•Cautions Lai Mohammed against throwing Nigeria into anarchy
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Archbishop of Enugu Province and Bishop of Enugu Diocese Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to ensure it gets its acts right by giving Nigeria accurate population figure in the forthcoming national census.
The cleric, who bemoaned the disappointments suffered by Nigerians in the hands of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the just concluded general elections asked that the NPC be different by fulfilling its promises of credible census to the people.
Chukwuma who spoke to Daily Sun in Enugu, yesterday, warned NPC against the repeat of previous census where foreigners and even animals were enumerated as human beings in some parts of the country all to falsify and up their population data.
“There should be sincerity in the counting of people, not falsifying of figures or counting animals or those who are not part of family as family members, whereby trying to falsify figures or planning to inflate figures in some areas to cheat others. Everybody should be very careful, those who are ready to go back home, let them go back home and be counted. We want to know exactly the population of Nigeria that will be quite honest and not untrue,” he said.
The cleric also cautioned Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, over his statements in the United States, especially his treason accusations against Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his vice, Datti Ahmed.
“We also use the time to call on Minister of Information to be watchful of his words because what he is saying can also cause disunity and confusion in Nigeria. And any sort of statement that will bring disunity or wrong allegation will not be tolerated by the church. All we need is unity and peace in our nation and we pray that all those who have been elected will come in with a new heart, without any vindictiveness to serve Nigeria for success and progress of nation.”
Chukwuma asked Nigerians to use the Easter season to turn new leave as God in Christ through Easter brought a new life to humanity.
“We should therefore, forgive our neighbours as God has forgiven us, be reconciled to one another and seek for the good of one another. As we prepare for the inauguration of various governments in states and federal level, it is a time for all those people who have been elected to know that it will not be business as usual. The sacrificial teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross should be a time for everybody to be sacrificial in their leadership. People should know that for us to move forward as Nigerians, we need to make sacrifices, we need to really make the country better than what it is. So it is important that to make a new Nigeria, our leaders must be ready to make sacrifices. They must be ready to give themselves to the service of humanity, be ready to provide for the people the right amenities because God in Jesus provided for us that which we needed to survive.It is also important that as we go into this inauguration of the new government, there should be no discrimination, there should be that love and unity for Nigerians without any religious bigotry or bias in all that we do.”