Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has mandated a three-Monday fasting/prayer program (June 16-30) for all staff, seeking divine solutions to the nation's food crisis. Internal memos obtained by TheCable reveal daily 30-minute prayer sessions at Abuja headquarters under the theme "Divine Intervention for Protection and National Development." The directive has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians mocking the spiritual approach to systemic agricultural challenges.
• Sacred mandate: Compulsory staff participation in workplace prayer sessions
• Temporal framework: Three consecutive Mondays (12-12:30 pm) at Ministry HQ
• Public backlash: Social media users question efficacy versus policy solutions
• Context: Nigeria's food inflation hit 40.5% in May 2025 (NBS)
When a nation kneels rather than tills, what harvest can it expect? This unprecedented fusion of bureaucracy and spirituality lays bare the desperation of Nigeria's food crisis, where tractors make way for prayer mats. While faith has its place, the ministry's approach raises urgent questions: Should divine intervention substitute for missing fertilizers, irrigation schemes, or modern farming policies? The online ridicule reflects growing citizen frustration with symbolic gestures over tangible solutions. Perhaps the real test of faith will be whether these prayers yield more than the recent agricultural loans that never reached farmers.
Sources: TheCable, Ministry internal memo, National Bureau of Statistics
