From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to match his words on security with action to prevent a looming food crisis.
To this group, the pocket of insecurity like banditry and kidnapping for ransom ravaging the country is preventing farmers from going to farm even as the rain is at its peak.
Northern CAN in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Jechonia Albert, noted that the declaration of June 12 by President Buhari came with mixed feelings graced with protest in Lagos, Abuja and some Southern states due to Buhari’s inability to nip in the bud the spate of killings, maiming, destruction and kidnappings across the land.
The statement read in part, “without mincing words, Northern CAN wish to state that the current state of the Nation has plunged the vast majority of the people into hunger, poverty, frustration and despondency.
“Amid increasing insecurity, bad economy and undemocratic tendencies among the leaders, is anything worth celebrating? Certainly none!
We are particularly concerned about the security situation which appeared to have overwhelmed the government.
“Thousands of Nigerians, especially, in rural communities are being rendered homeless daily across the country. Communities are being sacked, people are being killed or abducted by rampaging bandits and other criminal elements. The security situation has cripple travelling as travelling on the highways across the country has become a nightmare to Nigerians.
“The rains are here but farmers cannot go to the farms for fear of being killed or abducted by bandits. The implication of this is that a looming food crisis stares us in the face and unless steps are taken to provide a secured environment for farmers to return to the farms, we may be in for more trouble with a hungry and frustrated population.
“We join other Nigerians to once again, call on the federal government for the umpteenth time to urgently address the security situation once and for all to liberate Nigerians from criminal gangs and their reign of terror”.