CONFUSED CBCN!!! AS NIGERIA'S CATHOLIC BISHOPS NOW HOPING IN VAIN…SEE
Christian Rowland writing for ODOGWU MEDIA...Like
ever before, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is once more
appealing to all Christians and the rest of Nigerians ‘not to lose hope’. This
is as contained in the communiqué issued at the end of its Second Plenary
Meeting held at St Charles Borromeo Pastoral Centre Jalingo, Taraba State
earlier last month. In the release jointly signed by its president, Most Revd
Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos and secretary, Revd William A. Avenya,
Bishop of Gboko, they advised that their compatriots look unto themselves and
their country in a light better than how they view it presently.
This, coming against the back-drop of the palpable tension the land is currently soaked in, is arguably going to soothe nerves.However, as has been pointed out by many an observer of the Nigerian
scene, it is surely going to take more than the endless recital of their
famous ‘Prayer for Nigeria in Distress’ – fashioned when distress was
yet underway– to see us through the malady.
Any wonder then that, despite all the effort targeted in this regard, all has so far managed to hit the rocks.
Like the bishops opined, there forever remains an urgent need to
address the grievances appearing to perpetrate these tensions. Part of
this – like they are quick to affirm include those complaints in many
sectors of the country against the often easily perceived one-sidedness
in appointments.
Apart from the general ones, this has even extended to
those into key institutions and even sensitive national offices hitherto
governed by our national quota rota. Consequently, it has among other
things, led to a plethora of complaints about alleged marginalization
and the unfair distribution of resources and amenities.
Topping the avalanche remains alleged cases of selective application of
the rule of law especially when ‘sacred cows’ are involved. And talking of cows, the bishops were also quick to call for a check by
the authorities of the continued havoc being unleashed in various parts
of the nation by armed herdsmen. According to them, these should no
longer be treated as mere clashes between pastoralists and farmers as
has often been the case. The reason for this call of theirs is not
far-fetched as ‘apart from wanton destruction of farmlands and crops,
some of these armed herdsmen are known to have laid siege on entire villages, killing, maiming, kidnapping, and raping’. It is well known that, apart from the bishops, many concerned
individuals as well as groups have lent a voice to this call for a
better check on these rampant cases of security breaches in the county. A
case in point remains the instance where the plying of certain if not all – of the nation’s highways has suddenly metamorphosed into a
calculated risk in terms for innocent commuters.
It can be recalled that
only recently the police headquarters had barely finished parading the
alleged brains behind the menace on the Abuja- Kaduna highway than for
one of their top officials to end up in the number of those abducted in
the next heist on the selfsame route.
All said, even undone, by far the most encouraging aspect in the CBCN
communiqué happens to be their never lacking humble suggestions as to
how a way can be forged out of this morass we are embedded in.
Critically identifying nation building as a collective responsibility of
all compatriots, they thusly vouch safed that unless there is a ‘true
conversion of heart’ to make realsacrifices for the common good, we
shall only be reshuffling our problems – a la at a game of cards–
without solving them.
In this regard they found a sure alignment to the
integral development of our citizens in the provision of quality
education. Hence their unalloyed call on the federal government to see
to it that they honour all past – and future legal agreements they enter
with various professional groups in the land to forestall frequent
work-to-rule actions by them. The more so in the education and health hectors by implication like recently.
Here at ODOGWU MEDIA , while lending this voice to this plaintive call
by the CBCN, we are also abided to highlight that the Church – and
indeed all other religious congregations in the land – have great roles
to play here. The Church, on its part, should in emulation of the reason
for their very existence, lead by example. Rather than playing ostrich
by ostensibly pandering to the spiritual needs of their followers only, the time is more than nigh for them to actively
participate in the political life of their congregation.
Yes, like has
been exemplified in South America through the preaching of a theology of
liberation as opposed to one of servitude. Only this way can headway be
made out of the bishops’ endless allegiance to hope copied from
epistles St Paul addressed to Corinthians and Romans.
Written and edited by Christian Rowland,
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CONFUSED CBCN!!! AS NIGERIA'S CATHOLIC BISHOPS NOW HOPING IN VAIN…SEE
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Thursday, October 05, 2017
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