NIGERIA AT 60: PRELATE CALLS FOR TRUE FEDERALISM
Presiding Prelate of the Eastern West Africa Episcopal District of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Bishop (Prof.) Uduak Usen Effiong has called for true federalism as Nigeria celebrates her 60th Independence Anniversary.
The Bishop made the remark in a 2020-2021 Episcopal address titled “THE FREEDOM CHURCH-A movement empowered by the Holy Spirit: Strengthening our fellowship” at the 23rd Annual Session of the Cross River Nigeria Annual Conference holding in Bishop Anderson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, Diamond Hill, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.
While thanking God and congratulating Nigeria for celebrating her Diamond Jubilee as an independent nation said that by Public Service Rule NO: 02809 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria “60years is statutorily the retirement age for pensionable service and hence called for Nigeria to retire some practices, programmes and persons from the system to make reasonable progress.
And premised on this, he demanded for the restructuring of Nigeria into a true federation rather than this aberration of federalism where component states would be given the right to harness and control their God given natural resources for economic and physical development. The component units in his reckoning would be able to forge ahead in fairness, equity, truth, transparency without nepotism & inequality.
He used the occasion to commend INEC, the Security Agencies, the Oba of Benin and the good people of Edo State for the success of the just concluded governorship election and called for the use of e-voting in future elections.
In another development, the South-south Chairman and Cross River State Commander of Hunters Group of Nigeria, a Para-military outfit in the making to help control insurgency in Nigeria, Bishop (DR.) Abraham Umoh of Mount of Victory Mission INC., has lamented the continued shedding of blood in the country, despite spirited efforts by government and security outfits to curtail acts of terrorism.
Commander Umoh made the assertion in a goodwill message to President Muhammadu Buhari, (GCFR) Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria, as Nigeria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee as an independent nation and posited that Nigeria irrespective of religious, ethnic and political lineage should go back to God in prayers and humility for us to reach the promise land of an egalitarian society where Peace, Unity & Progress shall reign.