The Anglican Diocese On The Coast in Ondo State has described insecurity, which is manifesting in the killing of innocent citizens, as well as the alarming rate of kidnapping for ransom, and herders-farmers clashes, as the biggest problem threatening the corporate existence of the country, calling for stronger and sustained actions to end the menace.

The Diocese, at the first session of its 11th Synod held at The Cathedral Church of Ebenezer, Ilutitun, Okitipupa Local Council at the weekend, asserted that the insecurity is an indication of the failure of the government to provide public services that would meet the basic needs of Nigerians and encourage them to shun criminal activities.

The synod, however, identified porous borders, especially in the northern part of the country, a high unemployment rate, rising poverty level, bad governance, and weak security architecture as the causes of the escalating insecurity.

In his charge, the Diocesan Bishop, Rev’d OlaOluwa Oluseyi Pirisola, advised that the right values, right morals and sound religious principles should be inculcated in Nigerians, particularly the youths, to make it difficult for them to be recruited into the criminal gangs that are terrorising the society.

However, the delegates at the synod themed “Being Transformed Into His Likeness,” II Corinthians 3:18, lauded the move for the creation of state police, urging the government to adequately equip the military with modern weapons and technologies to aid intelligence gathering and the success of the operations launched against terrorists and other hardened criminals.

The government was, therefore, admonished to fight corruption to a standstill, tackle the rising poverty, do something about the astronomical increase in the prices of petroleum products caused by the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, and ensure the excess revenue being made from the sale of crude oil on account of the war is not wasted but utilised for the benefit of all Nigerians.

While the Anglicans urged their fellow citizens, particularly Christians, to actively and massively participate in politics as the 2027 general elections draw near, they cautioned against mass defections that are tilting the country towards a one-party state.

They asserted that opposition plays a crucial role in the survival of democracy and it should be allowed to thrive in Nigeria.

Pirisola, who praised Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for constructing and rehabilitating roads across the state, craved the government’s attention to the Igbotako-Irowa Road, Gbagada-Ajegunje-Aiyede Road, and Oloto-Aiyetumara Road, which he described as crucial to the success of business activities of the majority of the peasant population, particularly the struggling youths and women in Ondo South.

He also encouraged the governor to give priority to the proposed Deep Seaport.

The Synod, however, lauded the dualisation of the Igbokoda-Okitipupa-Ore Road and urged the contractor to expedite action on the project for speedy completion, just as the delegates called for immediate and adequate compensation for owners of the property that have to be demolished for the new road to be actualised.

The state government was also admonished to take action on the epileptic power supply being experienced in the state, check the betting spree among the youths, ensure that educational administrators at primary and secondary levels are alive to their responsibilities by regularly supervising the personnel in schools to curb lateness and laissez-faire attitude to work, and to do everything legally possible to curb cultism in schools and on the streets.