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Insecurity: CAN Declares National Prayers, August 23
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has declared August 23 as a day for collective prayers for Nigeria against the rising activities some “enemies” of Nigeria that have taken arms against its people, particularly Christian communities in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country.
Few days ago, Catholics faithful were requested by the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Augustine Akubueze, to pray, one “Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be to the Father”, every day after the Angelus for 40 days, starting from August 22, 2020 and ending September 30, 2020, the eve of Nigeria’s Independence Day,” he said.
Both CAN and the Catholic Bishops unanimously agreed that the recent rise in insecurity, particularly in Christian communities in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country requires urgent divine intervention, since the people charged with the responsibility of providing security seem to have ran out of ideas.
The CAN General Secretary, Daramola Bade, in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday, indicated that the collective prayer session will last for, at least, 15 minutes on the said day.
Part of letter to churches read thus, “Please, be informed that there will be a collective prayer session (at least, 15 minutes) for Nigeria on the August 23, 2020.
“The aim is to tell God in one accord, to have His way and do His Will in Nigeria. This was borne out of the insecurities in Nigeria. All churches in Nigeria are to adhere to full compliance of this prayer.”
On Tuesday, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) joined the call for an end to the bloodshed in Southern Kaduna.
Its President, Archbishop Augustine Akubueze, in a statement released in Abuja, said, “the killings must stop forthwith. Our hearts are bleeding profusely, and we are more troubled when we hear of the massacre presently going on in Southern Kaduna.”
He assured the people suffering the incessant attacks particularly in Southern Kaduna that Catholic faithful in Nigeria and beyond are with them in prayers.
He maintained that killings does not further the agenda of any religious ideology nor the ambition of any politician, thus, asking the government to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice.
He insisted that peace is the bedrock of development and where there is no peace, there cannot be development.
“Any government that wants peace must work for justice for everyone. There will never be sustained development built upon the bloodshed of innocent people brutally murdered by religious fundamentalists without recourse to justice for the victims.”
The Catholic Bishops, in their assessment, affirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed woefully in fulfilling his 2015 election campaign promises, particularly in areas of security, power, and economy, among others.
He, however, reminded the government that they came to power in 2015 with a promise to eradicate corruption, improve on security, and grow the economy.
In addition to that, create job opportunities, provide enabling environment that engenders growth of the private sector, stable power supply, and quality health care for the people, and revamp the educational sector.
“Many Nigerians, irrespective of political party affiliation, will affirm that these promises have remained a far cry. We strongly appeal to Nigerians to unite together in calling on the Federal Government to give priority to these areas of our lives.”
Similarly, the Pentecostal Bishops in northern Nigeria under the umbrella of the Pentecostal Bishops’ Forum of the 19 northern states have described the unending killings and community destruction in Southern Kaduna as a well orchestrated mission to overrun the indigenous people of the region.
The northern Pentecostal Bishops said the worsening security situation simply suggests that there’s no government to provide security for the people, or that government officials might have compromised and are part of the problem for whatever reasons.
The Chairman of the Forum, Archbishop JohnPraise Daniel, suggested to the people to find a way of providing security for themselves and their communities since the government has, obviously, failed in the constitutional responsibility to do that for them.
He alleged: “Report we received from the affected communities indicated that state security officials could visit a particular community, collect all what they use in defending themselves and their communities, leave the community, thus making them vulnerable to attacks.
“Few hours or days after, the attackers who are mostly Fulani herdsmen would invade the communities and massacre the people, destroy houses and leave with valuable items.”
The religious leaders challenged the federal and state governments, as well as international community to come to the aid of the people of Southern Kaduna, facilitate the arrest and prosecution of the attackers to serve as deterrent to others.
They called for fortification of security arrangement in the vulnerable communities, institute a regime of structured compensation for the losses, possibly, revisit the age long simmering socio-economic and political feuds among the various groups in order to arrive at an equitable, acceptable and enduring solution to the crisis.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has described the late Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall as a distinguished statesman whose contributions to national development brought honour and distinction to the Kalabari Kingdom and Rivers State.
Fubara said Horsfall’s life of service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity had left an enduring legacy that would continue to inspire generations.
The governor spoke through the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, at the funeral service of the late elder statesman last Saturday in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the State.
He described Horsfall as a patriotic Nigerian whose leadership and dedication to the country’s development earned him a place in the nation’s history.
“Chief Horsfall was a distinguished statesman whose life was defined by service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity.
“His contributions to our nation, particularly through his service as Director-General of the State Security Service, pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and Chairman of OMPADEC, remain significant milestones in our national history,” Fubara said.
The governor noted that the late Horsfall’s contributions to national security, intelligence administration and the development of the Niger Delta would remain part of his enduring legacy.
“His legacy of leadership, national service and dedication to development will remain an enduring source of inspiration to generations yet unborn,” he added.
Fubara urged the bereaved family, the Kalabari people and other Nigerians to uphold the values of peace, unity and selfless service exemplified by the late elder statesman.
The funeral service attracted several dignitaries, including the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a representative of the Bayelsa State Governor, the Managing Director of NDDC, Chairman of PENDEF and the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom.
Also in attendance were the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, the Commissioner for Special Projects and other government officials, traditional rulers and stakeholders.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partner with local government councils that prioritize the welfare and development of people at the grassroots.
Fubara stated this last Thursday in Nkoro Town during the commissioning of the newly built Sir Siminalayi Fubara Corps Members’ Lodge, executed by Hon. James A. James, the Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Sunny Ewule, the governor said the project goes beyond a building to represent hope, hospitality and responsible leadership.
According to him, providing decent and safe accommodation for Nationl Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who leave their comfort zones to serve in communities is the least government can do.
“Today we are not just commissioning a building, we are commissioning hope, hospitality and responsible leadership. The Chairman of Opobo/ Nkoro LGA, Hon. James A. James has understood a very simple truth that those who come to serve us must serve with dignity,.
“Our young graduates who serves under the NYSC scheme leave the comfort of their homes and travel far to contribute to our communities, they teach our children, they work in our health centres, and they become parts of our families.
“The least we can do is give them a decent, safe and befitting place to lay their heads. What Hon. James A. James has done today is in total alignment with the vision of this administration, an administration that believes in people, that prioritises welfare and that believes development must be felt in every local government and not just in Port Harcourt” he said.
Fubara further urged the beneficiaries of the corpers lodge to make good use of the facilities of the newly built edifice and be good ambassadors of Nigeria, respect the culture and traditions of the host community while continue to serve with dedication and patriotism.
“This Corpers lodge will enhance the security and welfare of serving corps members, boost their morale and make Opobo/Nkoro and even more attractive place for posting, it is a strategic investment in human capital and in peace building,” he said.
He commended the Opobo/Nkoro Council Chairman for aligning with his administration’s vision of ensuring development is felt in all 23 local government areas of the State, and not just in Port Harcourt, adding that the lodge is a strategic investment in human capital, security and peace building.
In his goodwill message, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Moses Oleghe, said the accommodation was 85 percent of Corps members’ challenges.
Oleghe thanked Governor Fubara for the recent increase in the State allowances for Corps members to N35,000 for those in 21 rural areas and N20,000 for those in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City LGAs, describing the gesture as a moral booster for the corps members.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has secured an offer of specialised training for up to 5,000 Nigerian police personnel under a proposed security cooperation involving Nigeria, the United States and Italy.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, at the weekend.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to tackle insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other emerging security threats across the country.
According to the statement, the proposed training programme will focus on counter-insurgency operations, intelligence-led patrols and tactical operations, particularly in difficult rural and forested environments.
Other areas of training include critical infrastructure protection, digital and scientific forensics, cybercrime investigations, explosives detection, financial investigations, asset tracing and anti-extortion operations.
The programme is expected to extend beyond the Police Mobile Force to other specialised units, including explosive ordnance disposal and forensic teams.
As part of the engagement, Disu met with the Commander-General of the Italian Carabinieri, Lieutenant-General Salvatore Luongo, to explore areas of technical assistance, professional training and institutional cooperation.
The police chief and his delegation also visited the Carabinieri Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units in Vicenza, Italy, where they assessed training facilities and explored opportunities to adapt specialised policing programmes to Nigeria’s security needs.
Proposals discussed during the visit included command courses for 40 senior police officers, leadership training for 100 junior commanders and the deployment of a mobile assistance team to support Police Mobile Force training schools in Gwoza, Borno State, and Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
The discussions also covered the development of a national stability policing doctrine and standard operating procedures to improve professionalism, operational coordination and civilian protection, particularly in communities recovering from conflict.
Other areas of proposed cooperation include canine operations, forensic science and mounted policing, including horse breeding and local capacity development for effective public order management.
To formalise the proposed partnership, the IGP has initiated moves towards a Memorandum of Understanding covering specialised training, technology transfer and operational procedures.
He also invited an Italian Carabinieri assessment team to Abuja to identify priority needs and develop implementation arrangements.
Disu reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to international partnerships that will strengthen operational readiness, improve investigative capacity and enhance the protection of lives and property.
The statement did not, however, indicate when the proposed training programme would commence or provide a definite implementation timetable.
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