There is urgent need for the government and people to harmonise their relationship for the peace of the nation, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has said.
The Archbishop made the call on Tuesday in Lagos while addressing his congregation at a Mass to commemorate his 62 years birthday.
According to him, the current mood of the nation does not call for celebration, but for sober reflection.
The cleric, who spoke on the state of the nation, cited the Biblical verse: `Give to Ceaser, that which is Ceaser’s and to God that which is God’s,’ adding that if peoples’ aspirations were largely met, there would be less crisis in the society.
“When the people enter into a social contract with the state, there are obligations and responsibilities on both parties in order to strike an equilibrium in the pact.
“The people owe the country their civic duties while the country owes the people provision of services to retain their trust and for a better society.
“Regrettably, those salient conventions have taken flight from our polity and thereby ,paved the way for mistrust, corruption, banditry, amongst others.
“It is callous for a human being to take another person’s life while the country, under whose control it is to check such inhumanity, appears helpless.
“From the north to the south, every part of the country is witnessing one form of brigandage or the other,” he said.
The cleric, who decried the constant discordant voices in the country, noted that the unity of Nigeria was desirable, adding that those clamouring for self-determination only do so due to systemic failure.
Martins called on the Federal Government to address the situation by first improving on security, saying that with insecurity, the nation’s unifying factors were under threat.
He said that the church would continue to do its part to aid the country in pruning peoples characters, but charged the government to increase funding of the nation’s security apparatus to enable them to meet up with current challenges. nan.
