Our nation is like sheep without a shepherd, says Bishop Nwaka

Our nation is like sheep without a shepherd, says Bishop Nwaka
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Mon 10 May 2010, 07:00 CAT

LIVING Waters Global Ministries Bishop Bernard Nwaka of Kitwe has said Zambia has selfish and greedy leaders who have no heart and compassion for the people.

Preaching at a prophetic summit in Ndola at Broadway Cinema last Thursday, Bishop Nwaka said currently Zambia was like a sheep without a shepherd because the leaders have no heart for the people.

“The selfishness, the greediness of our hands, our nation is like sheep without a shepherd, we have leaders who have no heart and compassion, may God raise leaders who will have compassion and the heart for the people, that is my prayer,” he said.

“Zambia has been mining copper for a long time now and what do we have to show for it? I want any politician if he is around to stand because I know that in such meetings there are good friends from the Office of the President, don’t write what I am saying, buy the whole tape and take it to your bosses, what is there to show for in Zambia from all the blessings we have been given? I can’t take it any more.”

Bishop Nwaka said Zambia had vast land with good minerals but the land was only responding to foreigners.

He said Zambians do not enjoy what they produce in their own land because everything was going to foreigners.

“To me it appears that the land has been responding for lack of a better word to foreigners.We are only tools of production. We don’t enjoy what we produce, we don’t own what we produce or work for, we talk about good copper prizes, we can talk about good copper production but to me it appears the land is responding to foreigners. Why? Because it is not empowering the citizens,” he said.

“Africa is not empowering the Africans, so what is happening with us is hand to mouth policy which we have as long as we can be employed, as long as we can get a wage or a salary at the end of the month, we seem to be satisfied with that and the wealth is not responding to us, you look at our lives, we have been independent for many years, we have nothing to show for but the wealth that has come out of Africa, out of Zambia, where has it gone to? It has gone to other nations.”

He said Africans and Zambians in particular had been reduced to servants only fitting to be employed and not to own anything in their own land and continent.

Bishop Nwaka said many people had misunderstood Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe but said he understood him and his principles were correct.

“I have not misunderstood him, I just don’t agree with the methodology of doing things, but the principle is correct, right now he is pushing for all the companies in Zimbabwe to have 51 per cent shares to be owned by the government, this was supposed to be pushed by the church,” he said.
“You know our first president Dr Kenneth Kunda that was his policy, 51 per cent shares to be owned by the government. And if we say privatisation, does it mean brining in foreigners, privatisation means that the government not doing business but the private companies doing it, does it mean that Zambians cant do that?”

He said it is not acceptable for Zambians to be reduced to workers who only get bad salaries at the end of the month in their own country.

Bishop Nwaka said some foreign investors come without money and only borrow from local banks.