By PETER DURU
MAKURDI — President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the level of insecurity in the country describing it as a major source of worry for his administration and Nigeria’s allies.
He expressed concern over easy access to firearms lamenting that “even people with sinister motives are also now being trained on how to use arms.”
The President spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Second Plenary Session of the All Nigeria Catholic Bishops’ Conference held in Otukpo, Benue State.
Represented by the Senate President, David Mark, the President condemned what he termed the “recent utterances by highly placed Nigerians which if not checked could aggravate the security challenges facing the country”
He reiterated the determination of his administration to frontally tackle the developmental challenges facing the country urging Nigerians to rally round his government in its quest to better the lot of all Nigerians.
In his speech, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State called on Catholic Bishops in the country to condemn same sex marriage as well as child marriage in the country.
Earlier, the President of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama condemned the use of death penalty in Nigeria’s legal system.
”Death penalty would be unnecessary if the root causes such as poverty and corruption were eliminated. We reject death penalty as a panacea to crime. What needs death penalty in Nigeria is poverty and corruption,, not human beings.”
”Our leaders should devote resources to improve the quality of life of the poor masses which would in effect check or eliminate social vices in the country.”
Culled: Vanguard