The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Revd Ignatius Kaigama has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 governors to urgently address the lingering insecurity, economic hardship and industrial action by university lecturers in the country.
Kaigama, who made this call while speaking at the maiden general congress of the indigenous people of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, last Saturday, stated that Nigerians were angry, sad and frustrated with the current state of affairs in the country.
The archbishop condemned the ostentatious display of wealth by political leaders, including the exorbitant cost of party nomination forms for the 2023 elections, and pointed out that if nothing is done about the situation of the poor masses, it might end up destroying the fabric of Nigeria’s nationhood.
He said, “There’s insecurity, hunger, unemployment, and the youths are out of school. Government should be responsible and provide for us. Unfortunately, that is not happening and there is a very great degree of disaffection. People are angry, sad and frustrated.
“We are saying the government should wake-up to its responsibilities. The government should open its eyes and look at the people with justice and mercy.
“The insensitivity of our politicians amazes me. They know there is suffering in the land, but I can see an arrogant display of wealth in the way they organise their political activities and events, but there is no money to ensure security, to ensure the university students go back to school, to ensure that people can afford food in the market, and to service the health sector.
“I call on our leaders to rethink and know that there is God and He is watching. The resources we have, let us use it for our people and not personal interest.
“Politics is all about service to the people, and good governance. It is not just about aspiring to gain access to the wealth of the nation and use it in a very arbitrary manner.
“Our leaders must stop and think. Something is wrong. Our people are bottling up their anger for so long. Let the leaders not allow this anger to burst, because it is going to be terrible.
“We hope that something will be done quickly and also with sensitivity to the needs of the people, whether it is electricity, university education, water supply, roads, and above all, security. We need these things now. We elected our political leaders to provide these, and they promised to do so, but we are dismayed that they are so incapable and unwilling to provide these basics for the people.”
Kaigama particularly called on the Federal Government to work towards addressing the plight of the indigenous people of the FCT, who he noted, were marginalised both in the execution of infrastructure projects and political appointments.
“Due recognition must be given them. They must be considered in the scheme of things. The government should try to include their communities in the provision of social amenities and other developmental projects rather than marginalising their communities to the periphery,” the archbishop stressed.
The cleric, however, maintained that the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja was doing its best in spite of its meagre resources to help the indigenous people of the FCT understand that there is hope in life through critical interventions.