Prevent Nigeria from war, Oyedepo warns leaders

 

The founder and Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Bishop David Oyedepo, has called on the Federal Government to find means of resolving the crisis rocking some states in the North so as to prevent the country from turning into a war zone.

Oyedepo spoke early in the week at a workshop organised by the African Leadership Development Centre on the university campus.

The theme of the workshop was: “The Leadership Imperative: Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution Demands for Inspiring Transformation and Driving Change.”

Oyedepo said though conflict was unavoidable in any part of the world, it was important that the leadership of the country dealt with such in order to avoid a state of war.

He said, “War is a sucker. It sucks the resources of a nation. Only those who don’t know its cost propagate it. We must not have war in Nigeria. We should not even think of it. Its consequences are unimaginable. War is a crime against humanity. It erodes human dignity, destroys and devastates. It is staring at us in the face but we must avoid it.

“I once saw a family in Iraq who were feeding on leaves from graveyard. That is what war can do. It destroys the humanity in us. There is no life in war.”

He added, “Nigeria must not see war again. This is not a prayer but a clarion call for a new way of thinking. Let us have real value for human lives. We are human beings. We need to start placing the appropriate value on human lives again.

“That is why we have to start to engage in a new way of thinking. Nigerians need to start building character, courage and capacity if we want to avoid war breakout.”