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The Most Rev Callistus Onaga, Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, has charged Nigerian politicians and leaders to take concrete steps to make life more meaningful for the people.
Onaga, who made the appeal during his 2024 Christmas media briefing held at the Bishop’s Court in Enugu, decried rising food price and other items, due to greed being exhibited by crooked business owners who engage in price fixing.
Bishop Onaga also appealed to Nigerians to stop compounding the sufferings of their fellow Nigerians with the outrageous price hikes on food and household items during the yuletide celebrations.
He expressed concern about the sufferings most Nigerians were now heavily subjected, to the extent that a tuber of yam they were far less than N1000 now goes for over N5000.
Onaga said: “And what worsens it is that the same system that is making things difficult for fellow Nigerians made it even difficult for them to go to their farms – insecurity.
“Let us note that very clearly it becomes very obvious for us Nigerians that the issue of insecurity is not only being politicized but even ethnicised.
“We are doing a little bit of ethnic cleansing in some areas and then we are blaming the foreigners. No we are the one doing it.
“Here in the Southeast, we started killing ourselves saying that we are killing those who are supposed to be killing us. We are destroying ourselves we have done it for the past three years since 2021. We become cowards of our own actions here in the South-East.
“Let’s go over to the Northeast and all other parts of the North, go down to Benue you saw politics, you saw ethnic cleansing.
“Why will we sit down and plan our own destruction and few people will be profiting from that?
“That is what Israelite were suffering. Southern Judah were against Northern Judea. They were against one another and they were destroying themselves. Then foreigners will come – Assyrian and Babylonians came in.
“So the people were in trouble. I thank whatever government that think it is thinking right for us but let them think correctly. If you are trying to improve the economic situation of the country you don’t do everything at the same time.
“We have kept quiet for some time now. You cannot be making it difficult for people to get money because you said you are doing the so called cashless restructure that is not there and you gave the same money they are getting to go and buy again. What kind of economy are we copying? Where has it ever been done in the world?
“For the meantime, we have regularized the naira no matter however they want to talk about it, that the dollar will always be higher here in Nigeria. It is not artificial telling me why during certain religious festivals in this country the price of dollar will come suddenly down. We have experienced it; I have experienced it in this country. If they are celebrating from Thursday to Monday the price of dollar will come down, Tuesday it will go back.
“Who is doing that? There are things you can do you believe people don’t know. So why are we behaving this way making life difficult for ourselves?
“If you want to tell me that removal of oil subsidy will help the economy, my dear brothers who are piloting the affairs of this country, we have done it for how many months now, where are we?
“Neither the security nor the food supply, nor even the things God gave us in this country – crude oil – is anywhere to be found and you’re telling me you have wonderful economic policy.
“And the World Bank and everybody will be applauding you. Has it ever happened in their own country? And you want us to hail you and say that you are doing fantastically well. What have we not experienced in this country – structural adjustment, austerity measures, now it is oil subsidy measure? What is happening?
“So, we are just like the Israelites of old seeking for a Messiah. Can God give us a Messiah?
“At this Christmas we are hoping that things should be better. Can our politicians think otherwise and begin to make things easier? Will our politicians really believe that we the led have some measure of intelligence?”
While expressing hope that things would get better during this Christmas, the bishop said: “Can our politicians think otherwise and begin to make things easier? Will our politicians begin to really believe that we the led have some measure of intelligence?
“My dear fellow Nigerians, let us not add to the sufferings that are coming onto us by making things more difficult. At this Christmas, try to help everybody celebrate this Christmas by bringing down your prices, bring down whatever you are doing. Yes even in the church you should do something to bring down whatever levies so that people can really feel the impact of the celebration of love and celebration of joy at Christmas”.