The Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie,
has said President Muhammadu Buhari must do something fast to address hunger
across the country. Okogie said in an open letter to the President on Monday, that
Buhari’s campaign slogan was anchored on change.He stated, “Today, cries of
“hunger” could be heard across the length and breadth of our vast country.
Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good leadership, for peace,
security and justice.“This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and,
if you are already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be
written on the pages of history that Nigerians die of starvation under your
watch, as President, you are the chief servant of the Nation. I therefore urge
you to live up to the huge expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in
time saves nine.”
The cardinal said that Buhari and his party, the All
Progressives Congress, promised to lead the masses to the Promised Land.
He said that although it was not an easy task to lead, the
President during his campaign offered to take the enormous task of leadership. The
cardinal stated, “Nigerians are waiting for you to fulfill the promises you
made during the campaign. They voted you into office because of those promises.
The introduction of town hall meetings is a commendable idea. But in practice,
you, not just your ministers, must converse with Nigerians. You are the
President. You must be accountable to them. The buck stops on your desk. Even
if your administration has no magic wand at least give some words of
encouragement.”
He said that the President should instruct his ministers to
be sincere and polite at the town hall meetings, adding that their sophistry
would neither benefit Nigerians nor the President, Mr. President, if you want
to leave a credible legacy come 2019, in all sincerity, please retool your
administration. Change is desirable. But it must be a change for the better.
Let this change be real. Change is not real when old things that we ought to
discard refuse to pass away,” he added.
He said that the President must take a critical look at his
cabinet, policies and programs of his administration.
He added, “You will need to take a critical look at the
manner of appointments you have been making. It is true that commonsense
dictates that you appoint men and women you can trust. But if most of the
people you trust are from one section of the country and practice the same
religion, then you and all of us are living in insecurity.“ The Nigerian
economy has never been in a state as terrible as this. You as the President,
you are like the pilot of an aircraft flying in turbulence. Turbulent times
bring the best or the worst out of a pilot. We can no longer blame the
turbulence on past administrations. You know quite well that some of the
officials of your administration served in previous dispensations. Blame for
what we have been experiencing is in fact bipartisan in character.
“The entire political class needs to come together,
irrespective of party differences to acknowledge its collective guilt and to seek
ways of saving the sinking ship that our country has become. This cannot be
done if some officials of your administration demonize and estrange members of
the opposition.”
He said that if a large portion of the blame for the present
situation was to be laid on the doorsteps of the entire political class, the
search for solution must involve everyone. He said, “That is why no one should
be alienated. All hands must be on deck.
“This is the time to revitalize moribund industries,
reinvigorate our agriculture, make our country tourist and investor friendly,
and enable our young men and women to find fulfillment by contributing to the
common good.
“None of these lofty goals can be achieved without good
education. On this particular issue, recent appointments you have made in the
education sector raise a question: have you really appointed the best? Still on
education, it is important that our universities be allowed to use their own
criteria to admit students. It is a gross violation of the principles of
federalism and academic freedom for the Federal Government to insist that only
a federal parastatal can decide on who gains admission into our universities.”
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