South East leaders urge synergy between clergy, politicians

Part of the poor development in the political process in the South East has been traced to the quality of politicians in the zone, disunity and the absence of a synergy between institutions like the church and the political leadership.

At the first anniversary lecture of the Alaigb`o Development Foundation (ADF), yesterday in Enugu, various speakers lamented the low representation of appointees from the South East in the Federal Government cabinet and agreed that there was need for the zone to reassess its approach in national matters.

The guest speaker and Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, His Grace, Dr. Anthony Valentine Obinna, provoked the involvement of the church in the political process of the zone, in his lecture, “Religion and Culture in the Igbo Context: The Chukwu-Kristi Dynamic” just as the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Enugu and Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma said: “The voice of the church must be heard; most politicians are failures.”

Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi noted that: “It is important that we understand and recognize that as a people, we need to work together. And I am urging the Church to intervene and bring us together, because it is critical.”

The President of ADF, Professor Uzodinma Nwala stated that the Foundation was an “instrument for the Igbo intelligentsia, which included the church to insert themselves as a collective relevant factor in the social and economic rebirth and development of Igbo land as a key player in global affairs and history.”