Trust netizens! Their court of public opinion usually frightens. They can dig out and interpret anything that hits the virtual space especially when it is laden with controversy or involves a personality of invincible aura. Depending on the character involved, comments could come as eulogies and torrents of goodwill, while conversely, the person may be torn to shreds with derogatory, mocking, or judgmental jabs.
The trending video of mid-air frantic prayer of Nyesom Wike, the powerful Minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and an enigmatic storm trooper of Tinubu’s administration, was widely circulated in the social media platforms recently. Though he was not visible in the video taken inside a private jet, his emblematic coarse voice gave him away as the fiery prayer warrior in desperate need of survival from near-death tragedy, after one of the engines of the private jet had failed. The mainstream media were wary of the story since there was no official confirmation. Even Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, dismissed it as the handiwork of rumour mongers. But Wike later shared the testimony in a church in Port-Harcourt and proved the trending story as authentic.
Interestingly, Wike’s prayer illuminates the futility of life and its struggles. A transcribed version of the prayer reads thus: “Satan, you are a liar! Father, Father! Oh, Jehovah. Blood of Jesus! Father, it is time to prove yourself! Jesus, you are in charge! Oh Jehovah! Save my soul, save my soul, save my soul!” The prayer was not for mundane things: money, more power, more spheres of influence and control, victory over enemies, and/or Aso Rock Villa’s favour. The prayer was channeled to the Almighty God to prove Himself as a great deliverer, and because Wike is a Christian (not born-again as publicly acknowledged by him), he also pleaded the blood of Jesus, the son of God, apparently for the salvation of his soul. It is gladdening to note that Wike remembered that his soul will face eternity in case the unexpected happens.
Wike’s panicky mood is understandable. He knew that life was at stake and there was no duplicate elsewhere. Definitely, his mind would have raced around a lot of issues in those tension-soaked moments. What of the unfinished projects in FCT including the revoked plots in highbrow areas? What of Rivers State politics? Who would finish the struggle inside PDP? What of the 2027 permutations? The ill-fated Air-India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed few moments after take-off on June 12 with only a survivor out of 242 people on board was a perceptible demonstration of why Wike prayed the way he did. And for Wike, God answered him. It did not matter whether it was a coincidence of his prayer or sophistication of the pilots that saved the impending tragedy.
Some people believed that God cannot answer Wike’s prayers and that what was needed was expertise handling of the ugly situation. Unfortunately, God does not consult man before exercising His prerogative of mercy. The controversial On-Air-Personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly known as Daddy Freeze, was of the view that it was “the pilots’ composure and expertise were what saved the day, not loud prayers.” However, Wike’s thanksgiving service left no one in doubt that he was sure that God rescued him from the imminent air mishap.
But the bigger concern is the social media buzz about the discovery of Wike’s intercessory prowess. Nobody believed that the indefatigable Wike would be scared by just a big bang of one engine failure. Indeed, he did not pray like a fresher in the school of prayer. Perhaps, unknown to many and as a man who fights battles, it could be that he had some prayer tutorials from Dr. D. K. Olukoya’s Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries (MFM). Otherwise, it would be unthinkable to fathom that the boisterous and boastful Wike could shudder so cheaply. From the prayer points, Wike showed an understanding that evil forces can attack and make a technological system to malfunction, and declared, “Satan, you are a liar!” If an unprotected hardware can be corrupted by viruses, then it is not an irrational display of religion to acknowledge that Satan is a great disrupter of life and systems, and that prayer to God is the only string to pull, to checkmate the devil. Unlike Daddy Freeze, Wike does not need to ask, “What concerns Jesus with aviation?”
Wike has survived lots of battles. Who knows his secret? The secret of a hero is in his story. And success stories often go beyond hard work and smartness. In 2015, he defeated the candidate of the incumbent governor and emerged the successor. And to match the overwhelming votes from Kano and Lagos States in favour of Buhari, Wike turned in over a million votes for Goodluck Jonathan from Rivers State. He took PDP from the trauma of loss of power in 2015 and repositioned it as a formidable opposition to APC. But when PDP power mongers took Wike and his team for granted, the then presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, cashed in on the crack and Wike’s political astuteness to weaken PDP in the 2023 election. Today, Wike is a powerful member of Tinubu’s cabinet.
It is reported that Wike has helped a lot of his political associates. His followers know him as a faithful rewarder, just as he does not spare those who ‘betray’ him. But his combative and voluble public image depict him as an arrogant fellow in the eyes of many people. And he does not seem to bother about this public perception. So, people were surprised that the bellicose Wike panted like a baby mid-air and showed for the first time that he is not immune to fears. Now that God has saved Wike’s soul as he prayed, he should learn to be measured in his speeches. In the words of Confucius, “he who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.” Glory be to God for sparing Wike’s life!