The Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have again raised the alarm over the economic hardship and uncertainty in the country, warning that the prevailing situation portends great danger. The clerics under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) warned of imminent crisis that might befall the country due to growing hardship in the land, political corruption, youth unemployment and rising insecurity.
They also urged the political leaders to take urgent measures to address the growing challenges. The Bishops raised the alarm at the opening session of the 2025 first plenary meeting of the CBCN at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Abuja. They noted the dissatisfaction among the youth with the entire governance system, and warned that they might soon be forced to take the laws into their hands; a development they feared might be catastrophic.
The CBCN President and Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, stated that in a country like Nigeria where youths constitute 70 per cent of the population and with 53 per cent of the lot unemployed, there are clear dangers in the horizon. “Youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb, since frustration and disillusionment make them easy prey to radicalisation, initiation into dangerous cults and recruitment by different armed and terrorist gangs to cause mayhem in the nation,” Bishop Ugorji observed. He added that unless and until the government attends to the problem of youth joblessness by massively creating job opportunities in an ongoing manner, it may continue to lose the war against insecurity and violent crimes in the nation.
“As Church leaders, we should rekindle hope in our nation and not get tired of proclaiming the gospel of love and hope, peace and reconciliation, justice and fair play. As the voice of the voiceless, we should, with uncompromising energy, continue denouncing corruption, injustice, oppression and exploitation of the poor and weak, which have held our nation down,” the Bishops stated.
While commending the government’s economic and fiscal reforms like road rehabilitation, the student loan scheme, and debt servicing reduction, the Bishops urged the government to tackle the root causes of economic hardship and insecurity, emphasizing that millions of Nigerians were suffering under extreme conditions of poverty and fear.
The deplorable state of Nigerian prisons was also a major point of concern for the Bishops. They criticized the overcrowded and inhumane conditions of the nation’s correctional centres, where 60-90 per cent of inmates are awaiting trial, asking government to rise to the challenges. They also urge the government to reform the electoral system so that our elections can be credible, transparent and reflect the wishes of the people.
The Catholic Bishops have been consistent in drawing government’s attention to the nation’s worrisome challenges. We applaud their resolve and consistency to fearlessly speak truth to power. In August 2024, the clerics spoke on the economic hardship in the country and warned that poverty, hardship and corruption would lead to unrests and youth restiveness if they were not addressed. They noted that Nigerians were groaning under hardship occasioned by high electricity tariffs, rising cost of petroleum products, transportation, healthcare services and others. The CBCN urged the government to support farmers with subsidies, soft loans, modern technology, and improved seedlings, as ways of mitigating the crisis at hand.
Undoubtedly, the alarm raised by the Bishops should serve as a wake-up call on the government to quickly address youth unemployment and other challenges. Therefore, President Bola Tinubu should also heed the timely advice of the Bishops and reduce the suffering in the country. The other day, the Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, blamed the Federal Government’s economic policies for the severe hardship in the land. Fintiri also called on the government to reconsider some of its economic policies that are putting hardship on Nigerians.
Since the withdrawal of subsidies on petroleum products by the government and floating of the naira, prices of basic food items and services have been on the rise. Though there have been slight reductions in the pump prices of petrol following the entry of Dangote Refinery products into the market, the prices of food items are yet to come down. Rents and transport fares are still very high. Former military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd) recently decried the economic hardship and lamented that some Nigerians could not afford three square meals in a day.
Let the government reconsider its approach to the management of the economy and effect the needful changes. The continuous implementation of seemingly ineffective policies by the government would only deepen the suffering of the masses and widen the gulf between the government and the people. Let the government aggressively tackle unemployment and create conducive atmosphere for business to thrive.