Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Enugu State, Godfrey Onah, has said that with the way things are going, President Bola Tinubu’s administration may be worse than that of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Delivering the 70th anniversary lecture of St Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos, yesterday, the cleric noted that Buhari’s government was known for autocracy, but that Tinubu is piloting the Nigeria ship into a one-party state.
The lecture, with the theme, ‘The Nigerian Catholic: Called to Witness in Love and Courage’ was part of events lined up for the 70th anniversary of the parish, which was founded in 1954.
The cleric referred to some statements from politicians of the ruling party in the country, such as “anyone that joins the party, their sins are forgiven” and “what money cannot do, more money can do.”
He also wondered why some state governments just woke up after a general election to remember that some houses in some parts of the state were built on waterways.
On the calls on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to act when a particular political party was going for same-faith presidential ticket, he told lay people that no bishop is a card-carrying member of any political party, asking them if there was no other political party in the contest.
He urged Christians to continue pushing, not minding “the sham called elections in the past” until their aim is achieved, adding: “They want you to give up; and if you give up, you have been defeated.”
Onah charged Christians, especially the lay people, to be a light in their little corner, as discipline in society is a product of self-discipline.
According to him, Christians should share from the blame over the rot in society. He quoted a politician, who said the civil service, peopled by Christians and other religions’ adherents, is the most corrupt institution in government.
“During elections, they put one religion against the other, one ethnic group against the other,” he said, advising Christians to let their light shine in their interpersonal interactions.
He slammed new generation churches, which took the toga of Pentecostalism, asserting that “what we call Pentecostalism today has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, but a privatisation and commercialisation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
