Machiavelli said: “If justice truly existed, prisons would be filled with politicians, not the poor.”
In Nigeria, if governance truly existed, churches and mosques would be filled with thanksgiving, not transaction.
Read this story copied from a Nigerian who left Isolo Lagos for UK:
In Nigeria, distance from Isolo where I lived to Sterling Towers where I worked on Island is about 39km. It used to take at least 3 hours to get to office. And at least 4-5 hours to get home after work — and that hasn’t changed in big 2026. Prayer will not solve this. Good governance and policies will.
In UK, distance from my house to office is about 53km. It takes me 47 minutes driving to get to work. 45-50 mins to get home. Prayers did not fix their roads. Good governance did.
It took me leaving Nigeria to UK to realise that more than 80% of my prayer requests were actually things that good governance would solve, did not need God to come down from heaven for. It was as if I was in a transactional relationship with God. Always asking! Always begging God for something.
I would pray in the night for NEPA to bring light so we could sleep with fan or AC. I would pray as I was leaving office from Island so roads would be clear and I don’t spend 4 hours in traffic. I would pray for police not to harass us even with complete papers.
Are your parents not presently fasting praying for government to pay gratuity and pension so they can survive? Don’t you have siblings praying ASUU doesn’t disrupt their education? Nigeria is more religious than UK but look at where we are.
Prayer alone would never solve our problems in Nigeria. Never! You will pray blood! We have been praying since 1960 and ordinary electricity we don’t have.
You can be a Christian and an innovator — Aquila and Priscilla. You can be a Christian and a politician — David. You can be a Christian and a worker — Paul. Even Adam that God created himself and breathed life into his nostrils, had a job!
Men of God make mistakes, say wrong things too, they are human, it is left for you to use the brain God gave you and discard certain information.
I tinkered this powerful testimony to WITNESS 2026 5Cs — in our own voice:
CONSCIENCE ZERO:
You pray for NEPA light to sleep with fan or AC. UK governance gives light without prayer. 80% of your prayers are governance failure. No Itu Egwu Chineke. No fear of God to think Nigeria first. When a politician rides best car, chops best food, lives best house, steals money — Fela’s Vagabonds In Power — and you pray for what he should provide — Conscience ZERO. God gave you brain — use it.
COMPETENCE ZERO:
39km Isolo to Sterling Towers 3 hours go, 4-5 hours return — 2026 unchanged. UK 53km 47 minutes. Prayers didn’t fix UK roads, competence did. No Igba Mbo — hard work — “Aka aja-aja na-ebute onu mmanu.” No Ikpachapu Aku Anya — prudence to build roads. We have been praying since 1960 and ordinary electricity we don’t have. Competence is to convert oil boom to power, to convert taxes to roads, to convert 39km to 47 minutes not 3 hours. Gladiators score ZERO.
CHARACTER ZERO:
You pray for police not to harass you even with complete papers. Parents fasting praying for government to pay gratuity and pension to survive. Siblings praying ASUU doesn’t disrupt education. Nigeria more religious than UK but look where we are. No Agwa Oma, no Omoluabi, no Mutunci. Character is to pay pensioners without fasting, to police with papers without bribe, to teach students without strike. When prisons are filled with poor not politicians — as Machiavelli said — Character ZERO.
COURAGE ZERO:
You can be Christian and innovator — Aquila and Priscilla. Christian and politician — David. Christian and worker — Paul. Even Adam had job. Men of God make mistakes, they are human, use brain God gave you and discard certain information. Courage is to tell Man of God: Sir, prayer will not fix Isolo traffic, governance will. Courage is to tell gladiator: Don’t give me chart, give me pot. Don’t give me GDP, fill my empty bowl. Sardauna 1956 had courage to reject power four times. Today’s gladiators have no courage to reject transactional prayer.
CAPACITY ZERO:
You will pray blood! Prayer alone would never solve our problems. Never! Capacity is to build 39km road that takes 47 minutes, not 3 hours. Capacity is to provide light so you sleep without praying for NEPA. Capacity is to downsize behemoth — 4 regions, scrap House, trim Senate 2 per state, minimal ministries, same per state, minimal LGs — my 2014 National Conference submission. 12 years later upsized waste, 63% poverty with 4.43% growth on paper. Capacity ZERO.
WITNESS 2026 VERDICT:
Stop transactional relationship with God — Always asking, always begging — God gave you brain, gave Adam job — Use 5Cs.
From Prayer for NEPA to Power that brings NEPA.
From Isolo 3 hours to UK 47 minutes — that is not miracle — that is governance.
Machiavelli’s justice: If justice existed, prisons filled with politicians, not poor. If governance existed, churches filled with thanksgiving, not begging for light, road, police, pension, ASUU.
Arise O Compatriots — WITNESS 2026 demands POWER not POCKET.
_Richard Olanrewaju Odusanya — Ijebu Man, Born Enugu, Idoma Northern Mother — Miniature Map 3.0 — 5 Families — WITNESS 2026 — 5Cs: Conscience, Competence, Character, Courage, Capacity — From Isolo to UK
