_WORLD WATCH______________________________
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Critical of president
Corruption remains rampant, bishops charge
Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have issued a statement critical of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government for failing to live up to expectations for democracy after the end of a military dictatorship two years ago.
“It is sad to say that the government is not living up to our hopes and expectations,” the bishops said. “We see many members of the political class at federal, state, and local government levels looking not to the needs—even the most basic needs—of the people, but spending time and money looking only to how they can be re-elected two years from now.”
“We see government at all levels dissipating scarce resources on expensive projects that do not directly improve the lives of the people,” the bishops said. “It is surely a sign of a democracy which is deficient.”
Obasanjo’s government has seen increasing criticism for its failure to alleviate economic doldrums or social problems, including religious tensions over attempts to impose the Islamic Sharia legal code in northern Nigeria. However, criticism from the bishops may be particularly damaging since their influential voice helped encourage pro-democracy activists to bring about the ouster of the former dictatorship.