News
Oyo: Catholic church protests over incessant killings in Nigeria
THE Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan on Tuesday joined their counterpart in the country to stage a peaceful protest against the incessant killings of Nigerians.
The peaceful protest which was in response to the directive by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, tagged, ‘March for Life,’ staged to register their displeasure over the killing of two priests and seventeen other members of the church by suspected the herdsmen in Benue State in April.
The members were directed to be dressed in “all Catholic society groups, apostolate, Bishop’s installation or parish uniforms.” Those who do not have any of those were advised to be dressed in a white top while “priests shall be in cassock and habits.”
During the peaceful protest, the parishioners, priests, vicars and reverend sisters gathered at the ST Peter and Paul Major Seminary in Bodija area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital and they were led in a procession by Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin to the state secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, where they were received by Dr. Gbade Ojo, the Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor.
The protesters carried placards bearing various inscription, among them, ‘No more killing’, ‘Christians are citizens too,’ ‘We say no to herdsmen killing’, Every person is created in the image of God’, Nigerians, arise and stand for justice,’ and ‘We must demand what we deserve’.
Abegunrin in his address decried the incessant killing and attitude of Security agencies and President Muhammadu Buhari to the attack on human lives in the country.
According to him since the killings of 2 priest and 17 parishioners on the 24th of April , no words of sympathy or consolation has been addressed to the catholic community in Nigeria for the loss which he said is a very serious indictment on the present administration.
“ We are baffled and highly disappointed with this insensitivity. The perpetrators of this dastard act are human beings and not spirits from the metaphysical world; they live with us, they are in our midst, it is sickening to note that almost one months after the ugly incident, no one has been brought to book, a situation which is unacceptable”.
“ This protest and prayerful demonstration is to register our displeasure on this killings and at the same time to call on the leadership of this country to act urgently on this .Our security apparatus and architecture must be urgently worked on to act and if the leadership of the this security agencies are not able to arrest the situation, they should immediately be relieved of their duties”
Abegunrin noted further that the way the issue is being handled “ gives room for suspicion of complicity between these killer –terrorists and the agencies.
“ Since the president who appointed the Heads of Nation Security agencies has refused to call them to order, even in the face of the chaos and barbarity into which our country has been plunged, we are left with no choice but to conclude that they are acting a script that has been approved of”.
“ If the president cannot keep our country safe, then he automatically loses the trust of the citizens, He should no longer continues to presides over killings fields and mass graveyard that our country has become”
The church argued that repeated calls from many sector on president to take urgent steps to reverse the ugly tragedy that threatens the foundation of our collective existence and unity as a nation has fallen on deaf ears .
The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Gbade Ojo who received the church on behalf of the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi said “it is unfortunate that we found ourselves in this situation as a Nation. Nigeria is bless with many tribes but what we are experiencing today Is manifestation of failure of National Integration and a sign that we are not developing very fast as we should, it is imperative that we learn how to live together as one’ he concluded
He however promised to deliver church’s message to Governor Ajimobi, the state House of Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari through the state governor.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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