Biafra strugle not for thugs – Cleric

THE Arch-Bishop, Province of Niger Delta, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey, has said that the struggle for Biafra was not for thugs and miscreants.

Kattey explained that it was necessary for people that mattered, including lawmakers, to come together and decide whether Biafra should be or not.

He stated that though he was neither in support not against Biafra, it was not time to begin such agitation.

The cleric was making a reference to the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra by members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra.

Speaking while delivering his sermon on Sunday during an inter-denominational service to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Saint Thomas Anglican Church in Port Harcourt, Kattey insisted that the necessary authorities should take a decision on the matter.

“Men that matter, including House of Assembly and Representatives, Senate, should come together and decide whether they want Biafra or not. I am not against Biafra, I am also not in support of it.
Biafra is not for thugs; it is not for miscreants,” he stressed.

The cleric charged the Federal Government to always obey court orders, even as he decried a situation where those released by the court were rearrested within court premises by security agents.

“We must obey court orders. If the court releases a man, don’t catch him at the gate. I don’t support them (suspects, but let us abide by what the court has said. We must fear God because He has the final say,” Kattey added.

He urged the Federal Government to pay pensions of retired military personnel and also ensure that families of those who died while defending the country were taken care of.

In his remark, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, declared that the welfare of families of slain military personnel and surviving retired military personnel should be given top priority by relevant authorities.

Wike said that the nation needed to cater for all serving and retired military personnel who had sacrificed to protect others in the country.

The governor expressed the need to always celebrate the soldiers who lost their lives defending the nation while others were pursuing their personal endeavours.

“If we see what happens in the North East, then we will always appreciate these military personnel anytime we see them. If you see people who have volunteered to join the security forces when others are scared of making the sacrifice, we need to pray for them,” he said.

The governor stated that he was aware that the Federal Government was working hard to ensure that military pensioners were paid their entitlements as at when due.

He pointed out that all pensioners deserved to be paid regularly, adding that he has made the payment of pensioners and civil servants a top priority.

According to him, his administration has cleared the seven months pension arrears he inherited and paid pensioners up to November, 2015.