ABUJA - The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, the Most. Rev. John Onaiyekan, says Nigeria can only achieve unity, if the issue of indigenship is abolished.

He said at the first Synod of the Archdiocese yesterday in Abuja that the church was committed to promoting unity, not only in the Abuja archdiocese, but in the country as a whole.

Onaiyekan said: “Every Nigerian needs to be at peace.

The whole idea that you must not have your rights unless you are an indigene should be gone.

“You should have your rights as a Nigerian, no matter where you are. And I imagine that in the FCT, that message is clear.”

According to him, the church as a family of God, will show to the larger community, a practical example of how to live in unity, in spite of the country’s diversity.

He added: “The archdiocese is that place, where we all live together, although we are from different tribes, we celebrate our differences and appreciate the gifts of God.

“The Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Tiv and Akwa Ibom - all relating together, while at the same time working in the world out there.”

Onaiyekan, who is also the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said the synod, the first in Abuja , would focus on evangelism.

He said it would also dwell on how the church could carry its divine mandate to make positive impact on the people.

Rev. Fr. Jerome Bello, the Synod Coordinator, said the synod was the celebration of the Catholic faith, since first Catholic church was established in the FCT in 1981.

“Having laboured for close to 27 years, it is important to stop and re-examine ourselves, how far we have gone, where we are going, and how do we get there?. This is the reason for the synod,’’ he said.

Reports say that the delegates were drawn from all the parishes in the archdiocese.