Nigeria Needs Urgent Help To Tackle Insecurity — Methodist Archbishop Onuoha

The Archbishop, Special Duties, At-Large of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Most Rev. Dr Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha, has raised the alarm over rising insecurity in the country, warning that Nigeria must seek urgent help before the situation deteriorates further.

Onuoha spoke in Abuja on Sunday during a thanksgiving service for his investiture as Archbishop of Special Duties, lamenting that the nation was borrowing not only money but also technology needed for survival.

He said Nigeria could not continue “pretending that all is well” when citizens were being abducted and vulnerable groups attacked across communities.

According to him, “Nigeria is facing a serious security crisis. Wherever we come from, it is time to stand up and say: enough.”

The cleric warned that denial was worsening the national condition, stressing that people must stop “saying peace when there is no peace”.

He said, “Our young people are being taken; our women are assaulted. When we lack the skills to fix what is wrong, someone who can do it must step forward. If there is anyone who can help, please come and help us.”

Onuoha, who once served in the government, disclosed that officials often struggle to speak openly due to diplomatic constraints, adding that citizens must therefore take responsibility for telling the truth.

“On behalf of the government, the church, and every ordinary worker, let help come immediately — not tomorrow. Now. Right now,” he appealed.

The Archbishop also warned that unresolved violence would shape the next generation, insisting that healing would only come when Nigerians rose above ethnic, religious and class divisions.

He noted that hunger, sickness, sunshine and rainfall had no tribe or religion, stressing that “we are one family under God”.

Onuoha said national progress had been crippled by selfishness and deceit, adding that “righteousness exalts a nation, but wrongdoing breaks it”.

He urged Nigerians to confront the truth, discard bitterness and embrace a fresh start.

“When children play football, no one cares about tribe. When you board an aircraft, you don’t ask the pilot’s religion. Safety benefits everyone,” he said.

Onuoha reminded leaders that power was temporary, warning against pride and arrogance.

“Look at our nation today: when people enjoy power, they become unreachable. But when power leaves, they become ordinary again. Even phones that once rang nonstop suddenly stop ringing,” he said.

He emphasised that God had not abandoned Nigeria, but was calling the country to repentance, justice and unity.

“Something is wrong. Something is not right. As a country, we are hiding wounds instead of healing them,” he added.

The Archbishop urged the nation to stop pretending and begin rebuilding with truth and accountability at the centre.