…‘Let the older people give young people a chance’
… Enlists Nigeria, individuals as ‘prodigal sons’
Most Rev. Augustine Ukwuoma, Catholic Bishop of Orlu has said ruling the country is not anyone’s exclusive birthright. The Bishop stated this while delivering his homily at the Mass in commemoration of the official Opening Ceremony of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) 2022 Second Plenary Assembly on Sunday, September 11, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Orlu, Imo State. He harped on the need for only allround healthy politicians to vie for leadership positions to enable them surmount the challenges that come with leading a country like Nigeria. Bishop Ukwuoma stressed, “No one is entitled to rule as a birthright. Every tribe, region or religion has her share of competent and incompetent people; leadership is not a birthright.” He prescribed the health status of those who would want to lead the country. Hear him, “One should have the mental, physical and human capacities to lead.”
Bemoaning the current state of the nation which he designated “too sick” and needs resuscitation, he advocated for leaders like Moses who are people oriented at every stratum of the country, as he also called for youths to be given a chance to govern. He substantiated his demand, “Age has its wisdom, but youths have strength of mind and of body. Let the youth be given a chance to govern and lead our complex society in a modern complex world. “Let the older people give young people a chance, provide them with wise advice and counsel. The leader should know better, even when the rest do not understand. Our leaders should know that the inadequacy of the people is the justification for their incompetence and failures.” Reflecting over the economic strangulation of Nigeria and moral decadence, the prelate said that the country’s current deteriorating situation gives a deeper insight into ancient anecdote titled ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’ as told by Jesus to His disciples. He enlisted Nigeria as a victim of prodigality and some individuals among the avalanche of prodigal sons.
Bishop Ukwuoma said, “The story of Nigeria is a perfect analogy of a son who has squandered the goods of his father in an unprofitable life. After many years as a nation, we cannot account for the enormous blessings of human resources and natural endowments, bestowed freely on this country by God. A country blessed with arable lands and farming potentialities has become a population visibly looking famished due to hunger and high cost of food. “A country with natural endowments of oil and gas is importing fuel, the prodigal son didn’t even do much. A country with enormous blessings of a youthful population – therefore productive age – rather records the highest percentage of youth unemployment. A country with enormous youthful population (that could be employed in security work) is now on her knees and about to surrender her fate to armed bandits and terrorists.
“A country that has produced the best brains acknowledged internationally has now millions out of school, and its universities closed for many months; due to ASUU strike and our youths are roaming the streets which could lure them to crime (an idle mine is the devil’s workshop). “A country with rich linguistic and cultural diversity instead of blending it to form a rainbow is now bleeding from north to south, east and west, pointing at human tribal and religious sentiments at its worst. “A country blessed by deep sense of religiosity, which is positive, but religion is applied as political tool of oppression and marginalization, this is wasting of the father’s wealth. A country with many capable hands still has appointments made along tribal and religious lines. “A country whose currency forty years ago surpassed all the currencies of the greatest economies of the world, today a whole bag of her money is exchanged for a paltry one dollar! “What a prodigal nation ours has been and continues to be! The society is not working.
Things have fallen apart, and people are no longer at ease.” The Bishop of Orlu takes a swipe at individuals who he claims are as guilty as the prodigal son. “As individuals, some have not fared better. A lecturer who is paid to teach and form young minds but fails to do so, instead abuses them and takes advantage of them, is prodigal. “A student who was sent to the university to learn but goes there and becomes a cultist or indulges in unhealthy actions is prodigal. “Even a child who lies to parents and collects more money than was levied in school and uses the money to buy sweets or akara is prodigal. “A businessman or woman who uses his/her business acumen to exploit and damage humanity is equally prodigal. “A clergyman who uses his position and talent to divide the society, instead of promoting unity and peaceful co-existence has wasted his father’s wealth. “One who uses his wealth to oppress and dehumanise the indigent is prodigal. “One who is elected to lead and make life better for people but thinks of himself and family alone is a prodigal son or daughter. “A woman who uses her God given beauty to seduce men and break homes is wasting her father’s wealth.
“A contractor who absconds or does inferior job after collecting the contract money to acquire personal property is prodigality at its worst.” On the way forward, he advised us to return to the father like the prodigal son renouncing our waywardness, mend the broken relationship with the father individually and collectively. “We must not be tired of interceding for one another and for the world and our country before our merciful and compassionate Lord as our Bishops have done severally with, for instance, Prayer against Corruption. We must be honest in a country where honesty is a scarce commodity, where citizens and sometimes government agencies freely circulate fake news through the social media to control people’s mind and purposely tell lies to the people with impunity could be described as a “kingdom of lies”. Such kingdom doesn’t exist. “Like the prodigal son, let all make a mea culpa, for we have all in one way or the other squandered our father’s wealth, material, non-material or worshipped a molten calf. It’s time to return to the merciful compassionate Lord and Father whose mercy surpasses his judgment and wrath.” He however noted that there is so much shedding of innocent blood. The Bishop appealed to state and non-state actors to abhor violence, emphasiing that human life is sacred and must be respected.
To put an end to further desecration of the land he called on the authorities to embrace a new approach to solving our problems. According to him, resorting to Western approach to solving African problem through the court is good, but not the golden drug without side effects; it may deliver judgment which may not be justice. Bishop Ukwuoma recommended, “Therefore I strongly suggest genuine dialogue. Listening to people who feel aggrieved could help douse some of the ill feelings prevalent in our society. God in Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come let us reason together. Negotiation is a form of strength not weakness.”
