Popular Nigerian clergyman, Bishop David Oyedepo, gives Federal Government candid advice on the spate of terrorism and possible outbreak of war across Nigeria

Reports have it that the founder and
Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota,
Ogun State, advised President Goodluck Jonathan
to find means of resolving the crisis
rocking some states in the North so
as to prevent the country from turning
into a war zone during a workshop
organised by the African Leadership
Development Centre held on the university
campus early in the week.
Speaking on the theme: “The
Leadership Imperative: Conflict
Management and Conflict Resolution
Demands for Inspiring
Transformation and Driving Change”,
Oyedepo stated that though conflict
was unavoidable in any part of the
world, it was important that the
leadership of the country dealt with
such in order to avoid a state of war.
“War is a sucker. It sucks the
resources of a nation. Only those who
don’t know its cost propagate it. We
must not have war in Nigeria. We
should not even think of it. Its
consequences are unimaginable. War
is a crime against humanity. It erodes
human dignity, destroys and
devastates. It is staring at us in the
face but we must avoid it.
“I once saw a family in Iraq who were
feeding on leaves from graveyard.
That is what war can do. It destroys
the humanity in us. There is no life in
war,” he added.
Commenting further, the religious
leader said: “Nigeria must not see
war again. This is not a prayer but a
clarion call for a new way of thinking.
Let us have real value for human
lives. We are human beings. We need
to start placing the appropriate value
on human lives again.
“That is why we have to start to
engage in a new way of thinking.
Nigerians need to start building
character, courage and capacity if we
want to avoid war breakout.”
The Boko Haram insurgents have
been reported to have claimed at
least 4,000 lives since 2009.
The terror group are currently holding
no fewer than 276 schoolgirls they
abducted at the Government Girls
Secondary School in Chibok, Borno
State on 14 April, 2014.
In spite of calls for the militants to
release the girls, the leader of the
group, Abubakar Shekau, said they
would only free the girls in exchange
for some of their members captured
by the Nigerian military.
The Nigerian government has since
stated that its not going to negotiate
with the terrorists on the release of
the schoolgirls, promising to do
whatever it takes to rescue them.
With seven weeks elapsed since the
girls’ abduction, Nigerians and the
international communities are hoping
that the girls would regain their
freedom at the earliest possible time.