The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has said Nigeria was passing through the darkest chapter of its history.
President of the body, Most Rev Lucius Ugorji, stated this, weekend, at the opening session of the 2022 Second Plenary of the CBCN at the Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre, Orlu, Imo State.
He lamented that Nigerians had been subjected to high level insecurity, high rate of unemployment and soaring prices of good and services, now priced beyond the reach of a larger portion of the population.
Ugorji said: “The level of insecurity in the country is very worrisome. We are passing through what might be deemed as the darkest chapter of our history as a nation.
“Extreme poverty, soaring unemployment rate, spiralling inflation, a collapsing economy, with ever increasing debt burden, and worsening insecurity have combined to complicate the plight of the average Nigerian, who appears condemned to a life of intolerable hardship and undeserved misery.
“The country has continued to bleed endlessly as a result of the ungodly activities of insurgents, bandits, militant herdsmen, unknown gunmen, kidnappers and trigger-happy security agents. Nowhere seems safe anymore. Homes, farmlands, markets, highways, places of worship and presbyteries have all been turned into kidnapping and killing fields.
“Innocent citizens are butchered with savagery and brazen impunity by criminals who lack a sense of the sanctity of human life.”
The cleric, who noted that the best way to guarantee security in a nation was through good governance that aimed at the common good for the greater number of the citizens, said: “Good governance generates peace, which is the bedrock of development, and which takes root when people’s dignity and rights are respected; when there is the rule of law; when citizens are not excluded from political participation; when there is equitable distribution of national resources and people are free from hunger, poverty and unemployment.
“It is, therefore, belabouring the obvious to observe that lack of good governance results in extreme poverty, unemployment, hardship, crime and violent conflicts.
“In these difficult times, we cannot but stress that the first responsibility any government owes its citizens is the security of their lives and property. Nigerians have the right to live in a secure and safe country. This is basic; every other thing flows from it.
“After the heavy annual budgets on yearly basis and after repeated assurances by government that it is on top of the matter, our country remains plagued by insecurity. This is a shame.
“Government must wake up. Given that government appears overwhelmed in securing us, we encourage dioceses to take adequate measures to beef up security in our parishes, presbyteries and other church Institutions.
“We also urge dioceses and all people of goodwill to take the upcoming 2023 general elections seriously. We must all brace up to share our values on good governance based on the common good, and use our votes to elect people of unassailable integrity who have the character, competence, capacity and track record to lead our nation out of the present economic doldrums.”
