Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged President Bola Tinubu and other elected public office holders to intensify efforts at healing political wounds from the last general elections and managing the nation’s diversity well.
He also called on the President to urgently address unfavourable effects of recent increase in price of fuel, occasioned by removal of subsidy on petroleum.
Kaigama cautioned the administration against borrowing huge sums of money and piling humongous debts. He disclosed this in his homily, at our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking on ‘The Blessed Trinity: Our Model of Community Life and Love’.
He said political leaders must take the lead in the pursuit for what unites and fosters a true spirit of nationhood, enhances good neighbourliness and patriotism over sectional interests, ethnic loyalty or religious myopia.
The cleric noted that unity and harmony in the Holy Trinity should be a model in Nigeria’s society plagued by divisions. He said: “It is no secret that we are divided along ethnic, social, economic, and political lines. But we must strive harder to live out the spirit of our national motto, ‘unity and faith, peace and progress’. Even while we wait for final declaration from the courts about Nigeria’s last elections, we must tell our constitutionally sworn-in leaders that we must recapture those traditional African values, where there was a great sense of belonging and where everyone was appreciated and respected.”
He called on the Tinubu led-government to restore security, break network of corruption, and reduce high cost of governance, which, according to him, are mainly responsible for poor infrastructure and people rationalising acts of corruption.
He added: “Nigeria is unable to construct excellent hospitals and schools. And our leaders the means are often seen patronising these institutions abroad, where things are working normally, instead of replicating the same facilities at home.
“We hope that there will be an end, henceforth, to borrowing huge sums of money (piling humongous debts) and not putting them to productive use.”
