Leadership Failure, Nigeria’s Biggest Challenge – Bishop Yahaya

Archbishop province of Kaduna and Bishop Kaduna Diocese (Anglican Communion), Most Rev’d Dr.Timothy Yahaya has said that he is ashamed of Nigerian leadership in his 25 years of priesthood because the nation’s leaders have failed the people they are supposed to protect over the years.

The Anglican bishop bared his mind while fielding questions from newsmen yesterday on the occasion of the silver jubilee of his ordination as a priest and the marking of his 25th-year marriage anniversary.

Bishop Yahaya said, he is sad on a day he is supposed to be happy because the country and the people are subjected to hunger and insecurity due to ineffective leadership.

He noted that the nation’s leaders have even lost integrity and honesty before the international community where they are seen as thieves and rogues because of corruption.

He said, “The problem of Nigeria and sadness of Nigeria today can be seen from two prisms; the first prism is the failure of leadership, Nigeria used to borrow money to IMF and the world bank. What happened? In this issue of leadership, I wonder whether our leaders when they go out of Nigeria they are not ashamed. Do you know how we are seen outside Nigeria? Our leaders are seen as thieves and rogues, they know that very clearly, even Nigerians see them as thieves and rogues. It is a sad story. To carry the green passport today is almost an eyesore everywhere in the world. Look at how Nigerians are being treated and it is because of the failure of leadership.

“The office of the citizens is the highest office in the land. What are we citizens doing, they divide us on religion, they divide us on political affiliation, they divide us on many grounds. And that divide and rule is why they are doing what they are doing with impunity. So if we want to blame the leaders, even those of us who are followers have problems. Today the goods that a marketer bought five years he said Dollars have increased. He bought those goods when Dollars was still okay. He is now selling them at prevailing rates. When you bring potatoes from the farm today, they say Dollars has increased. So where are we going?

“The problem starts from the head and it had flown into the body. I pray that God will help us because it is a sad thing, it is very sad, humanity has disappeared in Nigeria, it is very sad. It is my heart desire that we meditate about Nigeria, be patriotic about Nigeria.”

“The saddest thing for me life is the cheapest thing in Nigeria today, I wonder if our leaders see some of the videos I see where human beings are being slaughtered like animals, and it doesn’t provoke them, they don’t feel it, villages being overrun for hours, with no help from anywhere, people living from hand to mouth, even with this security quagmire. And I want to plead, I am so sad. The politics on petroleum products is terrible in Nigeria, that politics has turned our heads upside down, I don’t even know what to say about the politics because the more you look the less you see. We don’t understand what is happening in the petroleum sector, I don’t think there is any cabal that is bigger than God. Let us fear God because there is a tomorrow. No matter the wealth you gather today, you cannot be richer than the richest people that have died. One day we will give account to God,” he added.