Catholic Bishops Hit Tinubu: You Have No ‘Compassion’ For Nigerians

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing economic policies which are now threatening to ground the country to a halt.

The umbrella body of Catholic Church in the country made its position known on Sunday in Abuja, the nation’s capital during the opening session of the 2024 First Plenary Assembly.

According to the bishops ‘millions of Nigerians have been reduced to a life of grinding poverty,” due to the unfriendly economic policies of the administration.

The bishops are referring to the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira last year, amongst others which not a few Nigerians led to the current hardship in the country.

The President of CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji said the country is experiencing the worse state of insecurity and economic hardship that have not been experience in Nigeria’s short history.

Taking a holistic look at the administration, Ugorji accused the administration’s officials of living in affluence while many Nigerians are struggling to eat, despite the huge sums of many the government is spending with nothing to show on the part of the masses.

Ugorji said, “If we cast a cursory glance at the present state of our nation, we are inclined to conclude that this seems to be the worst of times for our country in the areas of security and the economy. Despite the huge sums of money appropriated monthly as security votes, our communities have continued to experience persistent insecurity.

“Recently, there has been an upsurge in kidnapping for ransom and increasing incidents of senseless bloodshed across the nation. Unarmed citizens are brutally slaughtered on our highways, in their homes and even in the sacred precincts of places of worship. Killer herdsmen, bandits and unknown gunmen seem to be on rampage. Many communities across the nation have been taken over completely by criminals. Families have lost their ancestral lands to armed invaders and land-grabbers. The social and economic lives of communities have been paralysed due to insecurity.

“Schools have been shut down, and children can no longer continue their education. Farmers are unable to access their farms out of fear of either losing their lives or being kidnapped. Businesses have closed down. Many displaced families have no sources of livelihood and are daily afflicted by hunger and starvation.

“The reform agenda of the present government has added to the plight of Nigerians. With the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market, there has been a sharp increase in the pump price of petroleum products and a steep decline in the value of the Naira. Indeed, there is a free fall of the national currency. High spiralling inflation has made it difficult for the average Nigerian to access basic commodities, including food items and medication.

“As a result of the government’s reform agenda, millions of Nigerians have been reduced to a life of grinding poverty, wanton suffering, and untold hardship as never before in our national history. In a bid to survive, an increasing number of the poor have resorted to begging. With more than 80 million Nigerians living under the poverty line of less than two dollars a day, our country, according to the recent disclosure of the World Bank, is the world’s second-largest poor population after India.

“While many impoverished Nigerians continue to suffer and die as a result of the hardship caused by the government’s economic reforms, the president has continued to urge the populace to make even more and more sacrifices with the assurance that brighter days lay ahead.

“As the government demands additional sacrifice from the struggling masses, one would expect to see a drastic cut in the cost of running the government at all levels. On the contrary, it is worrisome to watch top government functionaries living by the sweat, toil and tears of the poor. They continue spending huge public funds on ostentatious and luxurious lifestyles and seem incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor.”