The Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Odetoyinbo, has called on the Nigerian leaders to match their words with actions, and do all within their powers to end the present economic hardship in the country.
He urged politicians and those in positions of power to make sacrifices, stressing that their extravagant lifestyles and affluence while encouraging citizens to endure is a total betrayal of the ‘renewed hope’ vision, the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government presented to Nigerians.
Odetoyinbo, who said this in his 2023 Christmas Message, he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, noted that leaders living in affluence while citizens wallow in abject poverty is not in line with the ‘renewed hope’ agenda.
He challenged leaders at the various arms of government to rebuild trust and confidence in the people.
“The executive must engage in policies and programmes that will better the lives of Nigerians, the legislature must pass bills that are pro-life and reflect proper representation of the will of Nigerians while the judiciary must be the last hope of the common man not only in judgement, but also in justice. Unfortunately, the reality in our country speaks otherwise. This shows that we are all called to do more than we have done in the past, to build a collective trust in our country”.
In the message titled, “Christmas: Let us reawaken hope in ourselves and country”, Odetoyinbo said, “we cannot allow a few people to hijack our commonwealth and continue to advance their cause while the rest of us resign to fate and hopelessness. We are not Nigerians by accident, but by the will of God who created us wonderfully and beautifully with our colour, tribes and tongue. We cannot devalue ourselves and our nation and expect others to celebrate us”.
“We must be intentional about rebuilding and uplifting the glory of Nigeria by desisting from acts of terrorism, banditry, oil theft, arm robbery, kidnapping, electoral malpractices, maiming and killing one another; acts like these destroy our commonwealth and the integrity of our country both locally and internationally. We must enthrone the virtues of love, joy, peace, unity and humility before God. This is what Christmas must instill in us”.
