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By Philip Nwosu and Vera Wisdom-Bassey
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Right Reverend Adewale Martins has called on Nigerians to face the Year 2021 with courage, especially in consideration that the immediate past year was a difficult one.
His words: “Last year was very difficult and therefore people tend to be cynical; so let us enter this year without fear, with the confidence and courage of people who know that there is God, with the confidence of people who know that God can change anything and know that God can make things that had been done wrongly before to change for good.”
He also reacted to the uproar against Bishop Hassan Kukah’s Christmas message, explaining that the cleric spoke the mind of most Nigerians with regard to governance by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Archbishop Martins, who spoke at an event to mark the 2021 World Peace Day, urged the government to introspect rather than get infuriated by the message and begin to define a way to address the problems raised in the message.
He said that Bishop Kukah never encouraged coup against the government and taking power by force, explaining that coup plotting as was being linked to Kukah’s message was not in the DNA of the Catholic Church and that the church preaches and believes in democracy and not in taking the government by force.
Speaking on the message of the Pope on World Peace Day, Archbishop Martins said that peace in the world is one of the concerns of the Catholic Church.
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He urged the government to ensure peace in Nigeria, especially with various conflicts bedeviling the country, adding that the government must take bold decisions to address the concerns of the different people.
“If people feel left out in the scheme of things, naturally they will agitate; that is why we have IPOB and all sorts of agitations; I think it is necessary for the government to put in mind the common good of the people.”
He urged the government to match words with action and ensure the release of Leah Sharibu who had been in the den of Boko Haram for more than two years.
The archbishop called for peace in the North East, noting that leaders should to know that the lives of the people are in their hands as leaders who are supposed to take the right decision, stating that the decision must be for the common good of the people. He said that when a wrong decision is taken it causes conflicts, and therefore called for good policy and good governance that would ensure peace and reduce conflict in the nation.
With the country witnessing kidnapping, killings, and different kinds of conflicts, he remarked that the government should take decisions that would make people see themselves as being carried along in the scheme of things. He said that if Nigerians are not carried along, they would agitate.
Meanwhile, Rt. Rev. Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye of the Diocese of Lagos (Anglican Communion) has called on Nigerians in all walks of life to ensure prayers for leaders in the country.
“There is so much to be angry and worried about in the nation because the people in charge are imperfect so we need to daily pray that God will perfect them with his Spirit,” Olumakaiye said.
He advised the government not to call for a second lockdown even in the face of the second wave of COVID-19, but rather seek a better way of maintaining the safety protocols till the pandemic is over. He stated that there is palpable anger in the land as a result of poverty and lost fortunes due to the pandemic, which has ravaged the world.
