The Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt Revd Prof Samuel Ike, has said that the body language and actions of government officials were fueling disunity among Nigerians.
He stated that the level of injustice being promoted in the country was dividing the people along religious and ethnic lines, explaining that comatose healthcare, poor economy and increasing insecurity had worsened the situation of the nation and heightened disunity.
Delivering his 2025 Christmas message in Enugu, Bishop Ike further lamented that the country’s situation had thrown up “spiritually poor and physically hungry people”, adding that, “Nigerians who have managed to escape death from hunger have remained captives in the den of kidnappers and their families are not only broken but are fast losing hope in their fatherland”.
The Cleric, who stated that Christian genocide was “real in Nigeria”, alleged that Islamic Jihadists and their enablers have become tools in the hands of the devil and are working “hard to eliminate the Christian population in the land”.
Calling on President Bola Tinubu to make every effort to unite the country in the spirit of Christmas, he encouraged Nigerians to cease from the argument regarding the existence of genocide, saying that no definitive treatment can commence “when we live in denial of the real diagnosis”.
Bishop Ike said that the recent sentencing of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has further divided the nation, saying that many have continued to live with the opinion that justice was not done or was seen to have been done.
“The discussion has moved from whether or not he was guilty to many believing that it is a political and tribal sentencing. Questions like, how did a man narrowly escape the hangman’s noose, receiving a life sentence instead, for the things he said, while many more murderers, wielding their weapons and posting their evil actions on social media, are being negotiated while sitting and taking pictures with top government officials?”, he said
He advised President Tinubu to pursue a political settlement over the Kanu matter, saying it would reduce agitation in the southeast region.
In response to the worsening security situation in the southeast, he urged the region’s governors to emulate their southwest counterparts and establish a regional security network, to be funded and equipped by them. He said the idea would support the federal government’s security.
Turning to Enugu State, he praised Governor Peter Mbah for the paradigm shift in redefining the dividends of democracy through multi-dimensional development strides across various sectors of the economy.
He, however, urged the governor to put smiles on the faces, and on the economy and livelihoods of Enugu residents by lifting the burden and revisiting multiple taxation prevailing in the state positively.
Bishop Ike urged Nigerians to allow the Prince of Peace to reign, saying that Christmas brings unquantifiable tidings of great joy to all mankind, which should be replicated in every home.
