Who is behind drunkenness, hunger, depression, joblessness, infrastructure poverty, inflation in Anambra State? He is the one arresting Native Doctors, looking away from the mirror. An opprobrious paradox.
In January 2025 Anambra State government got N65.45 billion from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), plus the local government funds it has been collecting but can't show much in poverty alleviation, industrialization and social amenities for it. This hogwash-kinda-distraction with Native Doctors, at this 11th hour, is a priority largely misplaced. Instead of arresting Native Doctors why not offer the alternative to the youths: Agro-based labour, SME-loans, state structured surveillance jobs, skill revival centers, less exposure to alcohol and drugs programmes? The spate of violence in the state is not because of native doctors as such. As an economist, Prof Charles Soludo, you know it. You are playing to the gallery. Nwamgbafor you are not going to deceive me. You have broken my heart and the heart of the entire youths in Nigeria. When you go to church, what do you tell God at mass?
For 150 years, the Roman Catholic Church has been in Anambra. They have a say in the government. They work in pare passu. Ecclesia et gubernatio. It has been uneasy for the church to attract huge technology plants and industrial cities, nonetheless. They are left with Peter Obi's alcohol brewery, which has left the beloved Anambra in a complete state of inebriation.
Research shows that there is a correlation between violence and alcohol consumption https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4583145/ .The rate of violence in Anambra state could be linked to its catholic history and alcohol abuse. To begin with, the Roman Catholic Church promotes a culture of drinking alcohol amongst the youth population of Anambra State. Most Roman Catholics drink alcohol or don't see the effects of drinking among the youth unfortunately. See the prostitution in Italy due to alcohol and drugs.
The three institutions above should be held responsible for the utter annihilation of Anambra state, not Native Doctors alone. They are the lesser evil even. Only an Elijah slaughtered all the prophets of Baal, so, I don't want to focus on the pitiful disillusionment of the latter.
Many studies indicate that alcohol abuse and dependence are closely linked with the criminal justice system (CJS). Half of homicides and assaults are committed after intoxication, and nearly 40 percent of state prisoners say that they committed their current offense under the influence of alcohol. For the most part, Alcohol abuse cost approximately $13 billion in 1992 non-health related expenses. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11444156/
Research has shown that drinking alcohol in Anambra state is relatively high and easy to access amongst drivers, tricycle riders, jobless youths and laborers. Available data shows that there are more drunks in Anambra state than elsewhere in the Southeast of Nigeria. (https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=96594)
Why is that so? Anambra State has 5,084, 195 residents. The state has about 3,185,561 Catholics. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Awka and the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha have over 236 parishes and are served by about 698 priests. They also have about 1418 religious individuals and over 378 senior seminarians. In fact, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Awka, which is located in Anambra State, has the highest number of priests among Catholic dioceses in Africa. The doctrine of freedom to drink has negative consequences on the crime rate of many citizens, the church should not look away.
Men who should have set that small city on fire 🔥for Jesus Christ, for revival, for development, for love and peace and change are busy condoning alcohol drinking. They are busy fighting Fada Ebube Muonso. Now, their youths are wasting away, drunk and forsaken, due to internal rivalry, distraction, egocentricism and waste of sacerdotal grace.
Do you know that the Catholic Church arrived in Anambra State in 1885 when Father Joseph Lutz and his missionaries arrived in Onitsha?
That's 150 years.
Yet we are seeing the rise of African Traditional Religion, a brazen indicator of lukewarmness and debauchery in the church in Anambra. This is a call to wake up. Set your parish on fire for the Lord. Native Doctors would be out of business. How many will you arrest? It is like arresting prostitutes, while you have not done anything to dissuade their customers. Many more will continue to patronize Native Doctors in other states and countries even through the Internet.
The Roman Catholic Church, for 3 years, could not stage a protest to force Gov. Charles Soludo to put CCTV camera and security training school in every ward in Anambra State to help build a solid and vibrant vigilante group that will mitigate against the activities of IPOB and other bandits having field days in Anambra State.
The Roman Catholic Church for the last 39 months could not compel the governor to build industries, factories and agricultural processing centers that would employ our idle youths. But, from politicians they keep accepting gifts and accolades.
Amongst the scale of the institutions which have let the youths in Anambra state fall into this decrepitude - constant kidnapping, ritual killing, armed robbery, homicide, terrorism and untold evil. Anambra is drunk with blood, why blame Native Doctors? Are they behind joblessness, hunger, lack of wisdom, drunkenness amongst Nigerian youths?
Some of these young billionaires donate a lot of money to the Roman Catholic Church and build castles for them.
There are about 413 functional native doctors in Anambra State, but we have about 2000 career politicians and priests with no tangible political and economic program for the poor youths. The dog has wounded the hunter, now the bushmeat is gyrating.
Yesterday, I saw a man on Facebook who was crying and cursing the Catholic Church, for losing his wife and daughter in a stampede at Okija, Anambra State. That stampede was the last straw.
Every Catholic, from childhood, unlike Protestants and Evangelicals, is exposed to drinking and hatred on other believers. That should stop.
The Catholic Church has over 90% of Anambra by its balls, by its theological sponsorship of alcoholism, its inability to address the ritual consciousness of its members in Anambra State is horrible.
The Church must do two things:
Become aggressive in speaking the apostolic message of love, reject Soludo's sandwich game and expose all bad leaders.
Become adorably advocative in speaking against alcohol use, possibly change its communion wine to juice.
From March 2022 to February 2025, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR has never reduced the reliance of the state on FAAC - it's still 76.94% reliance on The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly allocation.
To reduce insecurity the state governor should urgently:
Install CCTV posts, with a mix of vigilante and police in every mobile unit, thoroughly armed. Use the security votes secure the state.
Build agro-processing centers and factories in every local government with the LGA allocations so as to create jobs.
Invest in PPP based bus transportation network in every town and city and pipe borne water project in every home so as to stop this dirty bagged water epidemic. Within a year, Anambra State would be competing with Lagos state in revenue generation and in better standard of living. These four projects will eradicate insecurity in the state. Saving money for second term is bad for the business of the state.
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