Abuja, 05 October, 2022 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
There is need to work towards changing the negative perception around politics in Nigeria as “a game for rogues, thieves and liars” to being perceived as “a noble task”, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has said.
In his second annual lecture at Loyola Jesuit College in the Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria that was published Wednesday, October 5, Cardinal Onaiyekan made reference to the Vatican II document on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, and went on to acknowledge the challenges of engaging in politics in the West African nation.
“In our situation in Nigeria where politics has acquired a very bad name, it is extremely important that we find ways and means of changing the language and insist that politics is not a game for rogues, thieves and liars,” the Cardinal said in his lecture, which he delivered on October 2.
The 78-year-old Nigerian Cardinal who retired as Archbishop of Abuja in November 2019 underscored the value of politics, described its practice as “a noble task that honest people, who love their nation and love their people, get involved in.”
The Catholic Church leader whose lecture was based on the topic, “Politics: The Difficult and Noble Art” found it regrettable that the practice of politics in Nigeria has been associated with greed and devoid of the virtue of honesty.