Endless killings, kidnapping drastically reduce Nigerian Population – Anglican Bishop  

By Phil Okose Onitsha

The killing sprees currently rocking virtually every part of Nigeria is now a source of worry to the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican communion especially as the Federal Government has not been able to fight these crimes to submission.

Lamenting that the spate of killings has drastically reduced Nigerian population as well as inflicted physical and emotional pains to many Nigerians, the Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Rev. Dr Owen Nwokolo, in his Presidential Address he delivered at the First Session of the 32nd Synod of the diocese holding at All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha,  Anambra State, called on the Federal Government to do anything humanly possible to nib the ugly situation in the bud.

The Bishop whose address was intermittently punctuated with flurries of emotion recounted how various terror groups operating as unknown gunmen, bandits, suspected Fulani herders and Boko Haram sects had constantly laid sieges on communities and individuals in the country.

He appealed to the Federal Government to rise to the occasion by altering the present gruesome narratives in the country, reminding her that It was her constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of her citizens, saying that it was a duty from which she could not shirk.

Advising the Federal Government on how to contain the raging assults, Bishop Nwokolo encouraged the government to tactfully beef up the nation’s military strength by voting adequate budget and to diligently appropriate same for quality military personnel and modern fighting hardware, saying, “Nigerians can no longer tolerate the on-going senseless killings here and there”.

On the Federal Government/ASUU face- off, while the Bishop condemned what he described as frequent industrial actions by the nation’s universities, he earnestly requested the Federal Government to have an objective appraisal of the demands of the lecturers and do the needful.

Equally on the part of ASUU, Bishop Nwokolo entreated it to look at its demands the second time, explaining that In negotiations of such nature and magnitude, disagreeing parties are expected to shift grounds for a possible positive resolution.

“They should do this, at least, for the education and future of our children”, he added.

The bishop had also in the 142 – page document congratulated the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo on his election as the Governor of the state and thanked God for what he described as the peaceful election that enthroned him governor.

However Bishop Nwokolo counselled him not to be oblivious of the numerous challenges ahead, telling him that as there were virtually no good roads in the state, he should be generous enough to budget adequate funds to fix them.

Concerning refuse management in the state, the bishop said, “As we commend him for swiftly clearing mounting refuse heaps in the state that greeted him on arrival, we earnestly advise him to workout strategies on how to maintain cleanliness in the state”.

Highpoints of the event included fund raising and renditions by the Cathedral Choir.

Over 15 bishops and archbishops from various parts of Nigeria were in attendance.