Catholic Bishops in Nigeria of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical province have said that those representing Nigerians at the National Assembly are saboteurs.
According to the bishops, the lawmakers have “perfected the art of sabotaging the progress” of the people they represent.
This opinion was contained in a communique issued by the clergymen after their meeting for the year which was held at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Igoba, Akure, from July 19-20, 2021.
The Catholic clerics urged Federal Lawmakers to prioritise the interest of Nigerians above those of their political and selfish ambitions.
The bishops’ notion comes on the heels of recent debates over electoral reform, electronic transmission of electoral results, press freedom, and the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB), issues which the ministers believe must only be tackled with the people’s interest at heart.
They lamented that often “the work of those who represent the people on the federal level in Nigeria does not seem to bring much satisfaction to the people for whose interest they were allegedly elected, with the national assembly at various occasions prioritizing party and privileges over people’s rights and interests, relief and progress continue to elude Nigerians”.
The clerics condemned the passage of the amended Electoral Act and the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and urged Nigerians to challenge the Senate and the House of Representatives’ decisions.
They appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope in the possibility of a peaceful, united, and prosperous country, urging the media and civil society groups to sustain the momentum on increased public awareness and education on the importance of political participation at all levels of governance.
In the priests’ opinion, it is indeed “time for Nigerians to no longer simply roll over and accept non-representative decisions of the assembly but to challenge them by all legitimate means”.
“We say stand firm and never lose hope for God cannot be defeated. We call on Nigerians to continue to pray and work for a better nation, for we have no other country than this.
“If we do not give up doing good and believing in God’s promise, we shall see better days” the communique partly reads.
They further urged Nigerians to register and obtain their voters’ cards, noting that this grants them the power to exercise their rights to determine who governs them from time to time.
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