PRESS STATEMENT BY FR. EVARISTUS BASSEY DIRECTOR OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY CATHOLIC SECRETARIAT OF NIGERIA, ABUJA AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF CARITAS NIGERIA/JDPC
Press Releases January 2, 2015 admin
PRESS STATEMENT BY FR. EVARISTUS BASSEY DIRECTOR OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY CATHOLIC SECRETARIAT OF NIGERIA, ABUJA AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF CARITAS NIGERIA/JDPC ABUJA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE CELEBRATION 1ST JANUARY 2015
The World Day of Peace is uniquely Catholic celebration that takes place the first day of the new year, as different from the International Day of Peace on September 21, as declared by the UN. Although the universal theme is “No Longer Slaves, But Brothers and Sisters”; just for the March, we chose an ancillary theme of ‘Blessed Are the Peace Makers’, based on the reality in our nation with regards to 2015. This procession is also taking place in Lagos, Owerri, and Kaduna.
At last we have crossed into 2015, the year that could be named as the Year of Apprehension, going by the varied predictions and projections about Nigeria. The security challenges, the coming elections and now, the dwindling economy make 2015 a contentious year.
Yet we can overcome these challenges as a nation, according to Pope Francis, if we ‘resist the temptation to act in a manner unworthy of our humanity.’ According to Pope Francis, “Tragically, the growing scourge of man’s exploitation by man gravely damages the life of communion and our calling to forge interpersonal relations marked by respect, justice and love.”(World Day of Peace 2015).
The greatest tragedy of exploitation that we experience in Nigeria today is the rape of the treasury by politicians and high class civil servants and the attendant breakdown of national unity as collateral damage; the selfishness of politicians, in their mad quest to amass the resources of this country through a desperate opportunism bestowed by power, like a bulldozer, brings down everything in its wake, even if it is the balkanization of a country we love to condemn yet still cherish as home. The primary motivation for political office in Nigeria remains primitive personal amassment of national resources and never service to the people. This must stop.
Politicians are hereby warned and advised to go about their exploits without disturbing the peace of the ordinary citizen. We the ordinary citizens will not sit back and watch our country destroyed by desperate power mongers. Nigerian citizens are encouraged to do the following:
1. They should publicly embarrass any politician who wants to use them as instruments of violence
2. Come February 2015, we should go out en mass and vote, otherwise it gives room for politicians to thump print ballot papers
3. We should wait outside the perimeter and witness the public counting of votes at our polling units and keep a record of the results
4. We should punish the two main opposing parties and vote for credible individuals in lesser known parties, especially at the presidential elections, as the two main opposing parties are ready to burn down this nation if neither of them wins the presidential election.
5. We should stop hate speech in social media and everywhere and work and pray for the peace of Nigeria.
Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we the citizens should determine the fate of politicians rather than allowing them to determine our fate. Let us pray and at least resolve as citizens that we shall not contribute in any way towards the realization of the negative predictions about our country Nigeria. This peaceful procession is an indication that we as citizens are ready to stand up for the peace and unity of our country.
Signed:
Fr. Evaristus Bassey
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