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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s policies are designed to take Nigeria to ” a promised land”
Osinbajo, while addressing Nigerians at the “2018 Democracy Day Celebration at the National Christian Center, Abuja likened Nigeria’s current situation to the Biblical “God’s intervention” to rescue the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
Osinbajo who took his message from the book of Exodus chapter 15 verses 10-15 noted that the journey of nation building could sometimes be difficult, painstaking and stressful, but noted that such journeys end up ” In a land flowing with milk and honey”
The Vice President however said like it was in the case of Israelites ” Nigerians must learn to be patient while God takes them to a land flowing with milk and honey”
“They had just left the captivity where they were being punished and cheated by Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
“God took them on a journey out of captivity, out of anguished and God too them on a journey and promised them a place of comfort, abundance and peace.
“But the journey was tougher than they expected. And suddenly they saw Pharaoh and his Army coming after them. They were unarmed and one of the vicious army in history was coming after them. They ran in great fear with that their wives and children. They carried the elderly, the disabled and the babies but in front of them was also the read sea, no boats to cross the sea. They were between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea”
“So it is in the journey of nation building and development. Our nation is not different, we are on a journey from the past. There has been times where journey is somewhat tough, difficult and even fearful.
“We looked behind us we see the armies of the past, the armies of division which led to civil war where many of us died, the armies of religious strife that refused to leave us, the armies of corruption and graft, those who want us to remain in the captivity of ethnic and religious conflicts, these are the armies of the past. But ahead of us we also see the Red Sea – bloody conflicts and the doom sayers saying the future will be worse than the past.
” then the people say, why did you take us from where we were, the same people who cried in anguish to the Lord, now say, you should have left us in the past, you should have left us we didn’t know you were taking us out of captivity to kill us in the wilderness.
Like Moses, the leadership, have also turned to God to enquire ” what shall we do oh Lord, we didn’t expect that this will be a journey to destruction”
He therefore posited that just like Moses, God has spoken to reassure the leadership of Nigeria, to tell the children of Nigeria, to “go forward, go forward, don’t turn back”
“So, I say to you brethren in Christ and to you my fellow country men and women, let us go forward, let us not look back. The armies of the enemy that you are today threatening to kill and maim and the colours of poverty and injustice, you shall see no more forever.
“God will fight for us and we shall hold our peace. We must move forward, we are a people of prophesy. God has said concerning this nation that he is building a nation where all men and all tribes and faith will dwell in love and peace, nation where our people will have ample opportunities for productivity and reward. The promises of God are assure and certain.
The Democracy Day which is the third in the lifespan of the Buhari administration attracted people from all walks of life including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF) Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the All Progressive Congress ( APC) John Oyegun, Service Chiefs and other top government officials.
The event was used by clergy to offer prayers for the nation and its people.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
