Obinna Odogwu, Awka
The Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger, and Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Awka, Most Revd Alexander Ibezim, has described Nigeria as a sick nation that requires urgent spiritual and economic treatments.
This is even as the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Revd Paulinus Ezeokafor, said that the country as presently constituted was negotiable if the oneness could not work any longer.
The duo spoke in Awka, the Anambra State capital in separate chats with newsmen concerning the state of the country at 60. They said that while we thank God for His mercies upon us, there was a need for the reassessment of the country with a view to righting past wrongs.
Archbishop Ibezim said: “An honest assessment of our country shows that our country is sick. Sick in the sense that at this stage Nigeria should have grown a mature nation, a nation that would have been able to contain its own problems and live a healthy lifestyle. But Nigeria of today is sick, economically and spiritually.”
On his part, Bishop Ezeokafor said: “When people are agitating, there is a cause for the agitation and a wise man will look into it to find out why it is happening. And therefore, whether it is coming from the East, West, North, or Middle Belt, whosoever is at the helm of affairs should work towards getting everybody to belong.”
“I don’t believe in one Nigeria at all cost because that means that you can do anything and insist”, he stated.