless of the individuals occupying political positions.
Adeyemi’s position introduces a broader dimension to the Independence conversation: national transformation should not depend solely on finding the right political personalities.
Rather, Nigeria needs systems that work, institutions that endure and citizens who understand their responsibility in sustaining those systems.
The pastor’s intervention therefore shifts the conversation from simply asking who will lead Nigeria to asking what kind of structures should govern the country and produce better outcomes.
It also places responsibility on citizens to demand functioning institutions rather than limiting their expectations to electoral change.
Bakeni: Church leaders must speak truth to power
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State, Most Rev. John Bakeni, used the Independence anniversary to challenge religious leaders to examine their own role in Nigeria’s development.
Bakeni said religious leaders must remain voices of truth and justice and should not become too closely associated with political interests at the expense of their moral responsibility.
He urged pastors and other Christian leaders to speak truth to power and draw the attention of government to policies and actions that undermine the common good.
Reflecting on Nigeria at 66, he described the occasion as one requiring sober reflection, particularly in view of the hardship and insecurity confronting citizens.
Bakeni argued that Nigeria had sufficient resources to cater for its people, but that proper management remained a major challenge.
Achudume: Nigeria needs a change of heart
Apostle Lawrence Achudume, Lead Pastor and General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church International, used the Independence anniversary to call for transformation in the attitude of both leaders and citizens.
Achudume urged Nigerians to stop speaking negatively about the country and instead recognise the enormous human capacity and resources available to Nigeria.
He said national renewal requires leaders and citizens to place the national interest above personal gain.
For the cleric, Nigeria’s development challenge is not simply a question of resources but also of character, integrity, sacrifice and responsible citizenship.
He, therefore, called for a change of heart, stressing that the country cannot be rebuilt without a corresponding transformation in the values and priorities of its people.
Abiara: Rebuild and restore the nation
Pastor Isaac Abiara brought the message of national renewal to the heart of Nigeria’s Independence reflection, calling on Nigerians to embrace the responsibility of rebuilding the country.
Speaking at a special Independence Thanksgiving Service at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Lagos, Abiara drew from Isaiah 61:4 to speak about rebuilding and restoring what had been broken.
He said the task of national renewal could not be left to government alone, stressing that the government, Church and citizens all have roles to play.
Abiara urged Nigerians to move beyond individual interests and embrace compassion, truthfulness, love and responsibility towards one another.
He also called on leaders to see public office as a sacred trust rather than personal ownership and urged citizens to remain hopeful despite the difficulties confronting the country.
For the cleric, Nigeria’s history should not determine its future. Rebuilding the nation, he maintained, requires faith, integrity and purposeful action.
Beyond the celebration
At 66, the Christian response to Nigeria’s Independence anniversary is therefore neither simply celebratory nor pessimistic.
It is a call for reflection
The clerics acknowledge Nigeria’s enormous potential while drawing attention to the gap between that potential and the realities confronting millions of citizens.
Their messages place responsibility on all sides: government must govern responsibly; citizens must contribute positively; religious leaders must maintain their moral voice; institutions must work; and Nigerians must resist ethnic, religious and political divisions.