Catholic Bishops, yesterday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to end the suffering, killings and other crimes afflicting Nigerians. They also told the president that his APC-led government is failing, while the goodwill it rode on to power in 2015 is fast depleting.
The clerics made their positions known during a courtesy visit by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), on President Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
In an address delivered by Ignatius Kaigama, and William Avenya, CBCN President and Secretary respectively, they said, “there is too much suffering in the country: poverty, hunger, insecurity, violence, fear… the list is endless.
“Our beloved country appears to be under siege. Many negative forces seem 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. “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.
“We are still more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed citizens by these terrorists in some communities in Benue, Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba states which has caused national shock, grief and outcry.
“The silence of the federal government in the wake of these horrifying attacks is, to say the least, shocking. There is a feeling of helplessness among the people and the danger that some people may begin to take laws into their hands.
“We, therefore, earnestly urge 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 not 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.
We would like to add our voice to those of other wellmeaning Nigerians who insist that a better alternative to open grazing should be sought rather than introducing “cattle colonies” in the country.”
Lamenting further, the bishops said, “as President, you are the father of our dear country Nigeria, it is therefore pertinent that as loyal citizens as well as informed members of the society, we come to you from time to time to express not only our willing cooperation with the government in working for the progress of our country, but also to share with you the feelings of the multitude of Nigerians at this moment.
We work with the people at the grassroots and therefore, have first-hand information about what they are going through. “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 nearlycrippled by endemic corruption.
“Nearly three years later, however, one has the feeling that this good will 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.”
They further called on all in government to ensure that people’s confidence in the system does not wane, stressing that “our collective efforts must be seen in the desire to return to the fine principles of democracy, such as true federalism, negotiation and consensus building, as means of achieving a more equitable distribution of the resources of our country and good governance.”
Buhari responds
Responding, President Buhari explained that the policy proposed by the federal government in response to the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country, is not meant to colonise any part of the country.
Rather, he said government’s intention is to create grazing locations for cattle rearers, which has now been misconstrued as another form of colonisation.
President Buhari regretted that the “well-thought out policy of the federal government, which was conceived after wide consultations with stakeholders”, had been largely misunderstood by a section of the public.
He, however, assured the Catholic Bishops that his administration will continue to explore all opportunities and support initiatives to ensure peace and stability in restive areas.
Condemning the recent spate of killings in Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, and Zamfara states, the president said security operatives would ensure prosecution of perpetrators and all those found with illegal arms in the affected areas.
“The impression created that Iwas sitting in an air-conditioned office and home, enjoying myself while these things happened, is dishonest.
“At every step, I have tried to foresee these problems because I have the experience as a former military officer who commanded three out of the four divisions of the Nigerian army, in Lagos, Ibadan and Jos. I am quite aware of the problems we have and I am doing my best to get law enforcement agencies to be on alert,” he said.
On security, he said, “we have done very well on security in the North-east, when you compare what the condition was before we came in and what it is now. On the economy, particularly agriculture, I am very pleased that God answered the prayers of Nigerians who prayed for bountiful harvest.
People have taken advantage of federal government policies and programmes to return to the farm and they have not regretted,” he said.
