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Archbishop of
Abuja (Catholic Diocese) John Cardinal Onaiyekan
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Archbishop of Abuja (Catholic Diocese) John Cardinal
Onaiyekan has alleged fears of impending crises during the general elections in
February.
The cleric said there was
no need for such fear.
He, however, urged
President Goodluck Jonathan not to fail Nigerians with his handling of the Boko
Haram insurgency.
Nigerians, he said, will
not accept excuses for failure to curtail the sect, whose activities have resulted
in the death of hundreds of people, according to The Nation. He urged the Christian to
“pray and work for peace”.
Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke
at the Akwa Ibom State-organized annual 9,999 Carol Night at the Akwa Ibom
Stadium, Uyo on Saturday night. He said Nigerian politicians must not forget
that though God expects human beings to organize their lives, which is why
there are governors and president, but God is the owner of all things.
He urged politicians to
seek power for the good of the majority of the people. People, according to
him, are the reason for governance.
“It is not enough to fear
God. We must rule according to His will and for the good of the people. People
are the reason for governance. Politicians are supposed to do whatever
they do for the good of the majority. We are looking forward to the chance of
making the choice of who will rule us,” the cleric said, adding:
“As we sit here, my heart
goes out to the babies who are being born in distressful situations, especially
in northeast states where Boko Haram has driven people away. Also, we should
remember babies in the terrible theatres of wars such as Pakistan and Syria.
Every child is precious. The lesson of Christmas is that the will of God will
always be done.”
Governor Godswill Akpabio
described the carol night as a celebration of love.
“Whether you are a Muslim
or Christian, we need a peaceful world for mankind to develop,” he said,
adding: “God is love, and out of love, God gave his only son for man to redeem
of his sins. This is the seventh edition but holding for the first time in the
new stadium. Our journey has not been easy. We have fought ethnicity. God gave
us the string to string them down. As the walls of Jericho came down, every
barrier to our success will come down. As we join our voices together, the
insurgence shall cease to be. Through our voices, the Ebola shall cease to be,
scourges of poverty in Africa will be erased in the continent through our
voices,” Akpabio said.
Continuing, he said: “I
declare peace and goodwill to all men. I am aware this is my valedictory carol
night because next year, I will not have the honour to do so, but I shall be a
special guest as senator of Nigeria.
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