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By Vivian Onyebukwa
As the 2023 general election approaches, Nigerians have been advised to engage in issues that are pertinent to the survival of the nation, rather than ethnicity and religion, while casting their votes. The Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins, gave this advice while addressing the press at the 44th annual national convention of Ladies of Saint Mulumba (LSM), Nigeria, which was held at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos.
Referring to the theme of the convention, “Women promoting peace, amid ethno-religious and political barriers,’ the archbishop said the heightened situation of insecurity and kidnapping was worrisome and could be traced to a lack of good governance over time.
He said: “One can’t sleep with two eyes closed, even when you are at home; you are on the roads, you are wondering what’s going on. Wherever you are, there’s just not that peace of mind that one expects to get in a country such as ours.
“This, I believe, can be traced to the fact that our country has been devoid of good governance over time and we’ve not had the kind of leadership that assists the people to have the peace of mind that we desire.”
He noted that the forthcoming general election was a make-or-break election, as it presents an opportunity to make amends as a nation.
“Nigerians have a duty to take seriously this coming election. We must not limit ourselves to issues concerning ethnicity or religion.
“We must engage ourselves with the issues that are pertinent to the survival of this nation. We can’t be doing the same thing, year in, year out, and expect a different outcome. We must break free from the mould that we’ve been fed over the years and do something different.
“Ensure that they are not just repeating the same old things that they used to say, going the same route that they are used to. Taking people for a ride and completely neglecting the people.
“We must show interest in the ongoing political activities. We must listen to what politicians have to say. We must listen to what they intend to do and how to go about it, in order to ensure peace returns to the nation. “Many of them are just repeating the old promises. We must listen to how they want to ensure insecurity is overturned and peace returns to Nigeria. If we have a leadership that gives everybody a sense of belonging wherever they are, we won’t be where we are,” he explained.
Lady Meg Anozia, Noble President of the Ladies of St. Mulumba (LSM), Nigeria, in her speech, referred to the theme of the convention as apt, considering the precarious situation in Nigeria and the world at large.
She said: “People are frustrated, living in anguish with economic meltdown that has chopped deep the peace of Nigerians. The insecurity and political deficits in Nigeria have disrupted the unity of our multi-dimensional ethnicity to religious bigotry. Women are promoters of peace and the need for a reminder to take the bull by its horns became a necessity in order to curb the social challenges bedevilling the society.”
She noted that ethno-religious and political barriers seem to be the roots of insecurity and conflict in Nigeria, which she said have resulted in a situation where people of different ethnic groups and different religions in the society lack cordiality, trust and are full of suspicion and fear that tend to trigger violence.
According to her, “In Nigeria, ethnicity and religious bigotry have become a fulcrum of various forms of nationalism, ranging from assertion of language to cultural autonomy and religious discrimination, with poor relationships existing in the society.”
The situation, she said, has escalated to the political arena whereby many issues are being conflicted, to the detriment of Nigerians.
“Evidence of the ugly scenarios are seen in the social menace being experienced in the society such as attacks and killing of innocent Nigerians, kidnapping, armed robbery, killing of the clergy and poor unity between people of the same faith, just to mention a few,” she said.
She blamed the Nigerian government for failing to alleviate abject poverty, which has facilitated youth involvement in crime, resulting in conflict of different sorts in society.
Anozia recommended women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution as essential instruments for peace-building, adding that women are often an instrument for peace-building but are often excluded from formal peace processes in Nigeria.
According to her, the few women that could be engaged in peace-building face complex threats to their physical, emotional, political, economic and spiritual health and safety. That not withstanding, she advised ladies to be peace-builders right from the family.
She said: “As caretakers of families, women initiate and advocate peace from home to the society. Women have to be drivers of peace, whether in financial struggle or personal difficulties and otherwise. Ladies of St. Mulumba, we have to be role models within the family, in the community and the society. We need to practice peace and be promoters of peace. Be prayerful and good mothers by bringing up God-fearing children. Be moulders of character and preach the gospel for peace to reign in the society. We need to shine our eyes in the forthcoming election of 2023 to elect credible leaders.”
In her welcome address, the President, LSM, Lagos Metropolitan, Lady Juliet Damian-Isuigwe, also described the theme of the convention as apt, considering the current state of the country.
She said: “For 62 years of existence as an independent entity, Nigeria still grapples with numerous insecurity threats, ranging from ethno-religious disharmony to the agitation to secede. Today, Nigeria is characterised as a deeply divided state where political and other issues contest vigorously along complex ethnic and religious lines.”
Damian-Isuigwe expressed the need to identify the implications of these crises as well as proper overaching solutions to restore peace and promote nation-building, saying the convention had a huge role to play in that regard.
Also, Sir Charles Mbelede, Worthy Supreme Knight, Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria, said the theme of this year’s convention was not only apt but also timely, as the nation grapples with the problems of heightened insecurity, religious intolerance and persecution, as well as other ethnic problems.
He noted that the convention marked the end of the current cycle of the LSM leadership, which would, therefore, be concluded with the elections of new national officers to run the LSM for the next four years.
He described it as a call to sacrifice and leadership, which should be devoid of rancour and divisiveness.
On behalf of the Supreme Executive Board, he commended the outgoing leaders, saying they have done well and left legacies for their successors to build on.
Members from different parts of the country attended the event, which started with a courtesy call on Archbishop Martins. They also visited some of their ongoing projects.
