The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, has appealed to the Federal Government to reverse the ban on Twitter due to its socio-economic benefits to the country.
In a sermon at Mater Dei Cathedral, in Umuahia on Sunday, Ugorji said that the nation’s economy would suffer a further slide as a result of the ban.
According to him, each day Twitter or Facebook is banned in the country, Nigeria loses over N1 billion.
He expressed worry that the ban also came at a time the country was passing through tension caused by festering security breaches.
The Bishop further urged President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate measures to douse the tension in the country.
According to him, you cannot put out a raging fire with fire, rather you can only quench fire with water.
“Therefore, I appeal to the president to initiate a platform for Nigerians to dialogue.
“Let people talk on issues bordering on their existence and for an enduring peace to return to Nigeria.
“After people have fought, they will eventually sit on a round table to find lasting peace. So let Nigerians come to a round table,” Ugorji stressed.
He decried the spate of killings and maiming of innocent Nigerians and wanton destruction of people’s property across the country.
Ugorji expressed concern over the activities of insurgents in some parts of the country, describing them as acts of lawlessness.
“Unfortunately, we have killer herdsmen in the North-Central and Southern Nigeria.
“And recently, we have witnessed the attacks on Federal Government’s property and killing of security operatives in the South-East.
“This is an act of lawlessness and we must condemn it.
“The human life is sacred. It belongs to God and He alone can take it. No individual has the right to take another person’s life,” Ugorji added.
While decrying alleged indiscriminate arrests of suspects from their homes and extra-judicial killings, the cleric insisted that those arrested for murder must be prosecuted.
“Those arrested in connection with arson and murder must be made to go through due process of prosecution since we are in a democracy and not a dictatorship,” he said.
The cleric recalled the President’s campaign promises in 2015 and urged him to ensure an end to the security challenges as well as improve the economy.
