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By Madu Obi
The Methodist Bishop of Awka, Rt Rev Moses Nwakanma says it is lamentable that Nigerian leaders have developed hard skin against the people they are supposed to protect, noting that the situation has turned into something close to a curse.
Delivering his address at the 2024 synod of the diocese, the Prelate took a cursory look at most of the policies being taken by Nigerian leaders and described them as anti people.
He said: "It appears that the more we talk, cry, complain, discuss, analyse and agitate, the more our rulers develop hard skin and understand unimaginable insensitivities to the sufferings and plights of the people. Imagine a land so abundantly and richly blessed with both human and material resources.
"Look at how divinely endowed and blessed the country has been, yet it has turned into something close to a curse."
The country is economically, politically, religiously and socially bedeviled with myriads of man- made crises and I began to wonder if there still remains any humanity in our beings at all.
"I say this against the backdrop of the fact that just ten months ago, they bamboozled us with the claims that they have removed subsidy and they tactfully succeeded, but this unilateral decision had just roundly crippled the country.
The claim was that trillions of naira would be saved from the fuel subsidy removal and it is getting close to one year since it was propagated that Nigeria would be better once subsidy is removed.
"If I may ask, where have the monies being saved channeled to? Health, education, infrastructure or salary increments? Where are employment opportunities? Are we faring better now as a people? Ironically, pains, agony, frustrations, hunger and anger are what we have."
"I am taken aback to hear that they are withdrawing the so-called subsidy on electricity. We have been not recovered from the ones they removed from fuel and we have not seen any gain, except that few people have more than enough money to share and waste in luxury."
"How would Nigerian manufacturers compete with their peers when you increase their payment for epileptic power supplied to them? With diesel close to two thousand naira per litre, is it not a license for manufacturers to wind up business?"
"If one percent of the amount of energy and knack employed by the Nigerian rulers to withdraw subsidies and increase pains is directed at uplifting the people, providing infrastructure, good governance and purposeful leadership, the country would be better".
Bishop Nwakanma also spoke on insecurity in the country, frowning at a situation where killers, bandits, herdsmen and kidnappers were operating brazenly and have almost brought the country under a siege, while security operatives keep on harassing, intimidating and even killing those they are paid to secure.
According to him, even the Nigerian courts seem to have become the most hopeless place to go for search of justice, especially as a poor person.
"We seem to be a country that celebrates impunity and brigandage depending on where the perpetrator is coming from", he said.
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