The council said it was the option if the present structure of the
nation had proved too difficult for agencies to handle.
The Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN) has called for the
restructuring of Nigeria to deal with insecurity in the country.
The council said it was the option if the present structure of the
nation had proved too difficult for agencies to handle.
The National President of CLCN, Thomas Adekoya, while addressing the
council at its 142 National Executive meeting in Kaduna, said
insecurity had bastardized the image of Nigeria before local and
international communities.
Adekoya called on the government to “as a matter of urgency, initiate
moves for the restructuring of the country and saddle the federating
units, which we suggest should be the six geopolitical zones, to
secure themselves".
The Laity President said, “It is saddening that our country, Nigeria,
has continued to be in the eyes of local and international communities
for the wrong reasons. For the past three months, or since we gave the
last state of the nation address, no single day has passed without
news of one gruesome killing or the other; one case of kidnapping or
the other, raping of minors by matured men, including those who
descend as low as raping their own innocent daughters.
“From the foregoing it is clear that insecurity has continued to
dominate our national discourse. However, our greatest worry is why
the Catholic Church should be at the receiving end of some of the most
bizarre of these killings.
“If we hold dear that the protection of lives and property; and the
welfare of citizens is the greatest responsibility of any government
towards its citizens then our present-day government has fallen far
short of the expectation of Nigerians, no matter any other
achievements it may credit itself with. One dare asks at this point:
For how long shall Nigerians continue in this Hobbesian state of
nature?” Adekoya noted.
The Catholic Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Most Reverend Mathew
Man’oso Ndagoso, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to do more
in the area of providing security for the citizenry.
Bishop Ndagoso who fielded questions from journalists shortly before
the commencement of the meeting advised that since the general
election was over, President Buhari must ensure proper national
integration of the country.
The clergyman noted that Nigerians had been so divided following the
election of President Buhari during the last election.
He said, “Anybody who cares for this country must be concerned about
what is happening today regarding the insecurity.
“What is happening in the North-East which has crept into the
North-West, South-East and South-West is becoming alarming,” he noted.