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…As he marks 40th ordination, 25th Episcopal anniversary
By Vivian Onyebukwa
The Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins, has advised the Federal government to come out with policies that will truly impart upon the ordinary Nigerians.
The Archbishop stated this during a Holy Mass Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos to mark his 40th Ordination and 25th Episcopal anniversary.
He decried the level of hunger and anger in the nation, saying that the only thing that can assuage all of these is for the government to take its responsibility seriously, coming out with policies that will impart on Nigerians. “A lot is expected of the government at this point in time because Nigerians have had such a terrible number of years, and it is hoped that who ever took us from the previous government will have to do better”.
He called on the newly appointed Governor of Central Bank, Yemi Cardoso to use his office to turn around the bad economy experienced by the citizens presently.
He decried the level of corruption embedded in the apex bank in the previous years, and asked the CBN Governor to find some ways of dealing with it and ensuring that Nigerians get a better deal.
The Archbishop stated that though Nigerians are expected to make sacrifices, government officials including the Legislatives and the Executives would also begin to make sacrifices for everybody to see that the sacrifices are being made, to also inspire the citizens to make sacrifices.
He noted that security should be the first line of action by the newly elected government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saying, “The government should do everything within its power to restore security in this nation because we have leaders from the different security agencies at this point in time, and we expect that the government will leverage on this newness of experience in order to ensure that we have a more secured nation than we have had at this point in time”.
Speaking on the nature natural disaster which has left some countries devastated, the Archbishop attributed it to the abuse of nature. “I don’t know anything about offending God, but I know about offending nature. We have abused nature, environment and we have done all kinds of violence to the environment, and so naturally the environment will in its own way, take back what you have taken out of it. So at this point in time, we should begin to act differently in terms of managing the ecosystem, ensuring that our actions do not cause havoc that will ruin the whole world in future not be become a desert or even be wiped out. Let us begin to change our attitude towards the things of nature. I ‘m sure God will not wipe out his people. Invariably when it happens we are going to cause it ourselves”, he said.
