The Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, has raised concerns over the incessant killings, kidnapping and general insecurity of lives and properties coupled with the economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
The province comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and Osogbo Dioceses, expressed this concerns at the end of a prayerful deliberations at the Jubilee Conference Centre, Ibadan.
According to the Most Rev. Leke Gabriel Abegunrin, chairman of the Bishops who spoke on their behalf, Nigeria is fast becoming a hostile, killing field as evident from the regrettable kidnapping and killing of two monarchs; the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin and the Olumojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olusola in Ekiti State and the kidnapping of teachers and school children in the same state.
He added that the same unfortunate fate befell Oba Peter Segun Aremu, the Olukoro of Koro, Kwara State whose wife and two others were kidnapped.
The Bishops submitted that the ship of the nation is foundering under the weight of pervasive insecurity, economic hardship due to hyperinflation and the collapse of the naira, cybercrime, high cost of food, lackadaisical governance and widespread corruption.
” Day-to-day living is fast becoming an ordeal for millions of Nigerians because pervasive poverty, driven by the harsh environment which has driven many to desperation and even suicide. It would be nothing short of hypocritical to put all the misery being suffered by Nigerians today down to change in world economy. The truth is that often Nigerians are simply left to their own devices and left at the mercy of the most cruel and aggressive criminals by inept and selfish political and civil leaders. In all this, governments often seem weak or altogether absent. Any remedy now is even already too late for many Nigerians who have lost their lives to terrorists, hunger, kidnapping and sundry disasters. We plead for urgent action from all our leaders to save the Nigeria ship from sinking. The much-vaunted renewed hope is turning to utter desperation in many places and there is not much time left.
“We also decry the unfortunate events that have occurred recently right at our doorsteps in our ecclesiastical province. This spate of criminality is a brutal assault on our collective reverence for the traditional institution and decency. It signals the descent of our society into a hobesian state of nature, nasty, brutish and short, even here in the South West. We also condole with the victims of the recent explosion in Bodija area at Ibadan.
” In all this we pay tribute to the sacrifice of our soldiers and security agents who risk their lives for our security, some of whom have gotten killed in the line of duty. May God rest the souls of the dead, comfort those who mourn, and provide for all who have suffered heavy losses from these events. We declare that the time to stop this spiralling violence and bloodshed is now, before it becomes irreversible, by repositioning our security agencies to make them more pre-emptive and proactive.” They said.
The Bishop’s therefore called on elected officers not to make excuses but to change things for better.
“Away with insensitive aides who furnish the public with lies and inuendoes in order mitigate government failure in the face of the recurring disasters. Nigerians deserve to know the truth about their leaders’ programmes, activities and whereabouts. Any country run on corruption and falsehood will crumble under the weight of self-inflicted evil. Time for positive change is running out. “Uprightness makes a nation great, by sin whole races are disgraced”. (Proverbs14:34)
“We call on our Justice Development and Peace Commissions, our Caritas, St. Vincent de Paul our church societies, other Charity groups and our faithful in Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province to do more to provide employment and help the poor and indigent among us. The mission of charity is an essential part of the work of evangelization and the Church’s mandate. The Church and her organs have very limited resources but must continue to bear witness to the mandate of mercy from Jesus which says: “Blessed are the merciful; they shall have mercy shown them.” (Matt. 5:7)” They said.
Lastly, they called on more intense prayer for Nigeria as the Holy Father Pope Francis has declared a Jubillee of Prayer which they claimed, has begun.
