South East
Archbishop Berates Buhari’s Administration
The Archbishop of
Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerian masses.
The Anglican Cleric, who stated this while delivering his address at the sixteenth Synod of Enugu Diocese held at the Church of Resurrection Power, New Haven, Enugu, equally said that Buhari was running a “corrupt administration.”
While condemning the President’s leadership style, he said it was sad that Buhari, who brags about anti- corruption, had taken delight in plunging the people he was elected to serve into hardship and suffering through his policies and programmes.
According to him, “It is corruption on your part if you increased prices of almost everything without palliatives to the people.
“There is hunger in the land, the people are complaining and crying and the one elected to serve us is enjoying his life at Aso Rock.
“That means he is corrupt, he did not increase salary, he did not promote workers.
“The other day, he addressed workers at Aso Rock, he did not talk about their welfare but only asked them to shun corruption. How can somebody who is hungry shun corruption? I think there is a limit to what people can take.
“I advise him to be careful so as to avoid people taking laws into their hands”,.
He maintained that the federal government should reduce interest in the fight against corruption and introduce policies and programmes that would impact on the well-being of the people.
Commenting on the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta region, terrorism and civil unrests, Chukwuma warned that the situation was bound to increase with the alleged government’s silence on the plight of Nigerians.
“Today, there is no electricity anywhere, shops and businesses are closing by the day due to high prices of goods and services. Petrol is not affordable, likewise kerosene and cooking gas.
“It will appear that there is no leadership. All the promises made by the APC upon which the people voted them in have fallen apart. We cannot continue like this. We need to give the people some measure of hope and show them that government is concerned by the situation of things”.
Calling for restraint in the bombing of oil facilities by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), he stated that time had come for justice to prevail by paying adequate attention to the plight of the people of the area.
“Only a leadership that is totally committed to justice and a properly structured Nigeria can solve the identity, resource ownership and other crisis of development in Nigeria.
“While the provision of the infrastructure and sustainable development is important, there can be no enduring peace in the area or any part of Nigeria, for that matter, if injustice to the people of the Niger Delta is not comprehensively addressed. Specifically, a truthful commitment to the principle and practice of federalism is what can bring peace and prosperity to Nigeria.
“It is high time government took a total look at the plight of the people, feel their pains and redress the situation of the long-suffering majority who has not been the real beneficiaries of the token tagged Amnesty programme.
“While the programme has made some militant rich, it has not addressed the huge infrastructure challenges and poverty in the area”.
Continuing, Chukwuma said that the renewed militancy and terrorism had further crippled the economy, stressing that immediate, medium and long term solutions should be found to the problems.
The police in Ebonyi State say they have discovered the body of a yet to be identified middle-aged woman in a hotel room in Abakaliki, the state capital. The spokesperson of the police in the state, Loveth Odah, stated this yesterday.
She said the body has deep cuts on the chest and neck and has been deposited in a mortuary. According to the spokesman, it was discovered at Crown Garden Hotel located along the ever-busy Afikpo road in the capital city.
Mrs Odah, who said that the victim was found in the pool of her own blood, said the suspect had been identified as one Uchenna Awoke.
She said the hotel manager, Emmanuel Eze, the supervisor, and other workers had been taken to the police station for questioning and accused the hotel management of negligence.
“The manager of the hotel, the supervisor and other staff of the hotel were taken to the station for questioning and I must confess to you that the whole thing is negligence on the part of the hotel management. How can a guest be murdered in a hotel room and days after, the management is not aware of the incident.”
“We will investigate the matter properly and I assure you, the perpetrator of the act must be arrested and prosecuted. All we are asking is for the members of the public to avail the police of useful information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect.”
The Senate yesterday passed the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill 2018.
The proposed commission aims at enhancing the infrastructural development of the South East zone, which is grappling with huge ecological challenges.
It also seeks to act as a catalyst for the development of the commercial potential of the zone.
The proposed legislation requires the concurrence of the House of Representatives to become a bill of the National Assembly, and the President’s assent to become a law.
Senators Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra) and Samuel Anyanwu (PDP-Imo) jointly sponsored the bill read in the Senate on June 22, 2016.
Its passage in the Red Chamber followed the presentation of the report of the Committee on Establishment and Public Service by its former Chairman, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP-Bayelsa), on the floor of the Senate.
The bill, after Paulker’s presentation, was considered clause by clause by the committee of the whole, and amendments made by the lawmakers were read for the third time and eventually passed.
In his remarks, presiding Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, commended his colleagues for a job well done.
In his words, “Every morning we pray that God should give us the grace to do only those things that will promote the peace and unity of this country.
“I believe that we have shown today that we are committed to the unity of this country, and it is this unity that will give us faith in this country.
“This faith will in turn help us to pursue peace and progress,” he said.
Briefing newsmen after plenary, members the South East caucus of the Senate, led by Sen. Enhinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia), thanked their colleagues and members of the committee for their efforts.
Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of the caucus, urged the President to sign the bill into law “as soon as we tidy it up and bring to him, in the interest of the unity and progress of Nigeria”.
“This will put to rest the long-drawn agitation in the South East, and the difficulties in the rehabilitation and reconciliation efforts that started at the end of the civil war.
“All things we see always will end up at the negotiating table, which is what we have done,” he said.
The lawmaker said he hoped the House of Representatives would give concurrence to the bill as it went in the Senate.
When established, the South East Development Commission would be the third zonal interventionist body in the country.
Bishop David Oyedepo, the Founder and Presideng Bishop, Living Faith Church Worldwide, on Saturday predicted that nothing would disturb the peace of Nigeria and its story would change for the better in the year 2019.
Oyedepo made the declaration at the just concluded annual prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family, christened the “Dominion”, in a satellite telecast of the church.
In the telecast monitored in Abuja, the cleric also declared that 2019 would be a year of “I have Dominion”.
“Nothing will tamper with the peace of Nigeria; the story will change for the better in the name of Jesus.
“Nigeria shall not see bloodshed, the Prince of Peace will continue to dominate in Nigeria, in Africa and Nigeria is declared blessed.
“Anywhere you step, accident is forbidden; death will not come near you and our nation.
“Anything that is of grace in my life, I freely release upon you today.
“God has opened the year 2019 to us, celebrate Him because its our year of “I have Dominion,” he said.
The Bishop added that the year 2019 would be a year of humbling testimonies for Nigeria and pace-setting testimonies.
He further declared that 2019 would be a colourful year for the nation.
According to the cleric, as long as Jesus has the final say on the issues of Nigeria, it will experience greatness.
Oyedepo said that there would be no more cause of alarm in any area of the nation and its citizens.
He advised Christians in Nigeria to delight themselves in the spirit of servant-hood, adding that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood.
“The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood. As you keep rising on the ladder of leadership, you must retain our spirit of servant-hood, constantly working to add value to others and be kingdom minded,” he said.
According to him, dedication is at the root of dominion, saying: “Sow yourself as a seed by being totally dedicated to God and His Kingdom’’.
He told his congregation that sacrificial giving guarantees the meeting of all their needs.
“When you engage in taking care of the well-being of others, God is also committed to your well-being,” he explained. The cleric admonished Christians would engage in meeting the needs of the needy, every barrier on their path of destiny would be crushed.
“Nobody tampers with your life, your career, your family and goes away with it because you are promoted to God’s kingdom.
“God will stand for your defence in the day of trouble. Every sacrificial giver has a defence around him in the day of trouble always have that in mind,” he said.
He reminded his congregation that the Church is not a building; the Church is a people and the Redeemed of the Lord.
