Information reaching the office of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA at her head office in Abidjan, the capital city of Ivory Coast, has dictated that one of the founding fathers of RECOWA-CERAO, an umbrella body of all the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria, has cried out in anguish. Here is a man we can rightly call one of the Fathers of the catholic Church in the African continent.
Reporting directly from Abuja, the political capital of the most populous country in Africa, our Correspondent has related to us that John Cardinal Onaiyekan has faulted the Nigerian government for failing to care for the elderly, saying that senior citizens are suffering neglect, abandonment, and poverty in a country they once helped to build. He described it as a Disgrace. Cardinal Onaiyekan from Nigeria Decries the Neglect of the Elderly, while Urging a National Rebirth ahead of Easter
Speaking to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the Funeral Mass of Prof. Tom Adaba, the pioneer Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Cardinal Onaiyekan lamented what he described as a “disgraceful” disregard for the Nigeria’s senior citizens.
“It is a disgrace that many of our elders, who served this nation faithfully, must beg for their pensions or rely solely on their children, who themselves are struggling in this harsh economy,” the Nigerian Cardinal said during the Thursday, April 10 interview.
In his considered view, “Our society must not forget those who once gave their strength and wisdom to build this nation.”
“The elderly are not a burden; they are a treasure trove of experience and values. But sadly, in Nigeria today, too many of them live in poverty, isolation, and despair,” the Archbishop emeritus of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja told ACI Africa during the funeral of Prof. Adaba who died on February 22 after a protracted illness at the age of 83.
He went on to fault Nigerian government’s misplaced priorities, saying, “It is bad when the government does not care about our elderly ones (but is) busy with other things. See how long they are spending discussing who sits where in the National Assembly… They don’t care about anybody in this country.”
The Nigerian Catholic Church leader challenged the government to return to “fundamental principles of governance and public service.”
He urged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government to advocate for and implement “policies that ensure the dignity and well-being of older persons. Let’s simply say, our government should do the right thing. Take care of the people – old and young, male and female, whether you are strong or disabled.”
“We must return to our African roots, where the aged are honoured and protected. Development that ignores the welfare of the elderly is both incomplete and unjust,” the Cardinal who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 1983 as Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Ilorin Catholic Diocese told ACI Africa.
In the April 10 interview, Onaiyekan went on to reflect on the end of the Lenten Season with Holy Week and called for a national rebirth in Africa’s most populous nation.
“The message of Easter is a call to rise above hatred, selfishness, and violence. Our nation needs a resurrection from the depths of despair and disunity,” he said, and added, “Jesus gave His life for the salvation of others. Our leaders must learn to lead by serving, not by exploiting. The nation is groaning, and it is time for sincere repentance and change.”
He continued, “Let the empty tomb remind us that darkness does not have the final word. If we truly believe in the risen Lord, we must be agents of light in our homes, churches, and communities.”
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