ABUJA, MAY 12, 2020 (CISA)-Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has blamed selfish leadership for the chaos, violence and poverty witnessed in Nigeria.
“It is no longer a hidden secret that one of the major problems confronting us in Nigeria today is greed, and greed leads to corruption. If those in leadership positions whether government, traditional or religious were doing their work with all diligence and the fear of God without unnecessarily becoming hyperconscious of themselves, their families, their tribes or religious affiliation, we would not have earned the unflattering distinction of having the largest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world,” the archbishop said Sunday, May 10 during his homily at St. Matthew Catholic Church Ushafa, Abuja.
“The failure to ensure social justice is to a large extent responsible for why poverty prevails in our country and real peace has remained elusive to us, even when we pray and pray about this. This also explains why we witness increasing social ills like armed robbery, kidnapping, dishonesty, prostitution, brain drain, illegal migration and so on,” he added.
While condemning the unhealthy culture of hoarding and diverting medication, food items and other relief materials by those charged with reaching out to those without social security, the prelate noted that when the poor are denied what belongs to them, it lays the foundation of violence and chaos.
“That inability to recognize the needs of the poor and to be attentive and sensitive to their needs is what lays the foundation for violence. It is so sad that after being elected to leadership positions, many leaders soon forget or ignore the electorate.…as long as one person remains hungry or is in need, their leaders have no right to their wealth and to their lavish lifestyles…Leaders at all levels should show love to the needy,” he said.
