|
|
|
|
|
« Return
|
|
Nigerian bishops march on legislature to protest mass poverty
2002-215-5
9/17/2002
|
[Episcopal News Service]
Eight Nigerian bishops marched to the House of Assembly in the southeastern state of Anambra recently to protest government policies that they claim have created mass poverty, creating an 'ugly situation in the country.' According to reports, the legislators listened carefully to the bishops and their demands.
Anglican Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa, who led the protest, said that Nigeria's political leadership had failed the people of the country. He accused the leaders of 'closing their eyes and ears to the suffering of the people, contrary to the commands of God.' An estimated 70 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty level, up from just over 48 percent in 1998. A report warns that 'there is a growing threat to the bare physical survival of the people,' adding that 'human deprivation, income poverty and social deprivation have become aggravated.'
Anikwenwa told journalists, 'We see thousands of our people turned into beggars as the harsh social and economic conditions bite harder. We are daily witnessing the collapse of public institutions in the country. Security is once more a serious issue as violent crimes are on the increase. Education has been grounded while hospitals and the judiciaries are not functioning,' he said.
The bishops said that it is the responsibility of the elected representatives of the people to 'do something to save these people who are dying.' A government official contended that the situation in the country had improved since the return of the democratic government in 1999.
|
|
|
|
|
|
