Jos Crisis: Don’t Take Up Arms; Kumuyi Tells Christians

By Kazeem  Ugbodaga

The General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi has warned Christians in Jos, Plateau State against carrying of arms to  fight Muslim extremists who have so far killed 80 people in the area in the last five days.

According to Kumuyi, carrying of arms would not be the solution to the current crisis, as it would only fuel it, leading to more loss of lives and property.

“We are sorrowful about the Jos crisis.  Is taking up arms now the issue? Are we sure the crisis is religious or political? Do we find out whether security  agents have knowledge about the crisis or not? Are they taking sides?  Taking up arms is not the solution,” he said.

Kumuyi, who spoke at the his church’s December Retreat at the Deeper Life Conference Centre, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, South West Nigeria, called  on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency beef up security in the area.

“If we carry arms, we will only end up destroying ourselves and that will not work.  We can have help from outside the country,” he said, saying that  security agents in the United Kingdom knew very well about the crisis in Jos and could assist the nation in unraveling the mystery behind the killings.

According to him, “the repeated flare-ups of such crisis is an unfortunate commentary on the ability of government to stem the tide of fanaticism and  unbridled religious convictions.   Perpetrators of such acts must not only be apprehended, they must be seen to be visited with the full weight of the law  promptly.

“A situation in which intra-sect feuds easily lead to the burning of churches and the needless killings of church ministers and innocent citizens is an  abhorrent trend which must not be allowed to continue.

“The initiative rests on the door-steps of the security agencies to bring this unfortunate trend to an end.”

On the forthcoming election, Kumuyi called for a political debate for presidential candidates and others so that the people would know who to vote for rather  than voting on the basis of religious affiliation or ethnicity.

“Our leaders ought to study to see what is going on in other countries where democracy is being practiced.  Our votes should not be on religious basis or  ethnic affiliation.  It should be on the basis of the person.  Has the person delivered when he was first holding political office?

“We need political debate in Nigeria so that the people can ask questions.  That will help us to know the direction to go,” he stated.

Kumuyi called on political leaders to have the interest of the nation at heart and place such interest above self-interest, adding that “this has become even  more imperative as we prepare for election next year with the attendant tension and stress being engendered.”

“If striving for leadership position is all about service to God and humanity, then the acrimony and sometimes intemperate language being used by political  actors must be substantially toned down.

“This negative trend is raising the political temperature of the country unnecessarily when democracy, as we know it, is all about popular participation,  transparency, openness and liberty.  Whatever detracts from these ennobling concepts is counter-productive and must be avoided,” he stated.

He appealed to politicians at all levels to employ a more elegant and elevated language of discourse during political campaigns, saying “what the nation does  not need for now is an over-heated climate that could further compromise an already tenuous fabric.”

“The focus should be on concrete, measurable, verifiable and achievable programmes that will justify the huge resources with which our country is endowed.

“I believe those aspiring for political offices must discuss issue-oriented and people-centred policies and programmes as against sabre-rattling and  name-calling which are clearly counter-productive,” he said.

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