''The president sent out a message of hope and commitment to national integration and cohesion, but Mr. president is proving false to it'' says Catholic Bishops in Nigeria

''He lied when he said I belong to everyone'' -Catholic Bishops

During his inauguration in 2015,president Muhammadu Buhari promised to be a president for all in Nigeria when he said in his inaugural speech: I belong to everybody. I also belong to nobody''. This statement and promise of Mr.president was recently brought to fore by the Catholic

Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in which they accused President Buhari of not keeping to the promise he made during his inauguration into office in 2015 that he Buhari belongs to everybody and to nobody in particular. Here is their full statement made in a conference held in Taraba state:

“In his inaugural speech as civilian president of Nigeria on 29 May 2015, the president sent out a message of hope and of his commitment to national integration and cohesion. Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores" President Buhari said in his inaugural speech''

The clergy also said that the inability of the government to address the inequitable situation in the country has provided breeding ground for violent reactions, protests and agitations, which exploit the grievances of different segments of the country.

"More than two years later, the reality on ground and the verdict of most of our people across the nation – irrespective of religious affiliation, ethnic group or social status – point to the contrary. The inability of the government to address the inequitable situation in the country has provided breeding ground for violent reactions, protests and agitations, which exploit the grievances of different segments of the country. We call on government at all levels to urgently address these anomalies, remove everything that smacks of injustice, and give everybody and every part of our country a sense of belonging. We insist that merit and ability should be the primary criteria in making appointments and genuine needs the criteria for the distribution of amenities. We also urge the government to be always sensitive to the multi-religious and multi-ethnic configuration of the nation. The nervousness among the populace with the potential of igniting a fire that could turn into an uncontrollable conflagration”.

However,the clergy urged Nigerians to continue being good and law abiding citizens  of the country,no matter what:

“On the other hand, we enjoin all aggrieved persons and groups to employ peaceful means within the framework of the existing laws of the land to express their grievances or even exercise legitimate pressure on the Government. Care must be taken by all to avoid actions and utterances capable of causing yet another armed conflict in the nation or any of its parts.”