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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The President,Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and the Archbishop of Owerri Metropolitan, His Grace, Most Rev Luicius Iwejuru Ugorji, has said Imo State, once the home and hospitality, has been displaced by intractable bloody, mindless bloodletting and kidnappings.
The cleric made the lamentation while delivering his homily, yesterday, at a thanksgiving Mass, held at Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri, in honour of the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Governor Hope Uzodimma’s re-election.
He said: “Imo State used to be a haven of peace and a home of the hospitality industry that attracted people from far and near. Unfortunately, recent years have bequeathed us the horrifying memories of bloody conflicts, mindless blood spilling and countless numbers of kidnapping in the state.”
Although he noted that no bloody attack or kidnapping incidents were recorded during the Christmas season, he said nobody knows what the new year would bring.
“Although there are no reports of bloody attacks or kidnapping during the last Christmas season, the dawn of a new year prompts the question whether the new year would be one of peace and renewed sense of brotherhood in our communities and state. It is difficult to foresee what this new year has in store for us. I, therefore, appeal to all behind the terror in the state, to give peace a chance.”
Archbishop Ugorji also identified “media war and crusade of calumny” as other problems that “have done incalculable and irreplaceable damage to the state”.
He said: “I call for an end to the media war and the crusade of calumny that have ravaged Imo State for years. Incalculable damage has been done to people’s reputation through mindless mudslinging exercises to the embarrassment of Imolites, home and abroad.
“The protracted media war has presented a distorted image of Imo State to the outside world, generated immense tension and injected a lot of bad blood into public life in the state. It has deepened animosity, distrust and suspicion among politicians in the state, to the detriment of unity, peace and progress.
“We shall not ignore the fact that no one can mudsling, without soiling his hands. I call on those engaged in the media war and crusade of calumny, to give peace a chance.
“Another worrisome vice in our public life is corruption. It has gone beyond scale and measure. Corruption is a very complex reality involving moral rottenness, defilement and loss of integrity. It spans a very wide spectrum, ranging from bribery, embezzlement, inflation of bills, abuse of office, nepotism to looting of public property, cultism, impersonation, false declaration, examination malpractice, alteration of date of birth, ghost worker syndrome, quackery and manipulation.
“Corruption is corrosive, polluting, debasing and infectious. Already contaminated, the lives of most of our people, young and old, are deeply steeped in corruption. Corruption is one of the major reasons why millions of our people have been reduced to a life of grinding poverty, undeserved misery and wanton suffering.
“In the war against corruption, we should, however, not lose sight that this vice has many dimensions. It is an economic problem, which could be minimised by the improvement of the economy. This is because some people take to corruption in order to support many of their dependents, among whom are those who have completed their education and could normally cater for themselves, should they have gainful employment.
“Accordingly, while the government enact laws to eliminate bribery and corruption, concrete and concerted efforts should be made to improve the working conditions of workers, create more jobs, equip youths with job market-driven skills and provide for the spiritual and moral enlightenment of our people, especially the young ones in school.”
Speaking at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration, Ugorji said there was the need to remember those that lost their lives in various wars and armed conflicts, stressing that they were fighting to preserve the lives of others.
“They are most deserving of our respect and esteem for their patriotism, gallantry and spirit of sacrifice. It is a very noble cause to lay down one’s life for the good of others in one’s nation or in other nations. While we applaud them for their unselfish love, let us not forget the families they left behind to mourn them. Many of the families of these fallen heroes are under severe hardship and depend on the wider society for the alleviation of their sufferings,” the cleric said.
