Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Catholic Bishop Emeritus of Abuja, has tasked political leaders to rebuild the trust of Nigerian youths in their fatherland through good leadership.

On Saturday, Mr Onaiyekan said such trust was necessary to secure the country’s future.

He spoke on the sidelines of the Christmas Carol in Abuja, organised by Emmanuel Njoku, Prezzo Shed Investments Limited managing director, in Abuja.

According to Mr Onaiyekan, the Nigerian youths are losing hope and trust in the country because of successive bad leadership at all levels.

He lamented that the youths’ frustration was demonstrated in their willingness to leave the country in their hordes to Europe and other parts of the world in search of a better life.

The former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) warned that if nothing was done urgently to reverse the tide, Nigeria’s future would be bleak.

Mr Onaiyekan said, “That young people have lost confidence in the country and are leaving is not good news. A nation whose youths are running away has no future, and our political leaders need to rebuild that trust.

“The leaders are supposed to organise all sectors in such a way that nobody is hungry and that people are not running into poverty. Every day we are hearing that the rate of poverty is increasing, that is not good news, and If I was the president, I would feel bad.”

The clergyman added, “But I will not ‘Japa’. I am not going anywhere. I will stay here and continue to shout that the right thing should be done.”

Earlier in his sermon, Mr Onaiyekan had urged Nigerians to use the season to share what they have with their neighbours, as giving characterised the message of Christmas.

“Resist the temptation of monopolising Jesus in the Christmas season and share the joy of Christmas with everyone. If you can help one or two persons, do just that because we all must do what we can to reach out to our neighbours this season,” said Mr Onaiyekan.

(NAN)