Benin City, Nigeria, Sep 20, 2018 / 10:53 am
In a strong critique of Nigeria's governing administration, the country's Catholic bishops have said that Nigeria must find a new approach to self-governance as it prepares for its 2019 general election. The bishops added that prayer for Nigeria is essential to the country's future.
"As we look forward to the elections of 2019, we refuse to give up on our hope for a great, prosperous and peaceful nation. For our dreams to be achieved, we must embrace a new way of governing ourselves. There is need for genuine repentance and sincere moral transformation," the Nigerian bishops' conference said in a statement released at the conclusion of their September plenary meeting.
The Nigerian bishops have spoken frequently to criticize Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, whom they have admonished for failing to respect the religious freedom of Christians, and for being slow to address attacks on farmers by nomadic Fulani herdsmen. They raised that issue again in their September communique.
"We observe with deep sadness how unarmed Nigerians are brutally slaughtered, owing to religious and political differences, boundary disputes, and other such reasons. We equally observe that Government is often slow in responding to these violent occurrences and often allows many of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to go unpunished, thus creating a culture of impunity. We totally condemn these killings and call on Government to defend the life and property of every Nigerian citizen."