Catholic Bishops in Nigeria on Thursday called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to end the endless suffering, killings and other
crimes afflicting Nigerians.
They made the plea when they paid a courtesy call on the
President at the State House, Abuja.
The clerics in an address delivered by Ignatius Kaigama,
Archbishop of Jos, and William Avenya, the Bishop of Gboko, said
“there is too much suffering in the country: poverty, hunger,
insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless.
“Our beloved country appears to be under siege Many negative
forces seem to be keeping a stranglehold on the population,
especially the weaker and defenceless ones”.
Read full text of their address below:
Your Excellency,
Preamble We, the representatives of the Catholic Bishops of
Nigeria, bring you our cordial greetings and blessings. We desired
this meeting, in order to continue the dialogue we initiated with
you even before your election as President. We therefore thank you
for granting us this audience, which affords us the opportunity to
share with you, once again, our thoughts and concerns on some ssues
affecting our dear country, Nigeria
First, we thank God for bringing you back to us after a period
of ill health.
We hope and pray that you continue to make progress on the way to
full recovery, in order to be able to face the enormous challenges
emanating from your exalted office
Your Excellency, needless to say that, as President, you are the
Father of our dear country Nigeria. It is therefore pertinent that
as loyal citizens as well as informed members of the society we
come to you from time to time to express not only our willing
cooperation with the government in working for the progress of our
country, but also to share with you the feelings of the multitude
of Nigerians at this moment. We work with the people at the
grassroots and therefore, have first-hand information about what
they are going through
There is no doubt that when you came into office, you had an
enormous amount of the goodwill of Nigerians, since many saw you as
a person of integrity who would be able to bring sanity into a
system that was nearly crippled by endemic corruption. Nearly three
years later, however one has the feeling that this good will is
being fast depleted by some glaring failures of government which we
have the moral responsibility to bring to your notice, else we
would be failing in our duty as spiritual fathers and leaders.
Our Concerns
Your Excellency, there is too much suffering in the country:
poverty, hunger, insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless.
Our beloved country appears to be under siege Many negative forces
seem to be keeping a stranglehold on the population, especially the
weaker and defenceless ones.
There is a feeling of hopelessness across the country. Our
youths are restive and many of them have taken to hard drugs,
cultism and other forms of iolent crime, while many have become
victims of human trafficking. The Nation is nervous.
Just as we seem to be gradually emerging from the dark tunnel of
an economic recession that caused untold hardship to families and
individuals, violent attacks by unscrupulous persons, among whom
are terrorists masquerading as herdsmen, have led to a near civil
war situation in many parts of the country. We are saddened that,
repeatedly, innocent citizens in different communities across the
nation are brutally attacked and their sources of livelihood
mindlessly destroyed. Lives are wasted and property, worth billions
of Naira, including places of worship schools, hospitals and
business enterprises are torched and turned to ashes.
We are still more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed
citizens by these terrorists in some communities n Benue, Adamawa,
Kaduna and Taraba States which has caused national shock, grief and
outcry. The silence of the federal government in the wake of these
horrifying attacks is, to say the least, shocking. There is a
feeling of helplessness among the people and the danger that some
people may begin to take laws into their hands.
We therefore earnestly urge the government to take very
seriously its primary responsibility of protecting the lives and
property of its citizens and ensure that such mindless killings do
not reoccur. Herdsmen may be under pressure to save their livestock
and economy but this is never to be done at the expense of other
people’s lives and means of livelihood. We would like to add our
voice to those of other well-meaning Nigerians who insist that a
better alternative to open grazing should be sought rather than
introducing “cattle colonies” in the country. While thinking of how
best to help cattle owners establish ranches, government should
equally have plans to help the other farmers whose produce is
essential for our survival as a nation
In a similar vein, daredevil kidnappers, who at present are
having a field day, with a feeling of invincibility, must be made
to understand that there is a government in this country Government
should invest more in equipping our Police Force with modern
high-tech devices that will help them track down and arrest these
criminals and make them face the wrath of the law.
The Federal Character Principle is enshrined in the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: “The government of
the Federation or any of its and the conduct of its affairs shall
be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character
of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to
command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no
predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or
other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies
(Section 14, Sub-section 3-4 Disregard for this Principle in some
federal government appointments as well as perceptible imbalance in
the distribution of federal amenities has created the loss of a
sense of belonging in many parts of the country, hence the constant
cries of marginalization, agitation for secession and calls for
restructuring.
These and many more such problems are, in our opinion, grave
matters that should be worrying all political leaders in our
country today, rather than any bid for re-election.
Conclusion and Assurance of Prayers.
Our Church has always complemented the efforts of government in
such areas as providing quality education and primary health care
services to our people. We continue to make our contribution to
nation-building through our prayers, admonitions and assistance to
needy. Nigerians whenever we can. As the voice of the voiceless, we
shall continue to highlight the plight of our people and play our
prophetic role of sensitizing the government, thus promoting good
governance, national unity and cohesion. We strongly feel that
everybody in government at this moment has to take more decisive
steps to restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in our
governments. Our collective efforts must be seen in the desire to
return to the fine principles of democracy, such as true federalism
negotiation and consensus building, as means of achieving a more
equitable distribution of the resources of our country and good
governance.
Thank you, Excellency, for the audience and may God bless
you.
Most Rev. Dr. Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA Archbishop of Jos , CBCN
President, CBCN
Your Most Rev. Dr. William AVENYA
Bishop of Gboko
Secretary CBCN
Catholic Bishops in Nigeria on Thursday called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to end the endless suffering, killings and other
crimes afflicting Nigerians.
They made the plea when they paid a courtesy call on the
President at the State House, Abuja.
The clerics in an address delivered by Ignatius Kaigama,
Archbishop of Jos, and William Avenya, the Bishop of Gboko, said
“there is too much suffering in the country: poverty, hunger,
insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless.
“Our beloved country appears to be under siege Many negative
forces seem to be keeping a stranglehold on the population,
especially the weaker and defenceless ones”.
Read full text of their address below:
Your Excellency,
Preamble We, the representatives of the Catholic Bishops of
Nigeria, bring you our cordial greetings and blessings. We desired
this meeting, in order to continue the dialogue we initiated with
you even before your election as President. We therefore thank you
for granting us this audience, which affords us the opportunity to
share with you, once again, our thoughts and concerns on some ssues
affecting our dear country, Nigeria
First, we thank God for bringing you back to us after a period
of ill health.
We hope and pray that you continue to make progress on the way to
full recovery, in order to be able to face the enormous challenges
emanating from your exalted office
Your Excellency, needless to say that, as President, you are the
Father of our dear country Nigeria. It is therefore pertinent that
as loyal citizens as well as informed members of the society we
come to you from time to time to express not only our willing
cooperation with the government in working for the progress of our
country, but also to share with you the feelings of the multitude
of Nigerians at this moment. We work with the people at the
grassroots and therefore, have first-hand information about what
they are going through
There is no doubt that when you came into office, you had an
enormous amount of the goodwill of Nigerians, since many saw you as
a person of integrity who would be able to bring sanity into a
system that was nearly crippled by endemic corruption. Nearly three
years later, however one has the feeling that this good will is
being fast depleted by some glaring failures of government which we
have the moral responsibility to bring to your notice, else we
would be failing in our duty as spiritual fathers and leaders.
Our Concerns
Your Excellency, there is too much suffering in the country:
poverty, hunger, insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless.
Our beloved country appears to be under siege Many negative forces
seem to be keeping a stranglehold on the population, especially the
weaker and defenceless ones.
There is a feeling of hopelessness across the country. Our
youths are restive and many of them have taken to hard drugs,
cultism and other forms of iolent crime, while many have become
victims of human trafficking. The Nation is nervous.
Just as we seem to be gradually emerging from the dark tunnel of
an economic recession that caused untold hardship to families and
individuals, violent attacks by unscrupulous persons, among whom
are terrorists masquerading as herdsmen, have led to a near civil
war situation in many parts of the country. We are saddened that,
repeatedly, innocent citizens in different communities across the
nation are brutally attacked and their sources of livelihood
mindlessly destroyed. Lives are wasted and property, worth billions
of Naira, including places of worship schools, hospitals and
business enterprises are torched and turned to ashes.
We are still more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed
citizens by these terrorists in some communities n Benue, Adamawa,
Kaduna and Taraba States which has caused national shock, grief and
outcry. The silence of the federal government in the wake of these
horrifying attacks is, to say the least, shocking. There is a
feeling of helplessness among the people and the danger that some
people may begin to take laws into their hands.
We therefore earnestly urge the government to take very
seriously its primary responsibility of protecting the lives and
property of its citizens and ensure that such mindless killings do
not reoccur. Herdsmen may be under pressure to save their livestock
and economy but this is never to be done at the expense of other
people’s lives and means of livelihood. We would like to add our
voice to those of other well-meaning Nigerians who insist that a
better alternative to open grazing should be sought rather than
introducing “cattle colonies” in the country. While thinking of how
best to help cattle owners establish ranches, government should
equally have plans to help the other farmers whose produce is
essential for our survival as a nation
In a similar vein, daredevil kidnappers, who at present are
having a field day, with a feeling of invincibility, must be made
to understand that there is a government in this country Government
should invest more in equipping our Police Force with modern
high-tech devices that will help them track down and arrest these
criminals and make them face the wrath of the law.
The Federal Character Principle is enshrined in the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: “The government of
the Federation or any of its and the conduct of its affairs shall
be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character
of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to
command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no
predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or
other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies
(Section 14, Sub-section 3-4 Disregard for this Principle in some
federal government appointments as well as perceptible imbalance in
the distribution of federal amenities has created the loss of a
sense of belonging in many parts of the country, hence the constant
cries of marginalization, agitation for secession and calls for
restructuring.
These and many more such problems are, in our opinion, grave
matters that should be worrying all political leaders in our
country today, rather than any bid for re-election.
Conclusion and Assurance of Prayers.
Our Church has always complemented the efforts of government in
such areas as providing quality education and primary health care
services to our people. We continue to make our contribution to
nation-building through our prayers, admonitions and assistance to
needy. Nigerians whenever we can. As the voice of the voiceless, we
shall continue to highlight the plight of our people and play our
prophetic role of sensitizing the government, thus promoting good
governance, national unity and cohesion. We strongly feel that
everybody in government at this moment has to take more decisive
steps to restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in our
governments. Our collective efforts must be seen in the desire to
return to the fine principles of democracy, such as true federalism
negotiation and consensus building, as means of achieving a more
equitable distribution of the resources of our country and good
governance.
Thank you, Excellency, for the audience and may God bless
you.
Most Rev. Dr. Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA Archbishop of Jos , CBCN
President, CBCN
Your Most Rev. Dr. William AVENYA
Bishop of Gboko
Secretary CBCN
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