The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has condemned politicians who are in the habit of making empty and impossible promises to the electorate.

The revered Clergyman  warned, especially, Presidential Candidates jostling to take over the saddle from outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari not to deceive Nigerians with vague and impossible promises.

Kaigama, setting an agenda for the Presidential Candidates that include;  BolaTinubu All Progressives Congress, APC, Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Peter Obi, Labour Party, LP,  and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, said they should prioritize the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons, rebuilding of terrorised communities and confronting the security challenges as the country squares up for the election in 2023.

In a New Year message, Kaigama said; “Our prayer during this year is that peace will flow like a river and social progress, human solidarity and development will characterize all of 2023. Politicians who are on the campaign trail now should do so without hatred, bitterness, incitement or misinformation. They should exercise caution that they do not make wild and unrealistic campaign promises that deep in their hearts they know are not workable.

“Christians, Muslims, African traditional religionists and others are the ones to choose the next President of Nigeria. We should set our eyes and attention only on the leaders who are ready to tackle the culture of hostility, violence, banditry, kidnapping, religious persecution, poverty, and unemployment; failure to see that sensitive and core appointments be spread fairly to those very well qualified in the different geo-political zones.

“The determination to confront insecurity must be given priority in the agenda of those seeking to be elected. They must have the will to unveil those behind brutal attacks and murders such as killers of the no fewer than 38 people killed in separate attacks in Malagum 1 and Sokwong villages of Kagoro Chiefdom in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State or as in Zamfara State, where recently scores of people and some Nigerian Army personnel were feared killed following an ambush by armed terrorists or the killing of a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Omobolanle Raheem, by a police trigger-happy police officer.

“The resettlement of internally displaced persons as well as the rebuilding of terrorized communities where homes, hospitals, churches, mosques and schools have been destroyed should also get prime attention. There must be a deliberate pursuit of integration, bringing all people together in harmony that ensures freedom for all to create an inclusive mindset by recognizing the ethnic, tribal, regional and religious diversity of our nation.

“There must be proper management of our diversity and plurality; building community, creating more trust among all people in Nigeria. There is a very urgent need to address the issue of poverty whereby according to official statistics, 133 million Nigerians out of an estimated 206 million live below the poverty line.

“With gratitude to God and confident optimism we pray that in the year 2023, our expectations as individuals and as a nation will be met. This poem I heard from a little child is apt as we ride into the New Year: “In happy moments praise God, in difficult moments seek God, in quiet moments worship God, in painful moments trust God and in every moment thank God.”

“While we believe that our loving God will do things for us, we need however to do our part with great zeal and determination, the type demonstrated during the FIFA World Cup recently concluded in Qatar. The members of the teams gave their all, especially in the finals. After a full game and extra time, they went into penalty shootouts. In the end, one team won the cup and the other took the second position. In life, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. The capacity to carry on with equanimity and to cope positively even when we come face to face with frustrations, failures or disappointments is needed.

“Failure is not necessarily a bad thing, it is a challenge to try again and to keep applying ourselves until victory is achieved. We have experienced God’s generosity in very practical ways in 2022. We have survived an ever-worsening climate of fear and uncertainty in a time when the helplessness of government saw non-state actors unconscionably stake a claim for our lives, our property and our freedoms.

We have lived with and survived a culture of kidnapping, hostage-taking and mindless murder. It is still not yet over though as the drama still plays on. The Kaduna deadly train attack in March and the agonizing months the abducted passengers spent in the hands of armed men left us all traumatised. The daring Kuje prison attack by Boko Haram and precipitated secessionist rallies left all of us begging for answers.

The advisory given by some foreign embassies on the risk of travel to Nigeria and the subsequent arrest of suspected terrorists in October left us reeling in fear. The volatile situation in the South-East in a bid to enforce an unlawful lockdown has made life in that part of the country difficult. During the same period, our nation has grappled with a dwindling economy and the worst type of inflation with far-reaching consequences on our social life.

“Everyone, both those in government and the governed, suddenly all needed the grace of God to survive and outlive 2022. And yet we are here today just because God has brought us thus far.

Surrounded by so much bad news and associated with some of the worst scenarios, our people are in dire need of anything that can inspire some hope.

“Together – both people and government, we must sincerely work towards that change that brings hope. For the government and people entrusted with leadership at all levels, the New Year beckons on all to place people in the centre of both politicking and governance by ensuring safety and security, reconciling all the fragmented parts of the nation and providing an enabling environment for the economy to thrive again as a precondition for remedying the worsening problem of poverty and living crisis for most Nigerians.

“While we acknowledge with delight the recent heightening of the tempo of the war against non-state actors and the encouraging results that have brought, we urge the authorities to sustain these measures and do everything imaginable to secure every part of the country and ensure an auspicious climate for the coming elections.

“However, no matter how much the use of arms has achieved, we must not forget that honest dialogue can also be a veritable tool for collectively building a Nigeria of our dreams that looks after all. That spirit of dialogue should govern the current political campaigns towards the 2023 elections and above all ensure fair play and respect for the opinion of the people when eventually expressed when the ballot is cast.

“Having faced multidimensional challenges, we in our nation in this time of democratic transition must all keep in mind the fact that our Lord makes demands of us to fulfil our civic responsibilities. He charges us to “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” (Mark 12:17). We have a duty to come out, each one of us, with a Permanent Voters Card, queue up at our polling units, conduct ourselves peacefully and orderly, get accredited and cast our votes during the 2023 general elections.

“As for the choice of political parties and candidates to vote for, we should be guided by the counsel of St. Paul, which says: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

“In choosing who to vote, let your head and your heart guide you, not your stomach and your pocket!

“We have already seen that without solidarity, we have no chance against poverty, diseases, natural disasters, unemployment, ignorance, terrorism, insurgency and other forms of insecurity. So, let us embrace sincere dialogue and work in solidarity with all people of goodwill for a better country.

“Dear brothers and sisters, none of us should be ignorant of the demands and challenges of our time, amidst the deaths caused by human and natural reasons, insecurity, displacements, floods, economic hardships and the attendant harsh realities in our country.”

By Akinwale Kasali

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Year 2023 is critical to the development and growth of the nation as it would witness a transition in Government.

In achieving a successful transition after eight years in the saddle, President Buhari again promised Nigerians a free, fair and credible election, saying that the electorates should be relaxed and have confidence in the electoral process.

In his New Year Message released on Saturday, the President also gave a personal commitment that he would ensure that the elections were free and fair, noting that Nigerians would decide their next leaders. He said Nigerians must resist being used by politicians to cause unrest and that there would be consequences for any breach of peace during the elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission fixed February 25 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections while Governorship and state Assembly elections  are scheduled for March 11.

In the message, which he described as valedictory, the President stated: “After having the honour of serving you, my compatriots, for the last seven-plus years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end.

“In the next five months, we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels. All these electoral and democratic principles are working in concert because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of you, the great citizens of Nigeria.

“In addition is my personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter that the 2023 elections being diligently conducted by INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch.”

“In year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new administration. It is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon. This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the nation.”

The Daura, Katsina State born President Urged Nigerians to take responsibility by ensuring that the elections were free and fair by not engaging and shunning acts that could affect the polls. “We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as government, will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law,” he added.

Speaking further, he appealed to Nigerians to assist security agencies with intelligence, noting that security is a collective responsibility. He said with the successes recorded in the North-East, internally displaced persons were being resettled in their homes while progress was being made in the North-West and other regions. He added that police reform programme based on a new presidential vision for Policing in Nigeria was ongoing.

As regards the economy, the President said his regime was focused on building on the Gross Domestic Product and sustaining the huge surge in the non-oil GDP growth. He promised the nationwide implementation of the Start-Up Act, which he said would boost job creation and reduce unemployment given that youths were the country’s most valuable natural resource.

He added, “The year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our SEA (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) Agenda. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in the war against insurgency, banditry, secession and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired.

“For the economy, the ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver the key projects across the nation in power, rail, roads, ports and technology. We as a government are committed to ridding our nation of all forms of corruption, through the collaboration with all the arms of government to effectively prosecute this fight.”