By Peter Okolie

Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has charged the nation’s leaders to tackle hunger and poverty, saying that economic statistics alone do not reflect the harsh reality faced by many Nigerians.

Onaiyekan said this in a homily at Rev. Fr. Maurice Emelu’s 20th priestly ordination and 50th birthday celebration at the Church of Immaculate Conception, Umuchima in Ideato South Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo.

He said that “15 to 20 years ago, Nigeria was poor but not hungry.

“Today, unfortunately, Nigerians are hungry,” the cleric said.

He said that rather than focus on the big statistics that Nigeria economy was doing well, “leaders should focus on alleviating hunger and poverty in the land”.

Onaiyekan said: “This promise of a better future and, therefore, we should accept the difficulties around us is not acceptable.

“Our politicians are talking of renewed hope, with little or nothing to sustain such hope, which for many has turned into hopelessness.

“There is a growing burden of poverty in our nation, a tragic irony in a nation richly blessed by God.

“President Bola Tinubu should not just listen to his advisers, but should come down and eat with the poor to feel their pains,” he said.

Onaiyekan, who affirmed the Church’s commitment to social welfare through education and healthcare, advocated renewed collaboration between the church and government to improve public services for all.

He commended Emelu’s initiative to feed over 1,000 families, calling it an exemplary act.

He urged Nigerians, at home and abroad, to combat the nation’s multidimensional poverty with similar gesture.

In a speech, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 General Elections, Mr Peter Obi, said that Nigeria was currently passing through a difficult period.

Obi, who joined other dignitaries to serve food to the guests present, expressed a desire for a Nigeria where collective wellbeing was prioritised.

“This is the way we want our society to be, a society where people care for the needy.

“We want more of Fr. Maurice and individuals who care for the poor,” he said.

Also, Sen. Osita Izunaso, representing Imo West (Orlu) Senatorial District, extended his heartfelt congratulations to Emelu.

Izunaso specifically commended Emelu for his profound compassion and efforts in “bringing home what God has blessed him with”.

A federal lawmaker, Rep. Uchenna Okonkwo, representing Idemili North and South Federal Constituency, also lauded Emelu’s initiative, praising his selfless act of honouring the needy.

Okonkwo, who emphasised its timely significance amidst the nation’s current economic challenges, said that “Emelu’s motif of dedication, grace, and philanthropic assistance to the less privileged should be emulated”.

Responding, Emelu, a Professor of Communication and Digital Media and founder of the U.S.-based non-governmental organisation, Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc., said the occasion concluded a four-day charity programme.

He described the charitable endeavour as “an act of faith, a manifestation of the Jubilee of Hope, and a testament to what God has placed in my heart.”

“Four years ago, during a deep moment of prayer, the Lord put it in my heart to treat the poorest of the poor in our midst like kings and queens,” Emelu said.

He said that beneficiaries, carefully selected from the five South-East states after an eight-month research period, involving village leaders, journalists, and a guiding priest, were transported in air-conditioned buses and later made to walk on red carpet.

He said he had a divine instruction to eat on the same table with the beneficiaries and personally serve them to underscore the humility and reverence at the core of the initiative.

Emelu disclosed a comprehensive plan to establish a skill acquisition center in Umuchima Community to train and educate youths and women in various skills, fostering self-reliance and long-term economic empowerment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were given 1,000 bags of 50kg rice and cash donations for condiments, designed to sustain them for one month.

Emelu also offered a full scholarship to Miss Uchechi Akuzie, covering her university education, “in a significant symbolic gesture of future empowerment”.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Tina Muoghalu, from Isiokpo in Ideato North LGA of the state, thanked Emelu, saying that the gesture had encouraged her with hope for the future.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sam Oditah