ADDRESS SECURITY THREATS IN YOUR STATES—ARCHBISHOP ONUOHA TELLS IGBO LEADERS
Reporter : CHIKA EWURUM
South-East Governors and Ohaneze Ndigbo have been called to treat the security and safety of their people as a priority.
The Anglican Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, the Most Reverend David Onuoha, made this known at a forum held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Ezeoke Nsu in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of IMO State.
Archbishop Onuoha acknowledged that Nigeria was in an undeclared war with insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality, which appeared to have overwhelmed the security personnel.
The Archbishop called on the SouthEast leaders to comb their bushes and forests occupied by criminally minded foreigners.
According to the Most Revered Onuoha, the senario is a disaster waiting to happen if not checkmated.
“A situation where our forests and bushes have been taken over by foreigners is simply a disaster waiting to happen.
“Governments in the South Eastern states of this country should as a matter of urgency address the incipient and insidious penetration of our communities as this will only lead to complete annihilation of our people in no distant time,” the clergyman warned.
The Prelate advised the Federal Government to consider piping water from the South to Lake Chad to remedy the desertification in some parts of the North with the aim of putting an end to open grazing by herders mainly accused of being responsible for the security threat in the country.
Archbishop Onuoha commended the President for the recent change of service chiefs but frowned at the absence of the use of the Federal Character Act, especially the non inclusion of SouthEast in the appointment.
He was optimistic that the effective use of the Federal Character Act in all appointments would promote unity in the Nation and put an to restiveness experienced in some parts of the country.
“The utter disregard of the Federal Character in appointments, the total neglect of a section of the country in social intervention programs of the government, the exclusion of certain sections of the country on projects sponsored by foreign loans that will eventually be repaid from our Commonwealth are smouldering flames that need to be put off with every amount of urgency before it becomes a conflagration that will consume the nation,” the Archbishop cried out.
On the issue of COVID-19 vaccine, the Most Reverend Onuoha advised that strict care and caution be made to ensure that the vaccine administered here in Nigeria would be same with that of Europe, America and other developed nations.