The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, says Nigerians should always pray for the country and its leaders.
Obi made this remark at the Service of Songs of Chief Okuji Awa, a former Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The event was held at the Lagos Presbyterian Church, Yaba on Thursday.
Awa was also a Member of the Federal Technical Committee to Europe and Far East in 1988.
NAN reports that Awa’s diligence and expertise while in the NCS were instrumental in shaping the HS Codes and Tariff Policies still in use today.
He was responsible for the conversion from the old British TN Tariff system to the current Harmonised System.
Awa, who retired from the NCS in 1990, was the first Igbo man to attain the rank of Deputy Director, now known as DCG, in the NCS.
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Awa, an Officer of the Order of the Niger, passed on at the age of 88.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, who noted that the country was going through a difficult phase, said Nigeria possessed everything to be great.
He said: “Whenever I have the privilege of speaking to Nigerians, I will say: Please remember Nigeria in your prayers.
“Remember Nigeria in your prayers.
“We are going through a difficult time.
“Always put your prayer points to God to touch the hearts of leaders, including me, to use public money for public good.
“It is not our money.
“The stealing has to stop.
“They (Nigerians) must pray to God to help them (leaders) to think about the future of the society their children will live in.”
According to Obi, the major problem facing the country is poor leadership and wastage of public resources.
He added: “We are the problem of Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a country God blessed with everything, and removes only one thing we need, bad leadership.
“So pray for us.
“Do remember me and everybody who is listening in prayers, so that God will change our hearts to think for the country.”
Pouring encomiums on the deceased, Obi said that the late customs officer used to be his acquaintance when he was trading in Lagos in the 1980s and was popularly known as: “Awa Customs” and “Tariff Wizard.”
Praying for the repose of the deceased, Obi asked God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Speaking about her father, Prof. Ngozi Imaga, late Awa’s last child, described him as an encourager, “ever present” father, a disciplinarian, God-fearing, loving and accommodating.
Rev. Toyokeke Oka, Minister-in-Charge, Lagos Presbyterian Church, Yaba, during his sermon said that the deceased was an active and dedicated member of the church, who was always willing to help.
Oka urged people to be upright and just in all their dealings on earth.
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