The chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Adamawa State chapter, Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza has observed that Nigeria has never been divided like it is under the current leadership of president Muhammadu Buhari.
The CAN chairman noted that the insensitivity of the Buhari led government to maintain religious and ethnic balance in its appointments is worsening matters and further widening the gulp of suspicion between the diverse peoples of Nigeria.
The CAN chairman who was speaking on Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary, scored Buhari’s administration low in the area of security, noting that life under the administration has no sanctity as people are being killed on daily basis while the government remained largely passive and unconcerned.
He noted that lack of fairness and injustice being meted to a large section of the populace is further worsening the country’s plight as many have lost hope of being fairly and justly treated by the government.
“Some of the challenges have to do with the issue of justice and fairness. Even the issue of security has to do with lack of justice and fairness. If you have all the security chiefs mostly from one region and most of them are northerners then how will you be able to bring everybody on board? and how can you put sense of belonging?
“Even the recent senior customs appointment that he made is skewed as all the seven or eight senior customs officers he appointed are Muslims from the north. This country is not for one tribe or one religion.
” The president’s inactiveness could be responsible for what is happening in Nigeria and that is why there is no class solution to the security challenges that we are facing,” he said.
Mamza added that the failure of the president to pander to the calls of majority of Nigerians to change the security chiefs is a major shortcoming of his leadership, noting that in democracy, the leaders must hanker to the whims and caprices of the people.
He added that apart from the civil war and pockets of other conflagrations like the Maitatsine riots that affect parts of the north, Nigeria never had it so bad security wise, noting that with the security drift, nowhere is safe in the country as Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers and bandits lay siege on the country.
Mamza noted that the worrisome part is that as the country continues to go adrift, nobody seems to be in charge adding that if a governor’s convoy can be attacked in rapid successions then what will be the plight of the ordinary man?
” I don’t think Nigeria has actually improved in terms of security. I think things are getting worst almost every year. In the past, especially in the 70s, 80s and in the early 90s, we didn’t know anything like Boko Haram, banditry and kidnapping.
“Apart from the civil war and the Maitatsine riots we had in some states in the north, I don’t think we had very serious challenge as we are having now.
” Now there is nowhere that is safe and there is no guarantee for safety for everybody. If at this time the convoy of a governor can be attacked several times you can now imagine the situation we are in. So in terms of security, things are getting worst in Nigeria. I think everybody knows this and it is a fact and a reality we are facing at the moment.
” I don’t think anybody can boast of having definite solution to the security challenges, but there are things that can be done to improve on the situation especially from the executive and the legislative and the security chiefs themselves.
“In the first place, I think the way the security chiefs are handled particularly by the Buhari administration can’t lead to success.
” I think there is no way we can succeed the way he is going about the issue of the security chiefs. From every angle, people have complaint that the chiefs should be changed but the president remained adamant.
“He is not ready to do that for God knows why and I personally feel that in as much as these changes don’t take place, probably, the solution that we are hoping we are looking for may not come because things are getting worst everyday why should he retain them? Why can’t he fire them and bring new hands that will look at the challenges differently?” Mamza queried.
The cleric however urged Nigerians not to allow the current challenges to overwhelm them urging them to discard primordial sentiments and embrace unity of purpose so as to defeat the numerous challenges bedevilling the polity.
” We are grateful to God Nigeria is still a one entity despite the challenges. We have to thank God we are under the civilian administration and not military.
” So for all the good things that we had over the past sixty years we have to be really grateful to God. There is no nation that doesn’t have challenges, there is no nation that doesn’t have good things happening so while we continue to rejoice the good things that are happening in our country, we also have to try our best to make sure that some of the things that are not going well are taken care of.
” We should not lose hope, let us pray and keep faith. Let us join hands to fight corruption, insecurity and all the challenges. I have faith in Nigeria some day we will be proud as Nigerians. Let us do all we can to move the country forward. Let us look at what we can do to develop the country. Let us put Nigeria first before regional and other considerations,” he pleaded.
