The Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province have called on all state governors in Nigeria to rise to their primary responsibility of ensuring the security of life and property of all inhabitants in their states. The Bishops who gave this charge in a communiqué signed by the President and Secretary, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and Most Rev. Francis Obafemi Adesina, Bishop of IJebu-Ode, issued at the end of their first meeting of the year 2021 at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos on Thursday, January 28, 2021, urged Nigerians to be vigilant and alert always, as they go about their daily tasks and routines.
The communiqué read: “We implore all our state governors to rise to their primary responsibility of ensuring the security of life and property of all the inhabitants of the states that they govern. They should not go to sleep, while terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other hoodlums are having a field day terrorizing and brutalizing the innocent citizens within their domains. “We urge the citizens themselves across the length and breadth of Nigeria to exercise maximum vigilance as they go about their daily tasks and routines.
They should stay awake and alert to suspicious movements by any elements within their communities, and make prompt reports to the authorities for appropriate and timely action to be taken to nip any threat to life and/or property in the bud. As the saying goes, “if you see something, say something. Don’t keep quiet!” The Bishops commended President Muhammadu Buhari for replacing the Service Chiefs of the Nigerian Armed Forces, in response to the clamour of Nigerians.
They said: “We note with delight that the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, finally found it fit to effect a replacement of the Service Chiefs of the Nigerian armed forces, in response to the persistent clamour of Nigerians from various walks of life. They urged the new Service Chiefs to bring new vigour and vision to bear, so as to end the insecurity currently bedeviling the Nigerian nation.
While urging the Clergy, Religious and lay faithful not to relent in practicing their faith in total commitment to the life and growth of the Church, the Bishops commended them for remaining steadfast in the faith, in spite of the long period of lockdown and other challenges they had to contend with in the past year. “We pray that Year 2021 will usher in a new vista of hope for humanity as she grapples with ways of containing the pandemic and its effects”, they prayed.
