The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) yesterday expressed confidence in the ability of Nigeria to weather the current economic storm and come out unscathed.

The said there is hope for Nigeria, despite the socio-economic and security challenges in the country.
They urge the leaders and citizens to take responsibility for driving positive change.

In a communiqué issued after their first plenary meeting of this year by the National Director of Social Communications, Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh, and jointly endorsed by CBCN President, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, and CBCN Secretary, Bishop Donatus Ogun, the bishops outlined their concerns and recommendations for national development.

Although they acknowledged the progress recorded in the petroleum sector, road rehabilitation, student loans, a new minimum wage, and debt reduction efforts, the bishops warned that such gains had been overshadowed by economic hardship, food inflation, and insecurity.

“Despite recent positive developments, Nigeria faces serious challenges, including socio-economic hardship, insecurity, rising youth unemployment, and high costs of essential goods.
“We urge all to pursue unity and national integration. Political, religious, and traditional leaders must foster hope and development,” the communiqué said.

The bishops also urged Nigerians to remain hopeful in democracy, calling for stronger electoral laws and impartial execution of duties by various national institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and the judiciary.
They criticised some state governments that shut down schools in certain regions, demanding their immediate reopening.

The bishops urged the government to deploy modern technology, enhance intelligence gathering, and improve the welfare and equipment of security personnel to further tackle insecurity.
They advised the Federal Government to invest more in agriculture to address food shortages, rising costs, and unemployment.

“More investment is needed in agriculture to facilitate youth involvement and ensure sustainable food production. With improved security and safety for farmers, food production will increase, and the cost of food will reduce nationwide,” the bishops said.

Reaffirming CBCN’s opposition to capital punishment, the clerics urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant clemency to Mr. Sunday Jackson, whose death sentence was recently upheld.

They said: “We reaffirm the Catholic Church’s stand that capital punishment is unacceptable. We, therefore, make a passionate appeal to President Tinubu, especially in light of the Jubilee Year of Hope, to grant pardon to Mr. Sunday Jackson.”

The bishops urged the government to embark on urgent prison reforms by “upholding fundamental rights of inmates and treating them with dignity, expediting justice to prevent prolonged detention, decongesting correctional facilities by granting parole to well-behaved minor offenders, and rehabilitating existing prisons and constructing new ones to ease overcrowding”.

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