Catholic Bishops: Nigeria, one of the most terrorised countries in the world
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has said that Nigeria is one of the most terrorized nations in the world
This is contained in Communiqué issued at the end of the Second Plenary of the CBCN held in Enugu recently.
In the Communiqué co-signed by the CBCN President, His Grace Archbishop Augustine Akubeze; and Secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Umoh, the Catholic bishops insist that Government needs to show more strategic commitment and sincerity in the fight against insecurity and take full responsibility for the present culture of violence and impunity in the country.
The Communiqué read in part: “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.
While calling on “all citizens to be law-abiding, vigilant, live by sound moral principles and, above all, obey the commandments of God”, the Catholic bishops advised government to ensure that the youths in all parts of the country are gainfully employed as a way of reducing the unrest.
“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 in job opportunities for our teeming youth population. This would surely reduce the danger of insecurity and unrest.”
With regards to agitation for self- determination by some socio-cultural groups in the country, the Catholic Bishops noted that the situation is a result of bad governance, injustice, inequity, and unfairness in appointments and distribution of resources to parts of the country.
The Bishops urge agitators to toe the part of the rule of law while encouraging the government to be just and fair in trial of arrested key players to avoid further unrest:
“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.
The Bishops warn against ethnic cleansing, nepotism, kidnapping and banditry, stating thatthat the struggle for the ‘soul’ of Nigeria, can only be won by love, fairness and equity, common good and patriotism.
The Communiqué congratulates the Government for enacting the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, and advises that the Federal Government should address the genuine concerns of the people regarding some clauses in the Act.”
With politics and election reform, the Communiqué states that although the Catholic Church does not support any political party, it would back any government that prioritises the welfare of the people.
While insisting that there is an urgent need for a fair and credible electoral process in the country, Communique regrets the passage of the new Electoral Bill without the express provision for electronic transmission of results.
“We therefore state loud and clear that the recent voting by the National Assembly against electronic transmission of election results will create an opening for further manipulation of electoral votes and lay the foundation for more co flicts in future elections. We call on the National Assembly to reconsider its position in the light of world best practices, ” the Communique added.
