• Catholic priests to president: Killings, sign of bad leadership
Aloysius Attah, Onitsha; agency report
Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Nicholas Okoh, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to act fast and address starvation in the country.
The primate also warned leaders against shifting blames to others; after being elected into power.
“There is hunger in the land and the federal government should make haste to salvage the deplorable situation. Widespread unemployment in the country should be tackled by the government as a matter of priority.
“Government should expedite action in this direction so that our young people can make meaningful contribution to society and find fulfillment in their fatherland. It will be moral evil for any candidate to gain the confidence of the people, then after being elected into power, instead of improving the lots of the country, to turn round and start to blame past governments,” Okoh said.
In his presidential address to the Diocese of Abuja Synod, held at Basilica of Grace Gudu, Abuja, primate Okoh said apart from the languishing starvation among the workforce, the pensioners, who are suffering, needed to be remembered too, and commended government for the steps it took in responding to the cries of workers on meager wages.
Meanwhile, regional Union of Catholic Priests in West Africa has alleged that the spate of killings across the country is ign of bad leadership.
President of the union, Rev Fr (Dr) Martin Onukwuba in a statement released to newsmen, in Onitsha, yesterday, aid West Africanpriests, whom he represent, are saddened about the unprovoked killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Fr. Onukwuba, who is the parish priest of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Alor, Onitsha Archdiocese said: “We are not in a civil war and we want to be one Nigeria…Everyday, we Catholics pray for our leaders…We call on Mr. President to arrest the situation now…”
The cleric noted that leadership is about service to the people and doing for them what they cannot do on their own.