Seek God’s help over abducted pupils, CAN urges FG, Oyo

The Chairman of Christians Association of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, Revd Olukayode Ogundiya, on Tuesday, charged both the Federal and Oyo State Governments to seek God’s wisdom rather than their expertise in rescuing over 40 schoolchildren and their teachers abducted on May 15, 2026, at three different schools in Oyo.

He gave this advice during an interview on the sidelines of a book launch and public presentation of “The Proverbial Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Guru Wisehart,” held at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, the state capital.

Ogundiya, who further advised Nigerian leaders to always seek God’s wisdom in directing the affairs of the country, added that CAN is organising another one-day special prayer on Saturday, July 11, 2026, where eminent Church leaders across near and far would gather to seek God’s intervention for the immediate release of victims in captivity.

The PUNCH reports that scores of teachers and students were abducted during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, on Friday around 9:30 am.

Speaking further, Oyo CAN chairman said, “Wisdom is a thing that every individual, no matter how wise you may think you are, needs on a daily and even moment basis. So, we need more people of wisdom in the affairs of our nation, and it is not just ordinary wisdom but the wisdom of God. You must have the fear of God and do things in the way of the Lord.

“So, there is no one that can overgrow it, even the clegy. We need to search for wisdom, and that’s what the Bible says on a daily or moment-by-moment basis, so that things can get better. Our politicians are too inclusive; they are not exempt. They need the wisdom of God on a daily basis for leadership, for Godly leadership.

“If only our politicians and our leaders can trust God, I believe this nation will change for the better. But most of the time, we see that they trust their expertise. They trust in their own wisdom, and the Bible says nobody should trust in his or her own wisdom, and that’s just the basic. Whoever trusts in his or her own wisdom will see results as we are seeing them. So, we need to trust God; our leaders need to trust God, that with our God, all things are possible.

“So, what we have at hand is the weapon that we should use, and that’s prayer, waiting and trusting God that He will give us breakthrough. Anything else is just human understanding. We need prayer, trusting God and surrendering ourselves to Him so that He will give us breakthrough like these schoolchildren and their teachers that have been abducted. We’ve been praying, and I know very soon, the Lord will manifest Himself.

“We have a programme on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Orita Mefa Baptist Church here in Ibadan where Church leaders and Christians will gather from 6 am till 6 pm with eminent Church leaders to call upon the name of the Lord, and I believe that the Lord is on our side, and He will prove Himself that He is indeed the living God.

“The programme is for the security of Oyo and the nation at large, and in particular for the release of those Oyo abducted children and their teachers. We are going to praise God in anticipation of what the Lord is about to do.”

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Earlier, one of the book reviewers and a columnist in the Nigerian Tribune, Dr Festus Adedayo said, “A wisdom book, the type I am reviewing, deserves to begin with a wisdom tale. And that is what I start with.

“There is a folktale about a king who announced that whoever could carry a calabash full of palm oil across a narrow bridge without spilling a drop of it would become his chief adviser. This instantly provoked a flurry of excitement. Many strong men stepped forward. Some boasted of their strength; others displayed their fine clothes and expensive sandals. One after another, they mounted the narrow bridge, in their bid to carry the calabash full of palm oil across it. One after the other, they all failed.

“Then an old woman appeared. She took off her shoes, mounted the bridge, lowered her eyes, and walked slowly across it. She reached the other side of the river without spilling a drop.

“The whole town was agog. The old woman was instantly mobbed by a retinue of people who were swept off their feet by her achievement. Her exploits reached the king’s ears, who summoned her to the palace.

“On encountering the old woman who dared to victoriously tread where all the young ones in the village failed, the king asked her only one question. What was the secret of her unexampled success in carrying the calabash full of palm oil across a narrow bridge without spilling a drop?

“The others were looking at the crowd,” she replied. “I was looking at the bridge. The king was impressed by this wisdom bag of reply. He had tested the old; now he wanted to test the young.”

In his speech, the author of the book, Dr Felix El-Schaeddhaei, said he spent about 20 years compiling the book.

“This is a 20-year work built upon seven enduring attributes of our Creator transmitted into the capacities of the human mind and heart—each a pillar in its own right, and each in conversation and connections with the others.

“These are self-awareness, critical thinking, creativity, compassion and love, Power and authority, resilience, and sound objective judgment, and how their interdependence guided the writing and shaping of this book.”