Philip Nwosu and Doris Obinna, Lagos
Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Alfred Adewale Martins has said that unless the Federal Government addresses the problems of insecurity that has plagued the country in the first term of the Buhari administration, Nigeria might explode into anarchy.
The Catholic clergy who addressed journalists on the occasion of the 2019 World Communication Day, said insecurity is a major problem that the government must address, adding that the killings and kidnap of innocent citizens were becoming too bad.
Read also: Digital Switch Over project: Pinnacle Facility is world best – ICPC witness
His words: “I believe that it’s on the lips of everyone in this country that insecurity and the tackling of insecurity are major issues that the government needs to address, because the killings are getting too many; the kidnapping which nobody is held accountable is becoming rampant and indeed, it’s becoming so bad that people are beginning to think of how to defend themselves; if the government does not address the problems of insecurity, it could lead to the destabilisation of the country.
“By the time different people begin to seek ways of protecting themselves and taking the protection of their lives into their own hands, it could lead to anarchy which will not be good for the country. So, whatever the government is doing before in terms of insecurity is definitely not enough. If it means changing of personnel and rejigging security apparatus, then it needs to be done because that is what determines the corporate existence of our nation at this point in time.”
Archbishop Adewale Martins chided the government on the support being provided for the establishment of Fulani radio and the travel to Saudi Arabia by President Muhammadu Buhari to attend the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Country (OIC) saying that all these point to the fact that there is a grand plan by the present government to Islamise Nigeria.
“I was taken aback when I heard that the government has a plan to establish a radio station specifically for Fulani herdsmen; I am sure that they will have some rationale for proposing to establish such a station, but whatever the rationale is, I think it should be put side by side with the situation of our country because there are already fears of what the former President Olusegun Obasanjo called the fulanisation of the country.
“It will be rather insensitive when you put it side by side with the whole thought of establishing a Fulani radio station. In any case the timing of bringing that project to notice gives a wrong impression to people and this is almost happening when the president is about to be sworn in, and almost immediately after he was on his way to Saudi Arabia for OIC meeting. These two things put together are going to bring about suspicion; they are going to bring about fear of Islamisation.”
He lamented that the Nigeria was deceived into being member of the OIC and called on the government to quit the organisation, especially on the grounds that the country is not an Islamic state, but a secular state.
He said former President Ibrahim Babangida as military president dragged Nigeria into the OIC thus making Nigerians believe that we were there on observer status, but with the present development, it is clear that Nigeria is now a full-fledged member of the OIC.
Archbishop Martins said only true federalism will save Nigeria, urging the government, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, to think towards instituting true federalism in Nigeria.
