BY Ben Osuagwu
“TRUTH IS BITTER. IT MUST BE ATTENDED TO WITH BITTER PILLS TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO ISSUES”
Since the last visit of the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria to president Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Nigeria social environment and Media have been awash with wide jubilation from Lovers of Truth, peace and justice with divine conscience. There have also been some dissident voices from enemies of Truth, justice and peace with muddled up conscience criticizing the Bishops for their openness to their Apostolic Duties to God’s Flock under them in the country called Nigeria.
There is a saying in Igboland that an Elder person cannot be in the house and the goat dies where it is tied: In interpretation, “OKENYE ANAGHI ANO N’ ULO EWU ANWUO N’ OBU/OGBURU”(Elementary translation for everyone to understand the meaning).
It is therefore very imperative that all men and women of good Conscience should rise in unison and applaud the Catholic Bishops for their uprightness, steadfastness and telling the Government the obvious Truth which some individuals that are only looking for Crumbs from the table have failed to speak out or out of fear of being sent out of office or as a result of being naive or timidity.
The Bishops/ Clergies are the Conscience of the people in every society. The other groups are the Media, the Judiciary. However, we don’t talk of the National Assembly in Nigeria presently until we have one to reckon with. Ordinarily, that should be the next voice of the society.
Unfortunately, Nigeria’s judiciary has gone to the winds especially the Apex Court. It’s the spiritual and moral duties of the Men of Pulpit to speak for the people without fear or favour. It’s their obligatory duty, their Divine Mandate.
Truth is Bitter and it Must Be Taken With Bitter Pills to find immediate solutions to issues. Though it may be painful to some, but it’s better said to move the environment forward.
The Catholic Bishops have always spoken truth to power when things go wrong in this country and elsewhere.They have also commended governments when they do well. Unfortunately, in recent years, Nigeria governments have disappointed the citizens.
They only think of my tribe, cronies or associates rather than the interest of the generality of their people. In doing this evil, they plant Bigots, Clueless and shameless individuals to defend them by writing trash to suppress the truth and bring in tribal, clannish and religious sentiments to deceive the gullible and uninformed members of the society.
Some of these elements can even sell members of their families in defence of evils so long as some peanuts or crumbs are dropped on their tables. When challenged with facts, they secretly tell you it is politics.
A typical example can be seen from what the Likes of David Bwala, Bayo Onanuga, Femi Fani Kayode wrote previously about Tinubu in the 90s and early 20s. A government or a society without any iota of truth is doomed and this is what is playing out in Nigeria.
What disturbs a greater percentage of Nigerians is that over 95% of those who will rise up to attack the Catholic Bishops were those who condemned what they called evil during the Goodluck Jonathan era. Some of them were men of the Pulpit who even led Protests on the streets of the country calling on Jonathan to resign.
Today evil waters have shut their mouths that they have gone to their Covens to hide and remain mumb. Some of them denied their Faith to have Political Positions from Christianity to another, some told their congregation and members that they were going to be the 16th President of Nigeria.
Where are they today? They should speak either in favour of evil or truth. Any person attacking John Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Bishops for speaking TRUTH TO POWER before Tinubu has no human brain and must have been born with bedeviled mind set.
Cardinal Onaiyekan has been known world wide as the voice of the masses just like such fearless Clerics like Archbishop A J V Obinna of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, Cardinal Anthony Okojie of Lagos Archdiocese, Rev Fr Matthew Kuka when he was a Priest, the former Archbishop Janatu of Jos Archdiocese Diocese, Pastor Paul Enenche, Pastors David Oyedepo, Johnson Suleman, Apostle Joshua Selman, Pastors Jerry Eze and Dachman.
These people have always stood for the truth. It is senility to attach the Catholic Bishops visit to any political interests. Historians in this country can go to their archives to buttress my position. The Catholic Bishops don’t give a hout to who is concerned.
Their particular interest is to advise governments on how to handle the feelings of the masses. What does a Catholic Priest want from the government for him to be attached to politics other than the welfare of the country and masses.
To say the least, a Catholic Priest is greater than any elected individual even Presidents of countries. Their Office is permanent or till death do us path while elected positions are temporary. When he or she steps down, that is the end of his authority and can never perform the duties of a president or elected official till he or she dies.
So, it is better for the person to use his office judiciously to prove himself as a good or bad leader, depending on how he or she wants to be remembered.
There is no gain saying the fact that over 90% of Nigerians are passing through HELL on earth. The sufferings have overwhelmed them. Prices of commodities have jumped beyond their reach. Insecurity is the order of the day to the point that accusing fingers point to some leaders in various political positions of being responsible for it.
Travelling from one community to another has become a nightmare or herculean task that one carries his chest on his palms. Many find it difficult to have one meal a day.
The Governors in their States are not helping matters. All of them want to be Aircraft Owners with public funds. Local Governments in the country have been left moribund and isolated. No graded roads to talk of tarred roads in the rural areas in most Nigerian communities. Most Pensioners are not paid their pensions or gratuities. Some still earn Two Thousand Naira as monthly pension for many years. The governors only care about themselves,their cronies and families. They don’t even care to harmonize Pensions and Gratuities of their Retirees as done in many sane Climes.
Even when previous Governments provided Funds for such,they ended up embezzling them. Most people will not believe it. Even the writer of this Piece is OWED (75) Seventy Five Months Pension Arrears, (12) Years Salary Arrears and Retirement Gratuity since 2012. I decided to use myself as an example so that it will not appear as if I am speaking from the moon.
There are so many people in this situation from across the country. Yet many political appointees brag to be very comfortable through our common wealth. Many Nigerians find it difficult to pay their house rents. This situation has led to most of the families of six to ten to squat in a room of 10ft by 10 ft because they cannot afford what to eat before seeking comfort.
It is my simple advice to the president that instead of allowing political hawks to deceive him not to implement what the Catholic Bishops told him that all is well in the country, he should take the speech of the Catholic Bishops very seriously and consider it as an honest document that revealed the true position of things in the country.
He should work with it with passion and defined attention and with outright precision. Their speech should be treated as an urgent Matter of National Emergency.
Ben Osuagwu is a Former Chairman , Imo State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists.
