Let’s Work Towards Changing the “bad name” of Politics in Nigeria: Cardinal

“Most Nigerians see politics as an arena to make oneself rich, certainly not to work for the common good," he said, adding, “It has almost come to be understood that you should not expect politicians to be honest.”

Politicians in Nigeria have been associated with liars, he said, and explained, “Their stock in trade is to try as much as they can to deceive people in the promises that they make and the actions that they take. All this needs to change if our life is to improve, especially in the present situation that we are now in the country.”

Politics in the West African nation will regain its noble status when those engaging in it are “ready to sacrifice a lot of their own personal convenience in order to serve the common good,” the Cardinal who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 1983 as Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Ilorin Diocese said.

“This means that those who up till now have been opting out of active politics because they think that it is a dirty game must now have a complete rethink and turn around,” he further said, and added, “Our nation cannot change for the better unless we change our concept of politics.”

The Cardinal went on to reflect on the general elections in Africa’s most populous nation slated for 25 February 2023, expressing hope in a large voter turnout.

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He said, “There is hope that we can change our concept of politics, in such a way that good people will come out en masse, not only to present themselves for election but also to make sure that they elect the right kind of person who can deliver on the right kind of politics.”

“This will not happen if we spend our time only in prayers, vigils and novenas, even though these are important. Rather we must also be involved,” Cardinal Onaiyekan during his October 2 lecture.

He underscored the need for Nigerians to fully participate in the general elections, saying, “We must have great awareness about what is happening around us and participate, all of us, each one according to his or her own possibilities and talents.”

Although the general elections are not far-off, the Nigerian Cardinal said, “We should not despair that it is too late to do anything meaningful. We can still do a lot now to work towards a different Nigeria and a better one too.”

He faulted the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) political parties for monopolizing the politics of the West African nation since 1999 without justifying the “trust that they have been demanding” from Nigerians.

Until now, he said in reference to PDP and APC, “we had no other choice and therefore, we were forced to keep shuttling between one and the other. Faces were changing, but the essence of the political system has remained the same.”

“What we need now is not only a change of faces; we don’t even need to worry about the faces. What we need now is a completely new game with new rules. The rules, system and practice of politics in our nation in the last 16 years have been anything but satisfactory,” the Cardinal lamented. 

He continued, “We are not condemned to continue in the same way. There is a hope now that there is a different and possibly better way out. There is a possibility of redemption. This is the grave and urgent concern of all Nigerians.”

To transform the politics of Nigeria, Cardinal Onaiyekan encouraged attention to Church documents, including Laudato Si’, Fratelli Tutti, and Caritas in Veritate.

“For us in Nigeria, even though we Catholics are not that many, we should be proud that we have something to offer to our nation, by presenting to our fellow citizens the values of catholic social doctrine,” he said in his October 2 lecture at Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, Nigeria.

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Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.