Nigerian Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan has admonished the Federal Government to douse the tension inherent in the country for the restoration of peace and security.
As Sahara Reporters disclosed, Cardinal Onaiyekan made the appeal in Abuja on Monday at an Opening/Welcome Dinner of the second edition of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) 2019/2020 Fellowship Programme on “Interreligious Dialogue and Mediation Certificate Programme’’.
In address, the cleric stated, “We cannot but draw attention, with grave concern, to the ominous and dangerous clouds of destabilization hovering on the horizon of our nation. As a matter of fact, this had been gathering for quite some time, but it has reached a high pitch in recent weeks.
“It will appear that this is following on some announcement or mere rumours of certain controversial plans of the Federal Government that has been greeted with strong and loud oppositions from many sectors of the nation.
“This goes beyond frightful unconstructive statements on social media bothering on declaration of war. In the name of God and for the common good and future of our nation, this should not be allowed to continue to fester.
“The primary responsibility to defuse this tension and restore peace rests with the government, which must listen to the deeply felt complaints of all citizens,” he said.
The Cardinal called on lovers of peace to stand up and speak out for peace, harmony and justice in the nation. He therefore urged religious leaders to make efforts to eschew all forms of religious fanaticism which rejected others and created fertile ground for violent extremism to thrive.
Onaiyekan added that religion in their diversities should no longer be considered as a problem to be solved but as an asset to deploy for the good of humanity.
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