The Archbishop emeritus of Nigeria’s Abuja Archdiocese faulted politicians for failing to pay attention to issues such as the prolonged strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the inadequate resources in public institutions.
He said legislators have approved huge amounts of money while schools are struggling and hospitals suffering from lack of drugs.
“For Nigeria to improve from bad politics that is fueling these challenges, we need to change,” the Cardinal who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 1983 as the Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Ilorin Diocese said.
Leaders need to use their authority “as service”, he emphasized, and added, “Even the knowledge we acquire is not to elevate us above other people, but to serve and help the society. This is what we call the philosophy of the education of the Catholic Church.”
The 75-year-old Cardinal who was hosted by the Local Ordinary of Oyo Diocese, Bishop Emmanuel Badejo during the October 13 event urged students of St. Francis Catholic College to use the knowledge they acquire from the institution to change the politics of the nation.
“It’s my hope that you will carry with you the good qualities that you have been taught here wherever you go. As you go, try to promote good qualities out there that are manifested through service as a way of changing the politics of our nation,” he said.
The Cardinal continued, “It will be wonderful if some of you who are classmates here were able to join hands together and continue to insist that we will play politics in a good way. There are a lot of bad politics out there, and to be able to improve them, you need to support each other.”
He went on to caution the students against “bad politics where authority is used for oppression and corruption,” and urged them to be alert, attentive, and to observe what is going on in the politics so as to develop the spirit of service in their mind.
“Politics mean organizing ourselves well. If we organize ourselves well, there will be peace, harmony, joy and prosperity,” the Nigerian Cardinal said.
If students were to start practicing servant leadership and carry along the practice beyond school, they will change the way of politics for the entire nation, he further said.
