The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja and former national president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has said the weak economy under the present administration has thrown millions of Nigerians into abject poverty.
Onaiyekan stated this at the special Citizens’ Summit, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the National Association of Seadogs, popularly known as Pirates Confraternity, at the weekend in Abuja.
Delivering a keynote address on the state of the nation, Onaiyekan maintained that only a few people who are in and outside of government and are personal beneficiaries of the performance of the government may be quite happy with the present situation.
Onaiyekan also declared that President Muhammadu Buhari appears to have no solution to the security challenges bedevilling the country. According to him, the state of insecurity in the country is making almost every aspect of “our national life problematic”.
Noting that there is large-scale grumbling on the part of the vast majority of Nigerians, Onaiyekan observed that the ongoing political campaigns are replete with catalogues of failures of the government, even from candidates in the ruling party.
The cleric added: “The state of insecurity is making almost every aspect of our national life problematic. Worst of all is the fact that it appears that the state has no answer to how to keep our nation safe, while to do that is the primary obligation of any government.
“There is also the growing poverty in the land. We are being told now that we are the “poverty capital of the world”. All the usual statistics point to the fact that Nigerians are being progressively impoverished. This is not just a matter of dry statistics. It is a question of quality of life and level of livelihood, right down to the basic needs of our lives. What do we eat? What shelter do we have? How do we take care of health needs?
“And undergirding all these negative factors is the major issue of mass pervading distrust of government on the part of citizens. It is certainly a major problem if people can no longer trust their government to be looking after their interests. The government will need to do a lot to regain this trust, which is necessary for any government to function.”
On Nigeria being referred to as a failed state, Onaiyekan observed that many people, especially foreigners have been predicting that Nigeria will soon become a failed nation.
While noting that the negative impressions about the pirates are based on ignorance of what they really stand for, he urged members of the association to try harder and present themselves in a more transparent and positive way to the public.
He, however, expressed optimism that notwithstanding the challenges, Nigeria is yet to reach the stage of total anarchy.
