Yuletide: Abure slams ruling class, calls for selflessness at Christmas

The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party has accused Nigeria’s ruling class of lacking empathy and selflessness, warning that the country will continue to struggle unless leaders place the welfare of ordinary citizens above personal gain.

He stated this in a Christmas message issued on Friday in Abuja by the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh.

In the message, Abure raised concerns that the resources allegedly cornered by a handful of Nigerians could have been deployed to provide critical infrastructure, as well as improve schools, hospitals and other social services across the country.

The Labour Party chairman further said the country would continue to face difficulties until present-day leaders imbibe the sacrificial spirit of Nigeria’s founding fathers, including Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Mallam Aminu Kano.

“Nigeria can only get better when leaders have empathy for the common Nigerians by exhibiting selflessness. This will bring to an end primitive acquisition of wealth by a few individuals, resources that would have helped in putting needed infrastructure, building schools and hospitals, amongst others.

“Until leaders of today imbibe the sacrificial attributes of our founding fathers, including Malam Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Malam Aminu Kano, amongst others, Nigeria will continue to struggle,” he warned.

Abure said Jesus Christ, though God, chose a life of humility and sacrifice so that humanity could attain everlasting life, stressing that these qualities were largely absent in contemporary Nigerian leadership, especially among the ruling class.

He argued that Nigeria could only make meaningful progress when leaders demonstrate empathy for the masses through selflessness, adding that such an approach would curb what he described as the primitive accumulation of wealth by a few individuals at the expense of the public good.

Against the backdrop of widespread public concern over corruption, Abure called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive steps to rid the country of graft, urging him to “use the broom” — the symbol of the All Progressives Congress — to sweep corruption out of Nigeria.

He warned that no government could endure without confronting corruption head-on, citing Christ as an example of incorruptible leadership who, according to scripture, exposed corruption even among his close followers.

“I call on President Tinubu to use the broom, which is his party’s logo, to sweep away corruption in the country because no government can survive until corruption is fought to a standstill,” the statement read.

Abure also urged Nigerians to pray fervently for improved security across the country, while commending security agencies for their efforts.

“I praise the gallantry efforts of our service men, the State Security Services and every other paramilitary group for ensuring that peace prevails within this season,” he noted, adding that Tinubu must ensure the military is adequately motivated to sustain its operations.