President Muhammadu Buhari.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – The leadership of the Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA has frowned at the situation where insecurity has stopped farmers from going to the farms as well as the rising case of unemployment saying the country will continue to witness the cycle of violence until these issues are addressed.
The Church attributed the increasing demand for ransom by bandits to inability of the federal government to deal decisively with growing insecurity and asked that government reimburse private people who pay ransom to bandits to secure the release of their kidnapped loved ones.
ECWA President, Rev. Stephen Panya gave the opinion yesterday while speaking with journalists on the deteriorating security situation and other national issues at the ECWA headquarters in Jos where he insisted the probe of the utilization of the millions of naira released for the purchase of arms to tackle terrorism.
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His words, “As a nation, we are no doubt in the most difficult times of our nationhood. It has become necessary for me to once more speak on the state of our nation. This is because the security situation in Nigeria and all other developmental indices, especially the economy, have all worsened and continue to worsen daily.
“With the seeming inability of the Federal Government to deal decisively with the heightened insecurity across the country, and the massive occupation of ungoverned spaces by criminals, non-state actors have taken the center stage in a bid to protect their people from murderous criminals while also exploiting the situation to pursue their quest for self- determination.
“The debilitating impact of insecurity and COVID-19 pandemic is further compounding the already depressed economy. As it is now, farmers are no longer able to go to farms due to insecurity, while the rate of unemployment, especially youth unemployment, is on the increase.
“Nigeria will continue to experience a vicious cycle of insecurity and remain in a cauldron, if these challenges are not addressed.”
Rev. Panya lamented that “Boko Haram and ISWAP have destroyed tens of thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Nigerians. It is unfortunate that many Christians and Christian communities have been deliberately targeted and destroyed.
“It is clear that these terrorist groups are gradually but tactically expanding their activities and making incursions into other parts of the north and even beyond.
“The apparent lack of unity in the fight against these terrorist groups and the inability of government to deal decisively with them within the shortest possible time has emboldened them to do more havoc.
“It has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between Fulani herdsmen, bandits and even Boko Haram members because their antics are basically the same, and it may be only the underlying dominant driving motives that may differ. While money is more of a driving force for bandits, land grabbing and territorial expansion is more dominant for the Fulani militia, and religious motive more dominant for Boko Haram.”
On the hijab crisis in Kwara State, the cleric stressed, “Of serious concern is the attempt by the Kwara state government to impose the use of Hijab in Christian schools in the state.
“It must be clear that the careful use of the term, ‘grant-aided’ schools, being publicized by the state government and some media outfits would not insult the common sense of Nigerians to make them see Christian schools other than what they have always been.
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“10 schools were shut down by the state government in an attempt to bully the Christian schools to adopting the use of Hijab and the staff of the schools are being intimidated into returning to work under the new law which infringes on the Christian ethics of running mission schools.”
He however called for the release of Leah Sharibu and other captives stating, “We watched with joy the effort and urgency that the Federal and various State governments in the north made for the rescue of school children kidnapped in Katsina, Zamfara and Niger States.
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“Very sadly, despite several promises by President Mohammadu Buhari and security agencies, freedom remains a mirage for Leah Sharibu and other Christian girls like Alice Loksha Ngadah, Grace Lukas, Lillian Gyang and the remaining Chibok girls. Not to mention Rev. Polycarp Zango, the eight Redeemed Christian Church of God members and many other Christians in captivity of Boko Haram, ISWAP and bandits alike.
“The President and security agencies need to show more commitment, care and concern for all, irrespective of their religious faith and make effort to free all those in captivity.”
