An America-based cleric and President of Miracle Valley Ministries, Pastor Sola Fabunmi, has called on the Church to focus on prayer rather than criticism. He urged religious leaders to rise in prayer against the ongoing violence and killings in Nigeria and to exercise the spiritual authority God entrusted to them for national transformation.

Pastor Fabunmi said if scientists can depend on chemical reactions for their work, then the Church must be able to depend on prayer reactions. He noted that “if pastors and believers genuinely preach and believe the Word of God, the same Word that created all things, then prayer should produce results far greater than any earthly power.”

He emphasised that “the Bible tells us we are not fighting flesh and blood, but principalities and powers.” He said many people view the prevailing killings from a physical perspective, when the Church must confront them spiritually. He reminded believers that “the weapons of Christian warfare are not carnal but spiritual and mighty through God,” asking why the Church cannot pray and see national problems collapse just as Paul and Silas prayed and the prison walls fell.

Pastor Fabunmi added that crying or complaining will not change anything until the Church takes responsibility. According to him, the early apostles did not negotiate with darkness; they confronted it with prayer and unwavering faith. He stressed that the same authority still resides in the Church today, but it must be activated through genuine belief and united intercession.

He noted that every revival in scripture and history began when men and women travailed in prayer. Nigeria, he said, does not merely need political solutions or foreign intervention; it needs a spiritual awakening led by a praying Church. He warned that the Church cannot afford to be silent or divided at a time when darkness appears to be gaining ground.

“The enemy thrives where the Church weakens in prayer and retreats where believers stand together in faith. If the Church unites in one voice, the atmosphere of the nation will shift and evil will lose its grip. What Nigeria is facing is beyond human wisdom, and only divine intervention can break the cycle of bloodshed.” He said.

Pastor Fabunmi questioned whether the Church still believes in the Word it preaches or whether believers have lost their faith and power. He asked where the spiritual authority of the early Church has gone, and why many Christians now look to America for solutions rather than to God and His Word.

He further stated that it is wrong for spiritual leaders to join the persistent blame game. Doing so, he said, is an attempt to pass their God-given responsibility to someone else. He explained that religious leaders are the ones who teach, guide, and equip the people, and the kind of word they preach can transform a nation far more effectively than criticising political leaders.

The cleric said the president cannot solve every problem, and the Church must recognise that it carries spiritual oversight over the nation. He pointed out that real power does not lie with politicians but with the Church that carries the authority of God. He urged believers to resist fear, reminding them that Jesus declared all power belongs to the believer. Any Christian who says prayer does not work, he added, simply does not understand the power of God.

He warned that the Church will only grow weaker if it keeps shifting its responsibility to politicians. He said people are terrorised because they sense spiritual weakness around them, and it is the Church’s role to empower them with the Word of God, not to amplify fear or shift blame.

“You may not like the president, but that does not justify tearing down the country. Christians, especially religious leaders, cannot continue criticising political leaders, particularly the President, as though they are enemies. Attacking the President from the pulpit is misguided and a distraction from the real spiritual work the Church should be doing. Religious leaders are meant to correct, encourage, and guide, not destroy. This culture of constant criticism must stop, and religious leaders must take their spiritual mandate seriously. For me, the President is doing a great job in developing the country, and we too must play our part as religious leaders.” He stressed.

Pastor Fabunmi concluded that the time has come for the Church to rise, pray, and exercise the authority God entrusted to it. He said the nation is crying for deliverance, and the answer lies in the hands of the Church through faith, fervent prayer, and unwavering belief.