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| Bishop Bagobiri |
By Evelyn Okakwu
As part of his message for Nigeria, during the 55
independence anniversary, Catholic Arch Bishop, of Kafanchan, Diocese, Joseph Bagobiri admonished various leaders
for their roles in setting Nigeria backward.
Delivering what the Bishop described as a 'veracious
message' in the light of current happenings, the he took turns naming the
faults of various leaders, during the interdenominational church service, in
Abuja
Mr. Bagobiri, a
revered bishop noted that recent comments by president Mohammadu Buhari and
former head of state Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.), condemning Boko Haram terrorists
should have come earlier.
"We thank God for a person like President Buhari; his
vice here with us. When I heard him saying 'those who kill and say Allahu
Akbar; they better change their slogan."
'You cannot be a Muslim and be involved in this kind of
perpetration of evil'. "The president said this! The only unfortunate
thing is he didn't make this kind of statements during Jonathan's time,"
the Bishop noted.
The Catholic Bishop said statements like that were expected
from statesmen a couple of years back, when terrorism was rampant in the
country.
"It was only after President Buhari made this statement
that Babangida came up and said those insurgents carrying out these evils in
the name of Islam are a disgrace to Islam."
"We wanted to hear this a long time a ago," Mr
Kaigama noted.
The Bishop who did not exclude the roles of the Muslims, as
well as Christian leaders in aiding the diverse problems of the country, said
for two years, Nigeria ranked top on the list of those killed for crimes of
terror across the world
“For two years running, in a national magazine, with the
name, ‘Prophetic Youths’ they showed that among all the killings done in the
world, against people of religion, for every 100 killings 60 were from Nigeria.
That means 60 per cent of the killings were from Nigeria”.
He alleged that traditional leaders, as well as Muslim
extremists were plotting against the continued existence of Christianity,
adding that the onus is on Muslim leaders to call erring followers to order.
“The people of African traditional religion pursue this from
the home videos and many other practices that we see aimed at distracting the
faith”.
“The Islamic faith has deployed or employed the means of
violence as all of us have seen”.
“We know it is not all of them; but definitely those who are
perpetrating these evils belong to the house hold of Islam”.
“And the house hold of Islam should rise up and cut the
excesses of their members”, said Mr. Bagobiri
According to the Bishop; if a Christian militia group should
arise in Nigeria; the church leaders will be the first to confront them.
Mr. Bagobiri however said Christians have further worsened
the situation of Nigeria, with their divided actions.
“Here when it comes to us believers; we are busy fighting,
Pentecostals and Catholics; ECWA and African instituted churches. Anglicans and
Methodists: what a shame! We are living the bigger issues.”
He said the action of Christians while terror persisted,
could be likened to those of fanatics.
“There is one definition of the fanatic that I have always
loved. And it says; ‘a fanatic is someone who redoubles his effort, but loses
vision.”
“When the five blocks of churches each is busy working on
its own; when we are even refusing to cooperate with the national leadership of
CAN to position ourselves”.
“We are 45 per cent; if not more of the population in
Nigeria. We are equal stake holders. We should have a plan for Nigeria”, the
Bishop said.
Stating that Christianity does not in any way encourage
violence, he added however that it was imperative for Christians to defend
themselves and ward off evil.
“There is a world of difference between revenge and
self-defense”.
The Bishop said the anniversary which serves as a call to
prayer for Nigeria, should also be a time of sober reflection on the need for
action.
“There is a common English saying of ‘working the talk’.
Nigeria; our beloved country is at cross-roads”.
“We have since our amalgamation in 1914, and all through our
55 years of independence as a sorrowing state, not been successful in
harnessing our plurality; our diversity, into a rainbow of peace and
sustainable development”.
He said the reason for Nigeria’s lack of peace revolves
around what he described as ‘blind pursuit of none altruistic self-centered and
parochial interest’; which he says often follow the lines of, ‘ethnic religious
and now politically partisan considerations’.
The Bishop added that even the CBCN has had to contend with
its share of parochial leadership style of approach to issues
“As an active participant in the 2014 National Conference,
these contending and conflicting interest were quite manifest.”
Mr Kaigama said it took the grace of God for the Conference
to emerge with a lasting solution, not just for its body, but for Nigeria as a
whole, contained in 600 hundred resolutions; Over 26 volumes and comprising
over 10,000 pages.”
He called for inclusion of the resolutions in school
curricular.
“We need Nigeria first, before all the other contending
things that we are fighting and struggling for”.
“For take Nigeria away; we don’t and will not be in the
position to do the fighting we are doing,” the Bishop noted.
He queried the emergence of Supreme Court judges, mainly
from the Northern part of the country, adding that the case seemed like that of
what he described as an ‘institutionalized discrimination.
The Bishop charged the new administration to make justice fairness
and equity its watchword, as a means of ensuring the support of Christians and
indeed all Nigerians.
“We didn’t have any problem with this government coming into
power. We support this government we pray daily for this government. But we
advise this government to enthrone justice fairness and equity”.
He urged the administration of President Buhari to desist
from been tempted to use anti-graft agencies for selfish gains.
“Nigerians are very smart people. Nigerians are very
intelligent people. If you are fighting corruption for the sake of corruption,
Nigerians understand it.”
“If we mistakenly give in to the temptation of using
government apparatus like the EFCC, the ICPC, and their likes as instruments to
scold; Instruments of revenge and vendetta, sooner or later we will not be able
to go on”, he noted.
The Bishop said justice should be preceded by love and
humanity.
“Whatever polices we
are going to carry out; they must have a human heart guiding them. They must
have also a human face”.
The Bishop said the actions of the national assembly towards
resource management have negated the principles of brotherliness, and national
unity.
“This case I saw during the National Assembly of everybody
coming to talk about resource control. And they introduced the second word.
They said ‘we are not looking for resource control. We are looking for resource
ownership.”
“They wanted to take everything and let all of us die”.
“Even when the north said our groundnut pyramid were used to
help you before. The people from the west and those from Niger- Delta within 24
hours produced a beautiful document to debunk the claim,” he noted.
The bishop said Nigeria needs first to strive for the
survival of its country, before any material wealth.
He lamented the increased attack on the family, adding that
various countries, including Ireland, USA Germany and even South Africa have
enacted diverse laws conflicting with the proposed plan of God for creation.
He noted that the Catholic Church in Nigeria will do its
best to resist the temptations of the west and called on the vice president, as
a Minister of God and a politician to ensure that this administration toes the
line of the previous, in its stance against same sex union.
“Don’t allow this to spoil and stain your government”, the
Bishop said.
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