Bishop tasks Buhari on equity, confab report

Osinbajo calls for unity

THE Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan, Bishop Joseph Bagobiri, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure justice, equity and fairness in governance.

He also called on the President to ensure full implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference.

Speaking at the church service to mark the nation’s 55th independence anniversary yesterday in Abuja, Bagobiri noted that if government makes justice, fairness and equity its watchword, it would get the support of all Nigerians.

Also at the occasion, The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, called for unity among Nigerians irrespective of their tribes, religion or political affiliation.

He noted that the message of hate being spread by the activities of insurgency can be quelled by message of love without segregation.

Osinbajo told Muslim and Christian leaders to understand that the current insurgency facing the country cannot be addressed by simplifying it as a contest between Muslims and Christians as it goes beyond that.

Bagobiri urged the administration to avoid using government apparatus like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as instrument of vendetta.

According to him, “If government is really fighting corruption, Nigerians would know and will support it.”

Bagobiri, the Catholic bishop of Kafanchan in a sermon titled “Making Nigeria work as a family: Panacea for a healthy national integration”, called on the leaders of Islamic faith to rise up and caution their members.

The cleric stated that Christians hold the key to peace of Nigeria, adding that if they had retaliated for the killings they have suffered, the refugee crisis in Syria would be a joke.

He said, “This service is an opportunity to turn to God in praise for remaining as one united indivisible nation irrespective of various threats of division. Many had predicted our dismemberment and collapse as a nation and as a people but God had said no to them. We need to thank God who had kept the country together. God has not reduced us to what we are seeing in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.”