Methodist Prelate urges FG to address insecurity, inflation

The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Oliver Ali Aba, on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to urgently address insecurity, inflation and the rising cost of living, saying leaders must fulfill their constitutional responsibility to protect citizens.

Aba made the call in his address at the opening session of the 50th/15th Biennial Conference of Methodist Church Nigeria, held at Bashmol Event Center, in Ibadan.

The conference, themed “I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU – EXODUS 14:14”, drew 1,000 delegates, ministers, lay members and other guests from across Nigeria and the diaspora.

The Prelate said the theme was a reminder to both the church and government that faith must be matched with action, especially in the face of banditry and kidnapping.

“By this, God is showing us in Methodist Church Nigeria how to fight for our faith, our lives, and our land from banditry! A case study is Borno, Benue and Plateau States, where kidnapping and killings… bandits who raid our farms, rape our women, dislodge our males from farmlands, turning a once flourishing economy of food baskets to become empty, where human blood now flows like a river.

“I am using this medium to call on the Federal Government to rise up to one of her primary responsibilities of securing human lives and property,” he added.

He also called on governments at all levels to stop payment of ransom to kidnappers.

The Prelate during the event celebrated the rescue of 46 victims of the Oriire abduction while expressing sadness over the killing of Mr Michael Oladokun and Mr. John Ola by the abductors.

Speaking on the state of the nation, Aba said 2026 remains trying times for Nigerians while appealing to the Federal Government to take decisive decisions.

Aba further urged leaders at federal, state and local levels to make personal sacrifices in their collective actions to save our nation, stressing that “our governments must not abdicate their responsibilities for which they were voted.

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“When viewed from what I said in 2024 at the last meeting of Conference in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom State, these are still trying times for us in 2026. Many Nigerians are of the view that today’s rising cost of living has continued to shape public views on education, health, and the way we do business in our clime.

“MCN joins others in appealing to the Federal Government of Nigeria to meaningfully address inflation, and the free-fall of our national currency, the Naira, alongside the unrealistic determination of the cost of energy.”

The Prelate linked the conference theme to Nigeria’s democratic setting, saying government must complement prayers with governance.

“For a country like Nigeria that operates a type of representative democracy, governments at the local, state and federal levels must ensure citizens are protected and our lands secured,” he said.

He charged Methodists and all Nigerians to be unanimous in their prayers for the church of God in Nigeria and for the nation while also demanding accountability.

“As church goers and believers in Christ Jesus, the Methodist Church Nigeria’s 2026 Conference theme is challenging us to make our faith become practical in our lives,” he added.

The Prelate during the event described Oyo State’s heritage as the centre of the ancient Oyo Empire and home to many Nigerian firsts, including the first television station in Africa and Ado Awaye’s suspended lake, one of only two in the world, among others.