NIGERIANS have been called upon to go closer to God, pray to and fear Him.  The call was made by some of our prominent leaders, particularly, to Muslims at the end of their Ramadan fast last week.   
It is really great, heart-warming, and hope-inspiring that our leaders are waking up to enthrone God in the affairs of our nation.  Though we appear very religious outwardly as a people, we have no consideration and respect for the Almighty God.  Atrocities are rife in our nation.  Money and power have become the gods we have been worshipping.  It got to the stage, a few years ago, precisely during the first Independence celebration in Abuja, that speaking pungently on the high rate at which we commit sins, Bishop James Ukaegbu, the Presbyter of the Presbyterian church Owerri, lamented and told Nigerians that God had an apology to make to Sodom and Gomorrah for destroying them and sparing our country from destruction.  That was the mercy of God which we have individually abused and continue to deride in our method of playing politics, leadership, conducting our businesses, in observing our relationships, e.t.c.
Our leaders have realized the futility of doing things their own ways, trusting in the arms of flesh and in the developed nations for solutions to our problems, and now deem it fit to humbly resort to God to plead for His mercy for good governance of our great but emasculated country by all and sundries. 
Many citizens are convinced that the country has been pillaged by most of our leaders at the national, states and local government levels as well as by some of our local and expatriate captains of our economy.  They have as a result of their misrule and exploitative business activities, left the masses to suffer degradations in the educational system; to suffer high rate of unemployment, insecurity of lives and properties, modern slavery in foreign lands with demeaning treatments at international airports once Nigerian passport is presented to the immigration officers, and to be seen as the embodiment of anything evil-fraudulent practices, drug-trafficking, child-trafficking and prostitution.  Many Nigerians are not finding succour at home hence their hopping about in foreign lands.
The masses believe that through their roguish rule, some of our past leaders have mortgaged our country to poverty and backwardness.  By their lack of foresight they bequeathed myriads if problems to our present leaders who are finding it overwhelmingly difficult to cope in such areas as incessant strikes by various occupational groups, shattered educational system at all levels, perennial problem of power generation and distribution which is driving out some of our existing industries to a more conducive nations like Ghana; the high rate of unemployment suffered by our able-bodied and well-rounded graduates of higher institutions, corruption in high places.  All these have tasked the will, administrative and managerial skills of those in governments. 
Speaking at the end of the Ramadan fast, President Yar'Adua challenged Nigerians to always exhibit the fear of God in whatever they do.  According to him, "It is only the fear of God that makes a decent society…We must work hard.  We must work honestly, sincerely and transparently, being guided by the fear of God to continue to build a nation that will respond to the needs of the people."
In a speech read by the National Publicity Secretary of ANPP, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, the National Chairman of the party, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, said, "As a nation, we have come a long way…We should also pray that President Umaru Yar'Adua as the leader does not mislead us…We should also pray for our politicians not to see themselves as lords but servants to the people that they are governing and that they should have the fear of God."   Also the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, state governors, and local government chairmen made many pleas with religious undertones to Nigerians. 
One is happy with our leaders' calls to us to return to God with reverent fear.  The Bible says in Psalm 9:17 "The wicked (sinner) shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."  It also says in Proverbs 14:34, "Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people."  We can see the reasons why we are suffering in our land.  Now our leaders are beginning to understand it better but they should also know that they will one day, individually, give account of how they ruled us to God...  It will be terrible except they repent now and restore all that they have stolen from us.  With the fear of God entrenched, our prayer should be for The Almighty God to give us good leaders during the 2011 general elections because, "When  the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice:  but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."  Many wicked people have ruled this country.  We don't want their likes again.