Express worry over huge devastation by Boko Haram
By Omon-Julius Onabu
Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have described as unacceptable the enormous destruction of lives and property in parts of the country, saying the federal government should show greater seriousness at tackling insecurity occasioned particularly by the Boko Haram.
The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev Ignatius Ayau Kiagama, expressed the position of the prelates while delivering the opening address at the CBCN’s 2014 second plenary meeting holding in Warri, Delta State.
Archbishop Kaigama, who is also the Archbishop of Jos, noted that if the Federal Government of Nigeria confronted the spate of insurgency and general insecurity with vigour and sense of seriousness with which it is tackling the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the tide of insecurity was bound to ebb rapidly.
Kaigama decried in very strong terms the killing of innocent Christians and other Nigerians by the Islamist insurgents, lamenting that thousands of consequently displaced people have be turned “refugees in their own country.”
He told thousands of people that attended the opening ceremony, including Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, his Deputy, Prof Amos Utuama (SAN), Papal Nuncio to Nigeria, Most Rev Augustine Kasujja, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, as well as eminent political and traditional rulers, that the activities of the insurgents must be halted.
He lamented that the it would appear that the Boko Haram insurgency was not only growing in sophistication, but their blood letting appeared to be spreading unabated particularly in North-eastern parts of the country.
The CBCN president stressed government must braze up to tackle terrorism just the way it has done so far with the Ebola problem, which has reportedly been brought under manageable control in the country.
While admitting that Nigeria was today faced by a range of challenges including infrastructural decay, ethnic and religious intolerance among others, Kaigama said all that Nigerians needed to deal with most of these problems was a change of orientation and mentality, rather than seeking to break up Nigeria into many countries.
Kaigama said: “We wish to reassure the government of our commitment in promoting the good of this nation and collaborating with civil and security officials to ensure peace and order. It was in this regard that we supported the proactive response of the government when the perilous Ebola Virus Disease broke up by adopting as temporary measure that our worshippers should limit physical contacts during worship and even encouraged the reception of the Holy Communion in the hand to prevent the spread of the disease and the loss of lives.
“We insist that the government confront the issue of insurgency with the same seriousness as it is during the Ebola problem. It appears that rather than coming to an end, the activities of terrorism especially in the north east are expanding and growing in sophistication and threatening to spread beyond there.”
He revealed that “Maiduguri and Yola Dioceses of the church confirmed that thousands of internally displaced people from the towns taken over by the insurgents are now taking refuge in different locations as refugees in their own country.”
While chiding Nigerians on greed, Kagama said: “We must stop this ‘culture of appropriation’ among Nigerians as well as the mentality of insatiable greed and reckless misuse of our common patrimony found among those who manage our resources. We are all guilty and responsible for the situation of our country.
“I am certain that with collective good will we could easily catapult our dear nation to the highest economic and social level thus ensuring a better life standard for all of us and there mitigating the humiliating poverty many Nigerians suffer in the midst of plenty.”
He suggested that to bring Nigeria out of the darkroom, Nigerians must begin afresh to relate to fellow Nigerians with genuine love and openness to have true respect for one another and an undying love for the country.
He noted that religion must be seen as promoting harmony and the common good to build together inspired by the need to be one and indivisible.
“We request the two umbrella bodies Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) to kindly do all they can without unhealthy religious bias to enhance religious harmony in Nigeria. They should avoid trading blames and over reacting on issues in defence of their religious constituencies.”
