Bishop of Kaduna Anglican Communion, Timothy Yahaya has said that the Nigerian government has failed its people they supposed to protect over the years.
The Anglican Cleric fielded questions from newsmen yesterday on the occasion of his silver jubilee celebration as ordained priest and the marking of his marriage anniversary.
Bishop Yahaya said he is sad on day he is supposed to be happy because the country and the people are subjected to hunger and insecurity due to ineffective leadership.
He noted that the nation’s leaders have even lost integrity and honesty before the international communities where they are seen as thieves and rogues because of corrupted style of leadership.
“The problem of Nigeria and sadness of Nigeria today can be seen from two prisms; the first prism is the failure of leadership, Nigeria used to borrow money to IMF and the world bank. What happened? In this issue of leadership, I wonder whether our leaders when they go out of Nigeria they are not ashamed. Do you know how we are seen outside Nigeria? Our leaders are seen as thieves and rogues, they know that very clearly, even Nigerians see them as thieves and rogues. It is a sad story. To carry the green passport today is almost an eyesore everywhere in the world. Look at how Nigerians are being treated and it is because of the failure of leadership.
“The office of the citizens is the highest office in the land. What are we citizens doing, they divide us on religion, they divide us on political affiliation, they divide us on many grounds. And that divide and rule is why they are doing what they are doing with impunity. So if we want to blame the leaders, even those of us who are followers have problems. Today the goods that a marketer bought five years he said Dollars has increased. He bought those goods when Dollars was still okay. He is now selling them at prevailing rates. When you bring potatoes from the farm today, they say Dollars has increased. So I wonder where we are going.
“The problem starts from the head and it had flown into the body. I pray that God will help us because it is a sad thing, it is very sad, humanity has disappeared in Nigeria, it is very sad. It is my heart desire that we meditate about Nigeria, be patriotic about Nigeria, and the citizens must take of one another. If we are not our neighbours’ keepers this country will go nowhere.
“The saddest thing for me life is the cheapest thing in Nigeria today, I wonder if our leaders see some of the videos I see where human beings are being slaughtered like animals, and it doesn’t provoke them, they don’t feel it, villages being overrun for hours, with no help from anywhere, people living from hand to mouth, even with this security quagmire. And I want to plead, I am so sad. The politics on petroleum products is terrible in Nigeria, that politics has turned our heads upside down, I don’t even know what to say about the politics because the more you look the less you see. We don’t understand what is happening in the petroleum sector, I don’t think there is any cabal that is bigger than God. Let us fear God because there is a tomorrow. No matter the wealth you gather today, you cannot be richer than the richest people that have died. One day we will give account to God.
“Today I rejoice over what God has done in our lives; ordained Priest twenty five years ago, and married twenty five years ago. I am celebrating what the Lord has done in our lives. And what I have learnt as a leader in the past twenty five years is that leaders provide good service for their followers, that is one. Number two; leaders are the people that bring solutions to problems and they don’t complain problems.
“Why there is a leader, it is to solve problems. Number three, I understood over the years that leadership without sacrifice is not leadership. If you a leader you sacrifice all for the people. You don’t go enjoying yourself while the people are suffering. Another thing I understand about leadership is that you must be humbled; humble yourself among the people, that is when you know the pains and joy of the people.
When they are celebrating, you celebrate with them, when they are in anguish, you will be in anguish with them. I want to say that there must be trust among the leaders and the followers. When the people don’t trust you, no matter what you what to do, no matter how noble it is, the people will not see any nobility in it.
“So I want to enjoin leaders today as I celebrate 25 years of leadership to understand that leadership has to do with trust, we must not breach the trust of the people, we must not prey on the resources of the people, we must be seen to do exactly what is right. The second celebration is the fact that I have a family, I know what families are going through today, but I want to encourage this, that the way we are bringing up our children today is becoming alarming. No wonder children at the age 14 to 20 are ritualists today. It starts from the home, how are you training your children.
“I know bringing up children is not easy but the Lord has helped us in our own family life. Again I want to say this, the children we are leaving in the streets today are the problem of Nigeria tomorrow. So let’s take the children out of the streets, give them good education, let them have a good future so that the country will be great”. Bishop Yahaya said.