As Christians prepare for the Lenten period, clerics have called on Nigerians to use the period to pray for peace, economic growth and stability of the country.
Lent is a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks (40 days) later on Holy Thursday, the memorial of the Lord’s Supper, the Thursday of Holy Week before Easter Sunday.
This year’s Lenten period begins February 26 and ends April 9. 
According to Venerable Emmanuel Umeh of All Saints Anglican Church, Surulere, Nigerians should contribute their quota to the growth and development of the nation.
Umeh said that all hands must be on deck to reposition the country’s economy, adding that the place of prayer should not be overruled. “The challenge of hunger and extreme poverty in the country today can be tackled with hard work and prayers.
“Christians should emulate the moral excellence of love and sacrifice exhibited by our Lord Jesus Christ in the salvation of mankind,” he stressed.
Also, the Vicar General, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Bernard Okodua urged Christians to use the Lenten season to pray for peace, progress and national unity. Okodua said that the Lenten period is a period to be dedicated to praying and studying the Bible to further understand and appreciate what God expects of His faithful.
He said that it was not enough to just profess Christianity without being obedient to the injunctions from one’s creator. “Jesus preached peace, love and unity; and as true followers of Christ, Christians must emulate such virtues in other to enjoy the blessings of God Almighty both here, and in the life hereafter.
He noted that lent was equally a period of sober reflection and more commitment to the acts of piety, tolerance and dedication to God.
Okodua stressed that the period was coming at a time the country needed prayers more than ever before, and urged religious and community leaders to propagate the message of mutual respect necessary for collective pursuance of set goals.
The cleric emphasised the need for Nigerians to tolerate each other and live in peace irrespective of religious, cultural and ethnic differences.
Also speaking, Pastor Dickson Atigolo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God urged Christians to always pray for those in positions of authority.
Atigolo urged Christians to use the Lenten season to intensify prayers for distressed Nigerians, leaders and for the country to overcome its current challenges. He also called on political leaders to use their God-given talents and potential to proffer lasting solution to the economic challenges facing the country.
The cleric said that it was the only way leaders could serve the country and ensure that Nigeria becomes a better place for all to be.
He explained that lent was another opportunity for Christians to practice Christ’s extolled virtues of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. “The three virtues must be done secretly as they are not shows of piety or holiness, but humility before God’’.
Pastor Edwin Onyejiuba of Cherubim and Seraphim however urged Christians to shun unrighteousness to attract mercy from God.
He said, “Prayer is justice toward God, fasting is justice toward oneself, while almsgiving is justice toward others.
The cleric, urged Christians to intensify charity to draw the blessings of God. “Nigerians should intensify prayers for the current administration’s fight against corruption, kidnapping, militancy and cattle rustling. Only the prayers of the governed would pave way for God’s intervention in the nation’s affairs.”
