…say ‘ethnic champions loudly beating drums of war, agitating for disintegration’
Catholic Bishops under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria have raised the alarm that the worsening insecurity across the country is threatening to push the nation over the precipice and plunge it into the gaping abyss of violence and lawlessness.
The Bishops, who warned President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to avert the imminent disaster now threatening the continued corporate existence of the country, said recent occurrences in the country were pointers to the fact that the Federal Government had failed to keep the nation as one indivisible entity as heavily armed non-state actors now act in self-defence under the guise of protecting their individual and group interests.
The Catholic Bishops stated this in a goodwill message to Nigerians on Wednesday in Abuja, which was jointly signed by the CBCN President, Most Rev. Augustine Obiora Akubeze, and Secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Raymond Umoh, urged the Federal Government to take steps to quickly halt the current instability in the country from getting worse.
The clerics noted that insecurity, which had claimed many lives and led to the destruction of property, had for long remained unaddressed, resulting in the current threat to the nation’s continued corporate existence.
The Bishops, therefore, prayed for the Nigerian nation to witness a more co-ordinated security strategy with the state governments and the military coming out victorious in the ongoing war against the bandits and insurgents to avoid the nation’s imminent collapse.
The Catholic Bishops said in their message, “Our country Nigeria has gone through many crises, and so far, has managed to survive them, by God’s grace.
“But the ongoing crisis in the country should be of grave concern to everyone who still believes in “one united nation under God.
“We are really on the brink of a looming collapse, from which we must do all we can to pull back before the worst overcomes the nation. This is not merely crying wolf without cause!
“The very survival of the nation is at stake. The nation is falling apart. Serious insecurity, clearly evident in widespread loss of lives and property, for long unaddressed, has left the sad and dangerous impression that those who have assumed the duty and authority to secure the nation are either unable – or worse still, unwilling – to take up the responsibilities of their office. Time is running out and the situation needs to improve!
“The clamour for self-defence is fast gaining ground. Many ethnic champions are loudly beating the drums of war, calling not only for greater autonomy but even for outright opting out of a nation in which they have lost all trust and sense of belonging.
“The calls for secession on an ethnic basis from many quarters should not be ignored or taken lightly. Many have given up on the viability and even on the desirability of the Nigeria project as one united country.
“No wonder many non-state actors are filling the vacuum created by a palpable failure of government.
“The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari can no longer delay rising to its obligation to govern the nation; not according to ethnic and religious biases but along the lines of objective and positive principles of fairness, equity and, above all, justice.
“It is not too much for Nigerians to demand from Mr President sincerity both in the public and private domain. There are no more excuses.
“We, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, with members from all parts of Nigeria, are very highly disturbed about the present state of instability in the land. This must not be allowed to continue to fester and degenerate…”