FROM religious leaders have come admonition on what Nigerians, particularly the political office holders, should do to achieve a better Nigeria in 2013 and beyond.
Those who spoke included the Dean, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Adebola Ademowo, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Ola Makinde, General Overseer of the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka.
Ademowo said Nigeria must do everything legally possible to wriggle out of insecurity, economic depression, natural disaster, infrastructure decay and youth unemployment, which characterised the nation in 2012, and raise the hope of a better country for its citizens in 2013 and beyond.
Ademowo, who decried the increase in the level of borrowing by federal and state governments, said if government must borrow at all, the money should be channeled to provision of infrastructure such as electricity, repair of roads and construction of new ones, as well as building of new refineries to grow the economy.
The cleric lamented the increasing air crashes and persisting poor power supply in the country, urging the Federal Government to practically tackle the challenges in both sectors. According to him, "the dream of many Nigerians to enjoy an uninterrupted power supply has become a mirage.
"Nigerians can still recall the billions of naira pumped into the power sector by the last three administrations, and the good people of this country deserve to see results. Beyond this is the multiplier effect this will have on the economy - many companies that were already dead will come alive, many jobs will be created when industries, both small and medium scale, begin to spring up, and foreign investors would be attracted to invest in the nation's economy."
Also, Archbishop Martins urged President Jonathan to prove that he is truly committed to bettering the lot of Nigerians in the New Year. In his New Year message, he urged Jonathan to address the myriad of challenges confronting the nation such as insecurity, poverty, unemployment and erratic power supply.
Referring to the President's Christmas message, in which he asked Nigerians to expect positive transformation in the New Year, Martins said the past two years or thereabout was enough time for him to acquaint himself with the numerous problems confronting the nation and come out with realistic solutions, noting that Nigerians were getting tired of listening to endless promises from their leaders without corresponding actions to show for it.
And while speaking to the congregation at the Bible Training Centre, Ayobo, Lagos, Pastor Kumuyi noted that the past, the present and the future are in the hands of God. He said people could only enjoy the future when they renounce sins of the past and believe God for a new beginning.
The cleric, who spoke on the theme: "The Power For A New Beginning," assured the congregation that God has something very great and glorious prepared for everyone in the new year if only the people forgot the evils, the sorrows and fears of the past.
From Makinde came the call on the Federal Government to initiate policies and programmes that would bring smiles to the faces of Nigerians and help everyone forget the traumatic experiences of 2012.
In his New Year message, the cleric said the people need succour, relief and renewed hope and the only way for this to become reality is for the government to meet the aspirations and yearnings of the people through economic policies that have human face, which would yield immediate dividends.
Pastor Muoka, in a statement, called on the people of Nigeria not to harden their hearts but to turn away from evil and accept God's grace in the New Year in order to escape from the impending doom that awaits unrepentant sinners.
"All these evils and atrocities being witnessed by our generation are for the wonders of God to be multiplied so that people can turn to Him," he explained.
"Last year, when others were predicting peace and prosperity, I warned that if people hardened their hearts and refused to renounce their evil ways and come to God, the year would be characterised by political, economic confusion and above all more bloodshed. It happened."
