The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, has said things may get worse in Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to tackle the issue of insecurity and other challenges bedevilling the country.
Martins warned that Nigerians may resort to self-help if their security can’t be guaranteed.
He stated this while urging the Buhari-led Federal Government to see the ongoing RevolutionNow protest as a wake-up call to address the untold hardship Nigerians were undergoing.
Martins urged Buhari to address the issues raised by the organisers of the movement, rather than clamp down on protesters, NAN reports.
He made the plea on Wednesday in Lagos while reacting to the ongoing agitations for better living conditions for Nigerians, urging the government to ensure the protection of their lives and property.
The Catholic Archbishop said in a statement that the Buhari-led administration should also see the agitations as an opportunity to directly hear the complaints of Nigerians.
According to him, this will enable the government to redouble its efforts towards fulfilling their constitutional role of securing lives and property of the people.
The archbishop expressed displeasure over the rising cases of insecurity across the country, particularly the kidnapping and killing of innocent Nigerians by armed bandits.
“Except urgent and concrete measures are taking to reassure Nigerians of safety of their lives and property across the country, things may soon get out of hands.
“People may be forced to resort to self-help, if the government and security agencies continue to fail them.
“The ongoing protests by some groups is a reflection of the growing decay in the land and should be a wake-up call for the president to be more creative and decisive in addressing various agitations bothering the minds of Nigerians.
“Clamping down on the protesters will not make the problems to disappear. Rather, I urge him, as the father of the nation, to pay attention to the issues that bother the citizens.
“The fears being expressed about the state of the nation are genuine and they deserve to be looked into urgently so as to save this nation from further distress.
“President Buhari needs to address the nation on these issues and give people the much-needed reassurance and hope.
“If this is not forthcoming, people may feel free to interpret events as they wish,” Martins said.
He said that there was need for a speedy arraignment of those arrested during the protest in the court of law.
“The continuous detention of the protesters without trial may further paint the government as only paying lip service to the tenets of democracy.
“The proper and real dividend of democracy include freedom of expression and assembly, including the freedom to protest,” he said.
