Politicians plunge Nigeria into chaos, poverty for selfish gains—cardinal Onaiyekan

Nigerian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, has accused Nigerian politicians of intentionally plunging the country into chaos and poverty for their selfish gains.

Cardinal Onaiyekan who made this submission on Thursday, during an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, said for too long politicians have been setting the masses against one another, through the fault lines of tribe and religion.

According to him, this situation has persisted for too long because the leaders are content with the status quo.

He said, “There is no fault line when it comes to the consequences of bad governance. I am not looking for a Christian or a Muslim President — most of the bickering amongst the masses are as a result of uneven government policies.

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“When it comes to consequences, there is no difference between Christians and Muslims — Nigerians have no issues with one another but politicians manage to manipulate our fault lines through religion and tribe for their selfish gains. If there are problems, people often run to their leaders, not their religious clerics, because they want their rights to be granted.”

The Catholic Cardinal further urged the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu to tackle the problems plaguing the economy in order to ensure a vibrant populace.

He said, “We need to fix the economy so we can be proud all over the world and as far as the agenda for the new government is concerned, we are all watching.

“Is there going to be a change and improvement, especially security? IDPs. Schools. Improvement of the economy. These are the issues and the new government has a duty to serve us and do what is right.

“I think we should put our rulers on notice that it can no longer be business as usual. We understand that politics is a difficult but noble act which is why leaders must sacrifice themselves for the common good. Is that the idea of politics in Nigeria.”