Osu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos recently that past administrations, especially the military, paid little attention to the welfare of the ordinary citizens as most of their policies were anti-people.
“Kidnapping is an offshoot of frustration because of bad policies and the penchant to get rich at all cost. It is indeed a shame that Nigerians are made to pay huge ransom to kidnappers for their freedom in their own country,’’ he said.
Osu, who is also the Parish Priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Ebutte Metta in Lagos, argued that social vices had resulted in a “steady decay of the soul of the nation”.
He said kidnapping, robbery, assassination, rape, unemployment and insecurity were the result of the rot in the nation.
According to him, if the problems must be tackled successfully, there must be good governance at all levels.
“The problems we are facing today are self-inflicted, as they are not caused by God or Satan. They are the result of the glorification of social vices.
“It is very worrisome that at this stage of our life as a nation, we are talking about kidnapping for ransom, when we should be talking of progress and celebrating achievements,’’ Osu said.
The cleric said unemployment was a major contributor to the issue of kidnapping and other social vices.
He suggested that youths should be empowered through job creation to ensure a meaningful standard of living for the people.
