Urges Nigerians not to sit on the fence
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Archbishop Daniel Okoh has urged Nigerians, particularly Christians not to sit on the fence come 2023 general elections as has been the case in past election circles.
Speaking at the Opening of the second plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre, Oriu, Imo State, Okoh described the 2023 general elections as one valid opportunity that Nigerians have to turn around the fortunes of the country for good, hence the need for active participation of all eligible Nigerians to ensure that credible people are elected into political offices to run the affairs of the country .
Okoh appealed to the the participating Bishops and other senior Catholic church officials to continue to support the election monitoring team set up by CAN to do a good job in the 2023 general elections as they did in previous elections.
“I also request that you continue to use your highly-revered positions to remind your parishioners and indeed all Christians in Nigeria of the danger of not actively participating in partisan politics, as this is where all the decisions that affect our lives, choice of worship and economy are decided.”
Okoh, according to the statement signed by his media adviser, Luminous Jannamike also condoled with the Catholic Church faithful over the numerous kidnappings, the gruesome murder of many Catholic Priests and Reverend Sisters and senseless killings of worshippers in the sanctuary by terrorists and bandits in recent times.
According to the CAN President, “The unprecedented spate of insecurity in our nation today, calls for serious concern. We have come to a point in our national history where the value of human life has diminished abysmally. Hardly a day passes without reports of needless killings, decapitation or mutilation of human bodies. Thousands of civilians and even members of law enforcement agencies have been kidnapped, abused and murdered in cold blood. As I speak now, thousands of our fellow citizens have been held for several months and even years in one terrorist camp or another in the bush. Kidnapping for ransom has become a very lucrative criminal enterprise and it is an aberration”.
“As I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, children were not allowed to see dead bodies. But now even the sensibilities of the children are no longer protected. All kinds of crime and wickedness are available almost for free on social media. Nigeria now ranks high as one of the most terrorized nations of the world.
“This practice has progressively evolved over time and it has drastically reduced our national pride among the comity of nations. It is sad to note that those whose duty it is to guarantee the safety of our lives and properties appear to be helpless in the face of real threat and advancing forces of darkness eclipsing the land”, he added.
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