COVID-19 Challenges a Litmus Test of “quality of our Christian faith”: Nigerian Prelate

“There has never been a time in which the scene of the Last Judgment as portrayed in the citation above calls us to a renewal of the love of those in need,” Bishop Mamza who doubles as the Chairperson of CAN in Adamawa State further said.

According to the statistics by Action Against Hunger, more than one million children between the ages of six months and five years are acutely malnourished across the Boko Haram affected and Herdsmen ravaged areas. 

The statistics also show that one in five children with severe acute malnutrition and one in 15 children with moderate acute malnutrition are at risk of death if untreated.

The leadership of Action Against Hunger has also reported that civilians in the west African nation have limited access to assistance and food remains a major need in displacement settlements.

“Prolonged absence of food security, livelihoods, healthcare, education, clean water, and sanitation and hygiene facilities exacerbate risks. Protection concerns include rise in cases of domestic violence, forced and early marriages, trafficking, and sexual exploitation and abuse which serve as coping mechanisms to provide food for the family,” officials of Action Against Hunger have reported referencing Africa’s most populous nation. 

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During the August 20 event, Bishop Mamza emphasized the need for almsgiving.

“Nothing is so much God’s will as that which is for our neighbor’s good. Prayer proves our love of God; Fasting proves our love of self; Almsgiving proves our love of neighbors,” he said.

The 50-year-old Prelate urged Christians to continue praying to God “to bring an end to the scourge of this pandemic and alleviate the suffering that humanity is experiencing.”

He also called on both the Christians and Muslims to live in harmony saying, “without peace, there will be no development.”

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.