The Administrator of Jos
Archdiocese and Co-adju-
tor Archbishop of Abuja,
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama
has emphasised the need
for priests to always be neutral and non
partisan on issues relating to communal
and tribal clashes by avoiding taking
sides, or making inflammatory state-
ments capable of fuelling the conflict.
He said the best approach to resolving
such conflicts was to teach the people
the merits and benefits of forgiveness,
reconciliation, and resolving differences
through genuine dialogue.
“We need to firmly resist the temp-
tation of taking as real what could be
distorted historical narratives, mere
prejudices, blackmail or fabricated sto-
ries that have no bearing with reality but
which severely strain relationships.”
Archbishop kaigama made this remark
at a recent meeting of some Catholic
Bishops and Priests of Abuja and Jos
Ecclesiastical Provinces who met at
the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace
(DREP) Centre, Jos. The meeting which
attracted mostly Bishops and priests
from the areas affected by the Jukun-Tiv
crisis was designed to brainstorm and to
deliberate on how they can help to min-
imize or completely stop the atrocities
unleashed on innocent people.
According to Kaigama, priests are at a
vantage position of being in direct con-
tact with the people at the grassroots
and so can use the opportunity to pro-
mote peace and good neighbourliness.
“When our people suffer, we too suffer
in many ways with them and when they
remain in a state of constant distress we
know that it affects how we can minis-
ter to them spiritually and pastorally.
As Catholic priests, we are fortunate
to have our people’s confidence and we
can play a very significant role in mak-
ing them realize that polarization along
ethnic lines causes retrogression in all
ramifications and it also contradicts the
very essence of Christian unity (cf. Eph
4:4-5).
He noted it is very embarrassing and
disappointing that people, most of
whom profess Christianity can take up
arms against one another and commit
atrocities against one another on ac-
count of tribal differences or in the name
of the struggle for economic or political
control.
He revealed that the inter-ethnic clash-
es in the affected region of the country
have spread to engulf Idoma-Tiv- Igala-
Ogoja- Jukun – Kuteb-Alago, Eggon, Ag-
atu and even Agila in Benue and Ngbo in
Ebonyi States. These recurring conflicts
are always mostly over land matters.
As a remedy, he encouraged the gov-
ernment to employ the services of his-
torians, anthropologists, security agents,
boundary demarcation experts, consti-
tutional experts, neutral international
bodies (ECOWAS AU, UN), etc, to re-
solve the claims and counter claims that
refuse to allow peace to reign.
He wants government at all levels to be
more determined to meet its obligation
of caring for the poor who fight one an-
other not because they hate themselves,
but, according to him, as a result of the
compelling force of poverty, worsened
by the inequitable distribution of re-
sources.
It would be recalled that a Catholic priest,
Rev Fr David Tanko was killed while on
his way to attend a reconciliatory meeting
in connection with the Tiv/Jukun crisis last
August in Taraba State.
