TheCable

David Mark, outgoing president of the Nigerian senate, says he joined politics in order to serve God and humanity.

He described himself as a team player, saying he shows deference to his colleagues at the red chamber.

Speaking on Wednesday at a thanksgiving service organised in his honour by the Christian Legislators Fellowship International, Mark said he joined politics in order to serve God and humanity.

“I joined politics to serve not only humanity but to serve God,” he said.

“I chose to be a team player in order to carry the senators along and I call each of the senators my boss. People of God, I cherish your prayers so much; it is not yet over until it is over by God, so continue to pray for me.”

He added that through prayers, God saw him through the years; and he ascribed his achievements from the military era to the present dispensation to God’s grace.

He recalled that the senate had five presidents between 1999 and 2007, but he remained president for a period of eight years – from 2007 to 2015.

In his remark, Vincent Asuquo, a reverend and the deputy chaplain to the senate president, described Mark as a focused man who relied on God for guidance.

“Mark was a very focused officer when he was in the military. By the time he became major, those who appointed him saw that quality in him – as young as he was,” he said.

“Comportment, spirit of statesmanship, team spirit, humility are the attributes God anoints a leader with and Mark has them all.

“He is a bridge builder and not given to arrogance, neither does he claim to know it all. When a personality has such attributes, the sky is the limit of his ascendancy in his career.”

Auquo advised whoever emerges the senate president in the 8th assembly to examine himself or herself and be prepared to learn from the mistakes and the successes of the past assembly.

Also, Pertru Okebugwu, senior pastor, Ark International Christian Centre, Gwarinpa, Abuja, who led the prayer of intercession during the service, described Mark as a man that feared God.

“It only takes a man that has access to the spirit of wisdom to be able to do in eight years, what five persons had to do. It takes an uncommon display of God’s wisdom and grace to achieve that,” he said.

“What I will advise is for the 8th national assembly to apply the same principle Mark displayed to achieve so much feat as president of the senate.

“He knows how to rally people together and that is a great attribute that must be emulated.”

In his comments, Ita Enang, chairman of the fellowship, urged members of the fellowship to continue to pray for the leadership of the 8th assembly.

Enang said that though the 7th assembly was bowing out, the fellowship should not relent in its meetings and prayers.

He also announced Barnabas Gemade as the new chairman of the fellowship and handed the mantle of leadership to Gemade.

Enang would not be a part of the new assembly.