As the present administration winds down, President Goodluck Jonathan has again enjoined leaders at all levels to always be ready to make sacrifices for the good of the country.
Jonathan also called for more prayers on the part of the people for Nigeria’s progress.
He made the call on Saturday at the 2015 Presidential Breakfast Prayer at the Banquet, State House Abuja.
According to him, the virtue of prayers and sacrifices were essential for peace and prosperity in all nations, noting the absence of either of the two could spell doom for a nation.
Speaking, the Aso Chaplain, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba, said the fifth in the series and the last for the administration of Jonathan, was unique in the sense that it marked the tenure of Jonathan, who he said, sacrificed his ambition in order to get the country united.
President Jonathan noted further that leadership goes beyond giving directives.
He said by their actions, every person saddled with the responsibility of managing a people must be ready to develop some spirit of give and take.
He said: “I always said that leadership is not all about giving directives.
“Aa successful leader must be ready to make sacrifice.
“Everything about human life as an individual, even as a child, if you don’t make the required sacrifice, you can’t go to where you want to go.
“If you don’t sacrifice your pleasure, of course you will know where you’ll end.
“As parents, we know the kind of sacrifice we make for our children to go to school, to feed.
“To build a family you need sacrifice.
“So for those who have the privileges of leading at local, state and national, at all times we should be ready to make sacrifice for our nation to grow.
“Just as we call for prayers for our leaders – not just local government chairmen, governors and president alone – I’m also calling on leaders at other levels, ministers must make the required sacrifice, our lawmakers because they look at all our laws.
“They can create crisis in country if they are not ready to do things the right way.
“So all of us in leadership position must be ready to make the sacrifice and with our prayers and with our commitment Nigeria will surely get to where it wants to go.”
At the personal level, the President said he thanked God and Nigerians for the opportunity he had to serve the nation, noting that nobody could expect more.
Jonathan said: “For me, I have to thank God and Nigerians for the privilege and opportunity given to me this past 16 years.
“I served my state’s as a deputy governor and governor for eight years.
“From Government House in Yenegoa and then I came here to the State House, Abuja, served the country as vice president and a president.
“That is a reasonable length of time of so I have to thank God.
“First because if God did not will it, it won’t have happened.
“I have to thank Nigerians for the support for me within this period and I will continue to do my best as I’m gradually joining (retired General Yakubu) Gowon and (Chief Ernest) Shonekan to serve our country in different capacity.”
Present at the service were two former leaders – General Yakubu Gowon and Earnest Shonekan.