The Bishop of Ibadan North (Anglican) Diocese, Rt Reverend Williams Aladekugbe, has called on government at all levels to consider practical solutions in the new year rather than relying on palliatives.
Noting that such palliatives often fail to reach the populace and are exploited by unscrupulous politicians for personal gain, the Bishop urged all Nigerians to embrace righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness, emphasising the need to fight the good fight of faith for eternal life.
Bishop Aladekugbe delivered these calls in his New Year message on Sunday, imploring the government to prioritise investment in local government interests over federal issues to bring tangible benefits to communities and avoid chaos.
He further emphasised the importance of ensuring that no religion or tradition takes precedence over the constitution in every part of the country, warning that failure to do so would hinder national unity.
“We appeal to government at all levels to make life meaningful and livable for the citizens; the citizens are hungry and angry. The cost of living is astronomically high and unbearable. We implore the government to invest more in local government interests than federal government issues. This way, people can feel the effect of having a government rather than chaos in most parts of community living. We also plead that no religion or tradition should take precedence over the constitution in every part of the country. Unless this happens, we are obviously not one people.”
The Bishop expressed concern about the continuous devaluation of the Nigerian Naira and urged the government to address it seriously. He criticised the soaring prices of food items, highlighting the incongruity of a bag of rice costing N60,000 in a country where the minimum wage is N30,000.
Addressing the issue of safety, he noted that citizens often feel unsafe in the country, leading some to relocate due to perceived better security services in other countries. He cited Nigeria’s low ranking on the 2023 Global Peace Index (144th out of 163 countries) as evidence of the high rates of crime and insecurity.
Looking ahead to 2024, Bishop Aladekugbe urged Nigerians, especially the Church, to make a difference in the face of corruption and societal challenges. Expressing gratitude for surviving the ups and downs of 2023, he acknowledged the challenges, including pre-election issues, Naira redesign, cash shortages, fuel scarcity, elections, change of governments, and the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.
“As we begin the new year, we implore everyone to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. We must fight the good fight of faith and take hold of eternal life. As Christians, if we keep the faith and refrain from contributing to the ills plaguing our country, others will surely have a re-think.”
The Bishop concluded by thanking God for the new year and offering prayers for joy, peace, security, and fulfillment for all in 2024. “Happy New Year to us all,” he added.”
