From Knees to Nowhere: The Futility of Prayer in Nigeria’s Fight Against Poverty and Insecurity

Nigeria's leaders are fooling themselves and the masses—no amount of kneeling in prayer will magically fix a broken power grid, put food on the table, or stop a terrorist's bullet. It’s time for Nigeria to trade its prayer mats for blueprints and action plans.

Prayer is a safety net; action is a survival strategy. Once again, Nigeria finds itself at a crossroad, with its political elite reaching out to higher powers for help. A week ago, a national summit of prayers led by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu saw the country’s religious divide uniting in a common, if misguided, cause: national salvation through divine intervention. The National Prayer Forum brought Christian and Muslim leaders together to "rescue" Nigeria from the grip of economic hardships and insecurity. But history has shown that when the house is burning, it's water you need, not words muttered to the sky.

It is baffling that as Nigeria continues to plunge deeper into economic despair, its leaders think it sensible to conduct a prayerful escapade instead of addressing the root causes of the nation's misery. Ribadu, a man appointed to tackle insecurity with intelligence and decisive action, instead chose to lead people in recitations, as if prayers alone could repel the AK-47s of bandits or shield villages from raiding terrorists. It brings to mind a proverb: "He who thinks prayers can substitute for effort will end up praying over an empty pot."

Consider the reality of the Nigerian situation in 2024: energy prices have soared uncontrollably, inflation eats through people's savings faster than a raging wildfire, and the naira—once considered a symbol of national pride—has plummeted to disastrous lows, leaving citizens clutching worthless banknotes. Hunger walks the streets of Nigeria with a brazenness unseen before, hand in hand with poverty and rising insecurity. It is not just the day-to-day struggles that make this country a grim place for its citizens, but the stark contrast between Nigeria’s abundant natural wealth and the desperation of its people. And instead of policies and governance to resolve these issues, Nigerians are handed prayers. As if God needs reminding of Nigeria’s suffering.

Take a look at the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who, after initially championing these national prayers, distanced herself when the absurdity of it all became apparent. She, too, must have come to the realization that Nigeria's problems aren't supernatural—they are man-made and must be solved by the people who made them. The issues plaguing Nigeria aren’t some divine curse waiting to be lifted; they are the results of years of policy neglect, incompetence, and corruption that no amount of praying hands can fix.

Let us look at the facts: Since the 1980s, Nigerians have been gathering for what is euphemistically termed "Prayer for Nigeria in Distress." Yet from then until now, the country has spiraled further into hardship. The distress has become a chronic ailment, growing and expanding. Back in the 1990s, the problems were clear—unemployment and a declining infrastructure—but today, the challenges have taken on catastrophic proportions. Electricity, which once flickered weakly through Nigerian homes, is now a ghostly memory for millions. Blackouts persist because the power grid is nothing more than a jumble of failed ambitions and corruption. But instead of connecting the dots, Nigerian leaders would rather connect rosary beads or count prayer verses.

It is not prayers that transformed Saudi Arabia from a desert kingdom into a glittering land of opportunity, nor is it prayers that turned Israel into a hub of technological innovation and agricultural prowess. It was vision, education, strategic investments, and above all, action. When Saudi Arabia discovered oil, its rulers built roads, skyscrapers, and the best social services money could buy. Israel, surrounded by hostility, invested in technology and self-sufficiency. Iran, even under a strict Islamic regime, managed to build and export drones to Russia—not because they prayed but because they invested in research and education. Nigeria, on the other hand, has invested too heavily in faith at the expense of action, leaving the country morally and economically bankrupt.

It bears repeating that positive change comes not from passivity but from action. Prayers can be comforting, yes—they provide hope, solace, and community—but as the basis for governance? It's a recipe for failure. Even in deeply religious societies, there is an understanding that divine intervention does not substitute for human responsibility. The government has failed to prioritize investments in infrastructure, failed to harness the nation’s vast human resources, and has consistently failed to implement even the most rudimentary policies that could foster growth.

Religious leaders, too, bear responsibility for their complicity. Instead of challenging the state, calling out the hypocrisy of leadership, and demanding systemic reforms, they lead prayer gatherings, often funded by the very government whose incompetence has brought the nation to its knees. While other countries make strides in technology and public health, Nigeria's political elite funds pilgrimages for clerics while hospitals lack syringes and schools operate without textbooks.

The Nigerian National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, should be less concerned with the choreography of prayer gatherings and more focused on how to secure the nation. Imagine, in a time when kidnappers terrorize communities and insurgents still control parts of the north, the NSA decides his priority should be a prayer jamboree. Does he really believe that prayers are the armor Nigeria needs against kidnappers’ bullets or that prayer sessions will outmaneuver terrorists lurking in the shadows? It’s absurd. He may as well send prayer warriors to the frontlines to hold off insurgents with Psalms and Koranic verses. It’s a dark comedy, with Nigeria as the unfortunate punchline.

Even worse is the hypocrisy that often accompanies these prayer movements. The same leaders urging Nigerians to gather in mosques and churches send their children to study abroad, to live in environments secured by good governance and functioning economies. They know that the difference between chaos and order lies not in how fervently one prays but in how well systems are planned, financed, and implemented.

The Nigerian government must come to terms with its responsibilities. Rather than outsourcing the future to the divine, they need to focus on practical solutions—repairing the broken power sector, addressing the root causes of insecurity, and putting into place competent leaders, not prayer warriors. Concrete actions such as incentivizing local agriculture, investing in education and technology, and curbing corruption will do more to change Nigeria’s trajectory than any number of prayers.

The truth is, prayers won't fill the potholes in Nigeria’s roads, prayers won't stabilize the naira, and they certainly won't bring back the lives lost to insecurity. Nigerians have been praying since the 1980s, and if prayers were the answer, the nation should have been transformed into an economic paradise by now. Instead, while people’s knees have grown calloused from decades of kneeling, the country’s potential continues to slip away like sand through a clenched fist.

What Nigeria needs is action—visionary, determined action. Positive action led countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia from deserts to developed nations, and it is action, not chants or solemn gatherings, that will rescue Nigeria from the desert of despair. So, while it’s good to pray, it’s far better to get up afterward and do what needs to be done. After all, as they say, God helps those who help themselves. And if God were Nigerian, He might just be waiting for the government to do their part before He considers doing His.