Esama @ 80: Why insurgency, mayhem are on the rise nationwide, by Kukah BENIN CITY—BISHOP Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, who spoke at the 80th birthday celebration of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, yesterday, said that the increasing number of private jets vis-a-vis the prevailing poverty in the country may have contributed to the emergence of insurgency and bloodbath in the nation. Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State led other dignitaries to the occasion, including the chairman Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr Pius Odubu, National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu, former governors of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and Prof. Osarhiemen Osunbor, Dr Sam Egwu, Chief Victor Attah, Senator Rowland Owie,Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, state Chairman of PDP, Dan Orbih, Kema Chikwe, Prince Abubakar Audu, Mr Ken Imasuagbon and other members of the state executive council. Calling for unity among Nigerians in the fight against insurgency, Bishop Kukah urged Muslims to emulate their Christian counterparts in the search for a united Nigeria. In his homily at the St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, at a thanksgiving service for Chief Igbinedion, Kukah urged Muslims to reciprocate the generosity Christians have demonstrated among other religious sects, adding that it was only a united Nigeria that can guarantee elections and elective positions. Kukah said: “Let us pray for our country, our President and those in whose hands the responsibility of governing our country has been entrusted. Let us pray for our military, this is not the time for us to share blames, we are in a boat which is threatening to sink; we need to get to safety first before we start sharing blames because in the final analysis, we must have a country before we can conduct elections. We must have a country before we can have a president, we must have a country before we can have governors, we must have a country before we can call ourselves citizens and the future of our country is at stake. “Whatever gift God has given to us is meant for service of others. There is no sense in which the failure of our nation can go unnoticed. Today, were it not for individuals like the celebrant along the likes of the chairman of Arik, Dana, Aero and other private airline operators, where will our nation be today? “Years of crippling misrule have seen crippling inequality in our nation and these are sins against the generosity of God, who loves our nation so much that he has entrusted us with so much. “Hunger and poverty are not things for us to celebrate. There is nothing wrong with private jets but there is something intrinsically and existentially wrong with Nigerians largely because they do bizarre display and the dubious flaunting that has diminished our country. All of this is going on, Boko Haram is now an army of occupation which has taken over some our Catholic churches, sack some of our parishes, many of our churches, driven our people from their homes and many are now holding our children in bondage.” “Now can we continue to celebrate amidst all these? Every man who hugs his daughter today, every man who attends a wedding ceremony, every man who gives our his daughter in marriage everyman who goes to the graduation of his daughter must pause and think about our Chibok girls who are still in captivity.”
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 12:13:15 +0000
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