IMPERATIVENESS OF UNITY, PEACE AND PROGRESS IN THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF CONSECRATED PERSONS

Abstract

Unity, peace and progress are cardinal and germane to the issue of development of any society hence the Nigerian government and many other nations of the world cannot overemphasize the sine qua non of the foregoing concepts. A closer look at the Nigerian coat of arm is the vivid inscription “Unity, Peace and Progress†pointing to the imperativeness of these concepts in the development of Nigeria. It unfortunate that this expected environment seems elusive and seriously threatened by an atmosphere of crisis, conflict and obnoxious spilling of innocent blood. Nigerians recently have continued to live in fear and tension. In spite of the acclaimed efforts by the government to beef up security in the nation, senseless killings of innocent Nigerians, continue especially in the north central part of the country but has failed in that responsibility. This unfortunate situation no doubt places a gigantic question mark on the extent and sincerity of the acclaimed unity, peace and progress in Nigeria. In the face of sustained attacks by the herdsmen marauders on Christian churches and farmers in Nigeria, what can the consecrated persons do to forestall the eroding unity, peace and progress in Nigeria which are inseparable to development is the crux of this paper. The writer observed that consecrated persons have been both proactive and active in using their God given platforms in spreading the messages of peace and tolerance and warns that they might not be able to guarantee the elasticity of the patience exhibited by their subjects as this continually has been misconstrued as cowardice.