A word by Avwomakpa to Buhari

Nigeria is a blessed country and the citizenry are
equally well endowed in diverse ways.

Nevertheless, there are still sufferings in the land.
Indeed, the lamentations in our fatherland
especially since Boko Haram insurgents seized our
girls and the recent bombings in the creeks
targeted at oil wells and oil installations raise a lot
of questions and concern.

The country, with over 250 ethnic groups, has co-
existed since the 1914 amalgamation. The era of
the empires and kingdoms may have come and
gone but certainly, many of our ancient cultures,
traditions, beliefs, tribes and early civilisation have
their origins in our old empires and kingdoms.
No doubt, we have come far as a nation and we
have shocked the entire world by living together as
one indivisible nation no matter our tribes,
cultural differences and religious beliefs. The civil
war was the greatest test to our survival as a
nation but for us who fought the war, and like
General Yakubu Gowon would say “there was no
victor, no vanquish.”

Then came the June 12 annulled election in which
M.K.O. Abiola, the winner died in unexplainable
circumstance. Just when the nation was at peace
with itself, the Niger Delta Youths who have been
crying of marginalisation and neglect of the oil-rich
region took to militancy. The mangrove savannah
and the rest of the nation hardly knew peace then.
Worried by the militancy in the Niger Delta, the
Christian Associat-ion of Nigeria, CAN, held a
meeting in Port Harcourt and in attendance, as
providence would have it, was His Eminence, the
Sultan of Sokoto. It was at that meeting that it was
agreed that the Sultan would take a message to
late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Interestingly, the
late former president listened to good counsel and
that was how the amnesty programme was
initiated.

Somehow, getting the young adults who were in
the creeks to accept amnesty was a herculean task.
At a point, the late President asked his vice who is
from the Niger Delta region to go and talk to his
people. That was how, President Goodluck
Jonathan who was the Vice to President Yar’Adua
met with few leaders in the Niger Delta. The
leaders which include this writer agreed to go to
the creeks to meet with Tompolo after which he
(Tompolo) surrendered along with his boys and
they accepted amnesty. The rest is now History.
One had expected that the commu-nity elders and
religious leaders in the North will adopt the same
approach to reach out to the Boko Haram
insurgents but that was not the case.

Unfortunately, the Niger Delta militants have again
returned to militancy in the region. This time, the
bombings are so vociferous and the tune of the
militants is lined with venom.

As at the last count, the militant groups have
carried out 16 attacks on pipelines and oil
installations between February 10 and June 10,
2016, a period of four months.

As a preacher of the gospel and a prayer warrior
who has interceded for people as well as stood in
the gap for the nation in the last five decades that
I left the Nigerian Army for the Lord’s Vineyard, I
must confess that it is the prayer of men that has
kept this country as one otherwise, the doom
predicted by other countries concerning our unity
would have been achieved but God said “if my
people shall humble themselves and pray, I will
hear them.”

I am not in any way writing to talk about how some
religious people merely worship tradition rather
than worship God. We know that for any-body that
worships God, there must be an observed change
in the life of that individual. And there is no
situation that God cannot conquer. We must
therefore, not take God for granted. If not for
anything else, for the younger generations who did
not witness the civil war or June 12. The 2015
elections proved to the world that God is at work
in Nigeria.

We are getting to a time where money will fail us.
And no man should be-have as though he is
indispensable. Nigeria is fast becoming a battle
field but with prayers and a listening leader, the
battle can be won – Victory is sure. But we need
spiritual maturity, and those who are entrust-ed
with leadership must not hide from themselves,
after all they are serving the same master.

I have seen blame placed on the doorsteps of past
leaders and yet not much is done to address issues
such as Fulani herdsmen, destruction of farmlands
and killing of innocent people. Not much has been
done to address the back door introduction of
Sharia in some parts of the country when Nigeria is
indeed a secular state. The constitution of Nigeria
mentioned Islamic marriage but nothing is said of
Christian wedding. Our IDPs are filled with
innocent people, some of whom are the future
leaders of Nigeria.

Similarly, in the coastal region, life has become so
brutish that you wonder if this is our once beloved
fatherland. Even the rich are now crying. Of
course, I hear that the poor are leaving their
children in the market place after they have
collected foodstuffs on the pretense that they are
coming soon, just to have food to eat. The Church;
and I think the other religious groups, are worried
for Mr. President who was elected by the people
based on public goodwill and trust. Indeed, his
change mantra must not take Nigeria 10 steps
backward, rather Nigeria must be seen making
progress economically, socially and politically.

Thus in re-constructing the nation and
reintegrating the people, rather than turn one
ethnic group against the other or one region
against the other, which is the semblance of the
ongoing militancy in the Niger Delta and the Boko
Haram insurgency in the North East have been
turned into. In fact, if for anything else, President
Buhari needs to re-unite Nigerians by ensuring
that every Nigerian gets fair treatment. And we
must know that a country dies slowly and painfully
too when it evokes only indifference and
indignation amongst a section of the citizenry. This
is not the time to further alienate any region,
rather the national development ship should be
seen everywhere across Nigeria.

Anything other than this will make even those of
us who have been praying for the peace and good
of Nigeria to wonder if the President has a
listening ear.

*Archbishop Avwomakpa is the chairman, Niger
Delta Bishops’ Forum and president, Christ
Missionaries Crusaders.