The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, has told Nigerians that God has not abandoned them despite the numerous challenges faced in the country.
Archbishop Ndagoso, who made the call in Kaduna during his Christmas message, said, “The difficult and challenging situations such as multi-dimensional poverty, hunger, high cost of living, continued insecurity, kidnappings for ransom, banditry, insurgency, armed robbery, systemic corruption, etc; it is easy to think that the Lord does not care about our plight and therefore not with us and has abandoned us to our fate”.
Ndagoso noted that Christmas is about new light and new life, adding that it is about a new birth of Christ into “our life to breathe new life into us”.
“What we celebrate at Christmas is indeed, God tearing the heavens open and coming down to save us, depraved and fallen humanity, for the Word became flesh and lived among us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us so that God will not just be up there, out there, over there only as a truth or a doctrine to be believed. He became flesh and lived among us, to give us the power to become children of God, to be part of our lives and we part of his”, he added.
He expressed dismay over the sufferings of Nigerians caused by bad leadership, saying that the cash crunch has wiped out many small-scale businesses in the country.
The Archbishop further said that many Nigerians have been pushed into depression due to the too many challenges in the country.
“The rate of depression and suicide in the country has exponentially increased. The prevailing issues of joblessness, poverty, hunger, insecurity and perceived neglectful governance creates an environment where many Nigerians easily succumb to depression, with some contemplating suicide. It is important to tackle the root causes of despair in our society.
“The majority of those who cleverly manipulate things to get into power and sit tight do not add value to our country. They feed fat on the common wealth, while the majority wallow in penury”, he stated.
He, therefore, tasked leaders and Nigerians to move the country forward, adding that Nigeria can be moved forward through the provision of good governance.
