Nigerians tend to define themselves in terms of ethnic affinities – Dr. Njoku
Promote peaceful co-existence for a better society – Lady Obah
Women have to be drivers of peace – Lady Anozia
Identify the implications of these crises – Lady Damian-Osuigwe
“People are frustrated, living in anguish with economic meltdown that has chopped deep the peace of Nigerians. The insecurity and political deficits in Nigeria have disrupted the unity of our multi-dimensional ethnicity to religious bigotry. Women are promoters of peace and the need for a reminder to take the bull by the horns became a necessity in order to curb the social challenges bedeviling the society,” Lady Meg Anozia, immediate past Noble President, Ladies of St. Mulumba Nigeria gave a vivid description of Nigeria laced with obstinate conflicts consequent upon ethnic, religious and political divides. She made this assertion while making her remarks at the opening ceremony of the 44th Annual Convention of Ladies of St. Mulumba (LSM) Nigeria held recently at St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos as she tasked women to utilise peace building initiatives to resolve ethnic, religious and political conflicts. The persistent loss of lives and properties occasioned by ethnic communal strife and religious intolerance in several parts of this country has assumed a worrisome dimension. LSM Nigeria has said it has become obvious that timely intervention must come from all stakeholders to stem the tide.
The wives of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria themed their 44th Annual Convention, “Women: Promoting Peace amidst Ethno-Religious and Political Barriers” to find lasting solutions to the crises that have since assumed a frightening dimension. Lady Anozia further illustrated the political and ethno-religious conflagrations that have severally drawn the country to the precipice of disaster. She traced the roots of insecurity and conflicts in Nigeria to ethno-religious and political barriers. According to her these have resulted to a situation where people of different ethnic groups and different religions in the society lack cordiality, trust and are full of suspicion with fear that tend to trigger violence. The immediate past Noble President said, “In Nigeria, ethnicity and religious bigotry have become a fulcrum of various forms of nationalism ranging from assertion of language, cultural autonomy and religious superiority to demands for local political autonomy and self-determination. “The repercussion is seen in different forms of conflicts for sectionalism, tribalism, religious discrimination with poor relationships existing in the society. The situation has escalated to the political arena whereby many issues are being conflicted to the detriment of Nigerians.
Evidence of the ugly scenarios are seen in the social menace being experienced in the society such as; attacks and killings of innocent Nigerians, kidnappings, armed-robbery, killings of the clergy, disunity among people of the same faith, just to mention a few. The Nigerian government has failed to alleviate people from abject poverty which has facilitated youth involvement in crimes resulting to conflict of different proportions in the society.” Speaking in same vein while presenting her welcome address, Lady Juliet Damian-Osuigwe , President, Lagos Metropolitan Council noted that this year’s Convention themed, “Women: Promoting Peace Amidst Ethno-Religious and Political Barriers”, is apt considering the current situation in our country. She remarked, “For 62 years of existence as an independent entity, Nigeria still grapples with numerous insecurity threats, ranging from ethno-religious disharmonies to the agitation to secede. Today, Nigeria is characterised as a deeply divided state where political and other issues contest vigorously along complex ethnic and religious lines. Lady Damian – Osuigwe recommended, “There is need, therefore, to identify the implications of these crises as well as proffer overarching solutions to restore peace and promote nation-building.
This Convention has a huge role to play in this regard.” The Guest Speaker, Dr. Celine Njoku, Vice President of the Counselling Association of Nigeria, CASSON stated that ethnicity is seen as the most basic and politically salient identity of Nigerians. Dr. Njoku said, “Nigerians tend to define themselves in terms of ethnic affinities as opposed to other identities. What is even more interesting is the fact that religious and ethnic identities are more salient than class identities. First, ethnic identity is the most important and consistent basis of social identity in the country. Second, ethnicity is seen as a way of collective action. Finally, ethnicity is presumed to be a destabilising factor with far reaching impacts on democracy. These principles need a number of outcomes because politicising competition is played along lines of ethnicity. The resultant “democratic” but authoritarianism in government ostensibly has an ethnic character. In most cases, therefore, mechanisms of political governance are formed on the basis of ethnicity through custom-made patronage systems. “For instance, in Nigeria the ethnic factor is seen when political parties are formed and during election. The Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC) was formed in the First Republic and it was Hausa – Fulani Party now – PDP.
Similarly, the Igbo belong to the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC) – now APGA while the Yoruba prided themselves as members of the Action Group (AG) – now APC. Since the restoration of democratic rule, ethnic identity and mobilization in the Nigerian political landscape has often resulted in political instability. Between 1999-2022 so many deaths have occurred as a result of more than nine hundred incidence of communal violence. “Ethnic violence has been witnessed in almost all regions in the country. The level of insecurity witnessed during the post military period is considerably higher than that experienced during the military rule that ended in 1999.” According to her, Nigeria has three major religious groups; Christianity, Islam and Traditional religions; but the traditional religions are the most politically inactive of the three groups, numbering several hundreds of ethnic groups and sub groups, villages, clans, and kin groups and involving the worshiping of different gods and goddesses. She added, “On the other hand, Christian and Muslim identities have continued to be the backbones of religious disparity and conflict. This differentiation underlies the North-South-cleavage.
Ethno Religious barriers in Nigeria form part of the dynamics of identity politics by political elites in Nigeria during contests for political office often lacks a sustaining unifying ideology. “Somehow, politics in Nigeria is fashioned on the appeasement of religious motives as a consequence, religion attains the level of deification that is difficult to challenge or over power. In this perpetually changing pattern of domination, fears and anxieties are bred that motivates and upsurge in struggle and intolerance gallows, sadly, amid all these, can the women promote peace?” Emphasising that women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution is essentially an instrument for peace building, Lady Anozia observed that women are often excluded from formal peace processes in Nigeria. She stated that a growing body of research and case studies of current and past peace processes revealed how women’s participation whether in official negotiating roles or through grassroots efforts contribute to reaching lasting peace agreements. She stressed, “The few women that could be engaged in peace building face complex threats to their physical, emotional, political, economic and spiritual health and safety.” Dr. Celine noted that over the years, women in Nigeria have moved from the back seat to the roles of bread winners, decision makers and leaders of their immediate families. In respective of these progressive developments, women’s contributions to national development still have impact on decisions that effects society as a whole, due to the perceived marginalization which still holds strong in most developing countries like Nigeria.
“Cultural and social norms glass ceiling effects, and other exclusionary factors continue to dictate relegation of the presence and voice of women to a lower rank in public life.” The immediate past Noble President advised the Ladies not to be deterred but be peace builders and makers right from the family. In her words, “As caretakers of families, women initiate and advocate peace from home to the society. Women have to be drivers of peace, whether in financial struggles or personal difficulties, and otherwise.” She stressed, “My dear sisters, we have an obligation to preach peace, maintain peace and promote peace in the society. “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:4). “We acknowledge that when times get tough, it can be difficult to find peace. More so, that Nigerians are going through challenges and hard times of recent. This appears to have induced more conflict across political, security, rule of law, economic and social spheres. The word of the Lord will grant you peace and comfort as you maintain peace in the society. “The Lord gives strength to his people, and the Lord blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11). Let us be prayerful as we back it up with good acts and God will grant us peace in Nigeria and the whole world.
“Ladies of Saint Mulumba Nigeria, we have to be role models within the family, in community and the society. We need to practice peace and be promoters of peace. Be prayerful and good mothers by bringing up God fearing children; be molders of character and preach the Gospel for peace to reign in the society.” The newly elected President, Lady Ngozi Obah, called on the women to stand firm with one another in love and unity and promote peaceful co-existence for a better society. The Ladies in their numbers from across the thirty-six states including the FCT converged on St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos from November 3 to 6, 2022 for their 44th Convention to evaluate their activities in line with the set goals and brainstorm on peace initiatives to break ethno-religious and political barriers for a better Nigeria.
…Archbishop Martins commends LSM
Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos took the occasion of the Convention to commend the LSM for the work that they do in the Church; for their activities, for their actions and all the decisions they take which shows how much they love God and the Church. “We pray that your efforts and all the sacrifices that you make will be acceptable in the sight of God. We pray also that as you have journeyed here, from all parts of our nation for this convention, so will you all return safely and sound to your different destinations, through Christ our Lord”, he prayed. The Archbishop commended the out-gone Noble President and her executives whom he said in the last four years with all their minds and hearts, and all their talents have kept the ship of the association steady by their leadership, as he prayed that God will reward them for all the sacrifices they have made. He prayed that God will direct the LSM as they carry out the action of electing others who will continue to steer the ship of the association through the waters and to the habour of goodness. On the forthcoming elections in the country, he said: “These elections are very significant in the life of our country.
Our country as we know has been badly bruised and battered over the years. Her people have been in great distress over the years, and we all can feel the pains of bad governance arising from bad leadership that our country has suffered over the years. “The results are being felt all over the country, particularly in the most recent times. The insecurity that shows itself in the high rate of kidnapping and all kinds of crime all over the nation. No one seems to be immune; not the rich or the poor, not the young or the elderly are immune. Students and pupils are not immune from all the troubles and challenges of kidnapping and insecurity. People in all sorts of profession and careers are all victims at one time or the other. “The so-called bandits are there wreaking havoc; killing people, stealing and maiming all over the nation. The economy is the way it is, poverty level so high that people are referring to our country today as the poverty capital of the world. “The floods that come in recent times have made life even more difficult, destroying homes, farmlands; the sources of income of people. All of these have contributed to the stress of the people of our nation.”
He urged the people to show interest in the ongoing political activities of the nation by participating in whatever way they are called to do so. He urged the knights and Ladies of St. Mulumba to continue to play the role of ensuring that people show interest in the political activities of the nation in terms of preparing to vote, receiving the PVCs and using them when necessary. “Kindly use the opportunity and the reach that you have in order to encourage people to do the needful because the situation in which we are demands that everyone pays attention and takes part as actively as we are expected to. He urged Nigerians to listen very attentively to whatever it is that those who wish to take leadership in the country are saying, as he advised them to ask questions and demand satisfactory answers before they choose whom to vote for during elections.
