Anglican Bishop laments Nigeria’s insecurity, calls for overhaul of security architecture

By NOAH EBIJE, Kaduna

Bishop of Anglican Communion, diocese of Kaduna, Timothy Yahaya has said that life in the country has become nasty, brutish, and short owing to increasing rate of insecurity across the nation.

The theme of the Synod was titled, “Peace Be Still”.

Bishop Yahaya in an address delivered on Friday at the 3rd session of the 21st Synod of the Anglican church in Kaduna called for overhauling of the security apparatus as part of measures to safeguard lives of the people.

He lamented that a situation where citizens die carelessly on daily basis due to insecurity call for additional and renewed efforts by government to ensure normal life in the country.

“Insecurity in Nigeria has reached an alarming dimension that not only need an emergency stakeholders approach hut need a total overhaul of our security architecture. Life in Nigeria has become nasty, brutish and short.

“Today it is either Boko Haram, gun men, banditry, kidnapping, yahoo boys, or herdsmen. Life has become very cheap in our country. Only a single American George Floyd died and the whole world was and is still shaking.

“In our case citizens die needlessly on a daily basis and life moves on as if it is normal. Synod calls on government whose primary responsibility it is to safe guard life and property to do more. Synod salute our gallant armed forces for standing and fighting for Nigeria, Synod pay her respect to those who had paid the supreme price and call on government to take care of their families”. Bishop Yahaya said.

The Cleric also spoke on insecurity in Kaduna State, saying,  “Synod observe that the rate of insecurity in Kaduna State is alarming, kidnapping is on the rise, banditry and all kinds of criminality seems to be ravaging our beloved state. Synod observed that the Kaduna state government should go back to the drawing board with the state Police Command, the Military, Civil Defence, the N.D.L.E.A etc. on how to win the war against this criminals elements that have made life and living unbearable for inhabitants of Kaduna State. At this juncture Synod call on all and sundry to pray and give useful information on how this monster can be overcome.

“It is a fact that if there is no peace, there can be no meaningful development in Kaduna state. I therefore call on all to look at the problem of insecurity objectively and stop politicizing the issue. Synod indeed is concerned about the problem of insecurity because the Diocese had been badly affected by it, it is the prayer of Synod that before long insecurity will be a thing of the past not only in Kaduna state but in Nigeria at large”.

He however, asked rhetorically, “Has life in Nigeria lost its value, is it no longer sacred?

“With the reckless and continuous killings in Zamfara, Katsina North East Region and Kaduna to say but a few, has this Government forgotten. Its primary duly to protect the lives of its citizens?

“Can a Government that has failed in keeping its primary duty to protect the lives of its citizen demand any form of loyalty from her citizen?

“Has the Nigerian state not reverted back to a time when the life of man was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short? Has the Nigerian Government done enough to safeguard the lives of her citizens? Should a Government that has failed in its primary duty to its Citizen remain in power?

“What can the Nigerian State do to rectify the aberration and remind the government of her primary duty?”

The clergyman spoke on hikes in fuel pump price and electricity tariff, “Synod feels that the Nigerian people are living in very difficult times. The effects of Covid-1 9 on the Economy is biting hard, inflation and the relationship of the naira to the dollar has made things more difficult for the common man, the rate of poverty in Nigeria can only he imagine. Unemployment is at its record high. Looking critically at the increase in VAT and now on electricity and fuel, things are going from bad to worse for the masses. Synod is calling on government to please reconsider its decision on the increase of VAT, electricity and petrol price in Nigeria”.

He cautioned the federal government over huge borrowing, saying it could affect the wellbeing of future generations, “Synod notes with serious concerned the rising debt profile of our country from 2(115 till date our appetite for loan generally is very high. We seem to have doubled our debts. The implication of this is we are spending for generation yet unborn, Synod humbly advice that we put on our thinking caps and think of ways to sustain and grow our economy”.

He also added, “In order for a government in Nigerian state to be adjudged successful, they need not place a man on the moon or secure a seat in G8 at the United Nations (UN) or build an intercontinental bridge, they only need to ensure that every Nigerian is secured and the sanctity of life is respected and upheld with the shores of the Federal republic of Nigeria”.

Bishop Yahaya also spoke on need for State Police, “The duty of the police as provided by the Police Act, 1979 is for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged, and shall perform such military duties within or outside Nigeria as may be required of them by, or under the authority of this or any other act.”

“With how explicit the duty of the Nigerian police force is, they have not been able to live up to the expectation placed upon them by the aforementioned act. The police have failed to deal with domestic issues time and time again and the country has had to call in and lean on the Military to deal with domestic issues. Due to this the entire nation has called for the creation of a state police to improve the effectiveness of the police force and provide better security and protection of Nigerian citizens”.

He appealed to Federal government to remove church from CAMA act, “Synod observed that the companies and allied matters Act 2020 assented to by our President Muhammadu Buhari need a critical re- examination. Section 839 (1) and (2) which empowers the commission to suspend trustees of an association (in this case, the Church) and appoint the interim managers to manage the affairs of the association for some given reasons is ill advised.

“Synod is not against the government fighting corruption in all its ramification, in spite of our stand against corruption, Synod completely reject the idea of bringing the Church into the same group with the N.G. O’s. The Church is a spiritual organization with spiritual responsibilities and obligations. We call on government to exempt religious institution from this law.

“Synod is calling on Mr. President and the National Assembly to amend the law and exempt religious organizations”. (Daily Sun)