A STATEMENT ON THE STATE OF THE NATION FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
The Episcopal Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) which was presided over by the Archbishop, Primate and Metropolitan of the Church, The Most Rev’d Dr Henry C. Ndukuba, with other Bishops met in Abuja, on the 12th day of August 2024. After reflecting prayerfully on the state of the nation, as a church with a prophetic voice to the nation, issues the following statement:
1. We praise the Almighty God for his mercies which endure for ever especially for Nigeria, a nation so blessed and endowed with abundant human and mineral resources, which in themselves are evidence of God’s plan and desire that every Nigerian should happily and decently live a meaningful life irrespective of religious, ethnic or political leanings.
2. On August 1 2024, multitudes of Nigerians took to the streets across many states under the banner of #EndBadGovernance. After 25 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria government functionaries must come to terms with the fact that protests are constitutional ways of expressing feelings of frustration, anger and discontentment by the citizens.
3. The plea for understanding and sacrifice by those in authority while their lifestyle, actions, display of opulence in the midst of hunger is highly insensitive. The protest is a clarion call to governments at all levels, especially the federal, to heed the cry of the people, and not scapegoat anyone as no government can legislate or stop people who are hungry from protesting. It should be clear to all that hunger knows no ethnicity or religion. With heavy heart, we commiserate with all the families of all who died in the course of seeking better governance. May their souls rest in peace. Amen
4. While we regret the eruption of violence in some areas, giving rise to looting and wanton destruction of private and public property, we strongly condemn the killing of some protesters by the security agents and call for the training and retraining o f our security forces on the acceptable standards of engagement in matters like this.
5. We are concerned about the intemperate language employed by some highly placed public officers during the protests which not only mocked the protesters but also highlighted the disconnect of the ruling class to the plight of the citizens. We urge the government to quickly sit down, seriously discuss the demands of the protesters and come out with immediate, short term and long-term measures to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians. The emergence of new features in this protest such as absence of a clear leadership and presence of foreign flags, are novel in the history of protests in Nigeria.
6. It was gratifying to hear the President condemn insidious rise in xenophobic tendencies in the country during his address to the nation. The Church notes that it was similar atavistic impulses in Rwanda in 1994 that led to a civil war in which almost one million Rwandans lost their lives. This country is still reeling from the effect of the civil war 54 years after it has ended. We cannot afford another war ignited on mindless ethnic instigations by enemies of the state. Mere condemnation of xenophobia without holding the purveyors, some of whom are known, to account, belies the seriousness of government readiness to combat such odious incitements.
7. We must spare no effort must be made to ensure food security in this country to avoid future citizens uprisings. Every Nigerian should be involved in agriculture in whatever scale possible. State and local governments should encourage farmers by providing materials and agro-services that will help boost yields. Government should focus on these key areas of economy, agriculture, security and energy as a way of cushioning the effect of hunger and poverty ravaging the country. The present economic policy should be reviewed with input across party, religious and ethnic divides. We call for an emergency economic summit that will bring credible Nigerians across board together to chart a new course that will put this country in a sound economic footing.
8. Incidents of kidnapping and banditry have continued despite the sworn determination of government to stem the tide. No society can ensure effective and enduring development without security. It is indeed the primary duty of Government. We posit that Government can, and should do more in ensuring the security of lives and property and stave off food insecurity that this parlous situation could engender. We must however not fail to salute the courage and sacrifices that all members of our security and armed forces make to nation.
9. We are worried that despite huge amount of public funds spent on the so-called turnaround maintenance, our refineries have remained unproductive for over a decade now. Most annoying is that all targets set for local refining of crude from these refineries have always been met only in the breach, without anyone being held accountable. Again, it is very disturbing that vessels would come to our water ways, load crude oil and leave without any arrest. We pray that the government will find the courage to confront oil theft and the ineptitude in the entire oil industry in Nigeria. What illegal refineries have shown is that it is possible to refine our products locally. We encourage the government to see how the expertise and ingenuity of these young Nigerians can be harnessed for national growth. This will be more beneficial than arresting them and destroying their facilities.
10. We applaud the recent Supreme Court judgement granting autonomy to the Local Government Areas in the country. It is our hope that this ruling will have multiplier effects in the sectors of education, health, food security and infrastructural developments, especially road networks across the 774 LGAs of the nation. It should also be able to arrest the rural-urban migration. We call for a whole society approach in monitoring its implementation as the project cannot be left in the hands of politicians alone. In doing this, there is need for a robust financial security architecture to police allocations to the LGAs, lest they become another layer of financial haemorrhage to the society and thus thwart the expected gains from this experiment.
11. We pray “[God] will arise and have mercy on [Nigeria]; for the time to favour her, yes, the set time, has come” (Psalm 102:13).
Mav God bless Nigeria. Amen.
The Rt Rev’d Dr Williams O. Aladekugbe
Episcopal Secretary
The Most Rev’d Dr. Henry C. Ndukuba
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion.
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