Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, has blamed Nigerians for the misfortunes and other sociopolitical, economic ills that have reduced the dignity and standard of living in Nigeria.
The outgoing Anglican Primate who spoke to reporters at the opening of the 2019 Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON) in Abuja, on Tuesday, in Abuja, insisted that Nigerians should not blame God but themselves for whatever treatment they are getting in terms of governance, respect for humanity, among others.
He said: “Nothing is happening to us today that we did not cause for ourselves. All the people in power who we claimed are treating us bad were elected by us. We agreed that they should be there either directly or by representation. So, we should know that we have a hand in what is happening to us.
“We collectively agreed to hand over our individual powers to them through elections and expect them to provide us with security, create employment and in total, improve our standard of living.
“So, if we desire a change, then we should pray for a peaceful change and not violent one which could be disastrous and catastrophic. We should also make wise decisions when next we have the opportunity to do so.”
He appreciated the Federal Government for the success made so far in containing the excesses of Boko Haram insurgents which, he said, led to significant drop in cases of bomb explosions in Abuja and elsewhere in Nigeria.
He maintained: “We are not saying that the situation has normalised, but there is significant and obvious improvement in the fight against Boko Haram. It wasn’t like this few years ago. Then, people could not gather for one purpose or the other without apprehension of possible attack.
“You can’t access the bus stops, market places, churches, offices and several other public places then without passing through series of checks by state and non state security officials. But that’s not the case today. The situation has improved significantly and we are grateful for that.”
He, thus charged the government to sustain the momentum and ensure that Nigerians are given strong assurance that their lives and property are safe, which is the sole responsibility of government.
He renewed his hope and faith in Nigeria and encouraged other Nigerians to do same, assuring them that things would get better soon.