Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Manoso Ndagoso, on Tuesday gave reasons why the Boko Haram insurgency had continued unabated in North East.
Archbishop Ndagoso stated this in a homily at Our Lady’s Parish, Kaduna preceding Catholic priests’ Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The priests were drawn from the 36 states of the federation and Abuja for the meeting in Kaduna. They also discussed the spate of kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and general insecurity in the country.
The bishop noted that lack of government presence and commitment to do away with insecurity were some of the factors responsible for the persistence of insurgency in the North East.
The theme of the AGM was “The imperative of good governance for a secure and prosperous nation.”
While noting that the theme of the AGM was apt, the cleric lamented the disturbing insecurity in the country.
This, he said, was due to lack of presence of government and good governance in certain parts of the country particularly the North-East where the dreaded Boko Haram was still holding sway.
He argued that good governance and security were interwoven such that in the absence of one, the other suffers.
He added that if Nigeria leaders were wise, “they would stop whatever they are doing and frontally confront the security challenges.
“Insecurity starts from where there is absence of government. The absence of government in certain parts of the country has brought us to where we are today. Our problem has always been the management of resources of the land,” he added.
He also disclosed how Boko Haram had taken advantage of lack of government’s presence in the North East, to render essential services to communities in the area.
This, he said, portended danger for the country against the backdrop of the Federal government’s fight against terrorism.
He said: “Something is happening right now whether the government knows it or not; it is that the splinter group of the Boko Haram is providing services to the communities in Borno.
“They are collecting taxes because of the absence of government. This is dangerous.”
The gathering was the annual general meeting of the Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association.