‘Few
of us realize the wonderful privilege of living; the blessing we inherit, the
glories and beauties of the universe which is our own if we choose to have it
so; the extent to which we make ourselves what we wish to be; or the power we
possess of securing peace, of triumphing over pain and sorrow – Sir John
Lubbock, British Statesman, Scientist and Writer.
Introduction
Today we
live in world of powerless refugees and vulnerable people whose lives are
fractured by tyranny, greed and fear. Our world is overshadowed by terrible
threats of international terrorism involving insurgents, militias, guerrillas
and terrorists. Extremist suicide bombers and terrorists blow themselves up in
order to kill innocent men and women around the world. The story is same from
Iraq to Pakistan, France to Belgium, and from Libya to Nigeria. Violence has
compounded injustice which has in turn fuelled disorder and recklessness. The
threat of Aids and Ebola continue to ravage an impoverish Africa and our people
are now in captivity and are tyrannized by wickedness and evil.
Endless
difficulties
Job
pressures, family problems, relational conflicts, security, environmental and
health issues, financial struggles and global economic recession seem to be
sending our life down the drain. In fact, the list of our overwhelming
difficulties is endless. It is really hard to see the light at the end of a
dark tunnel now that some sort of horrific madness and reckless feverish
political activities in form of electioneering campaign has occupied the centre
stage. Let us pause and watch out, and not be driven by selfish political and
manipulative interests which will exploit our insecurities and fears and keep
us down. Our hearts are heavy and our shock deep and penetrating over the
recent tragic incident of the senseless and brutal killings of hundreds of our
innocent citizens and the scandalous destruction of property running into
millions of naira that occurred at Baga, Nigeria. Over a million have been displaced and forced to
flee their homes. Villages are bombed indiscriminately, torture and killing of
people is a common place and burning houses before putting their owners to
death. There has been uncountable allegations of
murderous atrocities of unprecedented scale leveled against the terrorist groups. The
United Nations Secretary of State John Kerry branded the Boko Haram massacre in
Northern Nigeria a ‘crime against humanity’. ‘What they have done is a
crime against humanity, nothing less’.[1]
The Global Trauma of our People
In fact,
the level of trauma among our helpless children, women and internally displaced
persons (IDPs) is unprecedented. Terrorism and insurgency have unleashed
terrible and horrible pains and agony on our land, made widows of our mothers
and sisters, orphans of our children, destroyed countless schools and displaced
people from their communities, and barracks and armories are looted. We have
experienced and are still experiencing conflicts between races, ethnic groups,
classes, generations, religions and political ideologies, which are threatening
global peace and security. We face the reality of famine, genocide and
violence. The international community today is confronted with unprecedented
humanitarian challenges. How do we confront the horrors of war, violence and
murder? Even as I write, our hearts go in sympathy and prayers to all those who
have been affected in any way by the tragic loss of life; and we pray for change
and conversion of the planners, perpetrators and executors of these atrocities.
The Urgent task for
building Peace
The task for building peace
can seem too great sometimes, but it is not impossible. We really need a
rebirth of our minds and attitudes in a culture that celebrates vengeance
rather than mercy. We need to stand united to put an end to brutal tyranny of
terrorism causing horrendous destruction around the world. It is pertinent to
state here that violence has no place in democracy. It makes a mockery of every
democratic principle. We cannot trade evil for evil. The Preamble to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights stresses this fact thus: ‘Recognition of the
inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the
human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world;
disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which
have outraged the conscience of mankind…(and)… it is essential, if man is not
to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against
tyranny and oppression, that human right should be protected by the rule of law
(Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
It is really time to drum home
the great message of peace in and with God
to the peoples and governments of
the world. It is quite certain that the
root of peace, as that of conflict and war, lies in the human heart. It is the
arena where the fight against greed, exploitation, jealousy, hatred, violence
and evil instincts that unceasingly threaten peace takes place. We have to learn
to use our God given potentials and power to handle conflicts, build
cooperation, understanding and harmony among our people more effectively.
United Voices of Hope and
Peace
In these days of heightened
extreme terrorist activities and madness, we want to speak with a united voice
a message of hope and peace, and to see ourselves as part of the universal
campaign for human freedom, solidarity and peace. The words of Gerald Brown,
the Provincial Superior of the Sulpician Fathers in the United States in his
presidential address in Milwaukee to the Assembly of the Conference of major
Superiors of men hold sway for us: ‘I challenge all of us to join forces, on a
national and international levels, and most especially in cities, towns and
neighborhoods, in a corporate effort to eradicate violence from the hearts of
our brothers and sisters, to create environment of safety and peace, and to
change those structures that hold our young people in social and psychological
bondage’.
When
asked recently by several journalists about the comments by Turkish President
Erdoan regarding Islamophobia in the West. Pope Francis said he asked
him and other leaders to directly condemn the terrorist attacks by Islamic
radicals. "I
think that... Sincerely, I think we can't say that all Muslims are terrorists.
It's not true, just as we cannot say that all Christians are fundamentalists,
though there are some... It's true that, faced with these terrorist attacks,
not only in the Middle East, but also in Africa, many react by saying 'If this
is true Islam, it makes me mad.' "I told the President (Erdoan) that it
would be good for all Islamic leaders, whether political, religious or academic
leaders, to speak clearly and condemn the attacks. This will help the majority
of Muslim people to say 'No.' It needs to come directly from leaders.”[2]
(Rome Reports).
Also
as part of his trip to Sri-Lanka, the Pope met with leaders of the area's major
religions. Buddhism, Hinduism. Islam and Christianity. He said, "It is my hope
that inter-religious and ecumenical cooperation will demonstrate that men and
women do not have to forsake their identity, whether ethnic or religious, in
order to live in harmony with their brothers and sisters.” Furthermore, the
Pontiff highlighted that religion should never be used as a tool for
violence. "For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be
allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war. We must be clear and
unequivocal in challenging our communities to live fully the tenets of peace
and coexistence found in each religion, and to denounce acts of violence when
they are committed.”[3]
(Rome Reports).
The
United Nations Special Representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas has
said the four nations most threatened by Boko Haram must put aside
mutual distrust and agree on a command structure and strategy for a fledgling
regional force if they want to defeat the militants. ‘It is clear now that… the
countries should not be left to tackle it individually… The challenge is to
have the political will to agree and come to an understanding’.[4]
Conclusion
Words are
inadequate to describe the utter psychological trauma, anguish, misery and
pains millions of people in the world have to endure at this crucial time. The
situation is desperate as people now generally live in fear because of
terrorism and violence; and people are being killed innocently, with many
others feeling unsaved and unprotected.
It is sad to note that while the living
standard of our people in Nigeria is deteriorating rapidly, corruption is
flourishing. In these days of heightened political activities sequel to the
upcoming presidential polls, we must be resolved to refrain from cruelty,
oppression and corruption, and stand up for truth, human dignity, freedom, justice
and peace in our society. The youth must reject the life of slavery, violence
and destruction and the culture of hatred, persecution, discrimination and
marginalization. I want to believe that the Boko Haram insurgency in the North,
activities of area boys in the South-West, MASSOB in the East, Militant groups
in the Niger Delta area are all rooted in the failure of government to deliver
basic services, reduce poverty and create employment.
As we search for a
long time stable political and spiritual solution, we must brace up for
positive and constructive actions that will help solve the urgent problems of
our day – the scandalous and unfortunate disposition to venture into immoral
and senseless wars, terrorism, destruction of the environment, and poverty. We
must work together to end the madness of suicide bombings, political
assassinations, terrorism, anarchy, lawlessness, kidnappings and the
indiscriminate murder of our brothers and sisters across the globe. Let us stop
heating the polity and creating a tensed atmosphere through our wild thinking
and inconsiderate utterances all fanning embers of division and disaffection
among our people. If we say our nation is not working and growing, we all have
a part to play, instead of blaming everyone else, let us stand united in
opposition to all forms of terrorism and make efforts to better our nation. Now
is the time to act.
Revd Fr Michael
Adefemi Adegbola, Vicar General Catholic Diocese of Kano, Nigeria 2015.
