• Calls on politicians to focus on alleviating hardship
• Bamidele calls on leaders to end challenges that undermine collective prosperity

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has called on political leaders to ensure they alleviate the suffering of citizens.
Martins, who gave the commission to mark the 64th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, stressed that those elected to leadership positions in the country must wake up to the reality that Nigerians are going through an economic hardship that has existed since the country’s independence in the Year 1960 is unprecedented.

In a statement signed by the Director of Social Communications of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Most Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the Archbishop, said government at all levels owes the responsibility to citizens to create an enabling environment for their businesses to thrive and their To protect lives and property so that they could afford the necessities of life and provide quality health care to their families. He said successive governments since independence have failed to guide the nation towards steady and sustainable development.

Martins specifically called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to pay more attention to the cries of the masses and address the rise in the cost of living caused by the abolition of petroleum subsidies and the fluctuation of the currency, which has further impoverished the people.

The Archbishop also urged governors to be more proactive in mitigating the high cost of living in their states by ensuring that they actually utilize the resources available to states for the benefit of citizens rather than continuing to spend on the high cost of government.

He equally urged lawmakers to review existing laws to help reform the functioning of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and make it truly independent and free from any interference.

In this regard, the Chairman of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has called on leaders to put an end to challenges that undermine collective prosperity. In a statement yesterday, Bamidele said: “October 1 is obviously the day of national significance in our history as a federation. It is a day of double celebration as Nigeria marks its 64th anniversary of political independence and 110 years of existence as a unified political formation.”

“With these milestones, Nigeria has indeed come a long way despite the challenging and turbulent times it has endured during these periods. However, we are a nation undergoing socio-economic and political transformation that I believe will soon produce the desired results.

“Now it is up to all of us to focus our energy and minds on what most unites us as a federation, rather than on what will further divide us along our ethnopolitical and religious lines.”