BY PERPETUA EGESIMBA

Christian leaders have urged the federal government to review the nation’s Constitution and urgently revisit the Report of the 2014 Constitutional Confab to tackle challenges facing the country.

In a communiqué issued at the end of a Consultative Meeting of the Steering and Facilitation Committee for the proposed National Prayers and Peace Summit, organised by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) , held in Lagos, the church leaders stated that the recommendation would serve as a way out of the country’s rising socio-economic and security challenges and also help prevent a resurgence of the last #EndSARS protest that rocked the country.

According to the NCPC Executive Secretary, Rev. Yakubu Pam, the meeting in Lagos was the first in the series of consultations, with others proposed for other parts of the country and with leaders of other faiths.

He said it followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for the agency’s peace building.

Rev. Pam who commended the event’s chairman, Dr. Kenny Martins, “for accepting and reaching out to a broad spectrum of church leaders in Lagos”, to attend the meeting urged the Church to play it’s appropriate role in guiding the government and also step up its role of preaching peace to Nigerians, thereby promoting unity in the country.

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Part of the 18 recommendations by the church leaders were, that: “The church should impress it on the Federal Government to take a cue on how the church leadership in Nigeria had embraced effective and efficient provision of services in the areas of education, electricity, and healthcare – all with resources of the church.

“The church should set up budget monitoring teams at both federal and state levels to enhance national growth.

“The Federal Government should take urgent steps to direct universities in the country to resume academic activities in order to reduce youth restiveness.

“That the Church should be co-opted to play a defined role in promoting grassroots development.”

On the EndSARS crisis, the church leadership were advised to “liaise with its identified or perceived leaders and advise them to jettison any plan of embarking on a second protest, but to instead enter into dialogue with the federal government.”

Others who attended the meeting were Superior Evangelist Mathew Oshoffa, Celestial Church of Christ; Mary Manzo, Evangelist, World Royal City Church and founder, Mary Elika foundation as well as Prof. M. A. Fadeyi, Presiding Bishop, Christian Faith Assembly Inc., among others.