From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Bishop on the Niger, Rt Rev. Dr Owen Nwokolo, has expressed concern that the much-desired change preached by the All Progressives Congress (APC) adherents is yet to impact on the Nigerian masses who, he said, are bearing the brunt of economic hardship the ruling party has unleashed on the nation by failing to read some handwritings on the wall.
While speaking on national issues, in Onitsha, Anambra State, Bishop Nwokolo said that many Nigerians today felt that the Federal Government had outlived its usefulness. He noted that Nigerians were worried that the government could not meet the demands of the masses as the cost of essential commodities and petroleum products had gone beyond the reach of the common man.
“Although, President Muhammedu Buhari has made some progress, particularly in the fight against corruption and reforming the country’s military, the fight against the extremist group, Boko Haram seems to have threatened the stability of Nigeria. The group’s insurgency has left the country confronting widespread internal displacement, a humanitarian disaster and the dire need for reconstruction in the North East,” he noted.
The Bishop said Nigeria, a major oil producer and Africa’s most populous nation as well as its largest economy faced additional challenges like an unparalleled economic crisis triggered mostly by low oil prices, a growing agitation in the South East by pro-Biafra nationalists and resurgence of militancy in the Anger Delta Region over economic grievances. He noted that the health challenges facing President Buhari and “the hide-and-seek game” associated with it had remained a sore taste and a challenge to effective administration of the country.
Nwokolo said there was an urgent need to deliver reforms on economic policy and address the issue of the demise of infrastructure, “particularly in the South East.” He expressed worry that the construction of second Niger Bridge had remained a mirage, adding that almost all the Federal roads in the South East were in a deplorable state. He called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to address the issues.
The Bishop said it was surprising to see that the President had not addressed the menace of Fulani herdsmen. He noted that their sporadic attacks on farmers were spreading like wild fire from the North to the South unabated. He said Federal Government had it as a responsibility to protect the lives and property of the citizens. He explained that if the government ignored its responsibility, the citizens would be forced to take up arms to defend themselves.
He accused Nigerian politicians and those at the helm of affairs of being responsible for the numerous woes of the nation. He said that one of the greatest challenges responsible for the economic recession facing Nigeria now was the greed of politicians. He noted that politicians had crippled the economy through the inflation of contracts, siphoning of money to foreign banks and storing others in private residential buildings and underground tanks.