The Parish Priest of St Louis Catholic Church Idu, Abuja, Rev. Fr Patrick Alumuku has urged Israel and Palestine to end hostilities and give peace a chance.
The cleric made the call while speaking with newsmen on the sideline of his 65th birthday celebration.
“I am asking for a seizure of hostilities because this is exactly the problem that has held Palestine and Israel back; Israel could have been a major world power today.
“There are tensions and a situation of instability in Israel, I wish there should be peace between Israel and Palestine,” he said.
He said that one of his birthday wishes was for peace to reign between Israel and Palestine, and also in Nigeria.
Alumuku also said that what “Nigeria needs today is peace, and with peace, we have the capacity and possibility of moving forward.
“If we lack peace, we will be moving one step forward and take three steps backward which is what we have been experiencing since independence.”
According to him, peace is essential to the development of any nation.
“We want our leadership to establish true peace in our nation and to make sure that they spend more resources on peace than on anything else,” the priest said.
Also, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, in his message, described Alumuku as a hardworking priest.
The SGF, represented by Mr Simon Tyungu, also said that the Reverend “is a gentleman per excellence”.
“He has worked tirelessly to uphold the tenets and doctrines of the Catholic Church,” he added.
According to him, Alumuku was at the Vatican in Rome where he served with distinction.
Also, a businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, said he knew Alumuku through the SGF, adding that the priest was a wonderful person
He also spoke on the recent appointments made by President Bola Tinubu, saying all parts of the country were represented.
Eze, particularly said that the appointment of Akume as SGF ensured that “what belongs to the North, East, and South are equitably distributed”.
This, he said, would ensure peace in all regions of the country.
Rep. Nicholas Mutu (PDP-Delta) prayed to God to grant Alumuku good health and more years in the lord’s vineyard.
Mutu, who represents Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency of Delta, charged the priest to continue to serve as a blessing to all.
“He is our mentor, our prayer is that God should sustain him, give him a long life and good health, and let him never retire completely because we still need him and his services are still required.
He said that apart from mentoring, Alumuku also “goes out of his way to help others, he discomforts himself to help people”.
Mutu advised young Nigerians yearning for longevity in public service, to hold unto God.
