…..Says Democracy Day without amenities, citizens’ welfare is useless
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
As Nigerians expect the emergence of new leadership of the National Assembly today, the Archbishop of Enugu Province and Bishop Anglican Diocese of Enugu, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma has called on President Bola Tinubu to allow equity and justice prevail at the selection/election of the President of the Senate.
Chukwuma who spoke in Enugu charged the present government to ensure it pursues things that make for peace and unity of the country, warning that no religion should be discriminated against.
The Archbishop specifically asked President Tinubu to use the election of the President of the Senate to show that Nigeria belongs to all, including Christians and Muslims.
He said, “The present President should know that he is both President of Christians and Muslims and so equity and justice must be allowed to prevail even in the selection and election of the Senate President that is coming up today after the inauguration of the National Assembly.
“We are praying that Nigeria will continue to be one but no religion should be discriminated against because God wants unity and peace for us in Nigeria.”
The Archbishop urged the present administration to beware of the likes of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai whom he (Chukwuma) berated over his statement on Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He said, “Democracy Day celebrated without the Muslim-Muslim ticket working should be a shame to El-Rufai for all the nonsense he has been talking about concerning the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“El-Rufai should know that this country belong to all of us and that to keep Nigeria one, which was the war that was fought, must not be neglected.
“It is unfortunate that a Governor that had served both Christians and Muslims should be making statements that Muslim-Muslim ticket should continue without reasoning and seeing what had happened on June 12, that God has authority to thwart Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Although we are celebrating democracy day, Muslim-Muslim ticket never worked. And so there is every suspicion that any Muslim-Muslim ticket anywhere with God’s intervening may not work, so El-Rufai should withdraw his statement and stop insulting Christians as if we are nobody.”
Chukwuma lamented that celebrating Democracy Day without necessary amenities and citizens’ welfare is of no use.
Apparently referring to the present hardship Nigerian citizens were passing through occasioned by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy without a cushioning programme, the Cleric said the government should do the needful to get Nigerians out of the present problem.
He said, “May God bless us and may more peace and unity be celebrated for Democracy Day. But Democracy Day celebrated without proper amenities and welfare of the people is useless.”