JONATHAN URGES NIGERIANS TO PRAYER FOR INCOMING, OUTGOING ADMINISTRATIONS

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday urged Nigerians to pray fervently for the incoming administration to enable it succeed and for the peace and unity of the country.

Jonathan made the appeal when Christians converged on the National Christian Centre, Abuja, to pray for successful transition in the 2015 Presidential Thanksgiving and Inauguration Service.

He also urged the people to pray for him, his wife and those who served in his administration to be able to live a peaceful and decent life after service.

“I call on you to pray for us who are leaving, members of my family and my administration as we leave.

“But you should even pray more for the incoming government because we are leaving as private people to manage our private businesses; they are coming in to manage the whole country.

“So they require more prayers because I can make mistakes that will affect me and very few people, but if they make mistake it will affect the whole nation.

“So I call on all Christians and the religious bodies to pray for the incoming government to succeed.

“Because all what we want as a nation both Nigerians at home and abroad is for good governance, prosperity, unity and peace.

“We cannot achieve that without the help of God.’’

Jonathan expressed happiness that Christians had converged to celebrate the unity of the country rather than mourn its disintegration.

“We are here not having mass service for mass burial but we are here having service to inaugurate an incoming government,’’ he said, adding that the service was made possible by the prayers of Nigerians.

The President said that Nigerians had every reason to be thankful to God because in spite of the challenges, Nigeria had made meaningful progress since 100 years of its amalgamation and 54 years as independent nation.