By Emma Njoku
Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Catholic Archbishop Emeritus, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie has said Nigerians have been let down by elected public officers at all the three tiers of government in the country.
The former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, in a statement titled: “Deprivation and agitation: A reflection on Nigeria’s late 2017 budget,” decried the living conditions of Nigerians.
He also threw his weight behind calls for restructuring, which current arrangement, he said, no longer serves Nigerians.
“Some people do not want to hear about restructuring, but, how long shall we fail to see the urgent need for far-reaching constitutional reforms in this country? The relationship between the government and the citizens places the citizen at gross disadvantage and the politicians at an undue advantage,” he said.
Okogie said the youths are the worst hit by the pronounced unemployment and hunger in the country.
“They (youths) are venting their anger on one another while we, their elders, are silent. Could it be that some of us, their elders, are stoking the embers of violent disintegration?” he asked.
He decried the level of poverty in the country and charged Nigerians to question those who managed the resources of the country.
“To say the quality of life of the average Nigerian is low is to state the obvious. The extent of poverty experienced by our people is simply unacceptable.
“This country has more than enough resources to make life livable. If there is so much discomfort, we must interrogate those who manage the affairs of our country. Why is it that the government, from federal to state and local levels, has failed Nigerians?”
Okogie bemoaned how the 2017 budget was presented to the legislature in the twilight of the 2016, but was passed into law on May 14, 2017, “more than five months into the year and close to six months after it was presented. For a country which should be in a hurry to exit the Destitution Avenue, this is simply unacceptable. It is another instance of failure of governance. Failure of governance is when government fails to serve the people. Nigerians should be worried about the way the budgetary process runs in this country.
“Before the budget was passed, how was government carrying out its functions? Who is accountable to who when it comes to how money is spent?
“Does this reflect a country that really wishes to put an end to corruption? But while there was delay in passing the budget, there is an early bird approach to the politics of 2019. The budget was not passed, but politicians were positioning themselves for the 2019 presidential elections.”
Okogie noted that the current spate of agitation and hate comments across the country were occasioned by untold deprivation.
“In the absence of a budget, the economic conditions in which we live continue to bite. Nigerians are hungry and angry. In their anger, they turn against each other on the social media, using unprintable languages, threats and violence to sort out their differences. Young Igbo insult the Yoruba, young Yoruba insult the Igbo, the North and the South have suddenly realised they cannot live together.”
The retired clergy regretted that rather than face politicians who abuse their offices and steal the wealth of the land, thus, depriving us of decent living, “young Nigerians tear each other apart in a society where civil discourse has become an unwanted alien.”
“We have said it before that we live in clear and present danger. We said it when herdsmen went on the rampage and arms were being brought into Nigeria by ‘ghost importers.’ Now, we should ask ourselves: is there a correlation between illegal importation of arms into Nigeria and the drumbeats and dance steps of war we are currently witnessing?” Okogie wondered.