Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has called on Nigerians, particularly officeholders, to pray for Nigeria and act responsibly.

Mr Okowa stated this at a thanksgiving service to mark the second anniversary of the 7th Assembly of the Delta House of Assembly, held at the Living Faith Church, Asaba.

The governor said he believed in the country’s unity and added that leaders must act in the interest of the diversity in the nation.

According to the governor, only such acts of justice and fairness to all the zones can encourage Nigerians to believe in the country’s unity.

He noted that Nigerians were facing challenging situations and urged Christians to be prayerful “because God can truly turn things around for this nation.”

“There is a lot for us to learn as a nation. Even from what we have seen now and what we are passing through. We must work together for the progress and unity of this nation.

“Do not lose hope and faith in God. Let us play our individual roles apart from prayers. Many times we recite our national anthem without considering the words in it. We can truly serve our country with love and strength if we believe in the unity of the country.

“There is a lot of call for restructuring and national dialogue because of the things we are seeing, but we must continue to keep faith in our country; things will definitely change for the better.”

Speaking specifically to public officeholders, Mr Okowa stated, “For those of us who find ourselves in government, we must truly re-examine ourselves to be sure that we are truly serving our nation.

“We must continue to see Nigeria as one country and all things done must be done in such a way that it reflects unity in us so that every zone will truly believe that we are in one Nigeria.”

The governor commended members of the state house of assembly for their cooperation with the executive in the service of the state.

(NAN)