At the 2021 Pre-Synod Nehemiah Summit of the Diocese of Lagos Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion) as organised under the episcopacy of the Rt.Revd Dr Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye, the Diocesan Bishop and Missioner as the Chief Host with the Theme: TOWARDS A SAFE AND SECURE NIGERIA where he presented his view on restructuring as the best way to achieve even development, was chairperson by Hon. Justice Roseline Ukeje OFR, former Chief Judge and first female Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, member, National Peace Committee, with Keynote Speaker, Dr Kayode Fayemi, CON, Executive Governor, Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum who lectured on: An Insight Into Government’s Actions to Restore Confidence and Build Nigeria’s Security Infrastructure. Brought together distinguished and high profile Nigerians, security experts, clergies and legal luminaries, youth leaders, media and concerned Nigerians under one roof to discuss the INSECURITY situation in Nigeria with possible solution.
The Executive Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman Nigeria Governors’ Forum related some of the causes of INSECURITY in the country to the neglect of the 70% of the under 30-years Nigerian youths population by not absorbing their energies and talents into productive socioeconomic activities of the country. He stressed that the need to be tough on unemployment and drug abuse and addiction is now.
Dr Ona Ekhomu, the first Chartered Security Professional in West Africa took the topic; The Impact of Insecurity On the Average Nigerian where he gave a detailed and terrifying analysis of the heightened state of INSCURITY in Nigeria calling for a concerted efforts from Nigerians in order for the nation not to run into serious and deeper crisis beyond control. He emphasised that with the current situation in the country, no one is safe.
An Assessment of the Role of the Judiciary towards a Secure Nigeria was taken by Hon. Justice Cecelia Mojisola Olatoregun, Retired Judge of the Federal High Court posited that dispensation of justice must be timely and the judiciary must be allowed to act independently without fear or favour.
The last phase of the Summit was handled by a very distinguished and vocal clergyman, scholar and an episcopate, The Rt. Revd Prof. Dapo Asaju, Bishop, Theologian, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) who dissected the topic with passion on; The Role of The Church in Nation Building, A Safe and Secure Nigeria. He addressed the security challenges in Nigeria from the biblical perspective that the Church remains the light of the world emphasising that darkness and light has no correlation and that Christians all over the world do not engage in any form of suicide bombing and senseless killings and the need for our sister religion through their respective heads to correct the wrong indoctrinations causing this uproar in our fatherland. He went further to say that the agenda to Islamise Nigeria will fail from all the pointers and indication of the country with lopsided political appointments and positionings. He called on all Christians to intensify on the private and corporate altar of prayers to save Nigeria from the plans of the evil men. He equally called on Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and Christian Association of Nigeria to respectively reunite strongly to confront the common enemy and that with our numbers in the Christian community nothing stops the Christian folds from playing fundamental roles in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election by floating a consensus presidential candidate in order to give the country a Nehemiah type of leadership.
The final shot of the highly expository summit under the questions and comments session came from the Nigerian youth and anti-drug abuse advocate, Amb. Sunny Irakpo who passionately spoke ,and that worried and seriously pained about the subject matter where over Hundred thousand Nigerians have died due to the insecurity situation in the country according to the Governor of Governors Dr. kayode Fayemi especially with young people at the receiving end, he objectively directed his message to the Federal Government of Nigeria to stop treating ringworm when leprosy is consuming the entire body, stating very clearly that the level of INSECURITY in Nigeria is due to the total neglect on the youthful population fuelling drug abuse and addiction, resulting in the increase of insecurity presently being experienced and in a country where over 15million Nigerians (Youths) are drug addicts. Addiction is a three generation disease, according to the research from the Office of National Drug Control Policy office of the Executive President of the United States of America ( 2019), this means that the situation in our hands as a nation will be too calamitous if nothing is done quickly to address the unemployment and drug abuse and addiction in the country where even our female citizens of one (1) out of every four (4) females is a drug addicts as at 2018 according to UNODC, is a pointer that our society is doomed and failing from the home front.
The tireless advocate, call on the federal government of Nigeria under President Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the federal republic of Nigeria to consider a National Day of Sensitization Against Drug Abuse in Nigeria in order to tackle the heightened state of drug abuse from the family level which will aid in planting the right values and sensitizing the individuals and youths most especially on the dangers of drug abuse at the macro scale.
On the role of religious leaders, he supported the position of Prof. Dapo Asaju on the division within the Christian community in Nigeria as a worrying phenomenon which needs to be addressed by our Christian leaders. He voiced further that the concept of teaching by our Christian leaders must be narrowed down by adding real values to members in form of creating commercial ventures that can help members to be more economically productive to crash the number of overdependence on working population and unemployment in Nigeria. This is the only way to shift from nominal value to real value embracement within the Christian space.
Amb, Irakpo on a conclusive note seized the opportunity to appreciate the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos for his thought provoking moves, couple with his first class performance orientation, ever courageous position and concern to address the numerous challenges confronting us as a people, as a Son whose leadership is thus inspired, encourages him not to lower his guards in helping to provide solutions as exemplified by organising this summit and many more in our collective efforts to salvage the Project Nigeria, using the church as a model.
God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.