The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has told
President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians are groaning under the worsening
hardship under his leadership in addition to Fulani herdsmen rampage has remain
on unchecked, reports ITRealms.
Speaking through the President, Catholic Bishop’s Conference
of Nigeria, and Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, said, the
harsh economic situation in which Nigerians are living presently is being felt
everywhere.
“In many States, workers are worrying about their monthly
salaries, many pensioners are crying for many months for unpaid pensions, while
so many self-employed and non-employed persons and family dependents are
groaning for their daily meal,” he said.
However, commending Buhari for the bail-out funds to cushion this
hardship in various states, CBCN urged him to ensure that these monies are used
mainly to take care of salaries, pensions and their basic human needs.
They also decried the clashes between farmers and herdsmen
in all zones of the country
CBCN cited for instance the Agatu killings, the Nimbo
killings and many other killings in Benue, Taraba, Nassarawa, Ondo, Edo, Delta
and elsewhere which should be seriously investigated, with the perpetrators
unmasked and decisively dealt with.
“Our people cannot continue to live in perpetual fear of
attacks by fellow Nigerians with criminal intent. Happily, we understand that
you have ordered some investigations into the Agatu and Nimbo killings. For a
more permanent peace between herdsmen and farmers in our country, some
streamlining is necessary for the good of the cattle rearers in the North and
for the welfare of farmers in the South and elsewhere in Nigeria,” they said.
Cattle ranches, the bishops said, should be created in
states known for cattle breeding, with adequate water and fodder provided and
nurtured, while farmlands for root crops and other plants should be protected
for their specific products in states known for such.
This, they said, will reduce or eliminate clashes stemming
from trespassing.
“We certainly need these two sectors to supplement our
near-total dependence on oil. But the fact that armed attacks and wanton
killings have become a national threat, it should be declared an insurgency and
treated as such, with the aim of dislodging the insurgents from occupied
communities by the security/military operatives,” CBCN said.
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