Only a fool will think Buhari can change everything for good – Cardinal Onaiyekan

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has shared his thoughts on the efforts made by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to fulfill its 2015 electioneering promises to the Nigerian masses.

According to Onaiyekan, only a fool will expect Buhari to change every situation in Nigeria for good.

He stressed that real change took longer time to be achieved.

He, however, expressed the fear that Nigerians were no longer as enthusiastic about the All Progressives Congress (APC) government as they were two years ago, because they had hoped that the change that was promised them would be faster in coming.

The cleric maintained that if Nigerian electorates could vote out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in 2015, the current APC government should know that they too can be voted out in 2019.

Onaiyekan told DAILY SUN: “The reality is there. It is only a fool who will think that a change of government would change everything for good.

“It will take time. But you see, it takes time doesn’t mean that you will sit and do nothing. Like I said, we need time. People will patiently give you time when they perfectly see the line you are following and if they can follow the line you are following and they see the line in the right direction, they will be patient.

“I am afraid that the reason why many Nigerians were hopeful two years ago are no longer precisely because they had expected that things would move faster than what it is.

“The question about whether it is a failure of those who rule depends on how you look at it. But what I will say is that we should give them the benefit of the doubt that they are doing their best, and that is giving them benefit of doubt because they are people who think that they are doing their best.

“But suppose they are doing their best, then we won’t complain. But the fact is, if this is their best, then their best is not good enough. But isn’t it why democracy is very good; why democracy has terms of office?

“In another two years, they will face us and we will mark their exams of either pass them or fail them.

“And if the Nigerian electorate were able to vote out the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) government, I am sure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) people should know that they too can be voted out.

“Will they be voted out in 2019? I don’t know. It depends on what the situation will be in 2019. In order words, it is possible for a lot of things to change between now and 2019 in such a way that they wouldn’t want this thing to continue.

“But if by 2019 a lot of Nigerians are not satisfied, they will try another group or party which I think was the right situation in 2015. We will continue to try.”

The Cardinal further declared that the nation was in dire need of reorganization.

He said the Federal Government needed to urgently look at the various agitations across the length and breadth of the country and chart a way forward.