· Demands new federal constitution
· Hails FG’s CNG programme
Piqued by the current hardship in Nigeria, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has called on the federal government to prioritize the interest of citizens of the country.
The Church also urged the government to work out a new Federal Constitution that would be made by the Nigerian people.
Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba who made the call on Thursday while addressing the 2024 Standing Committee Meeting of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, held at the St. Andrew’s Basilica Anglican Church, Hill View, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, noted that Nigeria is beset by several nagging issues, some of which recently came to the fore and ventilated by various groups, especially with the recent #EndBadGovernance protest.
Ndukuba expressed concern over the “endless drudgery to which citizens have been subjected to as a result of the energy deficit. The epileptic power supply in spite of the privatisation of this sector and tariff reviews, the astronomical rise in the cost of petroleum products (PMS), diesel (AGO) kerosene and cooking gas, have made life much more difficult.
“It is in this context that the Church salutes the coming on stream of the Dangote refinery. We have taken cognisance of the impediments the company has complained of, and the position of both the NNPCL and the regulators, MDPRA.
“The government should prioritize the interest of citizens. There is a need to explore the establishment of modulating refineries and activating the existing ones and support them. Nigeria has the capacity to be a leading Petroleum crude exporting as well as exporter of refined products. Dangote and others building refineries should be granted incentives, even if not on the same scale,” he said.
On the new constitution, the Primate expressed the conviction of the Church that while the National Assembly had done well in the amendment of the military-bequeathed Constitution, Nigeria was due to have a new set of legislation which would be made by the Sovereign Assembly of the peoples of Nigeria.
He said, “This new Constitution will take into consideration the concerns already expressed in the Sovereign National Conferences and the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Shying away from doing this amounts to postponing the doom’s day.”
He insisted that the only foundational legacy President Bola Tinubu’s administration needs to lay was that of a solid democratic governance and give Nigeria a civil and democratic constitution that would address the root causes of the xenophobic agitations of the citizens.
The #EndBadGovernance protest he noted, held despite lacking an identifiable leadership or clear set of demands, and amidst the spirited efforts of the federal and state governments to avert it.
He, therefore, said that, “This was a clear indication that the people are tired of constant but failed promises by the government to stem the rising cost of living which has imposed severe hardship on most households in the country.
“Furthermore, the often-amplified calls for understanding and sacrifice by those in authority while their lifestyle, actions, and display of affluence and luxury amid scarcity for most people, do not help matters.
“The protest is a clarion call to governments at all levels, especially the federal, to heed the cry of the people, and not scapegoat anyone, as no government can legislate or stop people who are hungry from protesting.”
Ndukuba said the Church frowns at the hoisting of Russian flags in parts of the country by some protesters, describing it as unacceptable as it is a slide from the norms of protest in Nigeria and appeared to be a play at the unconstitutional change of government which the church strongly condemns.
“We believe that this ill-advised gambit, if not checked, can lead to a breach in our democracy. This incident should be fully investigated to ascertain and deal with the causes and the instigators of this crime.
“Unfortunately, it could be that there are some sacred cows behind this incident, as it seems to have been swept under the carpet. We call for action to mitigate future occurrences,” he stressed.
While felicitating with President Tinubu and the Nigerian workers on the signing into law of the new minimum wage of N70,000, the Primate called on the government to extend the scheme to cover pensioners, many of whom were living on starvation wages, saying, “There is a need for a review of pensions every five years as provided by the Constitutive Law on pensions.”
Applauding the federal government for the mainstreaming of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), as an alternative to fuel, for use by transport vehicles, Ndukuba stated that it would have a knock-on effect on the cost of transportation and movement of farm produce from the interior to urban centres.
“More importantly, the promotion of the use of Gas for domestic cooking at a very affordable price, will help the common man. Just as electricity is supplied to homes and residences, gas can also be developed and distributed to homes and industries as is obtainable in developed economies.”
