Even before she left the shores of Nigeria for Brazil, Mariam Usman knew that winning a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics would be a tough call. She would not pretend to be a magician or claim perfection where there is none. Usman believes one can only reap where one sows. She was the only weightlifter representing Nigeria in Rio. She competed in the +75 category and amassed 265 kg, finishing 8th in her group. ‘It is painful to come to the Olympics and see people who are your contemporaries perform better than you; not because you lack the ability but because you were not prepared like them,’ she said, She added that training for the Rio Olympics was non-existent in Nigeria, while her counterparts from other countries have been training for three to four years. ‘Other competitors had everything they needed: training grants, competitions and access to the most modern equipment. I had nothing.’

Pray: for Nigeria and other countries giving poor support to their athletes, that they should provide adequate funding and training for those displaying extraordinary abilities and strengths in representing their home country. (Ps.59:4b)
More: www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/wont-represent-nigeria-usman/

200+ people have been killed in almost daily attacks in the northern and north-eastern regions since 30 June by Boko Haram. But lesser reported violence rages farther south, claiming thousands of Christian lives. Militants among the ethnic Fulani, a predominantly Muslim and nomadic population of cattle herders, are suspected of killing Christians in the states of Plateau and Taraba in recent months. The two states form the eastern end of Nigeria's ‘Middle Belt’ (states straddling the pre-colonial line dividing Nigeria's Muslim north from its Christian south) and the most recent violence resulted from 500 Fulani cattle disappearing with suspicion falling on the Berom, an indigenous Christian population. Fulani raiding parties killed 30+ people, including a pastor of the Church of Christ in Nigeria. Cattle rustling and land disputes provide a pretext for the violence across the Middle Belt. For a report on Non-Boko Haram violence against Christians in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria go to: http://theanalytical.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Migration-and-Violent-Conflict-in-Divided-Societies-March-2015.pdf

Pray: for an end to the Hausa-Fulani Muslim oligarchy that has used colonial legacies, political policies and religious sentiments in order to conquer and dominate the Middle Belt region. (Pr.21:15)
More: www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2015/07/3924562

A pastor has been hacked to death by armed Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria's central state of Nasarawa, according to World Watch Monitor (WWM). Rev Joseph Kurah, with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Obi town, was reportedly killed on 30 June after going to his farm at around 7pm to cut down trees for roofing wood. There had been a dispute with a local Muslim earlier over ownership of the land, according to members of the church. Many local Christians suspect that the Muslim hired the Fulani herdsmen to carry out the murder. A man who identified himself as Kurah's nephew posted graphic photos on Twitter, saying, 'They attacked him on his farm, cut off his arms and legs; then they chopped his head with a machete. All I want is justice to be done. Nasarawa State and the federal government must find the killers of my uncle.' Kurah has left behind a wife and seven children.

Pray: for Kurah's wife and children, for them to experience God's presence, compassion and grace at this time. Pray for the killers to be brought to justice. (Isaiah 56:1)
More: www.christiantoday.com/article/evangelical.pastor.hacked.to.death.in.nigeria/89953.htm

Doctors without Borders (MSF) said a ‘catastrophic humanitarian emergency’ is unfolding at a camp in Bama where 24,000 people have taken refuge from Boko Haram and nearly 200 have starved to death in the past month. Many are traumatised and one in five children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Thirty people die every day due to hunger or illness. MSF's visit to the camp was only possible with an army escort. Violence in Nigeria is widespread, perpetrated by Boko Haram, ethnic groups, farmers and herdsmen who resort to violence. Some acts of violence have religious overtones, and a new generation of Niger Delta militants are threatening war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately, and police are notorious for extrajudicial murder. Between May 2011 and June 2016 there were 15,588 deaths perpetrated solely by Boko Haram and another 12,962 deaths perpetrated by terrorists and state combined. See:

Pray: for God to move powerfully through Nigeria’s people, bringing healing and reconciliation. (2Ch.6:19)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36603419

Nigeria is going to do the painful thing everyone said it has to do: the currency will be allowed to float freely. The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, said that the bank will intervene ‘as the need arises’. A weaker currency will help Nigeria's economy by encouraging import substitution and attracting foreign investors, who have shunned the country for fear of a devaluation. The move will be painful over the short term: inflation was 15.6% in April. The authorities will probably be forced to tighten monetary policy. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy but it has soaring inflation. This latest action will not magically fix all of Nigeria’s problems - for example, lower oil prices and ongoing oil-production disruptions by the Niger Delta Avengers.

Pray: for honesty and fair trading, and for righteous acts that bring about economic recovery. (1Tim.6:10)
More: www.metalsnews.com/Metals+News/BusinessInsider/The+Business+Insider+The+Money+Game/HEADLINE1102698/Nigeria+is+finally+going+to+do+the+painful+thing+everyone+said+it+has+to+do.htm

Christians in Kano, northern Nigeria, expected widespread violence following the killing of a Christian woman last week, but Sunday services passed peacefully. Bridget Patience Agbahime, 74, originally from the southern state of Imo, was ambushed by a mob for allegedly blaspheming against Islam’s prophet. Her husband, the pastor of Deeper Life Bible Church, was with her, but prompt police intervention saved his life. Mrs Agbahime was a quiet woman who traded in plastic wares, known to respect others; it is doubtful that she could have made any statement of blasphemy. The killing has provoked widespread social media outrage, with calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. One Christian group said, ‘Our religious leaders must come out and preach the true tenets of religion, because this violent arrogance is getting too much.’ Christians fear more activism from radical Muslims during Ramadan, traditionally a time of terror and suicide bombings.

Pray: for God to comfort all in mourning and breathe peace into the situation. (2Cor.13:11b)
More: www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2016/06/4500305/

On Tuesday night, Amina Ali Nkeki wandered out of a forest, asking for help, accompanied by a baby and a man who claimed to be her husband and the father of the baby. Amina was in poor physical condition, as were the baby and man. They were part of a group asking for help. The man said he had been kidnapped by Boko Haram from the town of Mubi, taken to Sambisa Forest, and married to Amina. Amina was taken to her house in Mbalala, where she was reunited with her mother, Binta Ali. The Sambisa Forest is an ideal hiding place for militants and their explosive devices:recently soldiers have infiltrated the forest and driven many out of their territory, but some are still hiding there. Stop press: the army has rescued a second Chibok girl, Serah Luka, and 97 other women. See:

Pray: for the 200+ still in captivity. Pray for Amina, her husband and baby’s healing and recovery from their ordeals. Pray for the families and the girls living in hope / fear. (Job 5:16)
More: edition.cnn.com/2016/05/18/africa/nigeria-chibok-girl-found/

A summit on corruption was held on Thursday in London. For decades Britain and the west have asked poor countries and failed states to address problems with dodgy money (money invested in western banks, stores, estate agents, and offshore). The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, came to London to lobby for help regarding tax havens in Nigeria. Buhari sent a letter to England saying, ‘We are embarked on a nationwide anti-corruption campaign. But these efforts are sadly undermined if countries such as your own are welcoming our corrupt to hide their ill-gotten gains in your luxury homes, department stores, car dealerships, private schools and anywhere else that will accept their cash with no questions asked. The role of London’s property market as vessels to conceal stolen wealth has been exposed in court documents, reports, documentaries and more.’ One third of all the trillions hiding offshore are in tax havens linked to the UK, according to Oxfam.

Pray: for God, in His mercy, to regulate governments, city brokers, accountants, lawyers, bankers, etc. (Mt.6:10b)
More: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/10/the-guardian-view-on-corruption-david-cameron-should-look-closer-to-home

Written by Pastor Austen C. Ukachi

1.  Pray for the release of Nigeria's stolen wealth by Western Nations. Large amount of money stolen by past military leaders and by politicians mainly are stashed in many banks abroad. Pray that western countries that are custodians of Nigeria's stolen wealth would agree to repatriate the money to Nigeria without any pre-condition.

2. Pray for the peace of the land. Pray that the lingering crisis between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta militants would not deteriorate. Pray that it will be resolved amicably so that peace will reign in the land. Pray for peace in the South East where youths are agitating for the Republic of Biafra. Pray for peace in the North East where Boko Haram still maintains pockets of resistance.

3. Pray for the bill on cattle grazing. A bill is before the National Assembly on cattle grazing. Already, the public has reacted to some of the provisions of the bill, which grants the Federal Government the right to acquire any choice land for grazing of cattle. Pray for the National Assembly to thoroughly examine the bill and remove the offensive clauses. Pray that the Federal Government will exercise caution in the implementation of the bill whenever it is passed.

Written by Pastor Austen C. Ukachi

EXHORTATION

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way" (James 1:2-4 MSG).

Without any shadow of doubt, these are days of intense pressure. Both at the national and personal levels, we are all under one form of pressure or the other. In the words of Paul, we are hard pressed on all sides. As a nation, we are presently under economic, social, religious and political pressures. Business men and women are under economic pressure. So also are the students, market women, workers, etc. Pressure leads our youth into all kinds of vices. Some convent with the devil to acquire evil powers. Pressure leads our youth to seek to migrate to Europe by all means.some go through the desert, others cross the Mediterranean seas. Pressure lead some men to armed robbery etc.

On Sunday night, in Enugu State, an attack by more than two hundred suspected armed Fulani herdsmen left at least 48 people dead. Scores of people were critically wounded, and sixty houses and two churches completely razed to the ground. 56 people with gunshot wounds were taken to different hospitals. The state police confirmed the attack but cannot give an exact figure of people killed: however, the police and security agencies have been mobilised to curtail the situation so that it does not degenerate into all-out war. The attackers were armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, bows and arrows, and machetes or swords. Many villagers escaped to neighbouring communities, but people in nearby towns are also worried about possible attacks from the herdsmen. Sources disclosed that the villagers had resisted the use of their farmlands as grazing fields by the herdsmen.

Pray: for God to comfort those mourning and living in fear, and to strengthen security in the area. (Is.41:10)
More: www.christiantoday.com/article/nigeria.dozens.slaughtered.and.church.burned.down.in.latest.fulani.massacre/84931.htm

UNICEF reports that the number of children involved in ‘suicide’ attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger has risen from four in 2014 to forty-four in 2015. One in five suicide bombers was a child. Terrorists are deceiving children and forcing them to carry out deadly acts. Half of the attacks in Cameroon were done by children, one in eight in Chad, and one in seven in Nigeria. The primary group perpetuating these tragedies is Boko Haram. An African proverb notes that children are the reward of life. Jesus didn’t keep the children far away; he welcomed them closely. Tragically we cannot physically reach the children in these countries, but we can pray that children will cease being objects to be used and start being individuals to be loved.

Pray: for Africa to act according to an African proverb, ‘Train a child the way he should go and make sure you also go the same way.’ (Pr.22:6)
More: www.denisonforum.org/global/2446-drastic-increase-in-number-of-children-used-in-suicide-attacks