- by Deborah Longe
- February 26, 2026
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The following is a transcription of On the Lord’s Side Podcast presented on GospelBellsRadio on February 26, 2026 by Olufemi Oguntokun. It may not fully match with the audio, but represents a near perfect transcription of the broadcast.
On Nigeria Ranking Among the Most Praying, Most Corrupt, and Most Terrorism-Ridden Nations
Good morning, and it is good morning to you once again. It’s Thursday, the 26th of February 2026. The programme is On the Lord’s Side: Christian Perspectives on News and Current Events. My name is Olufemi Oguntokun. You can follow me on X at @OlufemiOG. You can follow Gospel Bells Radio on X at @GospelBellsRadio.
I want to ask you: which is the most praying nation in the world? Listen to this and let’s see if your guess is right. A study revealed data about the league of praying nations which showed that 95% of Nigerians say they pray daily. We are the second highest in the world, by the way, after Afghanistan.
Let’s look at the statistics of the top nine countries whose citizens say they pray daily. Number one is Afghanistan. Number two is Nigeria at 95%. Then Algeria at 88%, Senegal at 88%, Iran at 87%, Iraq at 87%, Niger at 87%, Indonesia, and at the bottom of that nine is China.
There was another comparison: prayer versus terrorism. Again, Afghanistan tops that list. Then prayer versus corruption. Again, Nigeria is number two. What does this say about our nation?
Now, this is not a recent video. It is from an old episode of The Morning Show on Arise TV. Somebody brought it up again on Instagram and wrote, “The most praying nation.”
The telling point is not just that Nigeria ranks highly on that list. Afghanistan is first. Afghanistan is not known for noble things. When you hear Afghanistan, you think of war, terrorism, extremism, the oppression of women, and instability. Yet it ranks number one as the most praying nation. Nigeria ranks number two.
On the corruption index, Afghanistan is number one. Guess who is number two? Nigeria. On the terrorism-ridden list, again, Afghanistan and Nigeria feature prominently.
Nobody in good conscience would disagree that Nigeria belongs on the list of prayerful nations. Some may dispute whether we are truly number two in corruption or terrorism, but no intellectually honest person would deny that we belong somewhere on those lists. The tragedy is not the exact ranking; it is that we are on the list at all.
So what conclusion should we draw? Some in the culture want us to conclude that prayer is useless. They say, “Look at the most praying nations, they are corrupt and terrorism-ridden. Therefore, prayer does not work.”
That is a false conclusion.
In law school, we were taught that errors in arithmetic do not prove mathematics wrong. If you solve 3 plus 3 and arrive at 7, it is not arithmetic that has failed. It is you who misapplied the principle.
If a nation is full of people who claim to pray yet is riddled with corruption and terrorism, the fault is not with prayer. The fault is that people are not praying in spirit and in truth. It proves that it is not enough to pray. It is also necessary to live righteously.
There was a clip from the All Progressives Congress presidential primary where then, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said, in essence, that if we pray for good leadership, we must also choose good leaders. Our actions must align with our prayers.
If we call upon a holy and righteous God, we must live holy and righteous lives. Proverbs 15:8 and 29 say, “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
And in 2 Chronicles 7:14, we are told, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven.”
The problem is not prayer. The problem is unrighteousness. The prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.
We must reject the false choice that says we must either be a praying but corrupt nation or a prosperous but prayerless one. There is a third option: a nation that prays, acts righteously, and prospers.
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach.
We should pray not only for prosperity and security, but for revival, a revival of hearts, a return to righteousness. That is what these rankings should remind us of.
On Bill Gates, the Jeffrey Epstein Files, and the Futility of Denial Before God
Next, I want to engage with another story emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Many prominent individuals have been outed as having associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
Among them are Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and others of global prominence. Now, Bill Gates has also been implicated.
You will recall that an email from Jeffrey Epstein suggested that Bill Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted infection from relationships with Russian women arranged by Epstein. At the time, Bill Gates denied it. He said Epstein merely wrote an email to himself. He claimed he never went to the island and never engaged in such behaviour.
However, Punch newspaper reported 12 hours ago: “Gates confesses to two affairs with Russian women.” He has now admitted to having two affairs while married. He said he contracted an STD and had to drug Melinda to cover it up.
Bill and Melinda Gates were married for 27 years, from January 1, 1994, until their divorce was finalised on August 2, 2021. When they separated, many speculated. Some blamed her. Some suggested she was seeking financial advantage.
Now facts have come to light.
The first lesson is this: when you hear of a relationship breaking down, do not rush to judgment. You may not know the facts.
But there is a deeper lesson. When the allegations first surfaced, Bill Gates denied them. He said, “That is not who I am.” But when confronted with irrefutable evidence, he had to admit the truth.
Before God, nobody can hide behind one finger. When you deny your sins before they all, seeing God, you are merely hiding behind one finger. He sees all things.
The Bible says that on the day of judgment, all mouths will be silent. There will be no excuses. The evidence will be overwhelming.
But glory be to God for those who have been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins have been washed away. They will be remembered no more. He will present us faultless before the throne.
For the sinner, however, the wrath of God remains. As the hymn In Christ Alone says:
“Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I stand”
For the Christian, God’s wrath has been spent on Christ. But for the sinner who refuses reconciliation, the wrath remains.
The lesson is clear: what is done in secret will be proclaimed on the rooftops. Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
The Christian Internet Radio with a mission to engage the culture with the mind of Christ. Keep listening and invite others too. God bless you. Amen.