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The Catholic Bishops Conference
of Nigeria (CBCN) on Thursday visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja and said his goodwill was being fast depleted by
his administration's glaring failures.
CBCN President Most Rev.
Dr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama and Archbishop of Jos, in his address made
available to State House reporters, said they had the moral responsibility
to bring those failures to the president's notice otherwise they would be failing
in their duty as spiritual fathers and leaders.
"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 goodwill 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," he said.
The cleric, said
there was too much suffering in the country in form of poverty, hunger,
insecurity, violence, fear, among others.
He said the country
appeared to be under siege as many negative forces seemed 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 violent crime, while many
have become victims of human trafficking. The nation is nervous," he said.
Daily Trust reports that he expressed concern
over attacks by suspected herdsmen in various parts of the country.
"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."
He said they were
more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed citizens by these terrorists in
some communities in Benue, Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba States which, he noted, had
caused national shock, grief and outcry.
He said the silence of the
federal government in the wake of these horrifying attacks was, to say the
least, shocking, warning that "There is a feeling of helplessness among
the people and the danger that some people may begin to take laws into their
hands."
Kaigama urged 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
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.
He said they were in
support of the view by other well-meaning Nigerians that a better alternative
to open grazing should be sought rather than introduce cattle colonies.
"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," he added.
He also stated that
"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."
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