The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on Sunday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to focus on renewing the fight against hunger and graft. The CBCN) also called for a return to regional government, saying that the 25 years of Presidential system was not beneficial to the country.
Besides, they lamented the alarming rate of corruption in Nigeria, the huge debt burden they said could be cleared by stolen monies stashed away by politicians in foreign countries, and the issue of hunger in the land.
The Bishops position was tabled at the opening ceremony of the 2nd CBCN Plenary Meeting in Auchi, Edo State in a welcome address by its President, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, who also criticized the killings in the recent #EndBadGovernance protest which it agreed went violent, contrary to the original plans but insisted that it was wrong for anybody to prevent Nigerians from protesting in fulfilment of their constitutional right.
He also lamented the recent kidnap in Otukpo, Benue State, of some Catholic medical students, at the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri respectively.
According to Archbishop Ugorji: “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 has 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 with 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 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.”
He said the current reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration were similar to the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of General Ibrahim Babangida, backed by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, which did not work.
“Despite his rigorous efforts to mitigate its harsh effects through setting up the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, DFRRI; Better Life for Rural Women; and Mass Transit initiatives, the implementation of SAP triggered massive social and economic upheaval.
“At the end, Retired General Babangida in an interview with Channels TV in 1992, disclosed that his administration’s economic policies had failed and that the Nigerian economy had defied every conventional solution.
”Given that the ‘shipwreck’ of one man should be the ‘ship-guide’ of another, the present administration of Mr.President may consider reviewing its own economic reform policies with more openness to the insightful contributions of highly respected compatriots,” he added.
Ugorji added: “On August 4th, 2024, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, enumerated the achievements of his administration. While we recognise that notable progress has been made in some sectors or our national life, we cannot fail to admit that the present state of the nation is worrisome. Insecurity remains one of our major challenges.
“As our national economy continues to decline and continues to reduce millions to a life of multidimensional poverty and untold hardship, the Nigerian youths embarked on a nation wide protest tagged #EndbadGovernance from August 1 to 10.
“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 will continue to reckon with youth protest. Rather than address the risk of the tide of ill trying to drown the nation, some government officials 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.”
Ugorji, who is also the Archbishop of Owerri, 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 increases Nigeria’s public debt stock by 2.46 per cent to $93.7 billion, multiple taxation, hunger and hardship induced by insecurity, added that proactive steps must be taken urgently to address the situation before it snowballed into a huge crisis.
Originally published in Vanguard