Catholic Archbishop Asks Buhari To Dialogue With IPOB, Militants -independentnig

By Chinyere Abiaziem

Lagos – His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Martins, Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Lagos has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to dialogue with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Niger Delta militants and other aggrieved parties for peace to reign in the nation. The Archbishop who also told Nigerians to stop trading blames and desist from dwelling in the errors of the past, made the plea at a briefing in commemoration of his 57th birthday at the church hall of Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos Island. “The unity of this nation at this point in time cannot be compromised.

We stand to gain more in unity than apart. Granted that much havoc have been committed by the activities of the Niger Delta militants and the divisive tendencies of the Indigenous People of Biafra, I still believe strongly that the President must bury the hatchet and call for dialogue with the aggrieved parties. “He must prove to all that he is the father of all by listening to all the grievances and attempt to address them one after the other. This is the time to unite the nation; it is not the time to dwell on blame game, but to think more of how to move this nation forward.

For the ‘wailers and hailers’, latest slangs used in the social media to describe the opponents and supporters of the present administration. “The task ahead is not about PDP or APC. It transcends party line. It’s about the soul of our great country Nigeria. The more we dwell on the errors of the past, the more we stumble and fall. I believe the present administration has focused too much on past mistakes hence we are now in a quagmire. Let us look beyond those things that divide us and dwell more on those that unites us,” Archbishop Martins stated. On economy diversification, creating conducive atmosphere for manufacturing plants to thrive and to reduce unemployment, he advised the administration to look inward and use the recovered loots to grow the local industries.
While calling that prayers be intensified for the leaders to be empowered in making the right policy decisions, he advised that the President should surround himself with good advisers, knowledgeable persons and make amends in dropping unproductive ministers and other lieutenants in his cabinet. His words: “My dear brothers and sisters, we need to intensify prayer to God to heal our land. More than ever before, we need to pray for those in authority, especially Mr. President; that God would strengthen him and empower him to make the right policy decisions that would move this nation forward.

The bible says that the King’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. “No matter the good intention of Mr. President, except he is surrounded by good advisers, and those with the right knowledge to execute his plans, he will always make the wrong decisions. And so, while we pray for God to guide him, we should also pray for the right lieutenants to execute the much needed change agenda. It is never too late to make amends and drop unproductive ministers and other lieutenants in his cabinet.”

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