DETAILS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION), DIOCESE OF UMUAHIA DELIVERED BY THE RT. REVD GEOFFREY IBEABUCHI, BISHOP OF UMUAHIA ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022 AT ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDERAL, UMUAHIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 13TH DIOCESAN CHRISTIAN MEN FELLOWSHIP CONFERENCE WITH THE THEME: “GOD KNOWS YOU (JEREMIAH 1:5)
ABIA STATE AT 31:
We are grateful to God for His grace upon our state, Abia. The state anniversary service was held in our Cathedral on the 28” of August, 2022 with the leadership of the state including the Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu and other top Government functionaries of the state present.
It was a glorious service in which God was appreciated for the existence of the state. Prayers were made for government and the future of the state.
However, as Men in Conference, we still call on our state Government to attend to the payment of pensions to our senior citizens. Allowing them to perish out of hunger will not be in the best interest of our people.
In as much as we appreciate God for the efforts of the government, we believe that they can do more. We are not satisfied with the level of development in our state at 31.
2023 GENERAL ELECTION:
In the past years and conferences, we have encouraged our men and members to join politics; To vote and be voted for. The election is now around the corner. We wish to sincerely congratulate all our members that are in the race for various offices as candidates. We pray that our God grants them victory at the polls in the name of Jesus Christ.
THIS CONFERENCE NOTES THE FOLLOWING:
We strongly condemn the same faith ticket of our ruling party (APC). We strongly condemn all forms of electoral violence during campaigns, voting, etc.
We strongly condemn all forms of Political thuggery.
We strongly condemn all forms of killing and bloodshed in the name of politics.
We strongly condemn all form of vote buying and selling.
We strongly request all registered voters to come all out to vote.
We strongly demand that the law enforcement agencies remain non-partisan and professional in the discharge of their responsibilities.
ON THE OTHER HAND WE COMMEND THE FOLLOWING:
The signing of the electoral bill into law
The use of electronic transmission of results and the use of the BVAS machines provided they are not manipulated
The signing of the peace-accord and ask the parties involved to keep to the terms of the agreement.
INSECURITY:
It is no longer a rumour that our once beloved country Nigeria has become terribly unsafe. Some years ago, some of us enjoyed traveling to different parts of Nigeria with night buses and it was very safe. Who have bewitched us? It has become unsafe traveling in the day time and a death trap to travel in the night. Our major highways have become the kingdom of criminal elements ranging from bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers as well as terrorists.
The entire nation is under siege while our government seems helpless. It is very sad to note that this is no longer the Nigeria we used to be proud of as our nation. Students and school children are adopted at ease.
People are kidnapped in their houses. Even our military bases, check points and formations are unsafe. Top military men, our gallant soldiers are kidnapped and killed within military cantonments without anybody being arrested. To my mind, something has gone wrong even within the barracks. In some areas, Farmers now pay taxes in cash or kind before they can access their farmlands in order to plant or to harvest their crops.
Our Government is experts in sending the military to other regions of the country where there is relative peace and not to the Northern region that has become a shadow of itself.
We appreciate Mr. President for commanding the Nigerian Armed Forces to go after terrorists and wipe them out. We are glad that the activities of terrorists and bandits have drastically reduced since the month of September, 2022.
We pray that the tempo be maintained. It is true also that it was predicted at some quarters that insecurity and bandits attacks will be reduced as soon as political campaigns starts in order to score cheap political goals.
As at today, there are security alerts from the United States Embassy, the British High Command and Canadian High Command to their citizens respectively to avoid certain areas of Nigeria which have become prone to terrorist attacks.
They included Abuja and Lagos. What a country? Even with these alerts, be sure that our security agents will not do anything until attacks are carried out.
COLLAPSE OF THE NATIONAL GRID AND HIGH ELECTRICITY BILLS:
Recently, the National Grid collapsed for the 8″ time leading to a national energy crisis. This time as always, it has been attributed to the activities of vandals. The sad part of the story is that electricity tariff keeps increasing without adequate services,
That means more payments are made for the product but no electricity is given despite the billions of dollars invested in the sector.
WAR AGAINST DRUG ADDICTION/ABUSE:
We are in trouble as a nation. Unless we urgently take actions, we may likely lose our teaming youths to this virus. Our Nation, Nigeria is fast becoming a major drug hub in the globe. It is now a known fact that drug abuse/addiction is a major public health, social and individual problem and is termed the aggravating factor for economic crises.
It is a major contributing factor to Nigeria’s poverty situation. There is also a connecting ink between Criminal activities, prostitution, terrorism, banditry and drugs. The efforts of the NDLEA in this fight is appreciated and commended. The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) launched the War against Drug abuse and addiction during the September Standing Committee meeting at Lagos. We must join hands with our National Church and the NDLEA to fight this scourge to a standstill.
CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA:
It is obvious that the present Constitution of Nigeria is not working with so many loopholes. The effort being made by the National Assembly to amend our current constitution is highly commendable. However, this Conference totally agrees with our Primate when he said, “we need a totally new civilian constitution made by a sovereign representation of the ethnic nationalities of this country. This will address the fundamental issues necessary for growing a united and prosperous nation. We need a New Citizens-made National Constitution and not the amendment of a military-formulated Constitution.”
ASUU STRIKE:
We are grateful to God that finally the long strike has been called off or suspended. Our children can now go back to school. We must express our sadness over the poor attention given to our Institutions here in Nigeria while the politicians and the wealthy train theirs abroad. | wish to move a motion in this conference that the children of our political leaders MUST study in Nigeria. This is the only way to improve our facilities and also take good care of the staff of our institutions of learning.
FLOOD MENACE:
It is no longer rumour that 31 out of the 36 states in our country have been ravaged terribly by flood. This has been attributed {o the release of water from a Dam in the Republic of Cameroon along the banks of River Benue. It has been reported that the Nigerian Government failed to build her own dam within the same period. Truly, a similar incident took place in the year 2012 but the one of this year is terribly devastating. A lot of people have been rendered homeless, foodless, waterless and extremely hopeless.
The various state Governments including the Federal Government seems to have been overwhelmed by this devastating flood. We call on all to come to the aid of those in the various IDP Camps and also request that something drastic measures be done to avert future occurrences.
RAILWAY MATTERS:
In recent times, it has been observed that the rail line around the state is being dismantled and carried away. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be explaining anything to anybody. Can somebody help! What is happening? | am sure that the Federal Government promised sometime last year to build a narrow rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, linking up Ajaokuta, Bonny Sea port, etc. Are they now dismantling the rail line in order to commence the work or are they trying to totally disconnect the south Eastern corridor of the rail line? We are watching!
OIL THEFT:
When Nigeria is busy moving from one level of inflation, recession, economic hardship, unemployment, to the other, some people have been busy feeding fat from our commonwealth in the name of oil theft and bunkering. The quantity of oil being stolen from day to day in the view of all the security agencies in the creeks of Niger Delta has remained alarming. This goes ahead to confirm our fears that our security forces have been badly compromised. With so many information and insight from whistle-blowers and litigations, let us wait and see how the investigations will navigate.
MAZI NNAMDI KANU’S VICTORY AT THE APPEAL COURT:
We join all the good people of the South East, Nigeria to rejoice over the victory of our son and brother Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the Appeal Court. As a Conference, we join all well-meaning Nigerians to request the Federal Government to seek a political solution to the problem of the South East and leave Mazi Nnamdi Kanu alone. We cannot be excluded from the affairs of the nation and at the same time forced to keep silent. We want to advise the Federal Government to kindly withdraw the appeal already filed at the Supreme Court by the Attorney General of the Federation, Malam Malami in the best interest of this Nation.
