No fewer than 300 Nigerian pilgrims in Jordan have prayed for peaceful elections in the country in 2023.
The pilgrims, who gathered on Monday in front of the Bronze Serpent at Mount Nebo in Jordan, also prayed for all political leaders in Nigeria.
Rev. Fr. Brendan Obasi of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Enugu, who led the prayers, said that the 2023 elections were very critical to Nigeria as a country and the citizens.
“We are praying for God to give us the strength to stand firm. God should lead us peacefully into 2023 so that we can choose credible leaders for our nation.
“We can all see the challenges confronting Nigeria; we need the grace of God to get it right in 2023 because that is the period when we would be electing our leaders.
“A majority of Nigerians are hopeless; there’s insecurity, kidnapping, poverty among others. We pray God to intervene in 2023 election so that the man without hope can have hope and pride in our nation Nigeria,” Obasi said.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be transparent and allow the votes of the people to count in 2023.
Obasi advised the electorate not to sell their votes, but rather be firm to elect leaders who have the fear of God and love for the people.
“Look at a country like Jordan, their population is not even up to the size of South-East Nigeria, yet they live in peace through good leadership and management of their tourists sites for the good of their people.
“Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources, yet our leaders have not been fair to us. We pray that 2023 will be a journey towards positive change in Nigeria,” he said.
After the prayers, Obasi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the stature of the Bronze Serpent was very critical to the Israelites.
He said that when the people of Israel disobeyed God, he sent serpents to punish them for their disobedience.
“The significance of the Bronze Serpent indicates that whoever is bitten by a smaller serpent should look up to the Bronze Serpent and get healing.
“So, we are here to look up to the Bronze Serpent with our complaints and hoping to be healed,” he said.
The pilgrims were also conducted to the Yabbok River, where Jacob wrestled with God and his name was changed to Israel.
Similarly, the pilgrims were also conducted to see the Sea of Galilee, the Promise Land that God showed to Moses, the place of birth of Prophet Elijah among others.
