The federal government has been called upon to look into the problem of increasing insecurity in the nation, especially the recent crisis in Plateau State, which is beginning to generate agitations among the two major religions in the country. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, while addressing the media on the celebration of the World Day of Peace, held recently at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. Archbishop Martins noted that by this time last year, the country was embroiled with the case of Bolanle Raheem who was shot in Lagos, and now, she is faced with the crisis in Plateau State.
The Archbishop said: “It is not just about the crisis, but the fact that this crisis is already beginning to generate agitations between Christians and Muslims. For most of us that are very conversant with social media, we would understand that there has been a lot of debate about why it seems that only Christians are the ones being killed in the country. “So, if this is not properly handled, it might lead to something more dangerous than it already seems.”
On whether the Holy Father’s proposals are not followed by the regulators, he said: “Well, the duty of the Pope, the duty of a religious institution is to point out dangers to those who have the responsibility of governance. To point out areas where there are challenges, and as it were, sensitise people to the problems that are there lurking somewhere in the backyard. So that is what the Holy Father has done. “And I think that anybody that is really, really sensitive to the issues that are written there also needs to take this as a personal responsibility.”
On Pope Francis’ statement on the blessing of gay person(s), Archbishop Martins said that the document has generated all kinds of reactions, which are derived from just reading the headlines rather than reading the document itself. He said: ‘Most of those who make comments are making comments from what they hear other people say, rather than going to the source of the issues to find out what exactly is being said. “Anybody who reads that document will see it said over and over again that the Pope, the Church, does not have the power or the authority to legalise or to turn around that which Christ Himself has established. What Christ has established, what the Church has established over the years, what nature has established over the years is that marriage is between a man and a woman who are in a stable relationship.”
In his new year message, Archbishop Martins said: “As we begin a new year, of course, we all know that last year has had its misgivings. It has been a time of good and bad. And therefore, the first thing that I will say is, while we are paying attention to all that is not so good that has happened, we should also put things in perspective and count the blessings that we also received in the outgoing year. “Indeed, life was pretty tough, or is pretty tough for many Nigerians. There is poverty at a high level, more than ever before. Loss of jobs and lack of job opportunities continue to be on the increase. The ability to even have regular meals has become the most important thing that has happened in the last year. And therefore, the last year and the previous years have been really very difficult for Nigerians.”
He asked the government and government agencies to ensure that they put in more efforts in taking care of Nigerians and their needs. He said: “We are aware that subsidy removal happened. We are aware that a lot of devaluation of the Naira has also happened. We are aware of different kinds of world events that have affected our economy. But then, the job of government is to ensure that in all of these, they (government) have a responsibility to mitigate the effects on citizens.
The Archbishop said It is expected that the fruits of all the sacrifices that are being made by Nigerians now will be reaped sooner than later, so that people will be able to see that they indeed have a government that cares, and is really interested in their welfare. Stating that the country has been faced with problems, the Archbishop urged the people to look at the good things that has happened to them. He said: “I am sure that if all of us were to count our blessings, we’ll see so much that God has done for us. Therefore, my message is for us not to lose hope in the midst of these challenges that we are facing as Nigerians.”
