The CATHOLIC Bishop of
Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Dr. Callistus Onaga, has bewailed the continuous
challenges facing the country, saying Nigeria is on the brink of extinction.
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| Bishop Onaga |
Bishop Onaga however
charged Nigerians, especially Christians to use the occasion of Christmas
celebration and pray for the Nigeria so that hope will be restored. Bishop
Onaga gave the statement in his Christmas and New Year homily delivered in
Enugu on Friday. According to him, Christmas, which is a commemoration of the
birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour, is a celebration of God’s love to mankind by
making himself available on earth in the flesh of Jesus Christ. He said “It is
a celebration of hope, especially in Nigeria of today that things are not going
on well. Nigeria is sitting on the brink of extinction. So lets use the
Christmas season to ask God to lead us to the land of hope. The love of
Christmas should go to even our enemies. We should preach hope, love and not
terror.” He charged journalists to use their various media platforms to give
hope to the citizens instead of reporting sensational stories. He flayed the
wide disparity in income earnings in the country, noting that it was wrong for
some people to be earning as high as N15 million a month while others are
begging to be paid N30,000 and yet, cannot get it. “So let’s come together to
celebrate humanity, do something to somebody that would give him or her joy in
this Christmas. Share in your own scarcity and that is Christmas. We must all
come together to celebrate love in this Christmas. The herdsmen, robbers,
kidnappers should please help us,” he pleaded. On the 2019 general elections,
Bishop Onaga recalled that the church has been in the vanguard of campaigning
and urging every eligible Nigerian voter to obtain his or her voter’s
card so that they can exercise their civic responsibilities. “People should
exercise their franchise and make effort first and and not to embark on blame
game. We ask that every Nigerian should vote according to his conscience.
Priests should not be partisan but should vote for candidates of their choice.
We should not use the pulpit to the advantage of one man,” Onaga stressed.
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