Abuja, 06 December, 2019 / 11:58 pm (ACI Africa).
The newly installed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Abuja in Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has, during his installation ceremony, promised to engage the government in matters that contribute to the common good of Africa’s most populous country, weeks after the country’s President said he would support the ministry of the Church leader in his country’s capital, Abuja.
“In exercising my prophetic duty, I will respectfully seek to dialogue with government leaders about the common good; remind our leaders to remember the poor, the youth, the widows and orphans,” the Archbishop said during his installation ceremony in Abuja Thursday, December 5.
He promised to engage his country’s political leaders, reminding “them of the words of both our national pledge and anthem: to serve our fatherland with love and strength and faith; with heart and might; one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.”
“I will pray with them and dialogue on how our youth can be better helped,” he said during the event held at the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles in Abuja and continued, “I will continue to stress the need to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians and to provide jobs for our teeming youth used by ethnic, religious and political bigots for violence, cultism and other anti-social practices.”
In his speech, the 61-year-old Prelate also challenged political leaders to be faithful to their oath of office, “to serve rather than be served; to be closer to their people not only during election times, but to always feel their pain and agony rather than being tucked away in air-conditioned offices or travelling in jets or helicopters to avoid the deplorable roads that are left unmaintained for years or just simply poorly built.”
