NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 21st – Sunday 27th July 2025
IT IS TIME FOR A GENERATION SHIFT
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever (Ecc. 1:4)
The human society is structured in three generational categories: 1) the generation of elders who have served the society and are in retirement from active service, 2) the generation of those who actively constitute the work force, 3) the generation that is growing and is not yet ready for service or leadership.
As the sun rises and sets, each generation gradually passes through these three phases. Crises break out in a society when a generation upsets this delicate cycle of humanity. Whenever the generation that should be in retirement insists on constituting the workforce, they become a bottleneck, and they stifle the growth and well-being of the society. Likewise, if a juvenile generation jumps the gun and attempts to provide leadership, that society is destroyed due to youthful exuberance and lack of experience. This is what occurred to Nigeria in 1966.
The problem that we see playing out in Nigeria, particularly in this crucial period of transition of power, transcends religious bigotry and tribalism. It is the deliberate refusal of a generation that should be on retirement stubbornly refusing to vacate the public space. It is that generation that has introduced compromise and complacency into governance, so that it can remain in power. There is a time for everything and for everyone. When your time is up, it is up. Even if you have the desire to do more, your physical body will no longer cooperate. In the past ten years, Nigeria has had leaders who spent more time in foreign hospitals than in the State House. Aso Villa is fast becoming Old People’s Home for tired politicians who refuse to retire from active service.
While a generation that was not ripe for leadership attempted to take over in 1966, thereby plunging the country into an unnecessary Civil War with its attendant misfortunes, another generation that should be on retirement insists on providing leadership. Both extremes are not needed. The country must get its leadership from the generation that constitutes the active workforce. Even the Civil Service does not give anyone more than thirty-five years to remain in service; retirement age is sixty-five years.
In the Marathon Prayer call of 30th June – 6th July 2025 entitled "THE VEIL", it was pointed out that one of the problems afflicting Nigeria is the colonial mentality of those who rule the country. It was pointed out in that prayer call that the generation born before Independence in 1960 seems to demonstrate the same character trait that gives the impression that they still think they are under colonial rule. The generation that was born before Independence experienced government as a foreign institution, serving foreign interest. Curiously, since Independence, governance in Nigeria has been handled for the benefit of foreign powers than for the benefit of Nigerians. Succeeding governments in Nigeria seem determined to promote foreign interests rather than national interests.
Nigeria has had 16 presidents/heads of state, with Obasanjo and Buhari ruling twice. All of them, without exception, displayed the same mentality of placing dependence on foreign counsel and expertise over and above what Nigerians can provide. Even though the country has experts in all fields, who have distinguished themselves internationally, the rulers of Nigeria failed to cultivate and develop the national intellectual resources to develop the country. Consequently, the country has remained import-dependent since after independence. Nigeria imports everything, including government policies.
The inescapable conclusion is that those born before Nigeria's Independence in 1960, seem incurable of "colonial mentality", and if they continue to occupy power, there would be little change. It is no coincidence that all Nigeria's sixteen rulers demonstrated the same character trait. All of them were born before 1960.
In this prayer call, two areas will be highlighted as examples, they are education and health. All the leaders have indulged in sending their children abroad for education. Instead of improving the standard of education in the country, they have preferred to send their children abroad to study at government expenses. The other area is in health service. While these leaders allow health facilities in the country to collapse, at government expense, they often go for treatment abroad. In recent times, the doctors that treat them abroad are Nigerian doctors who left the country due to the collapse of the health sector. These leaders appear to be prefer Nigerian doctors treating them abroad than Nigerian doctors treating them in the country. A video on social media went viral in July 2025, listing ten top hospitals in Africa. Not one of those hospitals is in Nigeria, meanwhile, the best medical personnel in the UK and USA are Nigerians, trained in Nigeria. To these leaders, only their colonial masters have value; their own people do not. It is colonial mentality.
The medical tourism of these leaders and government officials is a major channel of waste of public funds. From 2017 till 2019, there was a controversy in the media over the private jet that was stationed at London because president Buhari was receiving treatment. It was published that overnight parking of the private jet cost 4,000 dollars, daily. Some media insisted it was 4,000 pounds. In July 2017, Vanguard newspaper published a report that Nigeria spent N80 million as parking fee for a private jet in UK for 50 days because Mr. President was receiving medical treatment abroad (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/presidential-plane-parked-london-since-may/ ). A recent report on social media in July 2025 alleged that a presidential jet was parked for a total of 205 days at Stansted airport in UK while Buhari was receiving treatment. The same government spent N21 billion to renovate and equip the Aso Villa Clinic. Neither Buhari nor his successor use the presidential clinic. They still engage in medical tourism in the land of their colonial masters.
The colonial generation, born before Independence in 1960, has had sixty-five years of providing leadership (or mis-leadership) for the country. A generation is thirty years. This implies that the pre-independence generation has had the opportunity of two generations in power. It is still contesting with the third-phase generation for leadership. In sixty-five years, not one has transformed the country. At present, they are forming a coalition for another group of ancient ones to take power from the present old people in government.
Nigerians spoke eloquently during the 2023 election, that they favoured a new generation in the leadership of the country. Rather than permit the will of the people, the old politicians compromised INEC and the Judiciary to manipulate the election. The old generation should hear the bell tolling. Their time is up. It is time for a generation shift in Nigeria. A child born on 1st October 1960 would be sixty-five years in 2025. Post-independence Nigerians are ripe to provide leadership for the country. It is time for the country to experience the leadership skills of those who are free borns in the country. For sixty-five years, those who were born under colonial rule have demonstrated total and absolute commitment to their colonial masters. Nigeria is no longer a colony.
This prayer call is not endorsing any particular person born after 1960 as the preferred leader of Nigeria. There are millions of Nigerians who were born after Independence, and many of them are qualified to provide leadership for the country.
This prayer call has taken time to highlight the issues, to impress on post-independence Nigerians that they should organize to provide alternative leadership for the country. As mentioned earlier, it cannot be coincidence that sixteen rulers in Nigeria since Independence have displayed the same character trait. It is this same leadership attitude that gave room for neo-colonialism to thrive in the country. This conclusion cannot be controverted. There is evidence of sixty-five years to prove it. Nigeria requires new rulers, who were not born under British colonial rule.
It is time for the generation born after Independence to provide leadership for Nigeria. When fathers start to contest with their children and grandchildren for space and attention, that society is setting itself up for destruction and breakdown. Before children begin to reproach their fathers, let elders behave like elders. To put it plainly, let elders maintain their revered position, so that children can hold them in awe. An unknown person said, “We do not inherit the future from our fathers, we borrow it from our children.”
It is time for post-independence Nigerians to organize to provide quality and committed leadership for Nigeria. Thar organization should commence from the next election when post-independence citizens should purpose that a new generation shall rule the country. The fathers are appreciated for what they have been able to do, but it is time for a generation shift in Nigeria.
God bless Nigeria.
PPRAYER POINTS
1). Ecc. 3:1-2
Pray for God’s intervention, that every person whose time to provide vibrant and effective leadership for Nigeria has lapsed should no longer have access to leadership positions in the country.
2). Ps. 2:1-6
Pray that God shall call forth and announce those whom He has chosen and anointed to provide leadership for Nigeria in this season.
3). Ps. 72:1-7
Pray that God shall give Nigeria righteous and God-fearing leaders.
4). Isaiah 33:22
Pray that henceforth, the throne of Nigeria shall answer to God through Jesus Christ.
5). Ez. 36:25-29
Pray that by the power in in the Blood of Jesus, every satanic defilement, pollution, and desecration of the throne of Nigeria shall be washed away and the land purified.
6). Job 5:12-14
Pray that God would disappoint all those who are manipulating and conspiring to take the throne of Nigeria, contrary to the perfect will of God.
7). Isaiah 60:1-3
Proclaim the light and glory of God upon Nigeria.
JOIN US AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
DAILY INTERDENOMINATIONAL PRAYERS FOR NIGERIA
Started since 18th April, 2022
TIME: 9:00pm – 10:00pm daily (Nigeria time)
VENUE: ZOOM
ZOOM link:
https://zoom.us/j/96806190505?pwd=K2RqcUN3YjRwQzEzRDZaMUt2N1ZsUT09
Meeting ID: 968 0619 0505
Passcode: 024184
LINK TO MARATHON PRAYERS ZOOM ROOM
https://zoom.us/j/94064259957?pwd=bm13eDlSNTMrZWhVdTl5bmNRRlBHQT09
Meeting ID: 940 6425 9957
Passcode: Altar