Nigeria is a failed, brutish state, Nnewi Anglican Bishop declares

By Chuks Moses, Awka

The Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rev Ndubuisi Obi has described Nigeria as a failed state where a day’s survival is now a miracle.

Bishop Obi attributed the dangerous and disconcerting trend to what he described as zero leadership at the federal level, noting that he always gets infuriated whenever the handlers of the government of the day talk about the “presidency” instead of the “president” and asked whether Nigerians elected “the presidency” or the president.

He said, “government of the day has failed woefully. They should change their mindset for the remaining two years. The glaring marginalization must stop. Look at the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff where an Igbo man was the next senior officer to take the shot but a far junior officer was chosen and the rest senior officers were retired after all the huge investment on them. Is that good? This is government of the Fulani, by the Fulani and for the Fulani.

“The increasing wave of agitations across the country is indicative of the fact that Nigerians are not happy with the leadership at the center. If I tell you the kind of dehumanization I saw people subjected to in Imo State, you will marvel. At the checkpoints manned by soldiers, people will have to disembark from their vehicles and raise up their hands to pass through the checkpoints, including those with their Bibles in their hands and some women who had their babies strapped at their backs. Not to talk of the traffic jam the exercise causes on a daily basis. That is the situation we find ourselves in Nigeria of today.” Bishop Obi pointed out.

He noted that instead of the Federal Government to mobilise forces to handle the issue of banditry in parts of the North where, according to him, school children were freely abducted “they only show power and force in the South East.”

On the November 6 Anambra State governorship election, he expressed worry that denominationalism has become a factor in the politics of the state.

Bishop Obi said said Anambra State should not be seen as belonging to any particular denomination.

He however challenged the church irrespective of denominations to rise up and give the politicians sense of direction noting that if a credible, free and fair election is conducted in the November 6 polls, a good material to move Anambra State forward would emerge as governor.

“Anambra has the largest number of billionnaires in Nigeria if not in Africa. And there are people of wisdom who are aspiring to govern the state, we have many of them in all the denominations.

“If the politicians have adopted zoning formula, I think denominational zoning should also be considered to give a sense of belonging to all the church denominations,” he asserted.

On the synod, Bishop Obi said that the theme of the September synod billed to hold at St James Anglican Church Ichi in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State is “Created for Dominion”.

He said that the theme was carved around the preparedness of the church to take dominion and never to take back seat again in every aspect of life.

The Bishop said that he would give account of his stewardship during the synod.

Bishop Obi noted that the Diocese had registered a firm with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the business name, DONAC-ADON with which the Diocese would go into oil and gas business.

“Within the period under review, the Diocese had purchased two hundred and fifty plots of land where it would build an estate that would house the Bishop’s Court, a Secretariat for the church, quarters, mini cathedral and a guest house.

“The church would build mini markets where the Diocese’s agricultural products and produce would be exhibited for sale, having intensified its farming activities at various locations in the Diocese.” He revealed.