The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has called on political leaders to ensure they alleviate the suffering of the citizens.
Martins, who gave the charge on the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary, stressed the need for those elected into leadership positions in the country to wake up to the reality that Nigerians are going through an economic hardship unprecedented since the country’s independence in 1960.

In a statement signed by the Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the Archbishop said that government at all levels owe the citizens the responsibility of providing a conducive environment for their businesses to thrive as well as secure their lives and property so that they could afford the necessities of life and provide quality healthcare for their families. He said that successive governments since the Independence had failed to lead the nation in the direction of steady and sustainable development.

Martins specifically called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to pay greater attention to the cries of the masses by addressing the rise in cost of living occasioned by the removal of petroleum subsidy and floating of the currency, which have further impoverished the people.

The Archbishop also charged the governors to be more proactive in cushioning the high cost of living in their states by ensuring they truly utilise the resources accruable to the states for the good of the citizens rather than continuing to spend on the high cost of governance.

He equally challenged lawmakers to re-examine the existing laws to help reform the operations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and make it truly independent and free from all forms of interference.

RELATEDLY, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has charged leaders to end challenges undermining collective prosperity. In a statement, yesterday, Bamidele said: “October 1 obviously signifies the day of national significance in our history as a federation. It is a day of double celebrations when Nigeria will mark her 64th anniversary of political independence and celebrate her 110-year existence as a single political formation.”

“With these milestones, Nigeria has indeed come a long way despite the challenging and turbulent times she has gone through within these periods. Yet, we are a nation undergoing socio-economic and political transformation, which I believe, will soon bring forth desired outcomes.

“The onus now rests upon us all to focus our energy and intellect on what majorly unites us as a federation rather than what will further divide us along our ethno-political and religious lines.”