By Chidi Nkwopara :
OWERRI — A call has gone to Nigerians, to remember at all times that the families of most fallen or disabled heroes, are subjected to a life of suffering and hardship.
The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, made the call in a homily he delivered in honour of the nation’s fallen heroes and heroines, at Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri.
His words: “Many soldiers are no more able to earn a living for themselves and their dependants.
“We need to be conscious that many of the families of our fallen or disabled heroes, are subjected to a life of wanton suffering and hardship and depend on the wider society for succour and alleviation of their problems.
“When we picture the endless rows of graves of fallen soldiers in a military cemetery; when we think of the horrifying and appalling violation of human dignity and rights in wars; when we conjecture the thousands of innocent defenceless people, brutally massacred, maimed, widowed and orphaned in a war; when we consider the tragic destruction of valuable property in armed conflicts, and the ugly phenomenon of refugees and displaced people resulting from wars, we would concede that wars are failures.
“On this Remembrance Day, I wish to invite all to reflect on peace; on its true meaning, on the conditions for it’s existence and on the obstacles to its establishment.
“If peace requires justice, we should then consider the task before us in this nation. Think of the millions of Nigerians reduced to a life of destitution and wanton suffering, on account of the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
“We must recall the high level of illiteracy in the country that prevents people from earning and participating actively in public affairs; think of the countless number of people in the nation, who have no access to medical care, and the ever rising number of people condemned to a life of hunger, malnutrition and disease. These continue to suffer and die, just as in any war.
“For true and sustainable peace to endure in the country, discrimination based on ethnicity must be eliminated, and equality of opportunity guaranteed for all sections of the country.”
