Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Kajoh, celebrates 20 years of priesthood, urges Nigerians to unite against insecurity

Rev. Fr. Robert Kajoh (MSP), the Chaplain of St. Anselm Chaplaincy, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria, has admonished Nigerians against a polarised approach to the fight against insecurity, urging that all must remain united to surmount the menace.  

Kajoh, who gave the advice on the sideline of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of his priestly ordination in Abuja, said that though insecurity is bleeding the nation, unity among the citizens could turn things around.

According to him, what we are going through is not meant to destroy us but we must put aside our differences and put the right structures in place in our communities to prevent further violence.

The cleric acknowledged that the nation is bleeding, stressing that since the civil war, Nigeria had not witnessed the level of insecurity presently being witnessed in the land.

The priest, however, said that it will not be a hopeless situation if citizens unite and work with the government in the common interest.

“Whatever we are going through is not meant to destroy us. It can, however, only get better if people rally together and resolve that they are going to be better than what they are going through.

“That understanding has to come from believing that, this is an opportunity which calls us to rise up in prayers. It is a time to come together, a time to unify in faith and in trust and also a time to bind together as a people.

“For us as a nation, the question now becomes, where do we go from here, do we want Nigeria to be better or do we want Nigeria to continue to bleed,’’ he asked.

Kajoh noted that the truth is that nobody wants things to go on as they are as people are dying, hoodlums and herdsmen have taken over.

“Can we turn things around? The answer is yes, but as a people of faith we have to agree and put aside division according to churches, denominations and come together and pray.

“It is important to put structures in place, community vigilance so that, violence will not invade this community; have youth groups, have young people, have vigilantes, people who are not there to cause violence to prevent violence from happening.

“If the people in Okene decide that the armed robbery on that road is not going to happen and make sure they go into the bush; people know where the bandits are hiding, let our communities come forward.

“But it has to be the people coming together, letting the government know this is our plan, bringing these matters to light, letting the police know,’’ he said.

The cleric urged the placing of all the discussions on social media for people to know what the discussion has been on.

“This is where these bandits are, disseminate that information and share it. I know things will turn around slowly but surely,’’ he said.

Kajoh said that Nigerians should not sit back and just take the punches, saying that it would leave the nation battered, bruised, destroyed and there will be nothing left.

The priest said that the insecurity in the country is not an accident, insisting that there is an agenda and those fostering it must be stopped before they succeed.

He said Nigerians must put a national agenda in place and work towards it and make sure the situation in the country is reversed by doing the right things and praying to God.

Some of the parishioners who spoke on the sideline of the event described Rev. Fr. Kajoh as a true priest who is selfless in service to the people under his care.

Rev. Sis. Otitochi Ezewulu, the Head Mistress of St. Paul Primary School, Gwagwalada described Kajoh as a source of inspiration to many and a counsellor that has affected many positively.

“He is really a mentor, his preaching is such that touches people’s lives so deeply and many testify about that. He works for God and his ministry is really a very good one.

“He preaches God and puts Him in the minds of people and encourages people to pray,’’ she said.

Also, the Vice Chairman of the Chaplaincy Council, Mr Shedrack Adejo, said that 20 faithful years in the Lord’s vineyard is worth celebrating.

“It is a great day, if you look at 20 years, it is not 20 days. My experience with him has made me learn a lot from him because as vice chairman, I work directly with him,’’ he said.

A young entrepreneur in the church, Miss Lilian Anefu, said that Kajoh has impacted positively on many people in the church particularly the youths.

Anefu, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cash for Trash, a firm interested in environmental sustainability wished the priest many more fruitful years of service in God’s vineyard praying that he should become the Pope someday.

“He is somebody everybody, people look up to, most especially the young people. I look up to him; he is a mentor, a spiritual director, he has made a lot of impact in our lives, most especially in spiritual matters.

“I pray that he lives to celebrate up to 70 years in the priesthood, who knows by that time, he will be the Pope of the church and that is my biggest prayer for him, so that I can have the opportunity to visit him in Rome,’ she said.