By Adeyinka Adeniran
Concerned by the resurging spate of insecurity in the country, the Nigerian Baptist Convention has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently convene a national security summit.
The proposed summit according to the Convention should bring together former Presidents, Heads of State, and current and past security chiefs to chart a new course for tackling Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the Convention’s 112th Annual Session and the 175th anniversary of Baptist missionary work in Nigeria, President of the Convention, Rev. Dr. Israel Akanji, said the proposed summit should include the Minister of Defence, Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, and heads of intelligence agencies.
He decried the deepening insecurity across the nation, citing recurring incidents of mass killings, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks in Plateau, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, and Borno states.
He said, “The spate of mass burials in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, and other communities is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. This is not the time for lip service.”
He reiterated the Convention’s call for the creation of State Police, insisting that the current centralized policing model is inadequate for Nigeria’s security needs.
Beyond security, the Convention President highlighted other pressing national issues, including economic hardship, poor infrastructure, and the growing “Japa” syndrome—mass emigration of Nigerian youths in search of better opportunities abroad.
While noting some improvements in foreign investment inflow, he called on the government to intensify efforts to make Nigeria more attractive to investors.
Speaking on the planned upcoming convention, themed “Entering into Newness through Fasting and Prayer”, the NBC Convention President said the event will open Saturday, April 26, at the Baptist International Convention Centre along the Lagos-Ibadan Expresswayand it is hosted by the Providence, Ethiope, and Anioma Delta Baptist Conferences.
Rev. Akanji also extended condolences to the Roman Catholic Church over the passing of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, in Vatican City, a day after delivering his Easter message. “What a glorious exit,” he said.
Corenews.ng reports that, the Nigerian Baptist Convention was established as a national body on March 11, 1914, during a meeting at First Baptist Church, Idikan Street, Ibadan.
