Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - “Once again, lives and properties have been destroyed, causing great avoidable damage and misery to many families and communities. Of particularly grave concern is the targeting of places of worship.” With these words, Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, condemned the violence that has taken place in Jos, the capital of the State of Plateau, in northern Nigeria, in a message sent to Agenzia Fides. The fighting, in the wake of local elections, has led to over 200 dead and 10,000 refugees.
Archbishop Onaiyekan, who is currently in Rome (Italy), refers to the fighting as a result of religious hate and encourages the political authorities to take up their responsibilities: “we wish to stress, as we have done often in the past, that it is the primary responsibility of government to ensure the security of lives and properties of citizens, especially through vigilance, firm and impartial enforcement of law and order, justice and general good governance.” Otherwise, the Archbishop says, “law abiding Nigerians could be tempted to take alternative measures for self defence if they ever feel that they can no longer trust the state to protect them. This must never be allowed to happen.” Thus, Archbishop Onaiyekan asks the state and federal authorities to “intensify efforts to re-establish peace and tranquillity in the state” and perform an investigation to find out “the real and often faceless planners, promoters and sponsors of these incidents, and hold them accountable, no matter who they may be.”
“There is a clearly political dimension to this incident,” the Archbishop's message continues. “Unfortunately, there are those who try to gain political mileage by dragging in religion, which they callously manipulate, use, misuse and abuse. This is all the more reason why all genuine religious leaders must join hands to liberate religion from those who seek to highjack it, and give it a bad name. Even from here in Rome, I am in touch with the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhamad Sa’ad Abubakar, the President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, as we seek to jointly promote messages of peace. In our country, there is no viable alternative to efforts to continue working together to encourage mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and positive collaboration.”
The Archbishop of Abuja assures that the “government can count on the prayers of all Nigerian Christians, and many other men and women of good will. In the name of the Christian Association of Nigeria, I offer my sincere sympathies to all who have lost people and properties in this unfortunate incident. We pray especially for the souls of those who have died.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 1/12/2008)
