Olusegun Ariyo
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has called on the federal government to urgently tackle the issues of insecurity and economic hardship ravaging the country.
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, made this call in a message to felicitate Muslims celebrating the Eid-ul-Maulud, the birth of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH.
Archbishop Okoh urged Nigerian leaders to prioritise policies that will ease the suffering of the populace and ensure justice and equity for everyone.
The cleric emphasised the importance of fostering peace and understanding, urging all religious leaders to continue promoting messages of tolerance and coexistence.
“It is only through good governance and transparent leadership that we can restore hope and confidence in our nation’s future.
“As Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Maulud, we in CAN express hopes that the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH, will inspire Nigerians to pursue justice, peace, and a united Nigeria.”
“Nigeria’s. strength lies in its cultural and religious diversity and stresses the need for solidarity among all citizens,”
Meanwhile, the former Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has called on the federal government to review policy aimed at curbing the current economic hardship bedeviling the country.
Onaiyekan made the call in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of a Marian Concert, organised to mark the 2024 feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Abuja.
The clergyman, who lamented the economic hardship in the country, urged Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for leaders at all levels to always make the right decisions to curb the tension in the land.
According to him, if the nation is ruled well, there is more likely to be peace, stressing that when there is a sense of justice and equity, the nation’s common resources are equitably distributed.
“There is a limit to what that people can handle. You can’t tell someone to be patient with poverty while we see the people who are supposed to address our poverty, live flamboyantly, build huge mansions and have fleets of cars without caring how they are fueled whereas, the rest of us are queuing to get a few litres of fuel.
“There’s a need to review some of the policies that are giving rise to the kind of pain and poverty that we are not familiar with, we are not used to this, the middle class is now being completely whipped out, everybody is now becoming poor,” he said.
