Hardship: Nigerians No Longer at Ease with Your Leadership, Catholic Bishops Tell Tinubu

Catholic Bishops voice their concerns to President Tinubu, stating that Nigerians are struggling under current economic hardships and are growing increasingly dissatisfied with his leadership.

Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has urged President Bola Tinubu to review his economic policies due to growing discomfort among Nigerians towards them.

According to OBASANJONEWS, Archbishop of Owerri and Ugorji expressed that President Tinubu’s economic policies have had a detrimental impact on Nigerians.

While delivering his welcome address at the opening session of the 2024 Second Plenary Assembly of CBCN in Auchi, Edo State on Sunday, he placed a call.

According to him, the nation’s socio-economic issues were clearly beyond the scope of economic reforms alone. Despite being carefully planned and executed with great attention to detail, they would not be sufficient in resolving these problems effectively.

Although the policies appeared to be failing, Most Rev. Ugorji suggested reverting back to a regional governance structure as a means of combatting corruption and placing the nation on solid ground.

According to him, the reason behind advocating for a return to regionalism is that the issues in the nation now surpass simple economic modifications.

After careful consideration, it is undeniable that our presidential system of government, which relies on a large number of elected officials and support staff to sustain military operations, incurs staggering costs that are ultimately unsustainable.

It is important to recognize that the corruption exhibited by numerous Nigerian politicians has exceeded all bounds and measurements. Furthermore, enabling federal government control over our national resources only provides more opportunities for this corrupt behavior to thrive.

He stated that after 25 years of attempting the presidential system and struggling to find resolutions for our social-economic issues, it is now fitting to consider the guidance from top intellectuals advocating either a restoration of the regional government as initially intended by our forefathers or decentralizing authority within the six current geo-political areas.

The Archbishop acknowledged that the bishops recognized the achievements mentioned by President Bola Tinubu in his speech on August 4th, but also expressed concern over the current state of affairs in the country.

He enumerated the multitude of challenges afflicting the country, including a heightened debt load resulting from securing $2.25 billion in loan funding from the World Bank by June 2024, which must be repaid over a span of 40 years.

According to him, the public debt profile of the nation rose by 2.46 percent and reached $93.7 billion as a result of the increased debt.

The significant obstacles reported by Ugorji included the citizens’ experience of multiple taxation and hardships induced by insecurity resulting in hunger.

He suggested that immediate proactive measures were necessary to tackle the situation before it escalated into a severe crisis.

Most Rev. Fr. Gabriel Dunia, Bishop of Auchi Diocese, urged individuals in positions of power to serve rather than dominate those under their care during his homily.

Dunia observed that the leaders have an obligation to recognize and honor those in positions of authority as it is God who has appointed them to lead.

In his argument, he suggested that the cessation of banditry, corruption, and poor governance could be achieved by practicing fasting and engaging in prayers.

The Bishop of Auchi Diocese contradicted the notion that God no longer listens to the prayers of His people and instead affirmed that He does, but emphasized the importance for Nigerians to pray more.

He clarified that the bishops had journeyed to Auchi to offer prayers for the nation, hopeful that God’s boundless mercy would bring about favorable change in its fortunes.