You have destroyed Nigeria, resign now – Catholic, Anglican Bishops attack Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has come under immense pressure to resign due to the worst security situation in the country.
Catholic and Anglican Archbishops from across the country yesterday in their Easter messages decried the high level of insecurity, with some calling on Buhari to resign, having failed to protect lives and property, which they felt was the fundamental reason for the existence of government.
The clergymen include the Bishop, Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Timothy Yahaya, the Bishop of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Matthew Manoso Ndagoso, Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah and Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Diocese and President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Most Rev Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji.
Others are the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Owerri Archdiocese, Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna, Anglican Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, and Most Rev. David O. C. Onuoha, and Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Adewale Martins.
Efforts to reach the Presidency for comments as at press time last night proved abortive as calls put through the telephone lines of presidential spokespersons: Mr Femi Adesina and Mallam Garba Shehu, were not picked up. Text messages sent to their phones were also not replied to.
In their homilies, the Bishop, Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Timothy Yahaya, and the Bishop of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Matthew Manoso Ndagoso, asked the President to resign, saying a similar call by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, came at the appropriate time.
Bishop Yahaya said the right thing to do for a leader who could not deliver was to bow out of office.
“There is hope for Nigeria as a nation,” he said.
Similarly, Bishop Ndagoso said it was hard to disagree with the Northern elders’ position on the need for Buhari to resign from office over killings in the country.
He said the only thing the people got each time scores of Nigerians were killed, maimed and abducted, were empty assurances and reassurances of security by political leaders.
“My Easter message is that there is hope for every individual in this country, there is hope for Nigeria as a nation. I know what we are going through, it is a dangerous and perilous time. But I tell you the only tonic of tomorrow is hope.
“I don’t want to join issues with the Northern elders because I am not a politician. But the truth about leadership is that there is morality in leadership. If you cannot deliver as a leader in a civilised clime, the right thing and best thing to do is to bow out.
“But what gives me concern seriously is that I am not sure if the President knows that his name is going down in history as the President that is supervising the killing of his people, as a President who is the petroleum minister.
“Today in Kaduna, we don’t have petrol for how many months. As the President who is supervising the nation, ASUU has closed down universities, the future generation is bleak. As a President who supervises where you hear billions of naira being budgeted and you don’t see anything verifiable for it.
“So for me, I am not talking like a politician, I am talking as a citizen of this nation, I am talking with the voices of the masses, I talk with the reality on the ground.
“I don’t know those of you around Mr President, all you want to do is to rub his name from the glory of the future. I hope it is not the best thing you are doing because I don’t know if they are shielding you from the information.
“Look at the railway attack, our brothers and sisters are in captivity. And we are not hearing from Mr President himself. The spokesman can speak for the President that the citizens of this country are in the hands of terrorists. Mr President should sit up.
“Even if somebody is speaking for him, he is telling lies. At another clime, the President will not sleep, and heads will roll because somebody is responsible for the laxity that led to this train attack.
“For me, Mr President needs to do an x-ray of his leadership in the past seven years because by next month, he will be seven years fully on the saddle. Has he done very well? How much was Dollar when you took over power?
“How much was petrol when you took over power? How was insecurity when you took over power? Where was education when you took over power? Where was the name of Nigeria when you took over power?
“Today, we hear money being budgeted for a Turn Around Maintenance, TAM, of refineries, where are the refineries? And how do you want me to believe that corruption is being fought in Nigeria?”
Commenting on the state pardon granted former governors of Taraba and Plateau states, Jolly Nyame and Joshua Dariye respectively, the Anglican Bishop said: “Like Femi Falana said, somebody stole Indomie and you sent him to six months imprisonment and somebody stole billions of naira, you set him free.”
“Therefore, let’s go to our prisons and begin to apologise to the prisoners. You cannot set free those who stole the patrimony of the people and sent to prison to languish those who stole five thousand naira or one hundred thousand naira in this country.“
Are you telling me that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander? Ate you telling me that it is an animal farm that we have in Nigeria?
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