The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has expressed deep concerns over what it described as the “escalating suffering and crime” in the country which it said were occasioned by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda.
The Bishops particularly accused President Tinubu of championing socioeconomic reforms that only succeeded in inflicting unquantified and unparalleled hardship on Nigerians.
These were contained in a statement by the President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji.
The Bishops noted the serious challenges being faced by Nigerian families, including the soaring cost of food items and deprivation of basic necessities.
The bishops noted that communities across the country had fallen victims to criminals, resulting in the loss of ancestral lands, economic paralysis, school closures, and widespread insecurity.
They specifically criticized the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidies without well thought-out safety valves and the unification of the foreign exchange market which were the critical components of President Tinubu’s reform agenda.
The Bishops reacted to the sharp increase in the pump price of petroleum products and the steady decline in the value of the Naira which had contributed immensely to high inflation, thereby making it difficult for an average Nigerian to access essential commodities.
They acknowledged the government’s efforts to address economic challenges and security.
The CBCN, however, stressed that the reform agenda only worsened the plight of Nigerians and therefore called for a more proactive approach to the fight against corruption.
It stressed the need for checks and balances in public finance management to prevent embezzlement.
The statement further stated: “In withdrawing the fuel subsidies, the government assured Nigerians it would save a lot of money to be injected into other national development sectors.
“Rather than give evidence of money so far saved from the withdrawal of subsidies for which Nigerians are being afflicted with untold hardship, all we hear is the government’s accumulation of more foreign debts to balance its budgetary deficit, thereby mortgaging the future of our nation and generations yet unborn.”
