Nigeria in “great danger unless we bring a new spirit”: Bishops in Owerri, Onitsha

They also express concern about the government’s “lopsidedness of the application of justice”, a situation they term “worrisome.”

“The government has found it necessary to disarm those who are struggling for self-defense while leaving those herdsmen, bandits and others who are killing many and destroying people instead of addressing the source of the problems, addressing the cries of the people,” the Catholic Church leaders said, adding that the leadership of Nigeria is “crushing those who are crying.” 

As a way forward, the Bishops call on the government of the West African nation to apply fairness when dealing with people.

They also call on President Muhammad Buhari- led government to “look into security matters and restrain those who are using weapons of various sorts to intimidate the people and to create this unrest.”

“We expect a stoppage of the carnage that is taking place in farmlands and in various locations,” the Catholic Bishops in the two Nigerian Ecclesiastical Provinces said, calling on all Nigerians to “recognize that every human life is sacred.” 

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“As fellow citizens, we need to cherish one another, bring a spirit of respect, of mutual appreciation so as to minimize and eliminate the bad blood that is circulated in Nigeria and has created this sense of despair in our country,” they reiterated, adding, “God created us and made us to live as a great country but as it is now, this country is a source of dismay across.”

The Catholic Church leaders in Onitsha and Owerri Ecclesiastical Provinces have sought divine intervention saying, “We rely on God to direct us to a more noble path in this nation.”

Nigeria has been experiencing attacks from the Boko Haram since 2009. Insecurity in the country has further been complicated by the predominantly Muslim Fulani militia who have been clashing with farmers over grazing lands. 

In their collective message issued May 6, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) called on the country’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to be open to criticisms and to not embark on any form of propaganda against Church leaders who, when they speak, do so for the common good of the nation. 

They said that the APC government should “listen to every Nigerian, both political actors in other parties, and non-political actors in Nigeria and the diaspora.”

The Catholic Bishops in Africa’s most populous nation cautioned against targeting religious leaders who are vocal against injustices saying there is no need for officials in government to focus their “energy, time and resources in any form of propaganda against religious leaders who disagree with your performance.”

“We speak out because we do not want Nigeria to collapse. We are not speaking out for the APC Government to fail. We are speaking out so that Nigeria will not fail. APC is not the owner of Nigeria; Nigeria is owned by Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation,” Catholic Bishops in Nigeria said in the collective message circulated May 8. 

They added, “There is no need to spend so much of your time trying to blackmail anyone who criticizes your Government.” 

They also called on the people of God in the country to “be united in the fight for our common destiny as a people.”

“No Government leader should watch the breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. It is our collective obligation to make Nigeria successful,” CBCN members said in their May 6 message. 

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Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.