Church leaders and ministers in the five arms of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have raised the alarm over socio-political challenges facing the country, saying that Nigeria needs prayers now more than ever before.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin during one-day annual conference of the Church Leaders and Ministers Fellowship of Nigeria, the chairman of the group, Pastor Abel Aiyedogbon, said that the country is near the state of anarchy.
“As church leaders and ministers, we cannot cease from praying for our country, Nigeria, because we need prayers more than ever before. However, we hasten to add that we are in near state of anarchy. Leaders display wealth to the chagrin of the masses. There are crises all over and it has been said and argued that Nigeria is a victim of contradiction because of faulty political structure producing poor governance and brazen corruption. All the crises being experienced, if not resolved as quickly as possible can degenerate into big problems”, he said.
The group, comprising of more than 500 church leaders, also called for transparency and accountability from those entrusted with governance in the country, saying that there should be balance in appointments into key positions such that all the six geopolitical zones are equitably represented.
Speaking on the theme for the one-day conference, “The Church In The Post COVID World”, Pastor Aiyedogbon said that the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the state of health sector in Nigeria.
The group, therefore, called for a step change to allow for development of the nation’s health sector “to cope with challenges that we see everyday in which our political leaders shy away from”.
The clerics also appealed to members of the ASUU and the federal government to find amicable solutions to all the problems associated with ongoing strike action by the nation’s university lecturers so that students can return to school.
“These innocent students crave for brighter future through education hence conducive environment that will lead to the realization of this should be created. The strike has been on for over eight months with issues in contention far from being resolved after several meetings and interventions from concerned quarters. We are worried as parents because keeping students unengaged for a long time can negativity affect them. An adage says “an idle hand is a devil’s workshop”, the clerics said.
END SARS PROTEST
As we are getting used to the consequences of COVID – 19, we woke up to the reality of EndSARS protest in most part of the country. We have heard terrible things of what some bad eggs in SARS did to some of the youth of this nation and some even paid the supreme price in the hands of the disbanded group called SARS. It must be stated that ENDSARS protest was not a revolution but a rebellion and desperate resentments against police brutality, which coalesced into a mass resistance, protest, rebellion, anger, hunger and frustration, all these contributed to the EndSARS protest.
The citizens of the country have cause to worry because of the reports of killings, rioting, vandalism and looting that seized the soul of our country in which we are still struggling to shake off the economic paralysis of the coronavirus.
The youths of the country must be assured of future hope. They must see hope, feel it, swim in hope and empowered to live a meaningful life. As a people we must answer the questions of our youth, listen to them. We should do everything to create job opportunities and enabling environment for the poor to access finance.
We as a body condemned in totality police brutality in the country, the killings at Lekki tollgate and the attacks from suspected hoodlums who took advantage of the #ENDSARS protest to attack police formations and personnel and destroyed businesses and individual property.
