THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 13th – Sunday 19th July 2026
BREAKING THE EVIL SIEGE OVER THE CHURCH IN NIGERIA
The Ministers Prayer Network International organized a Mighty Men Continental Summit in Lagos in July 2026 to “awaken Christian men to understand, recover, and to fulfil God’s mandate for their lives.” One of the teachings during the Summit was entitled “Breaking the Evil Siege Over the Church in Nigeria.” The assumption in many places was that the “evil siege” over the Church were the terrorists, like Boko Haram, Fulani 'herdsmen,' ‘bandits’, and so on. However, a deeper examination of the situation of the Church reveals that the “siege” is not outside the Church, but inside it. If the siege inside the Church can be broken, terrorism in Nigeria will die a natural death.
The “evil siege over the Church in Nigeria” is greed. Terrorists thrive in Nigeria majorly because many leaders in the Church are given to greed and are prone to compromise. The Church in Nigeria has a generation of leaders who teach and practice greed, but they cleverly conceal it as the "prosperity message." It is this group of ministers of the gospel that created credibility crisis for the Church and opened the gates for hell to invade Nigeria. Jude 1: 3 says, "it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Christians are commanded to strive, struggle, and fight for the faith. Why would the same Bible that commands us to "follow peace with all men" (Heb. 12:14) also instruct Christians to be confrontational and aggressive? Because of the terrorists or corrupt politicians? Jude 1:4 provides the answer: "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Certain people have entered the Church who have no business with the sanctuary. The Bible refers to them as “ungodly men” who have turned "the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” The word translated “lasciviousness” is the Greek word aselgeia, which means “excess”. It describes those people who cannot tell themselves, “It is enough”. They collect tithes and all manners of offerings, but they are never satisfied. After fleecing the saints as much as possible, they turn to Muslim leaders and corrupt politicians to collect more money. They patronize anyone who will give them money. Because he who pays the piper dictates the tune, they speak all manners of perverse things to defend and promote their paymasters who daily afflict Christians. It is not strange to see some pastors and Church leaders campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC), because that is the party that has access to the National Treasury.
One might wish to ask what is noble or admirable about APC, that anyone in good conscience would promote or defend it. APC has no political ideology, no social philosophy, no social program for the people. Since its debut in 2015, it has distinguished itself as a daylight robber, an association of serial murderers, and a demolition-crew of national institutions. What is honourable about APC that anyone who belongs to Christ would associate with it? It is a political party that cannot keep a campaign promise. Below are some of the promises APC made before coming into power. None of those promises has been kept.
• Ending Boko Haram and insurgencies rapidly.
• Creating millions of jobs (e.g., 3 million annually).
• Generating 20,000 MW+ of electricity.
• Subsidy removal without hardship.
• Free education and graduate stipends.
• Refineries running at 100% capacity.
• Fighting corruption as priority.
• N1 will equal $1
• Fuel at N70 per liter etc.
It did not stop there, the standard of living of Nigerians plummeted under APC. The cost of basic items rose astronomically, and most Nigerians were plunged into poverty. Under the PDP, there were reportedly 33 million poor Nigerians. Under Buhari of APC, the figure rose to 87 million poor people, and Nigeria got designated as "the poverty capital of the world." President Tinubu kept APC's tradition of poverty and increased the number of poor people to 139 million, all the while laying claims to a bogus “reform”. Instead of lifting 33 million Nigerians out of poverty, APC drove an additional 106 million citizens who were never poor into poverty. The cost of basic items rose astronomically. Below are some of the figures:
The percentage differential in the prices of basic items in the country as compared in 2014 and 2026.
* 50 kg bag of rice +550%
* 50 kg bag of bean +800%
* 50 kg bag of garri +463%
* Loaf of bread +900%
* Fuel (PMS – per litre) +798 - +1050%
* Diesel (per litre) +900%
* Kerosene (per litre) +567%
* House rent (1-bed urban) +700%
* Nigerian passport +200 - +400%
* Cement (50 kg bag) +300%
* Toyota Camry car (used) +500%
* Electricity unit (₦/kWh) +167% - +300%
* Dollar rate depreciation 687%
Meanwhile, APC excelled in looting the treasury of Nigeria on a scale unimaginable, as if it were open robbery of the national treasury.
1. The APC-led government has been tasked to account for N210 trillion unaccounted for in NNPC.
2. The World Bank reported that approximately N8.3 trillion was disbursed outside the statutory Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) distribution formula through various ad hoc transfers and refunds, and it criticized the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding those fiscal arrangements.
3. N6 trillion is missing from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
4. The Lagos – Calabar road at N15 trillion was not appropriated before it was awarded.
5. To date, the Tinubu administration has not responded to allegations that it spent N17.5 trillion, which is equivalent of fuel subsidy for more than 12 years, on “pipeline security and related costs” in one year.
Interestingly, in this prayer call, our attention is not on APC but on the pastors and other Christian leaders who not only associate with this obvious evil in the land but have gone further to form an Association of Christian Leaders for APC. While the constitution guarantees freedom of association, does the Bible approve every association? Can someone continue to call himself or herself a Christian after joining such a political gang? What shall we say about the bloodshed and kidnapping in the land, and the complicity of the APC-led government in the wanton murder of Nigerians by Islamic terrorists?
Some people have sought to justify the participation of Christians in the APC with the excuse that Christians need to participate so they can bring about a change from within the party. That excuse is not tenable. To change witches into saints, does one need to enter a witchcraft covenant or join a coven? To help drug addicts, does the “helper” need to get addicted to cocaine or heroin? Why would a Christian join a political party that endorses the bloodshed of the saints, because he wants to change it from within? The problem is greed. Would the Christians who throng the APC do so if they were not promised money? How many of them will remain there if there was nothing for them to eat? The evil siege over the Church is the greed of some Christian leaders and Christian elites.
This greed is not recent. It should be remembered that it was a pastor who initiated APC under a “handshake across the Niger”, so that his political party could come into power. It was another pastor that was used to legitimise and endorse it. It was yet another pastor who wrote the letter to counter the warning of God that APC should not be permitted to form a government in Nigeria. Yet, another Church leader dismantled the Christian political consensus in 2018 so that no Christian candidate would be strong enough to oppose Buhari during the 2019 elections. When the Muslim-Muslim ticket was announced, it was Church leaders who welcomed the Muslim candidates at the National Christian Centre but shut out all Christian presidential candidates. Did all those Christian leaders act in the interest of the Church, or in the interest of Nigeria? The answer is no. They acted in the promotion of personal interests. The problem of the Nigeria Church is greed.
Under the circumstances, as Christians pray for a new Nigeria, they must realize that the greatest impediment are the greedy ones in the Church. The time has come for Christians to become confrontational, particularly with their leaders, because "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12). The battle for the new Nigeria is within the Church. Christians must ensure that they engage those Church leaders whose belly is their god. (Philp. 3:18). This engagement is unavoidable because the new Nigeria must come. This era of corruption must give way to the era of truth and righteousness. That evil siege of greed in the Church must be destroyed. It is time for the manifestation of the sons of God. God bless Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Matt. 11:12
Pray that the spirit of warriors shall come upon Christians in Nigeria to confront greed and treachery within the Body of Christ.
2. Judg. 6:13-14
Pray that Christian men in Nigeria shall be stirred by the Spirit of God to confront unrighteousness in the Church.
3. Philp. 3:18
Pray that all Church leaders whose belly is their god shall be removed by the Lord from positions of influence in the Church.
4. 1 Tim. 4:1-2
Pray that every veil of doctrinal deceit that has been used to keep Nigeria Christians docile and weak shall be destroyed by the fire of the Spirit.
5. Is. 7:7
Pray that every manipulation of the forces of darkness to impose an evil government upon Nigeria shall not stand.
6. John 10:11-14
Pray that the Lord shall give the Nigeria Church a new set of Good Shepherds, who will place the interest of the flock of Christ above personal interests.
7. Matt. 6:10
Pray that the government of the Kingdom of God shall reign over Nigeria.
