Headline

Killings: Catholic Church Writes Buhari, Calls for Quick Resolution (Full Text of Letter)

Published

6 years ago

May 24, 2018

Eric

The Catholic Church in Nigeria, through the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Archibishop Adewale Martins, has written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, expressing its displeasure to the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians in various parts of the country, especially Benue State.

The letter was in sync with the mass protest by Catholics in the country, saying with one voice that killings must be brought to an end.

The Letter in full:

THE TEXT OF AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI GCFR PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES ON THE OCCASION OF A SOLIDARITY RALLY EMBARKED UPON BY THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF LAGOS TO DENOUNCE THE INCESSANT KILLING OF INNOCENT NIGERIANS BY SUSPECTED HERDSMEN. TUESDAY MAY 22, 2018.

Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR;

On behalf of the entire Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, I wish to use this medium to convey to you, Mr. President, our sadness and deep displeasure over the incessant killings and general insecurity being experienced across the length and breadth of our dear country Nigeria but especially in the North Central part of the nation in recent times. We are very saddened by the fact that our security Agencies have not been able to put measures in place to bring the situation under control. Instead, the signals we are getting are that we do not have enough number of personnel to secure all the people of Nigeria. In the meantime, farmers cannot go to their farms, neither are they safe in their villages. We hear reports of the killers attacking the villages and feeding the yams in the barns of the inhabitants to their cattle. The height of it is that now they have pushed their boundaries to attacking people in their places of worship. If it was Boko haram, as we know it, it would have been sad but not as alarming as when so-called herdsmen are the ones perpetrating these crimes. Most disturbingly, our security agencies seem incapable of dealing with the situation

Mr. President, many Nigerians embraced happily the change mantra upon which they elected your government to power and they welcomed you with open hands and minds, with much hope for a new vista of life for our countrymen and women. Three years after, Your Excellency, our people now live in palpable fear especially because of the killer-herdsmen who actually qualify to be called terrorists. We watch helplessly as our hope for a better tomorrow trickles away in the hands of herdsmen who are proving to be deadlier than even the Boko Haram, if they are not Boko haram in another guise. Innocent people are now being murdered at will and their means of livelihood forcefully taken from them. Children are being turned to orphans, wives to widows, husbands to widowers. Communities are being wiped away in manners that can only be likened to ethnic cleansing. Human life, a most sacred gift from God, has become of less value than that of cattle in this part of the world. This is unacceptable!

Being a secular nation, our constitution clearly provides for freedom of worship without fear or favour in any and all parts of the nation. Alas, in some parts of the country this is not the case in practice. We watch helplessly as thousands of people in communities that are predominantly Christian, particularly in Southern Kaduna and the North Central parts of the country are being massacred, displaced from their ancestral lands and treated as second class citizens. In many towns and rural areas, people of these predominantly Christian communities are victims of religious intolerance as they are denied rights to own lands to build their Churches and worship their God in peace. Out of all the girls that were kidnapped at Dapchi, Leah Shaibu stands out as the one yet to be released simply because she is Christian and has refused to deny her faith. Unfortunately, incidents such as these have led to the fear of an agenda to Islamize Nigeria. Permit me to say, Your Excellency, that you are often accused of being in support of this agenda. We are confident that you would not fail to discharge yourself from such accusations in a way that would be crystal clear to all.

Mr President, today, Tuesday May 22, 2018, is a watershed in the annals of Catholicism in our country Nigeria. It is a day the entire Catholic Church in Nigeria speaks out, in a practical way, against injustices, insecurity, nepotism and other vices plaguing our dear country. Today, we rise in unity to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have been killed, and are still being killed, across the country. Most especially, we mourn with heavy hearts the murder of two of our priests, Rev. Frs. Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha and seventeen lay faithful who were mowed down last month, April 16, while attending an early morning Mass at St Ignatius Catholic Church, Ukpor-Mbalom, Gwer Local Government of Benue State. By these killings, the perpetrators, who unfortunately are still roaming about freely, have further desecrated all that we hold dear as Christians and dared us to do our worst. As these men and women of faith are committed to mother earth today in Makurdi, we bid them perpetual rest in the bosom of our Lord, even as we say with one voice, enough is enough. We can no longer stay still and watch our fellow humans butchered like chickens.

Mr. President, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), in its most recent letter to you, posed some very strong questions: ‘How can the federal Government stand back while its security agencies deliberately turn a blind eye to the cries and wails of helpless and armless citizens who remain sitting ducks in their homes, farms, highway and now, even in their sacred places of worship? Weeks later, we are still waiting for answers to these questions. Left defenceless, the ordinary Nigerians get killed while the politicians and the privileged ones go about with security details.

Permit me, Sir, to say that without any doubt, the Catholic Church in Nigeria has a long history of restraint in its engagement with governments of the country over the years. As partners in progress, we have always maintained integrity and restraint in the manner we react and respond to issues bordering on security and religious harmony. We believe strongly in the preservation of human life. We have consistently been advocates of peace, religious tolerance and inter-religious dialogue with other religions. We have always provided a cordial atmosphere for robust discussions and genuine efforts at ensuring national cohesion. Unfortunately, it is sad to note that we have frequently been at the receiving end of attacks; the most recent being the callous killings in Benue State. Mr. President, we have been provoked far too many times and now we say again, ‘Enough is enough.’

As an institution that upholds the sanctity of human life and the promotion of peace and good neighborliness with all people, in obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, we want to state categorically that we shall continue to preach restraint and tolerance amongst our members. However, let it be known that our insistence on dialogue and peaceful conduct is not only in obedience to Christ but also in recognition of the truth of the saying attributed to the great Mahatma Gandhi that ‘An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.’ We recognize the strength in seeking and insisting on peaceful resolution of problems and so we hope that will not be taken for granted.

Justice cries out for all the innocent Nigerians who have died in the hands of the gun totting herdsmen. We are aware that the Vice President recently promised that the Federal Government would undertake the rebuilding of the places that were destroyed by the killer-herdsmen in Benue State and hopefully in other similar places. We hope that people will also be compensated for the loss of their farm produce and of their properties so that the Internally Displaced People who have been turned to beggars will get justice and restoration to normal life. Very importantly, we urge you, Mr President, to direct the security agencies to wake up, fish out the perpetrators of these callous killings and neutralize them so that people can once again feel safe. We pride ourselves with having some of the best security agencies in the world. This is the time for them to prove their mettle by bringing an end to these killings.

Mr President, that time has come for you to act fast and put to rest all the insinuations being pandered all over about you. We reiterate that our call for your urgent intervention is borne out of our deep patriotism and desire to save the country from imminent crisis that could snowball into ethnic, tribal or religious war. May the Lord grant you the wherewithal to carry out your duties and bring peace, security and growth to the nation.

Archbishop Alfred Adewale MARTINS

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos

FOR AND BEHALF OF OVER 3 MILLION CATHOLICS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LAGOS

Headline

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Prioritize Existing Unfinished Projects, Peter Obi Tells FG

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Eric

Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has advised the federal government to prioritize existing unfinished projects spread across the country instead of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Obi, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, stated that the project was a misplaced priority given the numerous unfinished roads throughout the country.

The former governor of Anambra State mentioned that the budget allocated to the Ministry of Works is insufficient for significant progress on the country’s various unfinished roads, much less their completion.

Obi therefore, advised that the government prioritize the existing infrastructural projects in the country before embarking on any new and colossal projects like the Lagos-Calabar super highway project.

“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.

So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years?

“To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.

“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects. We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years,” Obi said.

Back in March, the Federal Government began constructing the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to extend through 9 states with two spurs leading to the Northern States.

Recall that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier described the project as a fraud.

“Umahi had announced that Hitech would fully fund the project, and based on this, there was no competitive bidding. He (Umahi) then said that Hitech could only raise just 6% of the money for the pilot phase. This smacks of deceit,” Atiku said.

Headline

2027 Presidential Race: Opposition Parties Under Attack

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

While it is still a whole three years before the next general election in 2027, The Boss has learnt that opposition parties in the countries are being muffled to pave the way for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to, and retain power.

From the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the Labour Party (LP), and down to the New Nigerian Peoples Paty (NNPP), crises have engulfed the rank and files, in what a source told this paper was the attempt and making of the ruling party, APC, to decimate, destabilize and make redundant the machineries of the opposition parties.

It is believed that by 2027, the apparatuses holding together the various opposition parties would have weakened irredeemably to the extent the country would seemingly nosedive into the inglorious one party state that every civil right advocate and democrats abhor.

It is alleged that all the crises in all the opposition parties are being engineered by the President Bola Tinubu-led ruling APC, with the hope of getting the fibres of their system weakened, thereby luring the members of the crisis-ridden parties into the APC.

Slightly one year after the last presidential election, the two major opposition platforms, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, have separately been embroiled in a crisis of confidence which has diminished their capacity to provide viable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The crises in both opposition parties got to a head. The Labour Party led by its national chairman Julius Abure held its much-opposed national convention which was boycotted by its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; its only governor, Alex Otti of Abia State; federal and state lawmakers elected on its platform, and the organised Labour.

In the Labour Labour, members have been embroiled in endless battle of supremacy with a faction led by Mr. Apapa steadily contesting the leadership of Julius Abure.

Consequently, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, reverence as a leader in the fold, noting that whatever the party faces presently, that Nigeria’s problems are far bigger than the crises in his party.

The LP has been embroiled in crises — ranging from allegations of misappropriation of funds, and leadership tussle, to calls for the resignation of the party’s national chairman.

TheCable reported that “On March 27, the LP conducted a national convention in Anambra state where Julius Abure was re-elected as its national chairman.

Obi did not attend the convention, fuelling speculations that he may be mulling over ditching the LP for another platform.

Speaking during an appearance on HaveYourSay247, an interactive online session hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo over the weekend, Obi said he is confident that the crises rocking the LP will soon be resolved amicably.

“Whatever is happening in the Labour Party is so minute compared to what is happening in the country,” Obi said.

“So, for me, it is something we will resolve amicably, and it is not anything to worry about. Let us worry about the country.

“Let us worry about how the average Nigerian would be able to have a means of livelihood to be able to eat, that should be our worry.”

Obi said he has no interest in being the party’s leader but only to make sure things are done properly.

“I don’t see what I do in politics as being the leader of any place or not. My position is that just like I always say, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria, I am desperate to see Nigeria work because I know it can work,” he added.

“We have a more desperate situation. Parties are just a means to be able to contest elections. What is important is that being a leader of a party does not reduce the price of food.

In the PDP, the shenanigans of former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has practically kept the party in constant crisis with many observers concluding that the now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is working for the APC, and is just a mole in the PDP. Wike has denied the allegation, however,

But news filtered in last week as that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister may have concluded plans to attend the much advertised National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), billed to hold on Thursday, in Abuja.

Impeccable source, who is in the know, told The Boss that the minister, whose membership of the PDP is yet to be revoked even as he frolicks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and serving in the President Bola Tinubu government as a minister.

The Source told The Boss that Wike’s impending presence at the NEC meeting on Thursday was not unconnected with plans, already hatched with some governors, to weaken the opposition PDP.

“Yes, we have on good authority that FCT minister, Wike is planning to attend the NEC meeting tomorrow all in a bid to weaken the fabrics of the PDP, and pave the way for the continuation of the Tinubu administration come 2027, and by extension, relapse Nigeria to a full blown one party state.

“From every indication, Wike and his co-travellers, are bent on unleashing the same crisis ravaging the third force, Labour Party, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Nigerian National People’s Party (NNPP) on the PDP for the APC to remain the only political party in the country, and ensure that Tinubu has no challenger, come 2027,” the Source said.

It would be recalled that Wike has boasted over and again that there’s no opposition against Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027, and that they have made sure of that. He has been compensated with the Ministerial job after he withdrew support for his party, and supported the APC and Tinubu to emerge as national government.

The Source further revealed that in the attempt to actualize the intended one party state, a lot of funding is ongoing to ensure that concerned stakeholders are ‘settled’ handsomely.

Wike, prior, during and after the 2023 general elections, has been floating in between the two major political parties; the APC and the PDP. While he claim to still be a member of the PDP, he is functioning as a minister in an APC government, mocking the inability of his party to discipline him.

While political stakeholders concluded that the outcome of the Thursday’s PDP NEC meeting will determine the path Nigeria’s political trajectory will take, and that it may portend the end of multi-party system and political democracy if Wike succeeds in his plan; every page of what finally transpired at the meeting pointed to the fact.

The much touted removal of the party chairman, who is believed to be a crony of the Abuja minister, Damagum, retained his seat, with his executives.

“It is very clear to everyone that a lot of money politics is being played to cajole many loyal members of the party, forcing them into frustration, and eventually it of the party. The option afterwards, will be the APC. This, will for all intent and purpose actualize the intended one party state as an APC agenda.

The Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso-led NNPP is not faring better either. The only governor under their ticket, Abba Kabir Yusuf, just had the confidence of their party on him withdrawn. He was fighting for his political life until suddenly it was announced the the APC in Kano has collapsed its structure into the NNPP.

“This is just another APC strategy to actualize their hidden intentions. Time will reveal the very sinister agenda they harboring,” an analyst said.

Much as 2027 is still three years away, but intrigues are in play to render Nigeria a one party state, and perpetuate the APC in power. The three other opposition parties are basically under attack to bring to pass this unpopular agenda.

Headline

Akwa Ibom Government, Governor Umo Eno Receive Top Honors at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos

Published

5 days ago

April 21, 2024

Admin

The Akwa Ibom State Government and Governor Pastor Umo Eno were recognized with Travellers Awards at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos for their sustained enhancement of infrastructure, support for local talent, and dedication to investment in the tourism sector. The ceremony took place at the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos.

While Akwa Ibom won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year, Governor Eno was adjudged the most Tourism-Friendly Governor of the Year at the event that had Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade John in attendance.

According to Amb. Ikechi Uko, Founder/Publisher of ATQ Magazine, the organizers of the event which is in its tenth edition, Akwa Ibom State won the top prize “in recognition of its valiant and resourceful efforts to drive and sustain domestic tourism by promoting the industry.

‘In 2023, Akwa Ibom was one of the states that hosted World Tourism Day (WTD ) events. The state also organized the famous Christmas Unplugged, which featured music, food, and cultures from all 31 LGAs as well as ensured friendly policies.”

While hoping that the Travellers Awards would spur Akwa Ibom to do more to dominate the domestic tourism industry, the organizers hoped that the state would gradually evolve into one of Nigeria’s top international tourism destinations.

That was not all, the state Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh was also recognized as one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria for demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in the travel and tourism industry, while other Akwa Ibom indigenes and entity were also celebrated: Mrs. Ime Udo, Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor( Tourism) won Tourism Promoter of the Year, Favour Udo won Tourism Photographer of the Year, Loretta Effiong and Prince Uduak Sunday (Qua Tours) were listed among the Tourism Personalities of the Year and Ibom Air won Airline of the Year International.

In his remarks, Sir Charles Udoh, who represented the Governor at the event, thanked the organizers for the awards and noted that Akwa Ibom is certainly enjoying the golden era when it comes to tourism development. He stated that Governor Umo Eno is very keen on making Akwa Ibom a leading tourism destination with his programmes and policies.

He revealed that with the new Victor Attah International Airport nearing completion, the purchase of a ferry for the Oron-Calabar route, new developments along its coastline and the restoration work that will be done at all its major tourism sites, Akwa Ibom is well on the way to becoming the number one destination for all domestic and foreign tourists.

In her speech, Tourism Minister, Mrs. Ade John hailed the organizers for hosting the Expo, where practitioners were lectured by top experts while also rewarding those who have excelled in the past year.

She affirmed that her ministry is open to partnership with public and private sector operators, adding that tourism development can only be successful through collaborative efforts.

The event, which attracted leading and budding tourism professionals, also featured interactive and entertainment sessions.

Apart from Sir Charles Udoh and Mrs. Ime Udo, the Akwa Ibom State delegation, also included: Mr. Michael Effiong James, Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor, Mrs. Eme Bassey, Special Assistant to Governor (Lagos Liaison) and Akparawa John Offiong, Deputy Director ( Culture) Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

More photos below: