The Bishop, Methodist Diocese of Kano, Bishop Ibrahim Chindo has expressed regrets that 64 years after independence, the hopes and aspirations of the founding fathers have been dashed.
According to Chindo, things have deteriorated so badly over the last 64 years of Nigeria’s Independence.
Chindo stated his epistle was delivered at the Diocese conference with the theme: “Arise And Build.”
Bishop Chindo, who said many leaders have deviated from the fear of God, said when Nigeria gained independence 64 years ago, there was great hope that the nation of immense potential in both human and natural resources would become a leading light on the African continent and the world as a whole.
“Not only had the leadership of the newly independent country promised that they would leverage on the religious and ethnic diversities of the country to push for its overall development, the citizenry was excited that, at last, with the exit of the colonial masters, the new air of freedom would herald a new dawn of prosperity.
“However, the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians were short-lived as the military struck on January 15, 1966. Since that day, Nigeria has never been the same as corruption, nepotism, tribalism and favoritism along religious lines have become the order of the day.
“Today, most unfortunately, things appear to have changed very little. In fact, it can be safely said that things have deteriorated so badly over the last 64 years that Nigerians are now facing some of the most frightening challenges in the entire history of the country.
“Today, from the north to the south, from the east to the west, citizens live in fear and apprehension. Islamist terrorists, kidnappers for ransom, bandits, herdsmen and sundry criminal elements are having a field day.
“The military, police and other state security apparatus appear to have been overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of these bloody criminal gangs that are unleashing mayhem on innocent citizens,” Chindo said, worrying that only recently, the father of five girls kidnapped by a criminal gang had to source funds through social media to pay ransom for them.
“Sadly, one of them was not lucky enough as she was murdered in cold blood,” the Bishop said, adding that farmers have to pay levies and taxes to bandits and terrorists in order to access their farms.
“Governments seem to have abandoned their foremost constitutional responsibility of protecting the lives and property of their citizens. They have left huge ungoverned spaces which these criminals have promptly occupied.
“To further make life more unbearable, the country is today witnessing one of its worst economic problems. With inflation standing at an all-time high of 29.90%, majority of citizens are living below the poverty level with many unable to afford a decent square meal a day.
“And as the value of the Naira continues to plunge against the US Dollar (it now stands at 1US Dollar to N1,607), the costs of basic goods, most of which are imported, have quadrupled. Now, a 50kg bag of rice is selling for not less than N80,000.00 while a bag of cement that was sold for about N4,000.000 naira now goes for more than N10,000.00 in some parts of the country.
“The above are just two samples of the indices of the overall slide in the living conditions of citizens.
“Certainly, the country is on the precipice. Sadly, the political elite show no sign that they appreciate the suffering of the people and the dire straits in which the country is caught.
“The political class and those other elite who have reaped squandered the country’s huge natural resources continue to live in affluence while the majority wallow in abject poverty and want.
“Political pundits, economic experts and social commentators would easily proffer secular-based solutions to these problems. But the basic and underlying cause is that God has been removed from the hearts of our leaders.
“As a result, they have lost all love and compassion for the people they purport to lead. And, no doubt, any leadership that does not abide by God’s injunctions is bound to go astray.
“Therefore, this is a wake-up call to our leaders to retrace their steps and go back to God in repentance. They must make God the fulcrum of their governance. That way, God will have a say and take charge of the affairs of our country, for His own edification and upliftment of Nigerians from suffering,” the Bishop added.
Isuwa, this is a lazy man’s job. Count the number of quotes in this story alone. I have drawn your attention to this repeatedly without any change. If I don’t use your story again, don’t blame me.