By CLEMENT NWOJI, Abuja
Catholic Bishops have decried the prevailing wastage of human lives in Nigeria and urged the Federal Government to exhibit more strategic commitment and sincerity in the fight against insecurity and violence.
They maintained that government should “take full responsibility for the present culture of violence and impunity in the country.”
The Bishops who described Nigeria as having drifted into the categories of “one of the most terrorized countries in the world”, made their stance known in a communiqué issued at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), held at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Ogui, Enugu, Enugu State, between 19 – 27 August, 2021.
They condemned the voting by the National Assembly against electronic transmission of results of elections, saying that it “will create opening for further manipulation of electoral votes and lay the foundation for more conflicts in future elections.”
Bearing their minds on the state of the nation, in the Communique made available to OPTIMUM TIMES, the Bishops observed that except for the civil war, the “nation has never witnessed the kind of widespread evil, wanton destruction and murderous bloodletting.”
While advocating for total respect for the sanctity of human life, the Catholic Bishops stated: “Life has never been so cheap, nor has Nigeria ever been at the stage we are now. Deaths in the hands of kidnappers, killer herdsmen, bandits, terrorist groups have made Nigeria one of the most terrorized countries in the world. The abductions of school children present us with the prospects of a traumatized generation of young people.
“Furthermore, Government must be balanced and seen to be so in its response to the challenges of insecurity in every segment of the citizenry.”
On struggles for self determination, the Bishops cautioned the federal government against mismanaging the trials of the leaders of the agitators, warning that doing otherwise will “trigger off further avoidable unrest.”
They said: “We observe that the agitations and tensions are mainly as a result of bad governance, injustice, inequity, and unfairness in appointments and distribution of resources to parts of the country.
“We recognize the rights of peoples to self-determination; yet we emphasize that the exercise of such rights must be within the confines of the rule of law. We urge the Government to ensure a just and fair trial of the arrested key players in the struggles. To mismanage these cases is to trigger off further avoidable unrest.
“We urge both Government and citizens to work for a nation in which everyone and every part, irrespective of differences of tribe or religion or political affiliation, will have a sense of belonging. We reiterate that the struggle for the ‘soul’ of Nigeria, that is presently ongoing, will not be won by ethnic cleansing, nepotism, kidnapping and banditry but by love, fairness and equity, common good and patriotism.”
Parts of the Communique endorsed by: Most Rev. Augustine Obiora AKUBEZE (President, CBCN); Most Rev. Camillus Raymond UMOH (Secretary, CBCN); Archbishop of Benin City and Bishop of Ikot Ekpene; reads below:
STATE OF THE NATION*
Increasing Insecurity and Violence: Respect for the Sanctity of Human Life
We strongly advocate total respect for the sanctity of human life. Regrettably, except for the civil war, our nation has never witnessed the kind of widespread evil, wanton destruction and murderous bloodletting. Life has never been so cheap, nor has Nigeria ever been at the stage we are now. Deaths in the hands of kidnappers, killer herdsmen, bandits, terrorist groups have made Nigeria one of the most terrorized countries in the world.
The abductions of school children present us with the prospects of a traumatized generation of young people. We recognize the efforts being made by Government to fight insecurity in the land. However, we stress that Government needs to show more strategic commitment and sincerity in this fight and take full responsibility for the present culture of violence and impunity in the country.
Furthermore, Government must be balanced and seen to be so in its response to the challenges of insecurity in every segment of the citizenry. In the same vein, we call on all citizens to be law-abiding, vigilant, live by sound moral principles and, above all, obey the commandments of God. We continue to plead with all to shun violence and criminality. We urge Government at all levels to provide the enabling environment that would make it possible for both the Government and the private sector to create job opportunities for our teeming youth population. This would surely reduce the danger of insecurity and unrest in our land.
*National Unity, Justice, Peace and Development
We are grateful to God that we still exist as one nation. This is in spite of sundry agitations and struggles for self-determination. We observe that the agitations and tensions are mainly as a result of bad governance, injustice, inequity, and unfairness in appointments and distribution of resources to parts of the country. We recognize the rights of peoples to self-determination; yet we emphasize that the exercise of such rights must be within the confines of the rule of law. We urge the Government to ensure a just and fair trial of the arrested key players in the struggles.
To mismanage these cases is to trigger off further avoidable unrest. We urge both Government and citizens to work for a nation in which everyone and every part, irrespective of differences of tribe or religion or political affiliation, will have a sense of belonging. We reiterate that the struggle for the ‘soul’ of Nigeria, that is presently ongoing, will not be won by ethnic cleansing, nepotism, kidnapping and banditry but by love, fairness and equity, common good and patriotism. We therefore enjoin Government and all Nigerians to toe the path of justice and conciliatory dialogue and see themselves as agents of peace and development in order to ensure a harmonious and united nation. While we congratulate the Federal Government for enacting the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, we advise that the Federal Government address the genuine concerns of the people regarding some clauses in the Act. It is our hope that the implementation of the provisions of the law will truly serve the common good.
*Politics and Electoral Reform
We as Church are keenly interested in the political situation of our country. Although the Church does not support any political party, but she supports every Government that prioritizes the welfare of the citizens. In the same way, the Church vehemently condemns Government policies that do not promote development and the common good. We insist that there is an urgent need for a fair and credible electoral process, through which our political leaders emerge.
We therefore state loud and clear that the recent voting by the National Assembly against electronic transmission of results of elections will create opening for further manipulation of electoral votes and lay the foundation for more conflicts in future elections. We call on the National Assembly to reconsider its position in the light of world best practices.
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