Okogie urges govt to provide water, electricity
From Mike Osunde, Benin
DISPLEASED by the absence of potable water and electricity in the country, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie has urged the federal and state governments to provide the amenities.
According to Okogie, if government should fulfil these obligations and is not able to do anything else, "I think other things will fall in place".
He spoke at the weekend in Benin, in response to a welcome speech by the Edo State Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion at the Government House.
Accompanied by his host, Archbishop Patrick Ekpu of Benin, Okogie also spoke on the return of schools to missions and its implication for social norms, saying the lack of qualitative education had been the bane of the nation's social ills.
Pleased with the return of the Immaculate Conception College (ICC) Benin to the Catholic mission, Okogie, however, said potable water and electricity were related problems, but if tackled, could hasten the pace of development in the country.
"There are so many places here that are still in darkness and I believe we are all children of God, so we must not live in darkness. We must all come out, Okogie explained".
He said that the electricity problem was not peculiar to Edo State, urging Igbinedion to convey his message to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level to tackle the problem.
"Since your party is ruling the country, we are begging you to pass our message when you meet, so that this problem of light will be solved", he said.
Okogie said that without regular electricity and supply of potable water, investors would still regard the country as backward.
He added that power supply and potable water are the signs that could either attract or repel investors.
His words: "If we can have clean water and light, I think every other thing will fall in place".
Earlier, Igbinedion, after welcoming his visitors to Government House, explained that he decided to hand over the schools to the missions because of what he called equity and justice.
Igbinedion said the schools were wrongly taken from the missions and so, their return was not only right but aimed at stimulating qualitative education.
He reassured the teachers that they needed not to be afraid because their jobs were secured.
