The Archbishop, Kwara Diocese of Anglican Church, Reverend Sunday Adewole, yesterday admonished the federal and state governments to discard some of their policies that are lacking human face.
Reverend Adewole stated this in Ilorin at the Press Conference to herald the 50th Anniversary of Kwara Diocese of Anglican Church.
He explained that even though infrastructure is essential for the comfort of the people, stomach infrastructure should take precedence.
The Clergyman admitted that some of the policies of the government at the centre are inflicting hardship on the people, saying that it was high time a review is carried out.
“On the part of the Governor and the President, we have told them several times. Any programme that you want to do that does not carry human face, please, drop it.
“It is good for us to have infrastructure. But the stomach infrastructure should precede the physical infrastructure. An hungry man in an angry looking man. Yes, somebody that is hungry will be angry. Small thing, he would flare up.
“And if the government both at the state and the federal, if they are sincere, and they are alive to their responsibilities, most of these problems would become a history”, the cleric said.
Reverend Adewole, who is also the Chairman, Kwara State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), expressed concern over the level of moral decadence in the society, tracing it to what he identified as dysfunctional educational system.
He stated that the decision of the military regime to assume the management of schools from missionaries had heightened the decadence in the society, urging the federal government to return the schools to the religious bodies.
The CAN chairman said, “We have a lot of challenges as a diocese. For example, the issue of education. When the management of education was with the religious bodies, the moral laxity that we have today was not there.
“It was during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon that the federal government took over all missionary schools, both the Muslim and the Christian schools. And the excuse given at that time by Gowon was that federal government did not have enough secondary schools. Because we have just come out of the civil war, they were looking for opportunity of reorganizing the country at that time.
“But today, the moral decadence in our society could be traced to the decadence in education, honestly. In the olden days, we feared our teachers. But today, the parents will lead thugs to go and beat teachers in the school. Because of that, the moral values they inculcated in us were not there again.
“These are the challenges we have. If the government can return the schools to us, honestly, it will reduce the problems in our society. Once you have education, you have everything. If the education is haphazardly inculcated into you, then it will be very difficult”.
He recalled that the Diocese of Kwara that was founded in November 1, 1974, had recorded a number of breakthroughs with the ongoing construction of hostel accommodation for students of Kwara State University, Malete, building of 37 lockup shops in front of Shoprite, Fate Road, Ilorin and skill acquisition for the youth since February 2019 when he was appointed.
Reverend Adewole added that bishops of Anglican Diocese who retire at the age of 70 would have their gratuity paid within two weeks while they also start to receive pension in the next 30 days of bowing out of the active service of the Church.
He disclosed that a blueprint would be unveiled in commemoration of the 50th anniversary to set agenda for the next 50 years in the trajectory of the Anglican Diocese in the state.
