Bishop Kukah speaks out on the insecurity of the country

The Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Lordship Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said that Nigeria is at a very difficult stage and running out of time because of the current security happenings in the nation.

Speaking in Abuja  at the National Summit on the Freedom of Information Act , with the theme  “Ensuring the Effective Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act”, which started in Abuja yesterday, Bishop Kukah said those who are pushing  the country to the precipice are determined  to start a war that will be irreversible - a war between Christians and Muslims.

The cleric said he was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Nigeria was running out of time because of what is happening. According to him, it may be convenient for many of us to say it does not matter if  northerners kill themselves  because the battle is only taking place in the north, but “many of us who have been voices of restraint no longer know what to say. This country is ours to build and  construct, and how we are going to reclaim our lost glory and  make Nigeria marketable again requires more than just moral exhortation”.

He also said  that Nigerians could have seen a time like this coming as it was manifested many years ago when people who had no commitment to Islam began pretending about wanting to live under the Sharia’h law. Quoting from Lamido’s timeline, he said, “Are we Christians to stop worshipping or am I going to live in a country where every Sunday when I am going to church I have to look behind. Or the Christian question is: how long is this going to go on and, like Lamido said, is it going to cost the bombing of the mosques before we wake up? Is it really the case that we are going to continue to remain like this?” 

Bishop Kukah lamented that, even though the country is passing through very tough times  with enough blame to pass around, President Jonathan may not be responsible for what is happening, but  because he has been entrusted with the key  he is worried  about the future of the country.

He said, “I have been on the voice of those saying this is not about religion and I still believe so,  but many of us are running out of time and ideas because, clearly, the security of this country is in the hands of the president who is under a national security agency and, actually, life is becoming very cheap”.

He called on media houses to adopt high-quality reportage and editorials on current happenings and available information so that policy makers can adopt reports or editorials to become part and parcel of public policies. Media houses, he added, should be responsible for the training of journalists and must go beyond just allowing journalists to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, country representative of  PACT , Dr. Audu Liman, in his welcome remarks, said Nigeria as a country had passed the FoI in May 2011 after years of advocacy  and demand but not much has happened in  one year after the signing at all levels of government.

He said even after setting up inter-ministerial committees at all levels, the work of the committee  remains very opaque  as there appears to be no consultations with interest groups in developing such strategy and also not taking public institutions at the states and local governments into account.

Liman said: “The FoI Act is one important bill that, when effectively implemented, will take our country over the threshold we currently stand. Despite various challenges, there are a number of issues that should make us proud as Nigerians.”

According to him, Nigerians  as a people can make this country great if and only if they can do the right things, but while there are many things that can be done in order of priority, “our biggest challenge is corruption”.

Paper presentations were made by the attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN); MD/CEO, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Mr. Ehi E. Okoyomon; governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, among others.

A member of the House of Representatives Abike Dabiri in a brief remark said: “We have given you this law, it is left for everyone of us to ensure its implementation. The fact is that the power is in the hands of Nigerians. We have to join hands to fight corruption and make things work and not leave it in the hands of a few. If we do not implement it, we are only paying lip service to fighting corruption.”

culled from naijapundit.com

We are at war with Christians

Wearing a bullet proof vest and sandwiched between two AK-47s, Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, the radical Islamic sect responsible for the death of over 500 people in 2011 alone can be seen in a video released earlier today listing the group's grievances against the Nigerian state and President Jonathan. Also mentioned by name is the President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, whom the group singled out for condemnation after his call on Christians to protect themselves which call he made after the Christmas Day bomb attack at the St. Theresa's Catholic Church at Madalla, near the Federal Capital Territory. In the video, Abubakar Shekau boasted that the security agencies could not vanquish his group. It may be recalled that President Jonathan had himself admitted that the sect had infiltrated all arms of government including the security forces. Speaking further in the 15 minute video, Mr. Shekau said the group could only hold talks with the government in accordance with the teachings of Islam. He declared war on all Christians (presumably those living in Nigeria) "We are also at war with Christians because the whole world knows what they did to us," Shekau said that "the group's recent successes is an indication that they in the right path." In the video, Shekau took out time to single out Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor as the object of the group's hatred and took offense to his call on Christians to defend themselves. Shekau spoke in Hausa throughout the video.

The Video has been removed from youtube for violating their terms of service

CBN Governor's chieftaincy title saga

The CBN Governor was persuaded by employees of the CBN to wear his chieftaincy robe says the spokesman of the apex Bank. CBN spokesman Ugo Okoroafor said the apex bank’s governor was “not on duty’’ the day he appeared in office in the regalia. He said, “For the avoidance of doubt we want to use this medium to state that the CBN Governor was on a short break, and was not on duty on the said day. “Malam Sanusi flew into Abuja after the ceremony and when staff got wind of his presence they persuaded him to pass through the office so that they could see the new Dan Maje.”

SHOOT AT SIGHT ORDER IN KADUNA

From naijapudits.com As the death toll from today’s sectarian violence in Kaduna State continues to climb, law enforcement officers have been given orders to shoot any perpetrators of violence at sight. Two senior police sources in Kaduna told media that more than 50 people have lost their lives in a spate of attacks and counter attacks by Muslims and Christians precipitated by bomb attacks at several churches in Kaduna and Zaria. “The government wants us not to announce the real number of those killed, but I can assure you that more than fifty lives have been lost,” said one source. He added that hundreds of people had been wounded. Another source added that people in most parts of the state were observing the curfew, but added that the level of tension remains “very high.” Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna had earlier declared a 24-hour curfew in the state with immediate effect. Mr. Yakowa said it become imperative to declare the curfew considering the need to avoid escalation of violence. However, one of our police sources said that the order came after irate Christians had already taken to various streets in pursuit of Muslim targets. Governor Yakowa has condemned the multiple bombs that targeted Christian worshipers this morning in the state. Mr. Yakowa also warned against reprisal attacks. He threatened that security operatives would deal with those seeking to take the law into their hands. The governor’s statement, released by his media aide, Reuben Buhari, condemned “the unfortunate bombing of three churches in Wusasa in Zaria Local Government, Sabon Gari LG and Trikania, Chikun Local Government, Kaduna State.” In declaring a curfew, the statement added: “In view of the incidents and the need to have complete normalcy and to forestall further break down of law and order, the State Government has imposed a 24 hour curfew in the whole state. The curfew hours start with immediate effect until further notice.” The statement regretted any inconveniences caused to residents of the state by the “drastic measure.” Even so, the governor defended his action as a step “to avert further loss of lives and property in the state.” Mr. Yakowa’s statement pleaded with the residents of Kaduna State to “ignore various mischievous texts messages currently in circulation.” It was also learnt that the text messages galvanized members of both Islamic and Christian faiths to do battle with “common enemies.”