Serious fear has been expressed that Nigeria may not successfully extricate itself from the pains of the current economic crunch if the federal and state governments continue to practice politics of compensation.
The Parish Priest of Saint Bridget’s Catholic Church, Okwuohia, Obowo local council area of Imo State, Rev. Fr. Joseph Okafor, who made his feelings known while preaching the sermon during the dedication of the twins of Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Ogwuegbu, also lashed political bigwigs in the state for “keeping quiet in the face of mounting irregularities in our dear state”.
“What we have in Nigeria is politics of compensation. The ability of political appointees to perform optimally in any office does not worry anybody. Imo State is today in a mess because all the bigwigs have been silenced by the government of the day”, Fr. Okafor said.
According to the priest, “pensioners have been sadly shortchanged in a manner alien to this clime but nobody is kicking against it”, even as he wondered how the state government expects victims, their friends and relations to be in the face of the glaring injustice.
“How can we be happy when our aged fathers, mothers and relations are suffering untold hardship and avoidable deaths? Governor Rochas Okorocha’s praise singers are still not seeing anything wrong in what their principal has done”, Okafor said.
Taking a hard look at what he termed “the senseless killing and maiming of innocent citizens by herdsmen”, the cleric sought to know how agrarian policy of the Federal Government can be realized in the prevailing circumstance.
“The Federal Government wants us to return to the farm but herdsmen have been killing and maiming innocent citizens in this land. We are yet to observe concrete steps taken by government”, Fr. Okafor said.
While saying that people abandon substance and pursue shadow in Nigeria, the Catholic cleric however lamented that “there is so much hatred, acrimony, rancour, murder and other serious crimes in our country”. He then cautioned that “if we must get out of today’s recession, the federal and state governments should look for the best hands to manage the country’s affairs, irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious leaning, otherwise, we will fail”.
