Archbishop Onaiyekan to President Jonathan: You have the power to do good and evil
He also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to keep to his promise to midwife credible elections in 2011, saying “that president has powers to do good and to do evil.” Onaiyekan, who held an interactive session with Catholic Media Practitioners (CAMP) in Abuja last Thursday, said “politicians are not uninterested in what you [journalists] do, […]
He also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to keep to his promise to midwife credible elections in 2011, saying “that president has powers to do good and to do evil.”
Onaiyekan, who held an interactive session with Catholic Media Practitioners (CAMP) in Abuja last Thursday, said “politicians are not uninterested in what you [journalists] do, and some of them [politicians] invest in getting positive image. But the media should resist the temptation to be bought and portray the bad ones as they are.”
Onaiyekan, who spoke extensively on the state of the nation stressed that 2010 has been very important to Nigerians because in the year, the country lost its president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua.
According to him, this singular event has thrown up several challenges which the country must rise up to.
“There have been consequences,” he stated adding, “Nigerians should welcome the consequences. There has to be change—in attitude, change for the better—a sincere change in our concept of political power.”
The Archbishop, who sounded comical at some moments, maintained that those who sought political power should be interested in serving the people rather than creating a different world for themselves.
He said apart from the death of Yar’adua, 2010 has been critical to Nigeria’s corporate existence because it preceeds the general elections year. He said journalists required expertise to properly do their jobs this time.
Onaiyekan thanked journalists for consistently reporting events of the Catholic Church as they are and congratulated the press for its determination and courage to be objective.
He called on Nigerians to select a leader who will serve them better and disregard those whipping up ethnic and regional sentiments. The cleric who was philosophical, reminded President Goodluck Jonathan of his promise to midwife a credible electoral process, as he put it, “the president has powers to do good and to do evil.”
He condemned the candidates being touted by the political parties saying, “we don’t see new faces. The same gladiators—Nigerians are restricted to the same old faces.”
According to the Archbishop, the delay in acquring Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines is a negative signal to the whole electoral process.
He charged Nigerians not to give up, but take their destiny in their hands, urging them not to forget that the election is not only for a president but also for numerous offices, including that of governors, legislators and council chairmen.
He announced the appointment of Professor David Ker as vice chancellor of the Veritas University, Abuja (The Catholic University of Nigeria), saying the Abuja campus of the university in Bwari, Abuja, will open next year.
Earlier, a mass was celebrated for the Catholic journalists at the Holy Rosary Catholic Wuse II, Abuja. Basing his sermon on Isaiah 54:1-10 and Luke 7:24-30, Rev Paul Ubebe charged Catholic journalists to shun bribery and always report the truth.
“You are to be missionary journalists. Media practitioners should set examples like John the Baptist. If we cannot stand for the truth, it will be a shame to our faith. We should correct the ills in our society,” he advised. He, however, pointed out that some media owners do interfere with editorial work because they “don’t want to get into trouble,” and thereby, stand on the way of truth.