Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, has called Nigeria uninhabitable especially for young people who are forced to leave the country and migrate illegally to Europe.
While addressing the media ahead of a church gathering in the Nigerian capital on Tuesday, the 75-year-old Cardinal said that if he were the president he would resign.
“If I were to the president of such nation, I will not hesitate to resign if I continue to hear such a statement from my younger generation,” the Catholic cleric said, reported BBC.
Cardinal Onaiyekan said that the people of Nigeria are at the mercy of kidnappers and bandits waging war on them. He said he felt ashamed when he saw trafficked Nigerian women walking the streets as prostitutes in Rome and other Italian cities. He said that the authorities should be able to beat kidnappers preying on the population and extorting huge sums of money in ransoms.
The senior Catholic cleric lashed out at Nigeria’s politicians, saying one should not go into politics if they have no vision on how to develop the country and provide adequate security to the people. He criticized officials for focusing only on building their own mansions and traveling the world rather than tending to press business at home.
“If you live in a nation where your young people are telling you it is better living elsewhere, then it is a sign of failure of leadership of such a nation,” Onaiyekan said pointing out at the political leaders of the country.
Cardinal Onaiyekan called out the government of Nigeria to repair the country so that instead of young people emigrating, tourists would flock to the West African nation and Nigerians could travel with dignity.
Nigeria is the continent’s most populous nation. President Muhammadu Buhari won re-election in Nigeria in February this year.
