Continue to Speak Out, Obi to Bishops

By Jude Atupulazi

The Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has urged the bishops and leaders of the Church not to relent or be discouraged in constantly speaking out against societal ills in the nation, which, he said, are getting worse by the day.

Obi said this while addressing journalists after the opening Mass for the 2nd Plenary of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria held in Enugu. He explained that the challenges facing the nation were as a result of bad leadership which had fettered the nation over the years.

Obi lamented that the leadership recruitment process in the country was faulty and had continued to produce political leaders who were not leading the country in the right direction. He appealed to the bishops to join their voices in reminding the people of the need to elect capable leaders who had track records of integrity into office.

‘The recruitment process through which leaders come into office is far more important than what they do in office,’ Obi maintained.

On the issue of worsening insecurity, Obi urged the government to do more in fighting the problem, while maintaining that building a viable economy would be critical in tackling the menace. He said that poverty alleviation, job creation, and other economic activities, were useful tools for combating insecurity.

Obi also appealed to the bishops and religious leaders to keep speaking out against corruption and abuse of office, which, he said, had permeated every part of the country. He maintained that public office holders should always account for funds entrusted to them.

Speaking on Nigeria’s debt profile, Obi said that borrowed funds must be channeled into production and not for consumption and urged church leaders in Nigeria to join their voices and speak out more against the ills of Nigerian society.