John Onaiyekan, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, on Monday declared that the forthcoming general elections must usher in change in the country following the level of suffering being experienced by the citizenry. Onaiyekan, who spoke at the 2015 Cathedraticum
celebration at St. John’s Catholic Church, Keti, Abuja, expressed concern over the level of agitation among Nigerians ahead of the general elections.
“We are in a state of fear and anxiety, but God will usher in a state of renewal. My position is that there has to be change. I am not talking about change from bus conductors. “I don’t care who wins, whether it is PDP or APC, but whoever wins, there has to be change because people are not happy with what is happening; people are hungry, people are suffering.
“We must claim the prophecy of Prophet Isaiah. The year is full of pessimism, anxiety and fear. It’s like people no longer believe in this nation again. “People are running away but people like us cannot run away. We have to replace pessimism with optimism. Whoever wins must do things differently,” he urged. Onaiyekan, who urged Christians to pray for the country, stressed the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free and transparent election.
“We are praying that God should help us have a free and fair election and whatever happens, after is the will of God. We must be sincere with our prayers I cannot pray for anyone who believes that whether people vote for him or not he will win.” While commiserating with the families of those who died during the Boko Haram attack in the North East, Onaiyekan said, “My heart goes out to our brothers in the North East who have lost several relations and have been displaced. They have built houses and can’t live in it
. Many of them have their houses demolished or burnt. “They need help to return to their homes and rebuild their houses and when they rebuild they will live there by the grace of God. They will plant gardens and reap their fruits,” he bemoaned.
