NIGERIA: Catholic Lawyers Suggest Overhaul of Security Structure

ABUJA, JULY 2, 2019 (CISA)-The National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL) in Nigeria has called upon the Federal Government of Nigeria to revitalize the entire security structure of the country to curb rising insecurity in the country.

“The visible level of insecurity is a fall out of social injustice, mismanagement of our collective patrimony and resources due to lack of accountability, transparency and paucity of good governance in the Nigerian State,” reads a communiqué signed by the President of NACL, Chukwuma Ezeala and National Secretary, Angela Odunukwe at the end of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.

The lawyers suggest a stakeholders’ interface meeting that would holistically address challenges derailing the promotion of good governance in the country.

“The country is currently experiencing poverty, insecurity, youth restiveness, contraptions, illiteracy, deprivation, hunger, unemployment, primordial sentiments, ethnicity, nepotism, marginalization, religious bigotry that are inimical to the optimal growth and development of Nigeria.”

“Accountability and transparency is a far cry amongst politicians, civil servants and unfortunately noticeable within the churches, mosques, the three arms of government and the society at large. This scenario has made it difficult to effectively combat the war against endemic corruption in the country,” the communiqué reads.

The meeting was convened under the theme, “The role of Catholic lawyers in the Church and the nation.”

Present at the meeting were; Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso of Kaduna, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, and Bishop Anselm Umorem, the Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja.