Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo
Jesus promised to give life to people and life to the full (Jn 10:10).
He laid down His life to fulfill that promise. He was trustworthy in every way because whatever He said, He also did.
Shame on leaders who solemnly promise and fail to deliver? Such leaders deserve no respect or recognition.
Why are Nigerian leaders holding rousing rallies and conventions while our compatriots are being slaughtered.
How come the most populated country in Africa has become so wickedly helpless while criminality escalates? Pope Leo said on Palm Sunday that God does not listen to the prayers of war mongers.
On that same day, innocent Nigerians were massacred in Jos, Kaduna…now Zamfara and who knows where next. Well, God will surely not listen to leaders who watch their subjects die needlessly either.
The current Nigerian situation is evil and only evil people are not outraged by it. Jesus brings life. Let no hypocritical Easter greeting issue this time from the lips of leaders who have failed to protect us.
Let no pharisaic wishes be made by traitorous leaders who by their failure waste the lives of our soldiers, our women and our children.
Given the alleged warning issued by terrorists only days ago that they would unleash terror all over the country, it should be a matter of personal shame and grievance for all our leaders that these killings can still occur as predicted and unhindered. This time, only one Easter wish is acceptable. It is the decisive security of Nigerian lives.
The only acceptable gift, is decisive action to crush the killers of our compatriots whoever they may be and restore sanity to the country. All leaders in Nigeria must find a solution to this mess perpetrated especially by Islamic terrorists and add value to Nigerian lives.
They must show whether they belong to the death camp or the life camp. Who is to say now that security agents and government which are vigorous in crushing and arresting protesters, drug addicts and internet fraudsters but suddenly become weak as jelly with terrorists, kidnappers and murderers are not complicit in these criminal activities?
The President of Nigeria can no longer stand aloof. He must act decisively and urgently with all his authority and mandate otherwise he must call all Nigerians to defend themselves whichever way they can. Nigerians are simply fed up with empty promises, palliatives, condolences and apologies.
Jesus has not risen at all in the lives of leaders who look on while avoidable death is inflicted on innocent Nigerians.
What depraved leaders hold power and celebrate conventions when death is daily inflicted on their people without any resistance? Woe and shame be unto those that shed innocent blood of God’s people and greater woe to those who abet them. Easter is an indictment of all such agents of death whether they are so directly or indirectly. God will arise and deliver His people and his judgement on the wicked shall be merciless unless they repent.
As for Christians at Easter, let your faith and prayers not weaken. Be steadfast in faith for God who raised Jesus from the dead in spite of Pilate and his soldiers shall arise and confound his foes.
– Badejo is the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo
