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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Bishop, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Ibadan South Diocese, Oyo State, Rt. Rev. Akintunde Popoola, has warned of a looming violent religious and ethnic shake-up if the Federal Government failed to effect true and sincere restructuring of the nation peacefully.
The bishop gave the warning when he addressed a press conference to flag off a two-week 20th anniversary of the diocese, entitled: ‘Pressing towards the mark’ at Kudeti, Ibadan, yesterday.
Popoola also cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari advisers to desist from offering him crisis-promoting policies, noting that the country is unconsciously being governed by issues of circumstances, instead of the leaders to lead by carefully deliberating on issues that would lead to the country development.
He appealed to government and the people to contribute their quota to the growth of the country.
“The newly-elected and appointed leaders, especially our legislators, should give sincere thought to a planned true restructuring of our country before a revolution or religious/tribal conflicts restructure us violently.
“The issue of security in this country is complex and all the security chiefs must show more concern about the sporadic growth of insecurity in the nation. Worthy of note and attention is the destruction of crops and property, killing and kidnapping across the country, usually attributed to Fulani herdsmen, which really threatens the peace and unity of this country.
“It is an unacceptable thing that the government is trying to find grazing grounds for cattle, which they now call Ruga, at the expense of the livelihood of thousands of people. Grazing routes cannot also be the answer as our population grows and family lands continue to be balkanised. The president should be objectively advised to de-emphasised crisis-promoting policies.”
Popoola advised the government on the practical solution that would safeguard the future of the country and exit the country from socio-economic challenges.
“It is a recognisable fact that there are some barriers confronting the economy of our nation, including unemployment, infrastructural challenges, devaluation, inadequate security, power failure and corruption.
“The current issue in this nation is unemployment. Statistics show that a lot of blue and white collar jobs have been lost in the last five years. The rate of graduate unemployment has pushed many into postgraduate studies only to finish and still be struggling for jobs, even where the entry qualification is clearly stated as Ordinary National Diploma (OND),” he said
