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By Okey Igwesi
THE visit by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN to Mr president at Aso-rock on the state of the Nation’s economy and other national issues are worthy of praises by all than criticisms from few selfish and disgruntled politicians .
The outcome of this visit/ meeting with the president, Ahmed Tinubu and the appraisal of this visit by John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Emeritus, Archbishop of Abuja, Archdiocese , and attacks on him by the presidential spokesmen, Bayo Ononuga and Daniel Bwala are clear indication that our president has been in hostage and not in tune with reality of state of things in a nation he ought to be in charge ! This is very unfortunate!
The bishops went to Aso-rock not to sing on! “Mr president mandate we shall stand “, as was the case of a similar visit by some state stakeholders from Enugu some months ago; but to speak truth to power! . This is the objectives and concerns of these men of God; ” to cry and remind Mr president of the pains of millions of Nigerians who are suffering and dying of hunger on daily basis”. These are hard truth our president should know and may have accepted with humility and empathy , but rather choses not and , dismissed all as politics, with blame on state of hunger on high population, “that is chasing few goods” ; an old concept of Thomas Malthus , an English demographer and political economist on population theory and law of diminishing return and pressure on limited resources. This is what Mr president hangs on and forgotten that high population in Morden economy is an asset than a course. The Chinese and Indian economies with high population have proved it !
Can “Mr president view, on this matter suggests that mass poverty , deaths, banditry and terrorism arising from the plannessness of his APC government and as being experienced today, be assumed as state induced policy by his government to reduce the population of this country? “!
The negative response to the visiting Bishops by the president also ; that ” the church should rather help to feed their members to reduce hunger was to many , a mockery than show of empathy and concern as a father and president who cares for the people he is leading”!
The visit of these spiritual fathers has indeed exposed a lot of the hypocrisy in the APC and their hidden agenda to grab power at all cost; and in current campaign of Ahmed Tinubu for second term in office . The slogan: ” on his mandate we shall stand” is not only a fake , but an act to deceive and capture power by those manipulating the system to achieve their selfish goals. This is equally the slogan / mandate the Enugu State governor, Dr Peter MBA is hanging on and deceiving the gullibles, his praise singers and sycophants in Enugu state. Thank God their hypocrisy has been exposed through the genuine visit of these concerned Catholic Bishops to Aso-rock. This is a big lesson ndi Enugu should take home and que in for a change of this APC government .
In the words of one Muazu Elazeh who asked : ” when Aso-rock approved Bishops request for a courtesy visit ; “was it expecting them to arrive and sing on your mandate we shall stand ?” Was the expectation of Mr president that the Bishops would join the growing army of praise singers who troop into Presidential Villa to reassure him that all is well with the nation?
Perhaps these were what Mr president was expecting but was disappointed!
Blaming that the Bishops were indirectly working for the opposition and for Peter Obi and Chief Chiyeaka Ohaa the Odalije of the NDC in Enugu state are pure act of cowardice and defence of a lost hope and; acceptance of defeat before the election. Their cries and comments of partisanship against the Catholic Bishops should equally be seen as a mere antic and cries of hopelessness of drawing elephants in a massive body of water! .
Okey Igwesi is a journalist and public commentator and analyst
English