Nigeria sitting on ticking time-bomb, Catholic Bishops warn, urge urgent redress of poverty, other red flags in society

Catholic Bishops under the aegis of Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), have warned that the state of the nation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not only worrisome but that, in fact, as things stand, Nigeria is merely ‘sitting on a ticking time bomb’, which may explode sooner or later unless urgents steps are taken to avert the looming catastrophe.

According to the Bishops, as long as the issues of poverty, hardship and corruption continue to plague Nigerian youths, the nation should be ready to contend with more youth protests and related social crises.

They expressed concern that most poverty indices in relation to Nigeria appear to be rearing their ugly heads rather relentlessly, lamenting that the nation’s growing debt burden occasioned by huge debt servicing to international monetary agencies “and sourcing for funds internally to balance budget deficit led to the economic reforms of Mr President, consisting mainly in the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira.”

President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, who doubles as the Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, painted the current state of affairs in the country in his welcome address at the opening Session of 2024 second Plenary Assembly of the (CBCN), holding at Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Declaring the Conference open, Archbishop Ugorji said the future of Nigeria is dependent on how the challenges bedeviling the country are tackled but expressed optimism that with trust in God, the nation will overcome those challenges.

“On August 4th, 2024, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, enumerated the achievements of his administration. While we recognize that notable progress has been made in some sectors of our national life, we cannot fail to admit that the present state of the nation is worrisome, even as insecurity remains one of our major challenges,” Ugorji said.

“As our national economy continues to decline and reduce millions to a life of multidimensional poverty and untold hardship, the Nigerian youths embarked on a nation wide protest tagged #EndbadGovernance from 1 to 10th August 2024.

“The protest was aimed at publicly voicing out their disappointment and frustration on the ills bedeviling the nation. Although Nigerians have the constitutional right to express their grievances through peaceful protests, there was widespread concern it could be hijacked by miscreants.

“Likewise we condemn in strong terms the killing of some protesting youths by security operatives. We pray for the happy repose of the dead, the speedy recovery of the injured and the consolation of the bereaved.

“We wish to stress that as long as the nation is afflicted with poverty, hardship and corruption, and as long as the future of youths in our nation remains bleak, we continue to reckon with youth protest. Rather than address the risk of the tide of ill trying to drown the nation, some governments are busy passing the buck and looking for scapegoats.

“We are indeed sitting on a ticking time-bomb as security operatives try to crack down on some of those involved and their sponsors on perceived trumped up charges, raising concern whether they are trying to strip citizens of their democratic rights and freedoms to protests or give the impression that everything in the country was fine and there was really no need for the protest. This is delusional and condemnable.”

Harping on the increasing debt burden, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference said “Millions of vulnerable Nigerians are now trapped in living conditions, which are affront to human dignity. Indeed, for the present and future generations of our people, the debt burden has turned out to be a new form of enslavement, causing pain, despair and death.”

He called for the return of regional system of government to checkmate corruption and put the nation on the right footing, now that it seems that the present system of government is no longer working, adding “The socio-economic problems of our nation are unmistakably beyond what economic reforms alone can effectively resolve, no matter how well thought-out and how meticulously implemented.

“When all is said and done, we must admit that the cost of running our military imposed presidential system of government with so many elected officials assisted by numerous support staff is staggering and unsustainable.

“We must also acknowledge that the corruption level of many Nigerian politicians have gone beyond scale and measure and that controlling our national resources at the federal government level creates more opportunities for corruption to flourish.

“Having experimented on the presidential system of government for over 25 years and having groped in the dark in search of solutions to our socio-economic problems, now seems to be the opportune time to heed the advice of some of our best minds canvassing for our return to the former regional system of government as envisaged by the wise founding fathers of our nation or devolve power to the present six geo-political zones”

Archbishop Ugorji listed the numerous problems bedeviling the nation, to include increased debt burden of $2.25 billion loan facility from the World Bank in June 2024 with a repayment period of 40 years and which increased Nigeria’s public debt stock by 2.46 percent to $93.7 billion, multiple taxation, hunger and hardship induced by insecurity, saying that proactive steps must be taken urgently to address the situation before it snowball into a huge crisis.

He therefore called on president Bola Tinubu to revisit his economic policies as Nigerians are no longer at ease with them.

Earlier in his homily, Bishop Gabriel Dunia, Bishop of Auchi Diocese at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Auchi, called on those in authority not to lord it over those whom they have been called to serve.

He also said that the leader must know that they are duty bound to respect those in authority because God has placed them there to lead.

Bishop Dunia said banditry, corruption, and bad governance can come to an end through fasting and prayers, pointing out that the insinuation that God has stopped hearing the prayers of His people is wrong.

God hears prayers, he assured, urging Nigerians to pray more, even as he disclosed that the bishops are in Auchi to pray for the country and that they believe that God in His infinite mercy will turn the fortune of the country around for good.