The Catholic Church has said that it could be a misplaced hope believing that the emergence of a Northerner in 2015 as the president of Nigeria will lead to the end of the activities of dreaded sect, Boko Haram.
The church also stated the reason why it is no longer active in the Christian Association of Nigeria at the national level.
The Catholic Church said it believes that the insurgency in the North goes beyond being considered as “a religious and Northern agenda.”
The church therefore urged all Nigerians, irrespective of religious and ethnic affiliations, to work together to fight insurgency in the country.
The Administrator, Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Monsignor Christopher Ajala, who stated this on Tuesday at a press conference to mark the 15th anniversary of the Diocese in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was reacting to Saturday’s attack of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, by suspected Boko Haram members.
Ajala warned that the insecurity ravaging some parts of the country may snowball into the Middle East crisis if not well handled.
He said: “All of us should join hands to fight this evil.
“Book Haram is not just a religious affair.
“It’s political.
“People have been saying that.
“It is an international organization and well established and so, it cannot just be got rid off overnight.
“You mentioned that if a Northern president is elected that this will stop, I doubt it.
“It is very clear now that it’s not the northern leaders that are responsible.
“If an emir could be attacked, the Sultan also could be attacked.
“So, it’s not just a Northern leader leading us.
“That’s not the issue.
“This group has its own objectives and we should be united in fighting them.
“Northerners and Southerners should be united in fighting this evil.”
Speaking on why the Catholic Church is no longer active in the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ajala said the umbrella body for Christians in the country had become too close to the government.
He said CAN under Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor had derailed from its objectives of the body, adding: “The Catholic Church took their stand before the purchase or the aircraft was donated to him.
“But what the Catholic Bishops Conference is complaining about is about the way they are running the national CAN now that is not meeting the objectives and the goals of CAN and the forefathers of CAN.
“CAN is now being run as part of the government and we said no.
“Because they (government) will dictate to us what to do and they will not take our advice seriously.
“The Catholic Church decided to withdraw from the activities of CAN at national level.
“We are still part of the state.
“We made our stand clear in November last year and by December, the man bought a jet.
“I don’t know how he got it but the President (Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) was there on that day the jet was delivered to him.
“So, what we are saying is that our religious leaders should be honest, upright and they should also be the conscience of this nation.
“If you are bought, the masses of this country are finished.
“If you can use money to buy our religious leaders, then there is no hope for the common man.
“That is the Catholic Church’s stand.
“We are supposed to speak for the people to correct the wrongs in the society and assist every government to know the will of God for them and we still stand
by that.”
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