Peace begins with each and every one of us

Remarks (Virtual) by Archbishop I. A. Kaigama at the Meeting of Representatives of Catholics from different ethnic communities in Taraba State, called by Bishop Charles Hammawa, Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, 26.03.2022.

I wish to sincerely thank Bishop Charles Hammawa, the Catholic Bishop of Jalingo, for this creative and laudable initiative of facilitating the gathering of representatives of Catholics from different ethnic groups in Taraba State to talk peace and dialogue as brothers and sisters. This gesture, I believe, is a form of prayer and a clear and loud appeal for peaceful and harmonious coexistence in Taraba State. Thank you for the kind invitation to be part of it. I am sorry that I cannot come physically. This is due to the unexpected change of today’s flight schedule in Abuja. However, technology has made it possible for me to share with you through Zoom from Abuja.

Kindly accept my condolences on the death of Fr. Colin Fives, OSA, a dynamic and energetic Irish missionary who worked selflessly in Nigeria for 48 years, giving his life in service of our land and people. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.

I also join you in prayer for those in Taraba State who have died as a result of banditry, ethnic and communal crises, religious disagreements, land matters, political intrigues, etc. We pray for those injured, displaced and robbed of their means of livelihood, and we hope that the civil/political authorities will do the needful for them.

As a Bishop, I started my peace work in Takum in the mid 1990s, invited from Jalingo by the soldiers stationed in Takum, to address a peace rally. Since then, I have been involved in peace building and conflict mitigation. I was already seriously mediating to foster more unity and understanding among our people in Taraba State when I was transferred to Jos as Archbishop. I thought that in Jos I would get a relief, but no sooner had I settled than ethnic, political and religious conflicts started, and almost all my twenty years were spent there dedicated to working for peace, going about promoting harmonious coexistence.

Taraba State is no different. Since I left here, the news has often been of conflicts, crises and hostilities. A beautiful state, blessed with fantastic potentials for food production, electricity generation, timber production, high quality tea production, animal husbandry, etc, is often plunged into needless inter and intra ethnic hostilities.

What can we do? Peace begins with each and every one of us. We can ask God to help us, but we must be determined to refrain from the attitude of Cain (see Genesis chapter 4) who became jealous because his brother Abel was more successful than him and having killed his brother Abel, he even had the audacity to ask God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

We must take a bold step to say “no” to violence. We must convince ourselves not to do to another what we do not want done to us.

Rwanda in the 1990s had the Hutu and Tutsi conflict, resulting in genocide. The amazing thing was that some were Catholics. Even some Catholic priests were said to have became involved! It can happen here too, God forbid!

Yesterday, Friday 25th March, at the request of Pope Francis, we gathered in prayer in Abuja (as you did in Jalingo) in solidarity with the Pope in Rome, who prayed for peace in the world and consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. You are aware that a brutal invasion is happening in Ukraine. War is a savagery, a defeat of humanity, says Pope Francis.

Taraba State has been too long in the news, with the bad news refusing to go away. The tribes of Taraba that should be the best of neighbours lose their calm as they struggle for land, scarce economic resources, and political superiority and dissipate energy, instead of cherishing and reaping the fruits nature has abundantly endowed us with.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, beware of propaganda stories that stir youths to violence and more violence. Most of our people are Christians yet we hear stories of mutual atrocities. I know too that there is a serious inter-religious tension resulting in polarization in the State which cannot be ignored.

Historical prejudices result in name calling, stereotyping, and degrading statements about one another.

The use of the social media and exaggerated write-ups in conventional media are a great influence in perpetuating the crises.

We would appreciate moderate and reconciliatory utterances or statements from political leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders and elders who should speak the language of peace instead of war.

Silence of the influential elders is very disturbing. Hence, this initiative by Bishop Hammawa should be replicated by many other religious and leaders of traditional institutions. You too present here should do something similar when you get back home.

Priests or religious leaders should avoid getting emotionally and sentimentally involved, taking sides, whipping up sentiments, playing the role of victims, and becoming heavily prejudiced. We Catholic priests especially should use our philosophical and theological resources to stand apart or distance ourselves from parochially divisive narratives that strain relationships further. We must be conscious that we are not influenced to turn into ethnic champions!

We must realize that the Rwandan experience can happen here too where fellow Christians turn on one other brutalizing, maiming, killing and destroying ourselves.

We call on our leaders to arise above ethnic interests to fight for the proper development of Taraba State through mechanized agriculture, modernized livestock projects, etc

Ethnic or religious leaders must see the log in their eye or the eye of their people before attempting to remove the log out of their brother’s or sister’s eye.

We should realize that the heavy prejudices and struggle for superiority keep us going in parallel lines and this is what results in the vicious circle of violence.

We plead with political actors, especially during this sensitive period preparatory to election campaigns, not to promote more hatred and destruction. Promote rather, the common good such as how to increase food production, alleviate poverty and utilize the vast potentials of the state in a peaceful and sensible manner.

May I conclude by urging Catholics in Taraba State and indeed all people of Taraba State, to transcend ethnic myopia/fanaticism and become the voice of reason and harmony. Be a light that shines out. We have to decide to stop the crises, the hostilities, the needless killings and the destruction of means of livelihood. Nobody can do it for us. We can do it for ourselves with the help of God.

Thank you for your kind attention.