The parish priest of St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos, Rt. Rev. John Aniagwu, has lamented the poor state of leadership in the country, noting that Nigeria does not need any other disaster.
The cleric, in his speech to mark his 50th anniversary as a priest, explained that the solution to the country’s woes remained spiritual through prayers.
He said: “I see a country that is richly endowed by God to be a giant among nations of the world, but has deliberately chosen to be a midget.
“The recently-concluded Olympics Games in Toyko is a case in point. While less endowed nations like Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Jamaica among others went home with rich troves of gold and other medals, our dear ‘ giant of Africa’ came away with two paltry medals— a silver and a bronze.
“I agree with our celebrated novelist, Chinua Achebe, that the problem with Nigeria since independence has always been that of leadership.
“Other nations suffer from natural disasters. Nigeria is a victim of leadership disaster. With the kind of leaders that we have had since independence, Nigeria does not need any other disaster.”
Reiterating that the nation’s future remained bleak if the leadership remained unchanged, the cleric hinted that Nigeria’s solution lay in prayer.
Speaking on his voyage into priesthood that began 50 years ago at his ordination on August 15, 1971 at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Rev. Aniagwu described his journey as eventful with several engagements, both religion and academic spheres, including getting several awards and recognitions.
Source:- Vanguard
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