By CALEB AYANSINA

ABUJA – The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd Nicholas Okoh has attributed the slow pace of the national development at the nation’s 54th Independence Anniversary to self-inflicting problems.

The Primate said the country made little progress because some people derived pleasure from throwing cog into the wheel of its progress.

Okoh, who gave the reason in an interview at the sideline of the 6th Diocesan Communicator Conference of the church, in Abuja, however appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the government, as some appreciable progress had been made in spite of challenges.

His words: “We need patient, it is true that they have made some progress, at 54 we suppose to be very matured, but we notice that, we are not where we should be, this is because we ourselves have not been fair to ourselves.

“We have thrown into the wheel of progress a lot of obstacles like Boko Haram, like selfish behaviours, tribalism, ethnicity, sectionalism, corruption etc, all these things have brought a kind of set back.

“Sentiment has eaten to the lowest level, and has affected overall common goal of people to grow, and unless we learn to allow the common goal of people to grow, then, we cannot make it.

“I pray that we make it, this administration will be our transition to the fuller life, that we will not go back, there should be no retrogression into a situation where tribalism, selfishness, sectionalism, violence, insurgency or religious bigotry which dominates the scene.

“No! We want to have a country that builds hope for the future generation, so that our young people will no longer be going outside, as if we have no one, and they will be arresting them on the ice, human trafficking.

“It is very embarrassing, but if we build our country here, people we come to us, then, our joy will be full, that is God’s intention for us, and we are on the way to achieving it.”