Our reporter/ The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye on Friday joined the growing list of Nigerians opposed to military intervention in Niger Republic following the overthrow of the Bazoum led civilian government.
Adeboye, who spoke at the Redeemed Christian Church annual convention themed “Beyond Expectations ” noted that Nigeria is already fighting some serious wars and that the country does not need more wars.
“We are still fighting wars against hunger, we are fighting some serious wars and sure we don’t want more wars. We want to win the ones we are fighting and we don’t want fresh ones; whether within or without our borders,” the respected cleric said on Friday night.
Going down the lanes of history, the 81-year-old cleric said he witnessed the Nigerian Civil War between the Nigerian and Biafran sides from July 1967 to January 1970 while residing at a border town very close to the war front.
He said having experienced the war; he will choose peace over war any day, anytime.
“Nigeria still needs a lot of prayers. I’m a small boy but I was at the battlefront during the civil war; not as a soldier but I lived near the battlefront and what I saw, if anybody ask me to choose between war and peace, I will choose peace,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria is already fighting many wars against kidnappers, terrorists, killer herdsmen, amongst others, noting that the country does not need more wars but to win the ones it is battling currently.
“And we are already fighting many wars in Nigeria, we are fighting wars against kidnappers, we are fighting wars against terrorists. There are still places in Nigeria today that when people go to bed, they are not sure they would not be killed before tomorrow morning.
“We are still fighting wars against some people who feel that if you are a farmer and you plant, then what you have planted is food for their cows and if their cows come to eat your harvest and you complain, they kill you,” he said.
Adeboye’s comment followed the controversy over proposed deployment of soldiers to Niger Republic by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the chairmanship of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.
The military in neighbouring Niger Republic last month deposed the constitutionally elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum.
ECOWAS subsequently gave the troops who seized power until last Sunday to reinstate 63-year-old Bazoum or face the potential use of force through the deployment of troops of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), a multilateral armed force drawn from the 15-member states.
Many Nigerians, including the national assembly, Northern governors and religious bodies are opposed to military intervention in the tiny West African country being championed by President Bola Tinubu.
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