From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Callistus Onaga, has alleged that security was being politicised in some parts of the country.
He called on Nigeria politicians and leaders at various levels to begin to make things easier for the people including bringing permanent solutions to insecurity.
Onaga also appealed to Nigerians to stop adding suffering to fellow Nigerians with the outrageous price hikes on food and household items.
In his 2024 Christmas press briefing in Enugu, Onaga lamented that prices of food stuff and other items were skyrocketing because of the manner Nigerians were fixing prices. He lamented that most Nigerians were suffering to the extent that a tuber of yam sold for far less than N1,000 now goes for over N5,000.
“And what worsens it is that the same system that is making things difficult for fellow Nigerians made it even difficult for them to go to their farms – insecurity. Let us note that very clearly it becomes obvious for us Nigerians that the issue of insecurity is not only being politicised but even ethnicised. We are doing a little bit of ethnic cleansing in some areas and then we are blaming the foreigners. No, we are the one doing it.
“Here in the South East, we started killing ourselves saying that we are killing those who are supposed to be killing us. We are destroying ourselves. We have done it for the past three years since 2021. We become cowards of our own actions here in the South East.
“Let’s go over to the NorthEast and all other parts of the North, go down to Benue, you saw politics, you saw ethnic cleansing. Why will we sit down and plan our own destruction and few people will be profiting from that?
“That is what the Israelite were suffering. Southern Judah was against Northern Judea. They were against one another and they were destroying themselves. Then foreigners will come – Assyrians and Babylonians – came in. So, the people were in trouble. I thank whatever government that thinks it is thinking right for us but let them think correctly. If you are trying to improve the economic situation of the country you don’t do everything at the same time.
“We have kept quiet for some time now. You cannot be making it difficult for people to get money because you said you are doing the so-called cashless restructure that is not there and you gave the same money they are getting to go and buy again. What kind of economy are we copying? Where has it ever been done in the world?”
He expressed hope that things would get better during this Christmas.
Continuing, he said: “Can our politicians think otherwise and begin to make things easier? Will our politicians begin to really believe that we have some measure of intelligence? My dear fellow Nigerians, let us not add to the sufferings that are coming onto us by making things more difficult. At this Christmas, try to help everybody celebrate by bringing down your prices, bring down whatever you are doing. Yes, even in the church you should do something to bring down whatever levies so that people can really feel the impact of the celebration of love and celebration of joy at Christmas.”