Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Catholic church on Sunday called on politicians not to disappoint Nigerians but should listen to them and address their needs through good governance.
The Director of Social Communications of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Reverend Mike Umoh, made the plea in Abuja at the 56th World Communications Day Mass, organised by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.
The event was held at the St. Gabriel Chaplaincy, Durumi Abuja, and also witnessed media practitioners working tools blessed by the Bishop of Lafia Diocese and CBCN Chairman on Social Communications, Most Rev. David Ajang.
Umoh, speaking afterward, said that listening as human action was dispensable to democracy and that the reality was obvious because what was going on with the nation’s political parties’ primaries was disheartening.
“The signs we have seen with the primaries simply still point to the fact that our politicians are not listening to the people, they keep drumming to themselves and dancing to the tune of their drums, not to the people.
“The signs of the primaries are very disheartening and worrisome. We just hope and pray that even if politicians refused to listen to the people, the people should try to listen to themselves and do the right thing. Because no politicians will succeed without using the same people they oppress.
“The oppressors can never relinquish powers to the oppressed, the oppressed should realize himself, his need, and his want and work to wrestle that power away from the oppressor”, he said.
He also said that the way things were going presently in Nigeria, many Nigerians were suffering because they were still allowing politicians to play bread and butter of N1000 politics with them.
He said, “We have seen a lot happening with these delegates, where dollars upon dollars exchanged hands. The people are not choosing those that will help them, they are simply choosing those that will give them money, mortgaging the future and already terrible situation of the nation.
“So, it is worrisome, it calls for more prayers and more conscious effort by the populists and by the people to wrestle power and fight against this continuous oppression by the politicians in our nation who do not mean well for the people.”
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Zacharia Samjumi, said that what bound humanity together was communication, as humans communicate with one another.
“It is important that we pay attention to how we dialogue with one another and see that we are able to make meaning, living together. So, it is important that we continue to communicate well with each other so that others can learn from us and communicate well too with one another”, he said.
