…as Ezeemo blames Government for agitations
From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, His Lordship Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, has asked the Federal Government to use the occasion of the 57th Independence anniversary of the country to address vexatious issues.
Speaking to newsmen at St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka, the Bishop said matters of inequalities and marginalisation of some areas of the country were real and should be addressed to assuage various agitations in the country
Ezeokafor while calling for an a Nigerian nation anchored on egalitarianism devoid of marginalisation and inequality also said for the unity of the country to be real, every section should be given equal representation in the polity.
He said no part of the nation should be an opportunity cost to the other.
“The country is marked by tension, agitations and general sense of hopelessness and dissatisfaction as a result of years of injustice, inequality, corruption and impunity. The unity of Nigeria is important, but there is no doubt that we have been long in the union and all efforts should be made to sustain it.
“The truth remains that if we are dealing with individuals and groups with interest, then there is need for negotiation and restructuring to ensure a just and fair egalitarian society,” Ezeokafor said.
The bishop also urged the Federal Government to listen to its people and allow wisdom to prevail; saying restructuring will guarantee devolution of powers to enable states control their resources.
He urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the leadership of the country, urging also the need for re-orientation of Nigerians towards patriotism.
Meanwhile, an Industrialist and Candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance in the forthcoming Anambra Governorship election, Godwin Chukwunaenye Ezeemo, has identified electric power as the mother of Nigeria’s problems while calling on the government to give a decisive solution to the epileptic power problem in the country if they are serious about moving it forward.
Reflecting on Nigeria at 57 celebrations Ezeemo while congratulating Nigeria for surviving as a nation for so long, opined that constant power supply was the first indicator that a country is on the sure path of sustainable development.
In his words, “Nigeria, right from her independence, has had the resources to achieve steady and clean energy for all her citizens but has not been able to do so because the public funds meant for it has been going into private pockets.
“Lack of the constant power supply has been crippling our economy.
“Till we can achieve this, whatever else we are doing is tantamount to playing.”
He condemned past leaders for not identifying and addressing constant supply as a matter of necessity and called on the present federal and state government to learn from the country’s past mistakes and work on emancipation of the nation.
The technocrat also blamed the government for the protracted agitations from the youths saying that the agitations linger because of the paucity of good leadership in the country. He said that leaders in the past have failed to fulfill their promise to their youths leaving them frustrated and prone to manipulation by dishonest politicians.