Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has warned Nigeria’s political class to stop taking the patience and resilience of Nigerians for granted.
Onaiyekan gave the warning in Abuja on Monday when he received a delegation of members of the Initiative for Fostering Unity in Diversity, Youths and Nation Building (IFFUIDYANB) at his home in Abuja.
He expressed worry over what he described as the non-challenge of Nigerian leaders to current issues in the country, especially in matters concerning the younger segment of the population.
The cardinal noted that the elite should desist from believing that Nigerians were resilient and could be taken advantage of anytime, anywhere.
“The best expression I have for what is happening in Nigeria is that we are dancing on the brink of chaos.
“Sometimes, we take two steps forward and four steps backwards. But, it is a game that we should not be counting on.’’
Onaiyekan said that the thinking of some people about the resilience and patience of Nigerians to absorb all kinds of difficulties might, in fact, be wrong.
“There is so much that is being said about the resilience of Nigerians that we have unlimited capacity to absorb shocks. But this may not be the case forever.
“I have for more than 30 years been preaching all over the world that Nigeria is a special country where Muslims and Christians live together.
“But the belief by some elites that Nigerians had elastic capacity to absorb every form of difficulty is a dangerous gamble.”
