Nigeria has recently made international headlines for various reasons and especially the terrorist attacks by a Militia group calling itself Boko Haram. The General Secretary of OAIC Nicta Lubaale recently visited Nigeria for a regional meeting and states that the various OAIC member churches in that country are doing well and striving to improve its capacity building activities and thus ensure sustainability of its programmes.

“Our Nigerian counterparts are especially committed towards ensuring that the new building for the International office makes headway. Nigeria which has several Chapters, is also working hard to ensure that the project of building a Seminary which will be used for the training of OAIC pastors in the region, is in the works,” states the General Secretary.

“By ensuring that OAIC has sufficient sustainable programmes, all OAIC leaders and congregants need to participate in equal measure to enhance development.”

He notes that Nigeria is moving on after the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Abuja that killed over 20 people. “Violence has never been the solution to anything. For those people who want to raise questions about their unhappiness with anything, it can always be done in an amicable manner rather than unleashing violence on poor people who have no idea what their woes are,” notes the Reverend.

He states that the church should also endeavour to constitute structures that will help to enhance dialogue. That for the continent to maintain progress, there needs to be a different outlook into solving issues arising. Noting that it is very sad to see Children growing up in war tone environments. The result of such upbringing is the type of adults that the society is raising. People who have known war all their lives equals a catastrophe waiting to happen.

With regards to the ongoings in Somalia, the General Secretary feels that misplaced anger by the militia’s will definitely not bring any solutions to the table.  “We need to continuously pray for Somalia and those who think they have a point to make in Somali are misguided as violence can never resolve disputes. Conflicts continue to affect everyone and we need to use peaceful means rather than resorting to violence as well as ensuring that we continuously engage consciously and ensure that that peace and stability prevails,” urges Reverend Nicta.

By: Fiona Imbali