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Deborah’s Death: Catholics Preach Unity, Inter-religious Harmony
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, yesterday, urged Nigerians not to give up on the struggle for inter-religious harmony in the country.
According to him, those who attempt to gain selfish advantages without respect for rights or ethics, and through forms of extremism must be opposed.
Kaigama said this during his homily at St. Louis Church, Efab Global Estate Abuja, against the backdrop of last week’s murder of Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.
The cleric said Nigerians should not give up on the pursuit of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence, but “must continue to speak up in a common voice and act in solidarity with one another against the evils of our time.”
He said, “Last Thursday, May 12, while we were at the maiden National Conference on Inter-religious Dialogue, on ‘Rethinking Interfaith, Cultural, Ecumenical and Religious Dialogue In Nigeria’s Pluralistic Context’, held at Veritas University, Abuja, to collectively seek further ways of enhancing religious harmony and peaceful co-existence, we were saddened by the news of the attack and gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, accused of religious blasphemy.
“There are commendably many Christians and Muslims speaking out in condemnation of the dastardly act of killing a human being in the name of religion.
“In condemning the act and dissociating it from the true practice of Islam, one Muslim mentioned and I quote him, ‘love is the first religion’.
“Together, we must not give up on the struggle, to continue to bridge the gap that keeps us far apart because of religious bias, ethnic rivalry and other artificial categorisations. We must not allow our religious values to be redefined by fanatics, criminal and dubious elements of society.
“Religions means to wish others well, to show compassion, mutual support and cooperation for what sues for peace, justice and equity. Love is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, rich in mercy and reaches out to all.
“Our love for one another challenges us to break down the walls of enmity, hatred, apathy, disunity, segregation and strife that have torn families, communities, races, and nations apart.”
The archbishop also said that love for religion, politics, and culture or for whatever cause must never make any Nigerian take the life of another person.
“There can be no true religion without love and there can be no genuinely religious person without the practice of true love. We, who call ourselves religious, must wear the ‘garment of love’,” he added.
Similarly, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins condemned in very strong terms the stoning and killing of Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu in Sokoto State by a mob of overzealous students for alleged blasphemy.
He also charged the law enforcement agencies to quickly swing into action to investigate the matter to identify the culprits and bring them to justice according to the Nigerian criminal law.
He said that the alleged killing of young Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education is appalling, provocative, and inhuman.
Such acts, if not checked forthwith, he warned, are capable of further exacerbating religious tension, thereby causing disaffection amongst the peace-loving people of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the Director of Social Communications, Rev. Father Anthony Godonu, the archbishop, while condoling with the family of the deceased student and the good people of Sokoto State, and indeed, all Nigerians of goodwill, also prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased whose life was cut short in her prime.
“I feel very saddened by the callous manner Deborah Yakubu’s life was cut short in her prime by a bloodthirsty jungle justice mob. It shows how little the value that some people place on human life.
“This act once again attests to the fact that much still needs to be done in this country for us to appreciate the fact that every human life is sacred and invaluable, something to be nurtured and never trivialised.
“When you murder a fellow human being on an allegation of blasphemy you have not only committed murder but have sown the seed of hatred, suspicion and triggered corresponding negative emotions that could snowball into a deep crisis. No one has a right to arbitrarily shed human blood.
“It is not in our Constitution; it is not in our customs or tradition. Such an act is archaic and reprehensible and should be expunged totally from our DNA. All those found culpable in this killing must be made to face the consequences and we must all ensure that justice is seen to be done.”
Martins also called upon all Nigerians to be calm and to shun all acts of violence as we all await the action of the security agents in dealing with this heinous act of criminality irrespective of the motive behind it.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.