Delta State Gover­nor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, yes­terday called for prayers against drumbeats of war in the country. He made the call in Warri during a solemn assembly held by the state government to mark 100 days of the ab­duction of students of Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State by Boko Ha­ram insurgents.
Uduaghan, at whose in­stance the prayers were made for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls, cau­tioned against acts and utter­ances that could plunge the country into crisis, warning that war in Nigeria could throw the entire West Afri­can region into serious hu­manitarian crisis.
“What we should not do is to politicise what is hap­pening in the country today because if there is crisis in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million people, it will affect the whole of West Africa. We must never pray for war, we must never encourage those who are at war against us,” Uduaghan said.
He decried some reactions trailing the activities of Boko Haram, noting, “Nigeria is a place where almost every­body is an expert in every field.  We should manage our expertise in the best way to check Boko Haram.”
The governor, who urged Nigerians to pray for Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan, said: “You might not under­stand what it means to be in leadership position in the time of crisis until you are in such position.
“We should always use Psalm 23 to pray for Presi­dent Jonathan and we should ask Boko Haram, what do they want?”
Revd. Justin Okoroji, in a sermon, called for prayers for peace by Nigerians rather than criticism, adding that with humility of heart by the citizenry, God would hear the prayers and the ab­ducted Chibok girls would be released.
“The government of Ni­geria should do everything to check unguarded and inciting utterances,” Revd. Okoroji said, adding: “God is interested in the peace of this nation and today, we call on God to liberate these girls, we call on God to liber­ate our nation.”

100 days of Chibok abduction: Uduaghan cautions against provocative comments