Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, has said it has become very difficult for Nigerians to live dignified lives which are useful for national growth and development.
Gen. Agwai stated this at a two-day inaugural prophetic voice conference organised by Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) with the theme “Human Dignity and National Development: Transforming and Repositioning Our Common Identity” held at Charles Frame Chapel.
According to him, the panacea to the subsisting insecurity and failure of government is for the relevant stakeholders like the church (a key agent of socialisation) to initiate steps towards changing the status quo.
He advised stakeholders to redefine Nigerian values along the lines of human dignity, institutional reforms, community violence and prevention measures, civil crisis response to enhance economic activities in the country.
The former CDS also hinted that there is an application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Hobbesian Social Contract Theory which holds that the state emerged as a result of a contract between the people and the government for the protection of their lives, adding that the ideals of these theories contrast the battle-related death figures in Nigeria since 2011, and the number of IDPs, individuals and households in Nigeria.
He pointed out that all of these are crucial prerequisites for national development because safety and security also bear on production, commerce, education, ample living and societal advancement.
He argued that a secure society is where there is public order, organised and optimally functional security forces, near absence of challenges to the legitimacy of the state’s authority, the protection of citizens and a guarantee of freedoms without threats to lives and property.
The provost of JETS, Prof. Sunday Agang said the conference was primarily designed to roll out JETS’ prophetic voice as a prime part of their identity, core values and mandate to be “the theological conscience and mouthpiece of the church.”
The provost expressed hope that the focus of the conference would become part of the national conversation, especially as Nigeria enters an electioneering process that would determine the future of the nation.
