The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has raised alarm over the current spate of insecurity in the country saying ‘Nigeria’s collapse is imminent, thus the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast and salvage the situation.
The Bishops said recent happenings in Nigeria suggests that the Federal Government has ‘failed’ to hold Nigeria together, leading to the rise of non-state actors in self-defence and protection.
The CBCN President, Archbishop Augustine Akubueze and Secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Raymond Umoh, in a joint statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the “survival of Nigeria is at stake and that the country is falling apart with reference to serious rising insecurity clearly evident in widespread loss of lives and property.”
“The clamour for self-defence is fast gaining ground. Many ethnic champions are loudly beating the drums of war, calling not only for greater autonomy but even for outright opting out of a nation in which they have lost all trust and sense of belonging.
“The calls for secession on an ethnic basis from many quarters should not be ignored or taken lightly. Many have given up on the viability and even on the desirability of the Nigeria project as one united country. No wonder many non-state actors are filling the vacuum created by a palpable failure of government.
“The President can no longer delay rising to its obligation to govern the nation; not according to ethnic and religious biases but along the lines of objective and positive principles of fairness, equity and, above all, justice. We need to have the courage to admit that there’s a lot wrong with our nation,” they said.
The Catholic bishops said that it was their patriotic duty to point this out with all objectivity and sincerity.
According to them, the rule of law has too often been disregarded, giving way to widespread impunity, leading to the break down of law and order.
