Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
With the murderous activities of terrorists not showing any sign of abating, the federal government has been urged to stop treating the perpetrators of evil with kid gloves, but should unleash the nation’s full military force to wipe them out.
The call was made by the Diocese of Umuahia (Anglican Communion) at the end of the second session of its 10th Synod held at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Nsukwe/Amibo Ubakala, during which the participants deliberated on diverse issues affecting the Church as well as the political and economic affairs of the Nigerian nation.
In the communique signed by the clerical synod secretary, Ven. Okwukwe Ucheagwu and Rt. Rev Geoffrey Ibeabuchi, the Bishop Diocsse of Umuahia and President of the Synod, the church decried the, “hopeless state of insecurity of lives and property of Nigerians.”
The Church Synod which lasted from April 27th to May 1st, 2022, noted that there was no sense in allowing Nigeria’s large stockpile of war arsenal to lie idle while Nigerians, “are daily kidnapped for ransom, killed, maimed, displaced and generally traumatised in supposedly peace time,” while the perpetrators are having a free rein.
According to the Church, it has become glaring that the federal government, “is reluctant and lethargic to deploy the sophisticated and expensive weapons and ammunitions bought with tax payers’ money in the war against terrorism.”
It therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to exercise his power as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and not only order for the “extensive deployment” of war arsenal on terrorists and bandits but also monitor the actual compliance by military commanders.
On the economic front, the Church Synod said that, “urgent steps,” should be taken to repair the four moribund refineries in the country, noting that, “it is a colossal economic waste and indeed unsustainable, to keep importing refined (petroleum) products at astronomical International (market) prices.”
To end the over-reliance on imported petroleum products, the church advised that licences for building and operating modular refineries, “should only be given to qualified and genuine companies with proven track record of performance in the petroleum industry.”
While calling on government to provide enabling environment for wealth creation and employment of Nigerians to curb the current economic hardships, the church expressed concern over the declining value of the Naira and its adverse effects on the economic well-being of the masses.
“The CBN should halt without further delay, the strangulation, depreciation of the Naira against other international currencies, and the choking interest rates regime that has kept the real sector of the economy prostrate,” the Church Synod said.
The church also added its voice to the call for the APC- controlled federal government to stop, “the mindless borrowings and accumulations of debts with stringent terms and conditions” thereby mortgaging the future of Nigerians with debts that are not even for productive purposes.”
To this end, it advised the government to think outside the box and come up with creative ways of stimulating the economy and placing it on the path of sustainable growth.
The “notorious neglect” of retirees and the lingering dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) also attracted the attention of the Synod hence it called on the government to treat pensioners with dignity by prompt payment of gratuities and pensions.
“Government officials responsible for education should restore the glory of tertiary education in Nigeria by implementing without further delay, the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement,” the Church said, adding that the repeated prevarications of the Federal Government was sounding the death knell for university education in the country.
