The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama, has raised alarm over the deplorable condition of roads in Taraba State, described them as “death traps” that have claimed lives, destroyed property, and crippled livelihoods.
Speaking on Sunday at the national convention of the Confraternity of Mary Queen of All Hearts, held at Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja, with the theme “The Cost of Discipleship”, Archbishop Kaigama lamented the neglect of critical infrastructure in his home state.
The cleric, who hails from the Jukun tribe, specifically cited the collapse of a major bridge in Namnai, Gassol Local Government Area, which linked Taraba to Benue, Adamawa, and Southern Nigeria. He said the bridge had remained abandoned for over a year despite a pledge by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to reconstruct it in early 2025.
“Where is the sensitivity of leadership? It is typical in Nigeria to dillydally until several more lives are lost in addition to the many already lost! One sees and experiences very horrible roads in Taraba State, such as the Jalingo-Numan road, neglected for more than three decades, and others such as Zing road, Gembu road, Wukari road, Ibi road, Bali road, Karim Lamido road, etc.,” Kaigama said.
The Archbishop also criticized politicians who, according to him, are already “frantically and desperately” struggling for 2027 elective positions while ignoring the suffering of Nigerians.
“Are leaders willing to resist the temptation to selfishly acquire money that belongs to the people, to prioritize their comfort over the suffering poor, or to follow their own will instead of God’s?” he asked.
Kaigama further expressed doubts about the effective use of the $32.5 million recently approved by the United States government to help curb hunger in Nigeria, warned that the aid risked being lost to corruption and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“The funds will naturally evaporate in administrative and bureaucratic misgovernance; swallowed up greedily in corruption by those who already have more than enough. We can only hope and pray that the money is used for the purpose for which it was meant,” he said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s politics, leadership, and ambitions must be rooted in God to achieve genuine progress.
“Nigerian leaders can become more humane if they put God above greed; they can become more just when they place God’s wisdom above political calculations; and when they truly bring God into governance, they can narrow the gap between the ‘first-class citizens’ and ‘second-class citizens’, the ‘big Nigerian men/women’ and the ordinary Nigerians,” Kaigama emphasized.
