Catholic Bishops urge government to tackle insecurity, economic hardship

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on Sunday advised the government to tackle what it described as deepening security crisis and economic hardship in the country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the CBCN’s 2025 First Plenary Meeting in Abuja, President of the Conference, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji lamented the rising wave of violence and the deteriorating economic conditions that have left millions of Nigerians struggling to survive.

Archbishop Ugorji also frowned at the growing activities of Boko Haram, bandits, and armed groups across the country.

He highlighted the alarming rise in kidnappings, particularly targeting religious figures.

Ugorji said: “As we speak, Fr. Philip Ekweli and a major seminarian remain in captivity after being abducted on March 3, while Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu was kidnapped and brutally murdered just a day later,” he said. “Communities are being terrorized, displaced, and impoverished, while criminal gangs engage in the horrific trade of harvesting human parts for sale or rituals”.

Despite efforts by security forces, the clergy man questioned why the government has not deployed advanced technology to enhance security operations.

“Enough of this senseless brutality! Enough of this barbarism!” he declared.

On the economic front, the archbishop painted a grim picture of widespread hardship, worsened by skyrocketing inflation and declining purchasing power.

He cited World Bank data showing that 129 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line, while the National Bureau of Statistics reports food inflation at nearly 40%.

“Many families now spend up to 65% of their income on food alone, leaving little for healthcare, education, or other basic necessities,” he said. While he acknowledged government measures such as student loan schemes and palliatives, he described them as insufficient, noting that millions of Nigerians continue to suffer under crushing economic pressure.

“With youth unemployment at 53%, Archbishop Ugorji warned that joblessness is driving many young Nigerians into crime and violence. He linked the lack of economic opportunities to the rise in kidnapping, cybercrime, cultism, and ritual killings, urging the government to act swiftly.

“Unless and until the government creates massive job opportunities, it may continue to lose the war against insecurity and violent crimes,”

The Archbishop also highlighted the deplorable conditions in Nigeria’s correctional facilities, where overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inhumane treatment are rampant. He called for urgent reforms, including expedited trials and improved rehabilitation programs.

Despite the bleak realities, Archbishop Ugorji urged Nigerians not to lose hope, calling for collective efforts to demand better governance and accountability from political leaders.

“We must always stand up against bad governance and insist on transparency,” he said

.In his address, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh said the theme of this first plenary session, “Jubilee of Hope: A light for a better Nigeria”, invites Christians to go back to God and re-establish or strengthen their relationship with their Creator.

He further noted that the theme also invites Christians to reflect on their relationship with one another and with the entire creation in the light of God’s will. “It inspires us to give courageous leadership to efforts geared towards drastically reducing the level of wickedness in the Nigerian society and to rekindle the hope in others for a new nation of abundance and joy.

As we all know, our country, Nigeria, has been wallowed with hopelessness and despair for a long time. Many of our fellow citizens are at their breaking points while some have given up hope entirely in the midst of extreme conditions of hunger, poverty, insecurity and disease”, he added.

While delivering his Homily, the Archbishop of Abuja, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama urged Nigerians to emphatically resist the devil who continually tempts ethnic and religious groups to be selfish and myopic; husbands and wives to be morally deviant and unfaithful; youths to be recalcitrant and violent; kidnappers to dehumanize fellow human beings for money; militant herdsmen to destroy food crops; religious fundamentalists to kill for reasons they don’t even understand; and bandits to unleash terror on innocent citizens.

He said while millions of Nigerians are unemployed, the devil and his agents have no problem with the lack of work. Speaking on the state of the nation, Kaigama said: “as Nigerians we still find ourselves in a wilderness of economic hardship, insecurity, corruption, and social division, with many of our brothers and sisters burdened with despair, questioning whether hope is still possible.

“The Lord reminds us that He is a covenant-keeping God. Just as He brought the Israelites into a new era of grace; just as He led Jesus out of the wilderness to proclaim the Good News, so too can He lead Nigeria into a new dawn of justice, peace, and prosperity”.