The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Augustine Obiora Akubeze has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to use his second term in office to correct the anomalies of his past four years which has negatively impacted on all aspects of life in the country.
The CBCN President who is also the Catholic Archbishop of Benin City Ecclesiastical Province gave the remarks while speaking at the 60th Birthday anniversary celebration of the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins.
He opined that a second term is not a free ticket to continue on the path that leads to destruction; it is not a permission to continue to breed hopelessness and make Nigerians feel helpless, it is not a license to continue the seclusion of some sectors of the country in governance, neither is it a license to allow some persons to fuel religious crisis.
Archbishop Akubeze reiterating the challenges facing the country, saying many Nigerians are not happy with the present situation of
Governments at both Federal and State levels.
According to him, the income disparity between the poor and rich is increasing daily and the poverty rate is growing higher while the youths graduating from Universities have no jobs as many of them attempt to travel out of the country died in the Mediterranean Sea.
The CBCN President also noted that, the desire of all Nigerians is to have a government that serves the entire citizens, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or status, adding that the people want a government that creates an enabling environment for all citizens of the country to thrive and allow the country to develop without prejudice or preference for a particular group of the country at the expense of the others.
Archbishop Akubeze commended the celebrant, Archbishop Martins for his doggedness, steadfastness and total commitment to his vocation, with particular attention to defending the poor and speaking against injustice and other vices without fear or favour.
He described Archbishop Martins as an invaluable successor to Archbishop Emeritus, Anthony Cardinal Okogie in spiritual, pastoral and social responsibilities of the Church in Lagos Archdiocese; achieving much in his own strides.
He added: “We need to thank God for a man who when transferred to the See of the Archdiocese of Lagos, one of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions with the most population of Catholics, remained humble and spiritual.
“We need to thank God for blessing Lagos, Nigeria, and the entire world with this quintessential servant of the Church” he said.
