Be Open To Criticisms, Catholic Bishops Tell Buhari

Kaigama Urges FG To Checkmate Terrorism

THE Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria ( CBCN) has told President Muhammadu Buhari not embark on any form of propaganda against religious leaders who disagree with his administration. The bishops also urged him not to spend time trying to blackmail anyone who criticises his government, saying Nigerians speak out because they don’t want their country to fail.

This is as the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, has said that the proliferation of self- help security organisations in the country was an evidence of deficiency in the security architecture of the country.

The CBCN argued that Nigerians do not need to be card- carrying members of a party before speaking their minds on burning issues in the polity.

In a statement, yesterday, by its President and the Catholic Archbishop of Benin City, the Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze, CBCN said the high level of insecurity in the country has led to daily loss of lives and property, adding that any country where students were no longer safe in schools and farmers not safe in their farms does not have a future to look up to.

Akubeze said: “Nigerians are tired of hearing of bandits taking youths in the university and executing some of them, while others are kept to be used to bargain for ransom.

“In the midst of all these, the Presidency recently stated that some religious leaders and some Nigerian politicians are plotting to destabilise the country.